Rhodes, is by most accounts a small, ‘safe’ community. Much safer then the big cities that some of us hail from, such as Jo’burg: ‘Gangers Paradise’ or Cape Town: ‘Your Mother City’…Right?
No Wrong….

It seems we as students have settled into a false sense of security, where we think “Well, it won’t happen to me”. Snap out of it, apparently we’ve forgotten that Grahamstown is a town, with the same dangers and possibilities as other South African cities. We all gasp in horror at the recent reports of student’s being mugged near campus and our blood runs cold when our fellow students are assaulted, yet within 10 minutes we’re back to planning the night out. In many cases there is absolutely nothing a victim can do to avoid an attack, however, some of us act as though we have some immunity to these horrific experiences.



Here are a few tips:



1. Stop driving drunk! CPU can’t protect you from the police and you do not want to spend a night in Grahamstown prison with real bad guys.



2. If you’re walking, especially at night, try walking as close to campus SOS buttons as possible and if you’re alone ask a CPU guard (nicely) to walk with you. CPU are a blessing, don’t hesitate. Visit their homepage here.



3. Don’t wonder between Union, Equilibrium, the Rat and Friars aimlessly. Choose a destination and get there quick, preferably not alone.



4. I know people don’t feel the need to tell their friends where their going, like they had to tell their mommy’s, but it’s not a bad idea. If you’re going away or even leaving a group of people to go somewhere alone, just let someone know.



Now, for those of us that put ourselves and others in direct danger;



5. Condoms are not ornaments, you can find them around campus, don’t let laziness put your health or anyone else’s at risk.



6. Just because a drink is free, doesn’t mean you should drink it, try getting drinks that you can see haven’t been tampered with. The drink really isn’t worth the possible consequences.
7. Remember, you don’t know everyone at Rhodes, you should be as cautious of people here as you are everywhere else. People rarely turn out to be what you expected.



8. Lock your doors!!! If you’re in digs, remember Grahamstown has thieves and bad guys too, and for those in res, locking your door when you visit your neighbor might sound ridiculous, but you don’t know who’s walking around.

'SisVic'

Dear skinnier self

You will think the meal times are ridiculous, and res will remind you of an old age home; breakfast at the crack of dawn, lunch bang on twelve and supper far too early at five o’clock. But by the second week you will fit into this routine, until your stomach starts growling at 4.30pm.

Remember before you came to university when you were so scared to eat res food? You vowed you would never eat the meat and become a vegetarian. This is probably a good idea, as you will discover when someone sees a truck of ‘F-Grade Meat’ unloading boxes behind your dining hall. The soya sausages may look like turds but really they taste nice, better than meat even and a lot healthier.

Don’t be paranoid about missing meals. You don’t have to wake up early just to have breakfast, rather buy a bag of apples. And don’t keep them in the fridge or try and save yoghurt. People will steal your saved yoghurts out of the fridge. When this happens, resist the urge to steal their yoghurt back, because what goes around comes around, and one day they might steal your bottle of champagne, or leave fingerprints in the vodka jelly.

If there is one vital food tip I can convey it is this: stay away from the toast! Toast is very tempting, especially when there is peanut butter and syrup available, but toast is every skinny girl’s downfall. Especially when the toaster flattens your toast to a crisp slice, it doesn’t feel as though you are eating anything, but five weeks and 2kgs down the line you will wish you hadn’t eaten so much toast. It’s better to be a healthy hippy.

Unbooking your meals is your best kept secret from your parents. You can unbook up to R1000’s worth of food and reclaim it at the end of the term to go backpacking in Transkei or to Earthdance party in Cape Town. Starving yourself for money is not as bad as selling yourself, so don’t feel guilty. Above all, exercise! And don’t drink too much beer.

Your older and wiser food guru,
Caeri