Royal Rumble

All non-academic related activities in Queens’ College have been INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED following vandalism to college property last term.

The event occurred in the small hours of December 3rd 2009, the morning of Fairbarns. Gyp rooms in Cripps’ Court bore the brunt of the damage, with fire extinguishers let off and work surfaces smashed.

In an email to the JCR, Queens’ College Dean of discipline Dr Martin Dixon outlined his punishment for ‘the interference with fire safety equipment and serious acts of vandalism to College property.’

The incident, which caused in excess of £1000 in damage, will see all organised fun HALTED, until the perpetrators make themselves known. This includes events already given permission, organised and even paid for.

First for the chop by Dr Dixon were events involving ‘numbers of non-members of College coming on to the premises’. ‘Queens’ Ents’ are the chief victim of this, with the first four ‘bops’ of Lent term unconditionally cancelled.

The fate of the remaining term’s ents hangs in the balance. Queens’ ents are extremely popular with students throughout the University, with over 1300 members of its Facebook group. Tickets consistently sell-out.

Queens’ JCR bar and 2nd year representative Charlie Bell expressed his real concern about the repercussions on Queens’ bar and coffee shop, now on the up after some time in stagnation. Bell explained, ‘bop nights are very lucrative for the bar. I worry that the cancellation will affect the bar very seriously, both in terms of finance and also the reputation, which we have worked very hard to improve in the last year.‘

Also CANCELLED are the first year dinner, ‘Halfway Hall’ and the MCR Ceilidh, a key graduate social event. Bell told The Tab, ‘I have promised the second years and I will deliver; there will be a Halfway Hall this year, in whatever form it has to take. Convincing those responsible to admit to the vandalism, and working with the Dean is obviously key to solving this issue, and preventing what has become, in the minds of the average second year, an overly harsh response to this serious incident.’

Spared the crackdown are bookings for sports courts, Queens’ films, and regular formal hall.

Amidst some confusion in the student body about both the incident and its ramifications, JCR President Emil Hewage told the student body in an email, ‘The JCR Committee is still involved in negotiations with various members of college over the current sanctions… To discuss our response to the current developments further, we will be holding an Open Meeting next Tuesday (19th January).’

One second year source who asked not be named said, ‘Everyone is angry but there’s a defeatist attitude– I guess seeing how hard College hits back no one wants to stick their neck out by speaking up.’

The clampdown comes just weeks after College disciplinarians ordered the removal of the sports board due to publicly visible offensive puns.