Freshers' night: Has decades long rite of passage been outlived by generations?

It is freshers' night, a night when university and college students have the management’s blessings to party, unleash their drip, or even wear clothes that would otherwise be labelled BANNED!

Fresher’s night is an event that universities hold in honor of all freshmen and freshwomen, to welcome them to their new home and make them comfortable. 

Freshers' night is the rite of passage that transitions students from their old life and from old habits and routines set by their parents or teachers, to being freer, wilder and unapologetically forming personalities that become their own. 

Usually, the night ends with tired feet, newly formed friendship bonds, and tons of photos to relive the shared moments that welcomed them into the new community. 

But so many things happen in that one night. Someone will have their first drink, smoke, or break their virginity on that night. Another will meet a love of their life, and they will stay ‘highpily’ ever after, if not happily. A man or woman on a hunting mission could be lucky to catch their ‘prey’ on this magical night. 

During freshers' night, you will spot some students dancing to wild, trendy music blaring from gigantic woofer speakers, some getting wild, forming relations with drugs that probably outlived most relationships among young campus couples. 

Well, before we even know, what was the original purpose of freshers' night? What did deans of students, or university ‘ministers for enjoyment’ want out of this night? 

Individuals who went to college way before me say the night was meant for socialisation, familiarisation, talent showcase and just fun. 

But today, freshers' night is stripped of its true meaning, and tainted by moral decadence, theft and false meaning, a fading glory of what was once the pinnacle of all freshmen’s year.    

David is a second-year student who recounts his first freshman party. “ It was extremely awesome,” he says. “ I was happy, the whole of the event was epic. People were living up to the moment, I mean, even DJ Lyta was there to mush up the party. Others were screaming, some were fighting. While some were getting high, others were getting dumped. A word of advice? Never carry your phone to an event and never go to the front stage alone. You will suffer from suffocation.”

Fidel relates to David in sharing his own experiences on the freshers night he first attended. “ It was fine actually, the institution together with the student council did a great job because they brought well-known artists who were trending at that time. The problem is that it ended early,” he says. 

He describes how thrilled he was to see how talented students were given opportunities to showcase their talents, wishing one day he would be on top of that stage, showing what he is made of, rather than just sitting in the audience and cheering.

“One thing with the audience is that they were vibing to the music so well, plus they were so energetic, they made that day colorful, and they were all friendly. There were no incidents of disputes or any kind of violence.”

“Just attend the freshers night with a reason to entertain yourself, bond with others, and everything will be fine. Also, ensure that one takes good care of themselves and their belongings,” he concludes with a freshers' night survival tip. 

Lewis, a 3rd year student at Kenyatta University, recalls his freshman years and the night that was. He describes it as “straight-up madness, in the best way possible!” 

“The amphitheatre turned into a mini festival the moment the clock hit 7 PM. Girls were looking like they stepped out of a music video, and boys? Well…they were trying their best not to embarrass themselves. The DJs dropped banger after banger, no time to breathe!” exclaims Lewis, a bachelor's student in Economics and Finance. 

“Bensoul pulled up with soul vibes Nviiri had couples dancing like they met in 1990, and then boom, Khaligraph Jones stormed the stage with bars that made us forget our GPA problems.”

It was a good experience and a night to remember. 

“Everyone left with something except that one guy who came for the snacks only,” he says. 

Of course, not everyone has the same experience at such a vibrant event. After all, not every guest dances to the same song. 

Happiness is a student majoring in Economics and Statistics who knows how to fuse numbers into the fashion world. 

“I would rate it a four. The event wasn’t as lively as I presumed; it rained and the place where the event was held got muddy. The musicians performed just for the sake, plus the event wasn’t overnight. It ended at 12, and you can imagine that time I was staying outside school, so I had to sit at the villas, and it was cold, no music. It was boring,” she recounts.

While those living in the school hostels get to cuddle and squirm underneath their duvets in their warm comfortable beds, those living outside the school premises struggle to find a warm spot at the villas or classrooms to rest come morning, the fear of insecurity outside the school at midnight clawing their guts. 

She admits there was a bit of good vibes, making new friends and interacting, the negativity of it all just weighed heavily on the scale. 

“If you want to have fun, go early and choose the front spot. Go with friends, eat before going and be prepared for the cold,” she tips off the next freshers who are anticipating their first freshers' night with the mentality that it is all fun and mellow.

Leave alone the events being good or bad, the era itself differs from generation to another. 

Kamau joined the campus in 2017, a period where freshers' night was nothing but a thought, then attended his first while in his third year. 

“There were no freshers' nights during our days. I think one happened when I was in third year or fourth, and it rained mercilessly that night,” he recounts. 

In Kamau’s institution, freshers' night was not enjoyable as it needed a good budget proposal. They ended up getting low-budget artists. 

Enoch is a 31-year-old millennial who is the founder and CEO of Enoroberts Organic Farm as well as Programs Coordinator at Green Initiative in Kakuma. 

He attended his first freshers' night when most Gen Z were glued to screens, anticipating shows like SpongeBob or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

“First, the night was a mixture of well-intentioned and ill-intentioned people. Some non-students and other senior students. The ill-intentioned are few though; most freshers are naive,” he says. 

He further describes the event as lively, how the happiness and joy that came about caught his attention, how intrigued he was by the food and the dances. 

“I enjoyed the dances and some local musicians from the Mijikenda artists. For the local music, they invited traditional music and modern musicians for Bongo, which were the hottest trends in music during those times. I am a fan of rhumba too. It’s best for us, the old boys,” Enoch states. 

The decades-long freshers' night remains unique, unchanged for different institutions, yet the same vibes continue to pass to generation after another. But what is the purpose of this night, and who achieves it?