– Their alcohol policy is hypocritical

– Studies have shown that student politicians drink excessively themselves. There is such a thing as the pot calling the kettle black, says Egil Heinert, leader of the general board at the Foundation for Student Life in Oslo (SiO) and representative for Oslo in the National Union of Students in Norway (NSU).

It was when a working group put forward an «Alcohol policy document» at NSU’s convention in Ås this summer that Egil Heinert hit out against this kind of political prioritization. The document was an orientation regarding the alcohol usage of students and the possibility of cutting down on drinking among students.

– Deal with proper issues

Heinert believes that the student organization should focus on student issues such as financial support for students and student housing instead of lowering alcohol usage, at least until the student politicians themselves have dealt with their own drinking culture.

– Student politicians have no credibility, he says, and points to the fact that student politicians drink so much themselves.

However, other representatives at the convention spoke up, saying that heavy drinking at conventions and other gatherings of student politicians does not prevent them from working for reduced levels of drinking among students.

A vulnerable group

When student politicians in the Welfare Council took part as a test group in an alcohol survey in 2006, it showed that 27 per cent of the male politicians were at risk of alcoholism. A survey put forward in 2007, shows that among male students at large, 16 per cent are at risk of severe alcohol damage. 13 per cent of female students were in this high risk group.

Want to change focus

The newly elected President of NSU, Ingvild Reymert, is among those who are concerned about the drinking habits of students. She believes that this is something that the interest organization should spend time on.

– We see that there is a lot of drinking among students, and we want to focus on how to arrange alcohol-free activities and alternatives. We also want our own organization to be focused on other things than alcohol. As student politicians, there is a lot to deal with. Currently, we are working on the state budget and student housing, but prioritizing these things ahead of the alcohol problem would be denying responsibility.

Yet Reymert is still unwilling to say that students should stop drinking.

– We are not trying to say that drinking is not allowed. But we want alcohol-free «Buddy» activities, for example dance classes, and not just a beer tent.