Photo: Mikal Schlosser

Alcohol-free freshers' trip

At the end of a gravel road in woods some way outside the town of Jægerspris, Polyteknisk Forening (PF student association) is holding this year’s alcohol-free freshers’ weekend away, for the second year running replacing beer with chilled Coca-Cola and delicious cake.

“I can’t keep up—you’re insanely good at this!”

The words ring through the woods of northern Zealand. In a clearing sits a cluster of black wooden huts. The weather is not perfect, but the leaves are green. And even though the clouds hang heavily above the glade, spirits are high among the 35 new students who have joined the annual alcohol-free freshers’ trip.

A handful of young men are standing in a circle, taking it in turns to swipe at each other’s hands. The game is called Ninja, and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. The men laugh and drink Cocio chocolate milk when not trying to avoid being struck. Other people are chatting in small groups round and about. The delicious smell of freshly baked cakes fills the air, and everyone is being offered a piece. Most say yes. There are no beer crate runs, so ‘skål’ (cheers) is not a word you hear a lot on this alcohol-free freshers’ trip.

“It’s been fully booked for ages. In fact there has even been a waiting list and everything,” says Jeppe Rode, the coordinator.

He is dressed from top to toe in a black suit. The theme is ‘Dress up as your favourite movie’, and Jeppe is the unfortunate supervillain Gru from the computer-animated comedy film Despicable Me. The other helpers on the trip are dressed as Master Yoda from Star Wars, pirates, vampires, or minions.

"You inevitably feel slightly left out when you always have to explain why you’re not drinking. It’s great that we are all in the same boat on this trip!"
Faghihe Taayeed, BSc student

There is a cheerful mood around the brown wooden tables standing in the middle of the site. People are talking, having a soft drink and eating ice creams while waiting for the president and the dean to drop by and say hello, which they do at every freshers’ trip organised by DTU before the start of the academic year. It gives them an opportunity to say hello to all the new students—2,163 of them—in an informal environment, which is why DTU President Anders Bjarklev is willing to spend a week behind the wheel of his car travelling around to meet tomorrow’s engineers in pleasant surroundings.

No beer, thanks
The new students on this alcohol-free weekend trip come from very different backgrounds, and there are numerous reasons why they have chosen this rather than the traditional five-day freshers’ trip. Some are so busy that they don’t have time to take almost a week off, while others are elite sportsmen and ’women. Many of them have opted for an alcohol-free trip because they feel that you get to know each other better when you haven’t got a lot of alcohol sloshing around your bloodstream. One student who chose not to drink alcohol is Faghihe Taayeed.

“I have no problem with alcohol, and I even enjoy a beer sometimes. But I just don’t want to have to explain to people every night that I don’t drink. Many of the games you play on the usual fresher trips are also not particularly fun if you’re sober. Therefore I decided to join this alcohol-free weekend away,” she says.

While some of the freshers are playing Ninja and others are eating cake, a white car parks in the courtyard. DTU President Anders Bjarklev and Martin Vigild, Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs, step out of the vehicle. They have come to this non-typical weekend trip to meet some of tomorrow’s engineers, and to tell them what their life at DTU will be like in the coming years.

“Welcome to DTU. You are the lucky few who have made it through the eye of the needle! Whether you are going to be at DTU for three or five years, you will look back on this period as a fun, but also challenging time in your life where you will make life-long friendships,” the president told the audience.

Afterwards, Anders Bjarklev and Martin Vigild answered questions from curious students, who wanted to know more about everything from studying abroad to future job opportunities. When everyone’s questions had been answered, the president and dean turned and headed towards their freshly decorated car. True to tradition, their car had been decorated while everyone was listening to their speeches.

‘Just married’ it says in the rear window. Tin cans trail along the ground after the car, making a din as it negotiates its way back down the gravel track.

Foto: Mikal Schlosser

 

Bjørn Friman, Global Business Engineering

 Why did you choose the alcohol-free freshers' trip?

"I do competitive shooting, and it takes hours of training every day if you want to do well. There are also lots of other things I need to do, so I just didn’t have time to participate in one of the classic freshers’ trips."

 
 Foto: Mikal Schlosser  

Malou Storgaard, Human Life Science Engineering

Why did you choose the alcohol-free freshers' trip?

"I don’t drink at all. I feel really awful whenever I do, so I just stay clear of it. Therefore it’s great that I can join an alcohol-free freshers’ trip, and spend time with other students who aren’t drunk."

 Foto: Mikal Schlosser  

Ole Borup, Physics and Nanotechnology

Why did you choose the alcohol-free freshers' trip?

"I’m a Danish champion weight-lifter, and the regional championships are being held in a couple of weeks, so I can’t take a week off to go on a freshers’ trip. It also takes a lot for someone my size to get drunk, and then I’m left with a hangover for a whole day, so I don’t drink that often."

 Foto: Mikal Schlosser  

Faghihe Taayeed, Medicine and Technology


Why did you choose the alcohol-free fresher's trip?

"I’m not interested in drinking. On a traditional freshers’ trip, there is so much alcohol around, and even though people don’t tend to pressurise you to drink, you inevitably feel slightly left out when you always have to explain why you’re not drinking. It’s great that we are all in the same boat on this trip! "