IRC hosts workshop on how to end A long-distance relationship over Thanksgiving
Yesterday evening, hundreds of freshman students filled the New Rez ballroom for the first ever Inter-Residence Council (IRC) workshop on how to best break up with their long-distance partner over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The event featured guest speakers, a discussion period, and a series of interactive exercises aimed at building students’ confidence so that they wouldn’t back down in the heat of the moment.
“Dumping someone over Thanksgiving isn’t easy,” said U1 Science student and guest speaker Frank Bond, who had intended to break up with his high school sweetheart during Thanksgiving 2013, but wasn’t able to actually do it until the winter holidays. “Back in Ottawa that weekend, she kept telling me how great I was for not caring that she went to Western and how she's going to update her phone plan to get more long distance minutes... I just froze up, couldn't bring myself to end it. One missed opportunity and suddenly I was tied down for another two months in a rez full of pretty girls…I only wish that this kind of resource had been available to me last year.”
Speaker Sarah Colley (U3 Education) was able to provide perspective from the other side of the breakup.
“It’s good to be eager and get it over with soon so that the other person has the rest of the weekend to decompress,” began Colley. “But if you’re going to a commencement ceremony, wait until afterwards. My douche of an ex-boyfriend dumped me on the morning of graduation, and let’s just say those pictures aren’t going up in the living room.”
The interactive portion of the event kicked off with “Reverse Speed-Dating,” which paired off students and gave them one minute to deliver their breakup speech using the new knowledge they had acquired. That was followed by “Taking It,” where the person who had just been hypothetically dumped then had the opportunity for a two-minute rebuttal where they could rip into the other person, who was forced to just sit there and take the harsh, angry words.
Although the workshop emphasized that students shouldn’t begin wheeling or hitting on new people until they ended their current relationship, those in attendance took advantage of the opportunity to interact with their soon-to-be single peers.
“It was just good to know that there were so many others in my position. I actually got a few guys’ numbers from the exercises” said first-year Arts student Mollie O’Connor, before hastily adding, “For, you know, support and stuff.”
The event featured guest speakers, a discussion period, and a series of interactive exercises aimed at building students’ confidence so that they wouldn’t back down in the heat of the moment.
“Dumping someone over Thanksgiving isn’t easy,” said U1 Science student and guest speaker Frank Bond, who had intended to break up with his high school sweetheart during Thanksgiving 2013, but wasn’t able to actually do it until the winter holidays. “Back in Ottawa that weekend, she kept telling me how great I was for not caring that she went to Western and how she's going to update her phone plan to get more long distance minutes... I just froze up, couldn't bring myself to end it. One missed opportunity and suddenly I was tied down for another two months in a rez full of pretty girls…I only wish that this kind of resource had been available to me last year.”
Speaker Sarah Colley (U3 Education) was able to provide perspective from the other side of the breakup.
“It’s good to be eager and get it over with soon so that the other person has the rest of the weekend to decompress,” began Colley. “But if you’re going to a commencement ceremony, wait until afterwards. My douche of an ex-boyfriend dumped me on the morning of graduation, and let’s just say those pictures aren’t going up in the living room.”
The interactive portion of the event kicked off with “Reverse Speed-Dating,” which paired off students and gave them one minute to deliver their breakup speech using the new knowledge they had acquired. That was followed by “Taking It,” where the person who had just been hypothetically dumped then had the opportunity for a two-minute rebuttal where they could rip into the other person, who was forced to just sit there and take the harsh, angry words.
Although the workshop emphasized that students shouldn’t begin wheeling or hitting on new people until they ended their current relationship, those in attendance took advantage of the opportunity to interact with their soon-to-be single peers.
“It was just good to know that there were so many others in my position. I actually got a few guys’ numbers from the exercises” said first-year Arts student Mollie O’Connor, before hastily adding, “For, you know, support and stuff.”