Two first-year Lincoln students are facing serious disciplinary measures following a drunken incident on Saturday night in which a bench was dropped from a roof at Somerville College. The pair gained entry to Somerville late in the evening during the college’s bop. They found a bench which they proceeded to carry up a flight of stairs to the roof. Whilst carrying it they dropped it and the bench fell, smashing on the car park of the Oratory Catholic Church below.Lincoln College Dean Peter McCulloch confirmed that “an incident of that description is being investigated and handled internally.” An anonymous Lincoln source said that the students had dropped the bench accidentally and had not deliberately thrown it off the roof. The students then came forward the next day to admit to their actions and apologised to representatives of Somerville College.The students are facing a disciplinary committee at their college, which will decide on suitable punishment. McCulloch said that Lincoln are “taking the allegations very seriously.” The disciplinary committee is still hearing the case and is yet to decide on punishment.A number of Lincoln students speculated that the two involved would be likely to have to pay for the cost of the bench and punitive charges. McCulloch said that “monetary fines are part of a large range of disciplinary options within the college rules.”Mark Schaan, Assistant Dean at Somerville said he believed that the bench was worth around £500, although he did not think that it was one of a number of memorial benches owned by Somerville, which hold particular sentimental significance. He did not wish to comment on the ongoing investigations into the incident.None of Cherwell’s sources believe that anyone was hurt in the incident or that any damage was done other than to the bench itself. Members of the clergy at the Oratory Church did not wish to comment on the incident.ARCHIVE: 1st week MT 2005
