Mansfield College last week voted on whether the college should rename its ‘Champagne and Chocolate’ (C&Cs) event ‘Carlsberg and Chips’, over “elitism” fears.
The motion was heavily rejected in the college’s JCR meeting, while its proposers insisted it was inteded to be “ironic”.
The motion stated: “Champagne is a drink which is commonly associated with privilege, elitism and exclusivity; values which are fundamentally opposed to Mansfield’s founding ethos”.
It argued that the event, while being a “Mansfield institution”, went against the college’s “proud tradition of inclusivity and egalitarianism.”
It also said: “Champagne (or rather Cava) is an acquired taste and is also known to lead to sensitive teeth for those who do not use Sensodyne toothpaste”.
Those proposing the motion stated that “the college-funded consumption of Champagne is a vestige of a bygone era in which Oxford was a nishing school for the publicly educated.”
Highlighting Mansfield’s 74 per cent intake of state-school students, the highest of any Oxford college, the motion said: “as an advertisement for Mansfield College, C&Cs is likely to detract from Mans eld’s image as a college which is open, friendly and welcoming to all.”
The motion proposed to “replace C&Cs with ‘Carlsberg & Chips’, redirecting the Entz budget for champagne and chocolates to the purchase of Carlsberg and chips, respectively.”
The motion’s proposer, Joe Seddon, told Cherwell: “The motion was supposed to be ironic, and draw attention to a glaring hypocrisy which pervades student politics at Mansfield (and Oxford in general): namely, that politically-active students all too often employ a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude to political issues.”
Seddon added: “The very same students who (mis)use college JCRs as a forum to vituperate about cultural appropriation, minority representation and extraneous political issues (condemning various bodies and public gures) are all too happy to quaff champagne and revel in the ‘privilege’ to which they claim they are opposed.
“They are, quite literally, Champagne Socialists.”
He added: “Also, as an aside, Carlsberg &Chips would obviously be far superior to Champagne (or rather Cava) & Chocolates.”
Mans eld JCR President Joe Inwood informed Cherwell that 8 people voted in favour of the motion and 37 people voted against.
Inwood told Cherwell that he had no comment other than “fake news”.
Laura Worman, a Mansfield second year, told Cherwell: “It was a pathetic attempt to derail an innocent and much-loved college event by a pair of hypocrites who clearly relish the unlimited alcohol and have never before expressed intent to boycott the event.”
‘Champagne and Chocolates’ are held after formal hall in the college. They are organised by the Entz officers alongside bops, open-mic nights and charity auctions.
