St John’s College has been forced to cancel its next bop this Saturday, as porters have refused to police the event following the post-collections celebrations which got out of hand.
After significant disruption at the 0th Week bop, students at St John’s received an email from their Entz Reps last week informing them that “It appears unlikely that the next Bop will occur as scheduled”.
On Wednesday of this week, an email confirmed that they had “no option but to cancel the bop”.
The cancellation of the next bop comes after post-collections enjoyment deteriorated into raucous behaviour at the ‘Naughty Noughties’-themed event, which took place on Saturday of 0th Week.
The Entz Reps reported “disruption and aggressive behaviour”, with glass-paned fire alarms being activated three times in the early hours.
Other students tampered with fire alarms and smoke detectors in their rooms.
It was suggested that the blame could lie with students from outside the college. Members of St John’s JCR were warned that if this was the case, the person who invited the outsiders to the bop would be held responsible for their actions around college.
The porters, responsible for the prevention of danger, “were treated rudely and disrespectfully by several students as they went about doing their job” and are now unwilling to provide the coverage required for the next bop.
The Tommy White Quad, where most of the disturbances took place, is home to a large number of freshers and some second year students.
It is understood that the disruption was generated by a minority. Students have expressed their irritation and disappointment that the next bop is to be cancelled.
One student at St John’s said, “It just struck me as immature that people were messing around with important fire safety equipment and perhaps more importantly, annoying the porters who are actually a really well-liked group of people.
“Maybe the bop being cancelled, or at least the threat of it, will be enough to make people think twice before letting their drunkenness go too far in the future.”
Entertainment Reps Alex Winchester and Naomi Nettleship said that they were “disappointed to hear about the disturbances”. They said that the 4th Week bop was due to go ahead, but only on a “probationary basis”.
JCR President David Messling supported the efforts being made by the Entz Team. He said, “Our JCR Entz Officers are doing a great job in ensuring the best possible outcome”.
