Christ Church students protested outside their JCR on Saturday night after their bop was shut down almost an hour early.
Students were evacuated from the bop due to the sounding of a fire alarm at 11.15 pm. The JCR was not reopened, and a group of students gathered outside in protest.
At the college party, triple vodka oranges – or ‘bop juice’ – were sold at a rate of four for £1 until 10.30 pm. The price was then increased to three for £1.
Christ Church introduced bouncers for bops earlier this term and capped the number of students allowed inside the JCR at 175, for fire safety reasons.
At Saturday’s bop, this number was further reduced to 130, with a ‘one in one out’ policy to prevent overcrowding. This led to the buildup of a queue outside the JCR.
Those waiting in the queue were able to purchase drinks from a secondary bar set up outside, in preparation for the bop.
Reportedly, drunk students protested the early shutdown, chanting abuse about the Junior Censor and attempting to reenter the JCR.
After this proved unsuccessful, many made their way to an after-party in Peckwater Quad. However, that event was also closed down after fire alarms were sounded in the venue.
One Christ Church second-year told Cherwell: “Having so much additional security is a little bit patronising, and treating people like children makes them act like children. I think it’s all a bit stupid.
“It’s because they don’t want us to end up in The Sun again somehow.”
Saturday’s incident follows a series of recent controversies surrounding Christ Church bops.
At the college freshers’ bop earlier this term, up to 100 croissants were handed out to students in order to mitigate drunkenness. Many students also went topless in the JCR.
Last Trinity term, a Christ Church student was banned from all JCR events after wearing a pillowcase resembling a KKK hood to a bop.
The president of Christ Church JCR declined to comment.
