Disciplinary actions following post-Matriculation celebrations at Brasenose have sparked outrage amongst students.
Freshers and second years received fines, ranging from £25 to £100, for hosting and attending parties incollege rooms.Three students were summoned to an interview with the Dean and were assigned scout work as a punishment.
As Cherwell understands, it is a tradition at Brasenose that celebrations begin in the JCR common room after Matriculation. This year however, owing to drinking and loud music, the meeting was broken up by the junior dean. Subsequently parties,some as large as 20-30 people, spreadinto student rooms. As college regulations stipulate that no more than10 people are allowed in one room, the parties were dispersed and thenames of those involved were taken.
The following day the students in whose rooms the parties had taken place were called to the Dean’s office for an interview. JCR members alleged to Cherwell that the Dean was abusive, telling students that they “did not deserve to be at Oxford” and that they “fundamentally misunderstood the nature of such an institute”.One student stated, “it felt like a cross-examination”. One student told Cherwell that the Dean said that there was no reason to celebrate afte rMatriculation since they had not yet achieved anything.
Those interviewed have told Cherwell that they were asked to provide names of other students involved and directly asked to name the 2nd years who had told freshers about ‘Matriculash’, despite the fact that the Dean had already obtained a comprehensive list of names.
One student commented that around 40 students are believed to have been fined. Some BNC students claim that the fines have been handed out arbitrarily and resulted in students being fined who were not involved and some who were not even on college premises at the time. A fresher commented, “one of my friends wasn’t fined although she had given her name to the junior dean, while another friend who wasn’t asked for her name received a fine”.
The Dean sent round an email to those who were fined which read, “For violation of College Regulations regarding behaviour on 13 October you are subject to the Decanal fine of £25. The fine must be paid to the Assistant College Accountant by the end of Fourth Week (2 Novembe r2012). Failure to pay by that date will result in the fine being increased by 20%. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Brasenose College’.” No indication of which college regulations had been broken was given.
The actions of the Dean and the decanal team have led to anger among the student body. One student commented that the Dean, who he described as “softly spoken, but slightly evil”, seemed to be “going out of his way to scare people”. Another student called his behaviour “outrageous”, “absolutely horrendous”. Several students are contemplating on paying the fine in 1p coins.
Students being assigned work usually done by scouts has caused concern, as students worry it impliesthat work as a scout is equivalent to punishment. One student told Cherwell,“it does seem to denigrate their role to have it used as a punishment, seeing as it is not really justified by any significant damage or mess. The parties weren’t especially raucous.” Others, however, have viewed it as appropriate, with one second year commenting, “I don’t think it’s that bad as a punishment; it’s effectively like detention we had at school.”
A student said that the JCR Committee had been very sympathetic, and that they had tried to deal with the matter by attending meetings with the decanal team. When presented with the allegations, Dean Christopher Thimpson declined to comment.
