Students have expressed their irritation as University officials may prevent them leaving for the Varsity ski trip before the end of term. In an email to Senior Tutors, the Proctors reminded colleges of the regulations concerning leaving University before the end of full term.
According to University rules, “No student member shall participate in any sports tours, competitions, or training activities which involve overseas travel during Full Term, or the Thursday and Friday immediately preceding Full Term without the prior permission of: the Senior Tutor of that member’s college, society, Permanent Private Hall, or other designated institution; and the Proctors.”
In an email sent to Teddy Hall students, the Senior Tutor noted, “This large and heavily promoted trip has caused problems in previous years, not only in St Edmund Hall but also in the University at large. I am writing to let you know in good time that nobody from St Edmund Hall is permitted to go on this trip without the explicit permission of both their subject tutors and the Senior Tutor.”
When contacted about the issue, The Teddy Hall Senior Tutor, Professor Stuart Ferguson, explained that the problems lay in clashes with academic matters at the end of term. He commented, “This has caused problems in the past for obvious reasons – tutorials and practicals take place on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday. Some tutors are understandably not willing to move these to Hilary term etc. and often practicals cannot be missed.”
Although organisers of the trip have stressed that no coaches will depart before 6pm, Professor Ferguson still felt that this would not eradicate all problems, commenting, “Even though the departure time is now 6pm this is not necessarily OK. 6pm departure time means getting ready from around 5pm. There are tutorials/practicals and even Principal’s collections on the Friday afternoon and so we need to know that anyone leaving at 6 pm is not in fact needed for such activities – or to know in good time that they can be rearranged. That’s all there is to it.”
Although this appears to be a new introduction, a spokesperson for Oxford commented, “There is no new regulation regarding students who go on the Varsity Ski Trip. The Rules Committee Regulations (published in the Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum) has a long-standing regulation requiring students who wish to take part in any overseas sports activities to obtain permission if travelling during full term or on the Thursday and Friday immediately preceding
Full Term. This year, as in previous years, students have simply been reminded of the regulations regarding travelling before the end of term.”
Students have reacted angrily to the news, believing it to be indicative of the University’s confused attitude towards students’ ability to manage their time alone. One student commented, “I thought we’re meant to be treated like responsible adults? Seriously, one night’s not exactly going to make much difference.”
Others took a similar view, with one second year worried by his personal tutor’s lack of response, believing that “the considerable angst caused to me and my friends by this long, three-week wait for permission has almost certainly had more of an adverse effect on my education than one night’s absence. £600 is a lot of money, after all.” Another second year took a simpler approach, commenting “It’s soooo annoying!”
Though most students faced little difficulty in obtaining permission, one student’s tutor expressed “disappointment that you have booked yourself on a trip which requires you to leave college before the end of term.”
