Order in Student City

As long as the state uncomplainingly pours our money into the mill called "higher education," the system will continue to produce more mediocrity and problems than knowledge.

After every incident in Studentski Grad, a cycle of reports, interviews, accusations, justifications, and after the last one there was even a resignation. As is tradition in the Bulgarian higher education system, change did not happen after the spoken words. The opposite should not be expected. While the state uncomplainingly pours our money into this mill, which produces more mediocrity than knowledge, rectors and professors will sit on their hands with dignity.

This article is not intended to attack higher education administrators, although they deserve it. In it, I will attempt to examine the problems of Studentski Grad and argue for where positive change can be achieved and by what means.

Discos

I'll start with the bad news - the problem with discos is almost insoluble. Like any other business, they exist because of consumer demand. Even if money were somehow found for the crazy idea of moving the dormitories to the outskirts of Sofia, how exactly will entrepreneurs from the nearest terrain be stopped from building an entire Las Vegas?

Students are young people who like to have fun. There are universities around the world with large and isolated campuses that can afford the peaceful environment financially. I can't think of any Bulgarian ones, however. The best thing that can be done in our country in terms of reducing the number of establishments is for universities to stop being hypocritical and to stop renting out premises to bars and discos.

In general, the idea of creating urban campuses is bad. They automatically become a center of attraction for nightlife, which, however, due to the environment, can also include many external elements. In large cities like London, for example, university dormitories are for a relatively small number of students, and the buildings themselves are scattered in different places on the map. In this way, entertainment clusters usually arise in other places, and so those who do not want to participate in the daily celebration (but are forced to live in a dormitory) can have peace for reading and science.

Dormitories and discipline

Bulgarian students are no wilder than their peers from other parts of the world, nor is Sofia a more dangerous city than the aforementioned London. At the same time, the cooperatives in Studentski Grad are an arena of violence of all kinds every night. Yelling, music, fights – to put it mildly, an unpleasant environment for academic development.

The difference with the significantly more relaxed foreign dormitories is mainly rooted in the application of the rules. English students do not have a curfew, they can invite guests, and some even organize parties in their rooms. At the same time, however, this happens according to an order, written down in a detailed contract, concluded before moving into the dormitory. Clearly setting the boundaries of rights and obligations.

Entry into the building is via an electronic card, which can be checked by the security guards (made up of young men). Guests are entered on a special list, and in some places they are given a pass. The peace of others is the law. If it is violated and a complaint is made, there are hefty fines and the threat of expulsion from the dormitory. The administration, again mainly made up of young people, takes care of order (but it really does take care of it), which regularly communicates with the students and quickly responds to emails.

The environment thus created, in which there are rules and there is someone to enforce them, eliminates the need for violent conflict resolution. In such an environment, bullies and aggressors are not tolerated and, accordingly, do not thrive well. In Bulgaria, those responsible for creating and observing the necessary rules have abandoned this duty as well, and, as it turned out, are willing to transfer it to someone else. At the same time, they blame the students and the chalga for their incompetence and powerlessness.

The other side of the coin

The interesting thing is that if we look at the situation of the Bulgarian student dormitory, we will see a failure in the use of the right of ownership. A failure because the owner, in the person of the universities, has no desire to offer the service of student accommodation in a decent way, but is forced to do so. At the same time, the price of the dormitories is so low that people are ready to ignore the atmosphere and live in the poor conditions.

For all their complaints, the majority of students continue to stay in Studentski Grad, despite the situation. Economics says that people respond to incentives, and if we are to judge by the reaction of the academic youth, the situation suits them. Many of the residents of the neighborhood live in subsidized and unpleasant boxes, but they drive cars and/or spend money on alcohol, enough for a decent apartment (shared with colleagues) in nearby Mladost. If it is so scary, why don't we see a mass exodus?

I will conclude that both administrators and students are to blame for the outrages in Studentski Grad. The former, who carelessly create the rules of the "sinful neighborhood," and the latter, who obediently (often willingly) live by them.[1]

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