This article was supposed to be about the tough decisions I had to make as a Christian JCR President in charge of Freshers’ Week. The story was supposed to run something like this: Christian President finds it impossible to run a Freshers’ Week that anyone actually enjoys without compromising his commitment to his faith. The week ends up as a series of agonising decisions about how to reconcile the debauchery going on all around him with his personal convictions. My experience was very, very different. It was hard work – twenty hour days take it out of you after a while – but it didn’t feel like there was some sort of ‘culture war’ going on all week between a Christian President and a hard-drinking, hard-partying fresher intake. You could make the argument that that was because I delegated so much that I effectively washed my hands of that side of the week and left the Entz reps, able as they were, to do what they do best; but given that I was out at the clubs three nights out of four I’m not sure that explanation really stacks up. So why no moral torment?
I think there are a couple of key things which go some way to explaining the lack of conflict. Firstly, I am a Christian but I’m not a Puritan. I don’t think alcohol or dancing or music or sex or fun is inherently corrupting. While I believe that I shouldn’t drink too much and lose control of my actions I still enjoy a pint (although mine’s a cider) or a couple of glasses of wine as much as the next man. And although I have a moral objection with going out to pick up a girl for a one night stand, that won’t stop me from being in Bridge most Thursday nights with the rest of the college rugby guys. So from that perspective I had no moral qualms whatsoever about leading a committee that structured the week’s events to include alcohol and organised club nights because there’s nothing inherently wrong with those things. I did make sure, with the support of an excellent welfare team, that quality alternatives were on offer, but if people chose to use particular events in a way that I view as being harmful – that was their choice…
… Which leads nicely on to the second thing: I don’t think I have a right to dictate the lifestyles of others. I have sincerely held moral beliefs that come from my faith in Jesus, and I try (and fail) to live up to them every day, but no title or position of authority gives me any license to impose them on another autonomous individual. So although I can’t deny that I was pleased to hear from my Entz rep on the first night that people were choosing to drink substantially less than last year (costing the JCR money in the process!), I would never have dreamt of trying to reduce the availability of alcohol overall during the week, because for me that would have represented an abuse of my position, as well as being impossible to get past the committee!
The fact is that I took most stick during the week because of this opposition to values being imposed on others. New is by no means the worst offender when it comes to pushing Oxford’s “lash” culture – there was never any chance of one of our Entz reps telling freshers that they would be socially ostracized by the other years if they failed to go out, as was the case at another college. But I still remembered being told ‘two hands, two drinks’ on the first evening of my Freshers’ Week, and I wanted to make sure that, no one, whoever they were, was able to impose their values on the freshers. This meant, for example, that I made sure the non-alcoholic option was something better than rank orange squash in a paper cup. The sight of a crate of J2Os amongst the Becks’ and VKs that arrived at quarter to eight on the first morning of Freshers’ Week did lead to a few raised eyebrows, but for me it was a small price to pay to give the freshers more of a choice. It was this attitude ( I think) that deemed me worthy, in the eyes of one ingenious third-year at least, of the new title of “Fun Prevention Officer” (or FPO for chanting purposes). That very chant rang round the bar as the first bop of term drew to a close – a rousing send-off at the end of my first week as JCR President! You can’t win them all.
So despite the supposed difficulties, I really enjoyed Freshers’ Week. But I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that there weren’t times during the week when the going got tough – seeing a drunk, toga-clad fresher vomit gently onto his sandaled feet as I shepherded him back to college was a definite low – but I certainly saw myself as in a position to help him, rather than judge him or anyone else. And I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that I see Christianity as just a lifestyle choice among many. I think it’s the truth. But you’re entitled to assess that for yourself so you can decide what you believe, and my job as President is not to impose my views on others, but to live through them in a way that means I can serve as a successful President during Freshers’ Week and beyond.
