Some athletes from St John’s College, Cambridge got hit with over 130 hours of community service for their rowdy behaviour during a sports day swap at Balliol College last term. They were involved in things like shouting abuse, peeing indoors, and spilling beer inside the building.
The College Dean, Dr Nick Friedman, handed out this punishment to both the St John’s men’s football team and croquet team to share between them.
CCTV footage from Oxford showed the students causing damage at Balliol College Recreation Ground near Jowett Walk. They also reportedly left broken glass, mud, and urine in the changing rooms and trashed the college bar area. Friedman was informed that even after being asked to clean up rubbish on the pitches, these St John’s students didn’t bother doing it.
One student from Oxford commented: “College sports swaps aren’t about the sport as much as socialising at the other place,” pointing out that often students sign up just for a chance to hang out rather than because they know how to play those sports well.
Friedman sent an email to both men’s football and croquet captains asking them to “attend an urgent meeting with the Dean” in January. He mentioned he had received a list of complaints from Balliol covering all these issues.
The email also said “The security staff reported [St John’s] students drinking beer through funnels, and then sliding on beer spilt to the floor.”
After assigning community service hours, Balliol’s master said: “The Balliol/St John’s Sports Day is [an] annual event which all the students involved enjoy. We are grateful to St John’s for resolving an issue from a recent event and relationships with St John’s, our sister College in Cambridge, remain cordial.”
Oxford colleges have also gotten complaints about student conduct after trips swapping sports days with Cambridge. One person told Cherwell that usually these events involve heavy drinking and even urinating on statues at some Cambridge colleges.
Another Oxford student said he wasn’t shocked by how Cambridge students acted. “It’s really classic Cambridge, isn’t it.”
