Oxford students face stiff fines for post-exam tradition of ‘trashing’

Oxford students who carry out ‘trashing’ rituals to celebrate the end of their exams cost the authorities £25,000 a year, new figures show.

Trashing is a 40-year-old tradition which sees students cover each other in champagne, shaving foam, silly string, eggs, flour and even rotting food when they leave their last exam.

Students say it is a fun way to let off steam after all their hard work – but the university yesterday branded it ‘entitled behaviour’ which blights the lives of locals.

New figures released by Oxford show it had to pay security staff £20,000 in overtime to monitor the incidents last year, while a further £1,881 was spent on hiring barriers.

Meanwhile, £3,500 was reimbursed to Oxford City Council, who clean up the mess from the streets when the celebrating students have gone home.

Oxford students who carry out ‘trashing’ rituals – which sees students cover each other in flour, champagne and shaving foam after their last exam – cost the authorities £25,000 a year

Students say it is a fun way to let off steam after all their hard work - but the university yesterday branded it ¿entitled behaviour¿ which blights the lives of locals

Students say it is a fun way to let off steam after all their hard work – but the university yesterday branded it ‘entitled behaviour’ which blights the lives of locals

The university said this summer it will be tipping off Thames Valley Police about the locations of the so-called trashings so they can arrest anyone breaking the law.

A university spokesman said: ‘Getting through examinations is a milestone but we urge our students to find ways to mark this which are far less damaging, costly and – frankly – annoying to community neighbours, the city council and fellow members of the university.

‘Thoughtless actions and inconsiderate, entitled behaviour passed off as “trashing” can damage Oxford students in the minds of the community and the wider public.’

The university also said that participating in trashing can lead to fines and disciplinary action since it is against the university’s code of conduct.

The code states that no student is allowed to ‘throw, pour or spray’ anything which could injure someone or damage property.

Several colleges have attacked the tradition, including Mansfield which labelled it ‘stupid…damaging to the environment, and wasteful’.

Meanwhile, Corpus Christi said trashing was ‘just not classy’.

According to student newspaper Cherwell, trashing dates back to the 1970s, when misbehaving students were regularly fined by proctors.

In the 1980s, the university had to send a letter to all students threatening arrest after complaints from police.

The then-Junior Proctor, Dr Paul Slack, said: ‘Twenty years ago, when I was a student, none of this went on.

‘We used to retire quietly to our rooms to drink champagne. The whole matter has got out of hand.’

New figures released by Oxford show it had to pay security staff £20,000 in overtime  last year, while a further £1,881 was spent on hiring barriers

Meanwhile, £3,500 was reimbursed to Oxford City Council, who clean up the mess from the streets

New figures released by Oxford show it had to pay security staff £20,000 in overtime last year, while a further £1,881 was spent on hiring barriers. Meanwhile, £3,500 was reimbursed to Oxford City Council, who clean up the mess from the streets

In 2007, student union president Martin McCluskey urged students to tighten their privacy settings on Facebook, after it emerged that proctors had been using social media to identify who had been involved in trashings.

That year, the proctors fined students over £10,000 in trashing-related offences, more than five times the total that had been raised in all fines in the previous year.

The following year, Oxford pubs banned students covered in mess from entering the premises, while the Kings Arms banned any student wearing a gown during exam season.

In 2011, the proctors sent an email to all students reminding them that certain substances were ‘a disgrace, and potentially dangerous’.

They said: ‘No flour, no eggs, no beans, ketchup, let alone rotting food or worse. Rotting food, vomit, broken glass and other items causing litter are simply not what any of us wants to see. They are a disgrace and potentially dangerous.’

The same year, one student was fined £80 for throwing a trifle at a finalist.

In 2012, there were allegations that two members of staff were assaulted by a celebrating finalist, although there were no injuries.

In 2014, a now-defunct website selling trashing supplies was set up and the marketing material read: ‘Trashing marks the end of your degree, and the beginning of summer and real life – and as such, is a symbolic and integral part of Oxford life.’ 

Several colleges have attacked the tradition, including Mansfield which labelled it ¿stupid...damaging to the environment, and wasteful¿

Several colleges have attacked the tradition, including Mansfield which labelled it ‘stupid…damaging to the environment, and wasteful’



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