Teddy Hall ball cancelled again

The Teddy Hall summer ball has been cancelled amidst ongoing disputes between the JCR and the college.The decision to cancel the ball for a second year in a row has prompted anger amongst students, with the college authorities accused of being “unacceptable.” A ‘Summer Event’ at the college is expected to be organised instead.The head of the Teddy Hall ball committee, Jonathan Taylor, resigned after college authorities refused to accept a capacity for the ball of 650 people.Taylor commented “The last Teddy Hall Ball (in 2006) was deemed a huge success by those who went to it. Unfortunately the college deemed it a complete disaster (largely because an SCR window was broken.) The Dean then wrote a report recommending that the college should have no bops or balls for 2 years – hence no ball in 2008.”“This year the college have re-introduced bops and agreed to consider a proposal for a ball…[Last term] they suggested that the capacity should be reduced from 850 in 2006 to 400 in 2008. Obviously this prompted long discussions.”Last Wednesday he informed the JCR President that he would not be prepared to organise a ball for any fewer than 650. The President offered 700 and then 650 which were both rejected.” Hence the capacity fell below my limit and prompted my resignation”, said Taylor.Emily-Kate Morton, JCR Women’s Officer, explained the JCR’s new plans, saying that the committee were “looking to draw up a new, smaller proposal, which will be more of a Summer Extravaganza, rather than a ball. This proposal goes to the governing body on Thursday, and after that we will know if we are going ahead with any sort of summer event.”However, some Teddy Hall students have reacted angrily. A Teddy Hall second year, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “Everybody is rather annoyed.”The student explained that Taylor had resigned “because the college governing body were being unacceptable…The governing body was putting a limit of the number of people…which the ball committee believed to be too little, as there would not be enough people there to make it any good. Meetings ensued between the governing body and the ball committee, but the governing body wouldn’t budge.” St Edmund Hall authorities declined to comment.by Rob Pomfret