Western University and Fanshawe College students have built up a reputation over the years as being the life of the party. But, in 2016, is this still the case?
Western has recently tightened up on Homecoming festivities, and, according to Tony Frost, Fanshawe’s executive director of Brand Management, the word “riot” has been omitted from words surrounding Fanshawe.
Tony Frost attributes the size of Fanshawe as a reason why the non-academic life is so booming.
“Student definitely engage in student life probably to a larger extent here than they would at a lot of colleges in Ontario. I would say it’s very much like a typical university experience that people get when they arrive.”
A city with a wide variety of options for night life, London has made a party impression on the lives of many students here. Eardley Judah is a recent Western graduate and a current AoTC club promoter. He has been to other cities to party, but says London is in a league of its own.
“No other place has really shown me a great time like Western has. I’ve been to several other homecomings, they don’t even hold a candle in the wind to what Western has brought.”
While partying was embedded in Eadrley’s tenure at Western, this may not be the case for all students. Western University was notoriously known for its parties in the past, especially in the nineteen nineties when the entrance average for students was below the provincial average. However, with a climb to the top entrance average in Ontario now and heightened competition for jobs, Susan Grindroid, the VP of Western Housing and Ancillary Services believes it is a new era for students.
“Now students are very focused on a very tough job market and I think they are under a lot of pressure to go on to graduate school and to do well, and to be gainfully employed when they finish with their post-secondary education.”
Regardless whether the party is as live as it once was at Western and Fanshawe, it appears there is a consistency for these students to make trips down to the Richmond Row.
