By Natasha Vashisht
CHRIST CHURCH’s Junior Censor has banned college bops indefinitely and room parties for four weeks in an ‘edict’ issued to the JCR, following complaints of disruptive behaviour during freshers’ week.
Richard Rutherford told undergraduates, “It is clear to me that guidelines laid down for both freshers’ drinks parties and the bop got seriously out of hand. There has been a great deal too much noisy disruption of others, drunkenness and resulting misbehaviour. I have no alternative but to adopt appropriate disciplinary measures…College bops are banned for the foreseeable future and parties involving alcohol are banned for the first half of term.”
Rutherford’s decision came after intoxicated undergraduates allegedly tried to assault one of the porters after the ‘Fears and Fantasies’ themed bop. Members of the rugby team were also fined £200 for misbehaviour.
One Christ Church student, who wished to remain anonymous, complained that College authorities were overreacting.
“The general consensus is that the edict is a rash way to go about it. They’re being very strong-handed, but we do understand that you can’t have a member of staff virtually assaulted like that,” he said.
Third-year Julian Robinson suggested that the Junior Censor had exaggerated the situation. “I think everyone’s a bit annoyed,” he said. “Someone threw something in the porter’s direction and that’s the reason for this edict, because one person got too drunk. Rather than fining the individual concerned, they’re punishing the whole JCR. It’s an overreaction.”
After the Fourth Week ban on room parties is lifted, the College has also ruled that alcohol will still be banned.
Although the Junior Censor’s office was unavailable for comment, some of the student reactions to their new Junior Censor have been hostile.
One student noted, “It was Freshers’ Week and room parties are what happen. There may have been some bad behaviour but it’s not going to happen again. It’s not exactly a normal week at Christ Church. I can see some merit in their decision, but we don’t feel we have any say in it because the Censors run the College.”
Bops banned at rowdy Christ Church
