RAOC Gazette - page 131
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1978 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1978 |
| Late date | 1978 |
| Transcription |
SUBALTERN STUDENT IMPRESSIONS OF A DEGREE COURSE ALL new students should arrive on Tuesday 3f/i October by four o'clock In the afternoon. Students will be shown to their accommodation and there will be an introductory talk by the Vice-Chancellor on Wednesday morning at 10.30 in Central Hall. So ran part of the introductory letter to all new under- graduates * going-up' to the University of York. In many ways it reads like the joining instructions for a course at any RAEC Study Centre; the major difference being the relatively late timing of the Vice-Chancellor's address. Realistically, University authorities make allowances for those who experience difficulty getting out of bed. The reception machinery was well organised, with volunteer second year students meeting new arrivals at the station and arranging transport to the various colleges on campus. Again like any military course there was a mass of information sheets to help, or perhaps confuse, the * fresher '—how to avoid getting lost, what to do if the washing machine eats your clothes, who to see if you can't stand the pace, where to locate the various advisory and welfare organisations. One could not help noticing at this stage that much of this help and advice came from organisations run by the students themselves, independent of the university administration. After. noting the superficial similarities with a military course, during the subsequent few days one became aware of being in a totally different environment. Apart from the * out- ward and visible signs,' such as length of hair and styles of dress, other differences between fellow students and his col- leagues in the Army made themselves apparent. In the first instance a Regular Subaltern at University soon becomes aware that he is older and has had a very different experience of life before coming to university than other under- graduates. The difference in age was especially brought home to the writer on his first day of teaching; arriving early for the seminar he was mistaken for the tutor—most embarrassing, especially as the tutor, who appeared some five minutes later, certainly did not have a receding hairline! The second point that strikes someone coming from the Army to University is the fact that he enters a new world with its own particular way of life. The atmosphere is very easy- going, with responsibility for work and organisation of leisure activities wholly dependent upon the individual. Lectures, seminars and tutorials are of course arranged on a timetable basis but attendance at lectures is not compulsory. The main stipulation made by the authorities is that a student must see his academic supervisor at the beginning and end of every term. Each student is individually assigned to a member of the teaching staff in his own department; the role of a supervisor is not only that of overseeing one's academic progress but of forming a link between the student, his department, and the University Administration. Such a relaxed system is completely different from the- world of his Army career, which is only to be expected and is one of the reasons why he has been sponsored to read for a degree. The University degree course is very much centred around an individual's ability to organise his work as it best suits him; some students live a badger-like existence, rising at six in the evening and retiring again at eight the following morning. Such a schedule in part, relies on tolerant and very understanding neighbours—the sound of * New Wave' at forty watts per channel at 4 am is not conductive to curing hang- overs. During the first few days' reception and registration pro- cedure an undergraduate from the Services is introduced to yet another new experience outside his normal military activities, in that he becomes a member of the National Union of Students (NUS). From the outsiders point of view the NUS devotes all its time and resources to the support of left wing political groups. What is not generally appreciated is the amount of work done by the NUS in providing aid and services to the student body. This includes legal aid, advice on housing and rent, cheap travel, and the backing for all extra-curricula activities. Some students spend a great deal of time actively in- volved in politics. The forum for political debate and dis- cussion is the Students Union (SU); here matters of National or merely fringe interest are hotly disputed by the various factions and parties. The politically active form a vociferous t minority of the student body; for the remainder the SU is important as the sponsor of all student-run clubs and societies. One has only to walk past any noticeboard on campus to appreciate how much is going on at any one time. The range of activities is enormous: lectures by well-known personalities, plays, films, concerts, and debates all take place under SU auspices as do the activities of the somewhat lighter Real Ale Society. The Army officer coming up to university does not en- counter some of the problems which face the undergraduate who comes straight from school. The student grant is intended to cover all expenditure incurred during the academic year. Some students faced with having to pay for accommodation and books as well as everyday expenses have great difficulty in organising their financial affairs satisfactorily. The officer, of course, does not suffer from such financial worries; and the advantage of a monthly salary is perhaps the only sub- stantial difference between a student officer and his colleagues. Relations with both academic staff and students will depend upon the individual rather than his background and degree of solvency. In general the fact that one is an army officer draws forth a multitude of questions about the Army and what ' life is like' in the Services. Criticism for being an army officer is rare, most students accept that one has chosen a career, and that's an end to the matter. One great advantage for the army officer is that after graduation his future is settled. Third year students, as well as their impending finals, have to face the problems of finding a career. In today's circumstances the hold- ing of a degree is no longer the automatic means to employment that it perhaps has been in the past. Besides enabling an officer to obtain a degree, Army sponsorship at a civilian university for the Regular Officer gives him the opportunity to meet a variety of interesting people, who also have a chance to hear what the Army is like rather than what they think it is like. For three years (with the exception of attachments to Units in the Summer Vacations) the young officer has the chance to live and work in a totally different environment to the army—an experience which cannot be gained in any other way. The advantages, apart from obtain- ing an important academic qualification, are difficult to specify, The opportunity of studying a subject in depth, which is what a university course is designed to provide, helps the officer to approach other problems in a wider context and from a variety of different points of view. E, L. J. — 104 — A REWARDING HOBBY? ? Men are needed N O W as colleagues in a friendly organisation of decision-makers. Start a hobby which: . . . keeps you f i t . . . brings you satisfaction . . . sharpens your perception Become a Soccer Referee W r i t e now through the Military post t o : — AFA Referees Secretary, ASCB, Barracks, Aldershot, Hants. WE DO THE REST Clayton |
| Book number | R0247 |