Not a whisper of sound floats through Castle St, the Leith trickles unperturbed by the sickly invasion of alcohol, and the proctor can rest easy knowing his troubles are now over.
Exams have finished and, in a flash, almost the entirety of the student population have packed up their things and gone.
While some may be glad for this respite, in my case, it does make life quite dull.
Why has no one shown up to our Wednesday night party which would normally be packed to the brim?
Where have the hilarious university confessions gone which entertained me so often throughout the year?
In asking these questions I present the dilemma of the great summer exodus.
Importantly it must be asked: could and should things be changed, or are we happy to be rid of the lot?
It’s no secret that the vast majority of the 20,000 students in Otago don’t have anything to do with the region.
So, it would make sense that they would want to go home and see whanau, right? Yes, but no.
Many of the students I have spoken to about going home have mentioned the necessity of their return as a means of gaining employment.
Old part-time jobs return to haunt, and students manage to get enough of a piggybank to pay for fees and have a bit of dosh left over for the new year's period.
Family is one side of the coin, but all that really matters is the coin itself.
Then there’s the other issue.
The mantra of ‘everyone is leaving so I may as well leave’ becomes the standard approach.
I get teary eyed just writing such a heinous comment.
We know Dunedin is a great place to live, but the large majority of the student body just aren’t seeing it from the dark depths of their flats.
Now, should this be an issue?
Many would argue that this is the mere cycle of things. People need to return to their source, that’s just how things go.
Well, yeah, you’re probably right, but think of the possibilities.
How many more students would set down roots and ingratiate themselves with the city’s culture and economy past their university years if they didn’t see their studying experience as a transient necessity?
Imagine the upward trajectory of the city’s economy if we could keep the brilliant potential which the university fosters in its students.
Too many ‘Dunedinites at heart’ have been lost, knocking at the gates of Wellington and Auckland’s industry.
Maybe that’s convinced you or maybe you’ve seen through my shallow attempt to reinvigorate the Wednesday night party lifestyle, either way, I think it’s worth exploring how we would force such a bold change.
Instead of breathing a collective sigh of relief, as a city we need to target the economic and social side of things which force the summer exodus every year.
Firstly, think of how many students we would keep if consistent full-time work was available over the summer. I’m not deluded enough to think that you can create jobs out of thin air, but strategic choices could be made on large-scale infrastructure projects which require heavy doses of manual labour.
The forestry industry had successfully pivoted to account for this, and as a reward they have a consistent seasonal batch of workers who simultaneously get a taste of the regions outside of the city.
In general, strategic measures such as directed advertising and catered hours could be put in place to snag a few more students at little expense to the employer.
Secondly, a base of summer students could be catered for by a more mellow social environment, one which deviates from the ‘study hard, party harder’ mentality which the clubbing scene seems to celebrate.
For more low-key outfits such as pubs and bars, the summer marks a time when students have the money, and the inclination to grab a bowl of chips and a drink.
So, show them some love! Open your doors to all the student bands and Radio1 discounts you can find.
The unveiling of the Oatski at Emerson’s was a good example of this, a low-key event with standout performers and chill vibes.
In practice, lots of these theories will have minimal impact.
And yes, there will always be a group of students who scamper home, Dunedin is not going to be everyone’s place.
But we can do small things to bring students slowly into the summer fold, a choice which could prove essential to the continued growth of our city.
Life will improve, and my Wednesday night party’s will finally have some umph to them, hoorah.
- Hugh Askerud is a politics and religious studies student at the University of Otago
