The Ultimate Guide to Strike Day

Lecturers and support staff are going on strike tomorrow in response to the 1% pay rise offered to them following their previous action, arguing this amount is “insulting” as they have seen a 13% pay cut in real terms in the past four years.

What the strike means in Oxford terms is that you now have time to do that essay you didn’t do for last week, and you’re officially allowed to grumble over your chai tea latte about the current state of the world.

This is what a day off looks like

Whether you care about their cause or not (let’s be honest, probably not), this means you students who still have 8th week work remaining get one day of grace to neck an unholy amount of pro plus and power down the final stretch to Christmas.

Alternatively, if you’re one of the blessed few who’s not already two days behind your latest deadline, here’s a list of things you could do with your 24 hours of added freedom:

Hit Monday Night Bridge

Warning: May contain Brookes students

Everyone knows that on a Monday Oxford’s favourite club is filled with better looking people (or at least people who haven’t had the lifeblood drained from them), sells cheaper drinks and plays better music than on our beloved Thursday. While this startling realisation is too much for many, if you are of the adventurous type, a Monday night by the river is definitely for you.

Do your Christmas shopping

Got a hipster Grandma? Perfect, TSK cake.

Yes, while you’ve been in the bubble for eight weeks, the world has still been turning. In 23 days you have to spend a few awkward hours with people you probably wouldn’t speak to if you weren’t related by blood – so buy them some trinkets to lubricate the conversation. You need it, and they’ll thank you for it.

Get stuck into Oxmas

It’s not our fault the profs aren’t feeling the oxmas cheer

Proper Christmas is still a monstrous 23 days away (just in case you live under a rock and hadn’t realised) which is clearly too long to wait. Get in the Tesco value turkey, blare out the Band Aid and get organising your secret santa.

Actually go to the strike

Protesting lecturers might not be as mental as protesting students

There is bound to be some sort of unrest in Oxford, so pick up your picket, pull out the Guy Fawkes mask, learn some chants and go mental. But not too mental, some people still have to work.

For extra points, find your lecturer and point out that you’re already shelling out 9 grand a year to keep them in elbow patches and copies of their own books.