As Cherwell readers and Oxfess enthusiasts will already know, plans for the 2019 Magdalen Commemoration Ball were recently dropped.
I’ve heard claims that this is yet more evidence that Oxford students are being overworked to the point that they can’t participate in extracurricular life the way they might want to.
Was there an eager flock of Magdalen students who, had they fewer deadlines to worry about, would have thrown themselves at the committee positions, ready to put on the party of the year?
Potentially.
I’m sure there can’t be many Oxford students who at some point, shackled to the desk by a problem sheet or an essay about freedom, couldn’t pursue some longed-for goal – even just standing outside Bridge until the early hours of Friday.
And we’re given all the more reason to regret this. We’re bombarded with information about why extracurriculars, as well as providing an excuse for yet another trip to Arzoo’s, are important for our welfare and for our career prospects. You should be playing sport, joining societies, acting in (and watching) plays, applying for JCR positions, and, if none of that’s to your fancy, at least writing Cherwell articles during the vac. Students not being able to immerse themselves in these sorts of activities is something the university should continually be looking at.
The argument for longer terms is one that, in my experience, few Oxford students dismiss.
Workload doubtlessly deters various applications for extracurricular roles, but, when it comes to the ball, could it be that the pressure of organising one night of celebration – with tickets often costing the same amount as a major summer festival – is also to blame for the lack of applications?
I don’t for a second believe that Magdalen students should be criticised like they have been online. In fact, along with the pressure of being on the committee, I think that sort of frenzied online criticism is symbolic of what deters some from applications to the ball committee.
Many Oxford students find time to take on big commitments – the number of active societies is testament to that. The lack of applications shows no one at Magdalen was willing to drop other commitments to take on these particularly big ones. This isn’t so surprising given the nature of the major committee positions.
The pressure attached to those positions is quite different from that associated with being president of a society or a JCR rep. Almost everybody who parts with £100 or £200 for a ball ticket expects it to be one of the best nights of their year and not to come away feeling like that money could have been better spent. If the ball doesn’t meet expectations, the ball committee takes the blame. They have only one chance to deliver. And nowadays, comments that would have taken place as behind-the-back murmurs can be transformed into a universally-accessible rant in minutes.
The anonymous complaints, many of which were considered unfair and inaccurate, which sprang up on Oxfeud and Oxfess about the organisation of the Worcester Commemoration Ball last year are an excellent demonstration of the pressure to deliver that ball organisers are under.
Anonymous students felt that they hadn’t got their money’s worth, with some calling for an apology from the committee. The organisation of other balls received criticism on the platforms, too. With some of those posts aimed directly at the ball committee, who doubtlessly worked extremely hard, it’s easy to see why a fresher might look to other extracurricular opportunities instead, with workloads making it necessary to prioritise one over another.
Granted, there are various benefits to being on the committee, such as the free tickets and CV enhancement, but other extracurricular positions in Oxford afford those opportunities, too. The people in those positions aren’t deemed to have done well or badly by the events of a few hours and aren’t likely to receive the same sort of criticism, either in the real world or from those masked by online anonymity.
Putting on a ball is a different task altogether from any other extracurricular undertaking; it’s a role in which your performance is judged according to the events of one night and one night only. The workload at Oxford means students have to prioritise some commitments over others.
When anything other than euphoric excellence at a ball is deemed to be substandard, and any criticism won’t be confined to a quiet corner of the common room, it’s no wonder Magdalen students thought twice before applying.
