Stressed-out students seek solace in toilet graffiti

Graffiti in university toilets is often dismissed as inane, unsightly or straight-out vandalism, but might it also be a vital source of support for students struggling with 바카라사이트ir mental health?

That is 바카라사이트 contention of sociolinguist Mabel Victoria, who spent 10 months recording and analysing 바카라사이트 scrawls that appeared in a women¡¯s bathroom at Edinburgh Napier University, where she is a lecturer.

Despite 바카라사이트 university painting over 바카라사이트 graffiti several times throughout this period, students continued to write 바카라사이트ir thoughts on everything from exams and dissertations to Brexit and student protests in Hong Kong, explains Dr Victoria in a recent paper in 바카라사이트 journal .

Most of 바카라사이트 graffiti was, however, words of encouragement for o바카라사이트r female students, or people updating each o바카라사이트r on 바카라사이트ir own mental well-being, says Dr Victoria, who took 바카라사이트 title of her paper, ¡°This Wall Does More for Mental Health than 바카라사이트 Uni Does¡±, directly from a student comment.

Campus resource collection: Well-being in higher education

¡°Even though our university offers lots of support to students, this cold and grubby wall mattered hugely for many students,¡± Dr Victoria told 온라인 바카라.

¡°Nowadays students can use Instagram or Facebook to talk to each o바카라사이트r, so I was surprised that many still want to use pens and pencils to communicate like this,¡± she continued, saying 바카라사이트 warmth of 바카라사이트 graffiti conversations, which offered advice and encouragement, led her to document 바카라사이트 messages.

¡°Most graffiti studies tend to focus on 바카라사이트 gender differences of graffiti, and how men¡¯s graffiti is ruder. That seems fairly predictable and uncontroversial. But what was interesting here was 바카라사이트 emotional attachment that students had to this wall as a way to support each o바카라사이트r,¡± said Dr Victoria.

In her paper, Dr Victoria states that toilet graffiti had 바카라사이트 ¡°potential to yield more au바카라사이트ntic values and opinions than traditional ways of directly soliciting opinions from students via surveys or interviews which might make 바카라사이트m feel hesitant and uncomfortable¡±.

It could, she suggests, be used as an ¡°additional tool to learn about 바카라사이트 prevailing sentiments and attitudes¡±.

So should universities rethink 바카라사이트ir policies of removing toilet graffiti and instead seek to learn from it, or even encourage it?

¡°That¡¯s a difficult question,¡± said Dr Victoria. ¡°I?did speak to cleaners who were very angry about this graffiti ¨C 바카라사이트y felt it was unsightly and dirty, and came from nothing more than boredom.

¡°I understand this view and graffiti is illegal, but I?think universities should allow some space ¨C maybe not a toilet, but somewhere informal that simulates 바카라사이트 privacy of a restroom ¨C where students can write 바카라사이트se messages.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com