The University College Ball, which was set to take place in 2015, has been cancelled because of renovations taking place in the college next year.
In an email sent out to students from the JCR, it was explained that after, “a meeting with the college today, it has been decided that due to exceptional circumstances surrounding the Goodhart Building renovation next year, we will be unable to host a college ball in 2015.”
It was decided that the ball will be postponed until Trinity term of 2016, but there are hopes other events will be put in its place. In the email, students were told that “a smaller event would provide creative opportunities for anyone interested in organising a college wide social event.”
JCR president, Abigail Reeves, told Cherwell, “College decided to reject our proposal to hold a college Ball on the basis that renovations on the main site would cause a number of logistical problems. As a result the Ball has been postponed to 2016.
“There is a feeling of disappointment amongst the student body, but we are attempting to reach a compromise with college to organise a smaller college event in the Trinity term of 2015.”
There is some dismay amongst the students. One third year Univ student said, “This is just the latest in a long line of censorious decisions made by an overbearing college administration with limited recourse to practical concerns or student’s opinions.
“The buildings in question weren’t used at all for last year’s ball but the college are both as risk averse and fundamentally deluded as John Locke’s man of glass.”
On the other hand, Delia Lockey, a classics student who had applied to be on the Ball committee, said, “I had applied to be Ball Secretary and, whilst I was very excited about the possibility of being on the committee, and hopeful that the problems surrounding the renovations could have been deemed surmountable, it was made clear from the beginning that the building work would pose a serious threat to the future of the ball.
“As a result, this news is sad but utterly fair and expected; I hope that I can get involved with another, smaller college event in Trinity of 2015, perhaps. In the meantime there are lots of ball committees which are not connected to colleges, such as the Guild Ball, and I would encourage anyone whose college has had to cancel a ball to join such a committee.”
The college was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
