Student Culture at the University of Alarca
Spanning two levels of the Anharan capital, Meridia, the University of Alarca's facilities are based around the notion of mobile thinking. This is to facilitate wandering and collegiality between the students and staff, fostering a less rigid environment than elsewhere in the city, and Anhara as a whole. From this springs a culture that thinks outside the bounds of the orthodoxy of the College of Vestrial Priestesses and the government as a whole, believing in a nation founded by the wind itself, society is meant to be just as fluid.
Counterculture
Student life in the University runs counter to the generally accepted beliefs and values of Anhara in a number of ways. However, the lack of students from the lower classes means little of this behavior will change the culture of Anhara in their favor, rather its more a playground for the sons of the wealthy to experiment. Firstly, smoking within the campus grounds, while prohibited, is widespread. This practice is sacrilegious according to the Book of Etiquette, and rarely practiced among politicians, certainly never in public. However, throughout the Cloud District portion of the campus, where the dormitories are located, smoke can often be seen coming from students' windows. Here, long pipes are used, also unconventionally, and students often sit around debating and conversing while partaking in tobacco."The use of roots commonly mixed with tobacco, an already sacrilegious substance, is expressly prohibited as both offensive to the gods and a threat to the fabric of society." - The Book of Etiquette, "Legality"Another realm where the student life of the university differs from the nation's culture, is in the clothing. While most upper class Anharans wear thin, sheer, robes layered over each other many times, students choose a thicker fabric reminiscent of the lower class' rough, wool, garments. The clothing of nobles of status also feature colored trim, denoting their rank, which is entirely ignored by the students of the university. Instead, they mix many colors, with the outermost cloak's color denoting their subject of study. While the robes have been a tradition for much of the university's history, a more recent introduction has been that of a small cap, very uncommon among the upper class, as heads are left uncovered to allow contact with the wind. This is believed to have developed out of spite, specifically in response to the High Priestess making statements against the students' ways.
"To say more than what's necessary, I don't think is appropriate for a man, but know this..." - A frequent and ironic refrain of the GrowlerAnother method of going-against-the-grain at the University of Alarca is their utilization of the local agalma. The Growler, the living statue in the Snowmelt District portion of the campus, like all agalmas, is a major source of satire in the city. He will often shout out messages left at the base of his statue, or read to him by students, to harass professors, visiting politicians, and citizens within earshot in general. This is used to protest academics, university policy, politics, or just the culture of the capital itself. However, outside the university grounds in the Cloud District is the agalma of the Politician, the counterweight to the Growler. This statue will often harass students for their sacrilege, disrespect of tradition, and youthful ignorance, making him a favorite of adults across the higher levels of the city.
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