Porno V or Club D? Ellie Veness has a look at whether campus events are worth dressing up for.

Campus events can provide a refreshing alternative to the monotonous weekly spiel of Toffs-then-Ziggys-followed-by-Gallery, (or as a bit on the side for the seriously sociable). Until recently, Derwent boasted the college event crown by hosting its infamous ‘Club D’: one very small venue dressed in a series of guises - ‘Chav D’, ‘Club D’ and ‘Christmas D’ making an appearance in this year alone. But now Vanbrugh has become a contesting rival in the playing field of student lash, with its website claiming to congregate “the biggest and best events on campus” by converting its canteen hall into a fully established club for one night a month.

Whether one college acts as a better host than the other is debatable. Faithful Derwenters and those with a penchant for fancy dress will call Club D their home whilst Vanbrugh students are likely to assert their inclination towards UV strobe lighting. College spirit aside, the venue used by each college has been a contributing factor in atmosphere. Many have commented on how Derwent’s smaller setting for its club nights actually creates a better atmosphere than the ‘school disco’ feeling cultivated in Vanbrugh’s vacuous hall. In terms of theme, it depends upon what appeals to the individual. Derwent offers a wide-ranging and imaginative scope for dressing up, giving students the opportunity to transform themselves into a chav one week and don the angel Gabriel the next. Vanbrugh seems to have taken a slightly more explicit approach with ‘heaven and hell’ and the controversial ‘Porno V’ armed with bucking-bronco penises. Regardless of how entertaining Club D or V is independently or in relation to the other, campus events would be more limiting if only one option existed; hence the spirit or variety (and a mild dose of rivalry) should be embraced.

Of course, the two colleges are not the only source of campus debauchery, with Goodricke, James, Alcuin and Halifax each having an occasional chip in. It can generally be agreed that campus events can be welcoming as a night that requires less ‘effort’ than one spent in town: it’s less extortionate as drinks are cheaper, no money needs to be spent on a taxi and the pressure of looking conventionally ‘smart’ can diminish somewhat. There is a sense of security that derives from a more casual night out on campus with the knowledge that you will be surrounded by those that you know as opposed to the odd lecherous character who thought crashing the student night at gallery would be a good idea. From an ethical slant, it’s nice to be safe in the knowledge that the money you’re spending on a university event is likely to be going towards a charity or RAG. On the other hand, a night out in town or Leeds has more guarantee of being wild, with clubs closing at a later time and offering a wider range of music (although cheese seems to reign supreme in York on and off campus).

Like them or not, York should continue to house and promote student events to create a sense of student community, and give them something to do on the weekend bar raving it up in the library. ‘Fun’ is down to each individuals outlook – it seems ridiculous to dismiss one college as being less entertaining than another in event organisation, just as it is to claim that a student is more likely to have a good time in one accommodation than its neighbour. We all live in a concrete duck-filled nightmare, let us celebrate this fact in togas and school-discotheque venues!

Related Posts

• YUSU RAG: YEEHA Western Party
• James: Wild Wild West
• Varsity 2007 Presentation Ceremony
• P.O.R.N.O V
• Planet V Amplified: I was a Child of the 90's