Oxford - The Wine, The Sub-Fusc And The Lingo

So I've been getting all these documents from Christ Church, Oxford and it seems the first time I compulsorily need to don my subfusc is in the middle of October, during the matriculation ceremony. Of course, I'd need to don the gown before that as well if I head to the formal dinner (that happens everyday at the Tudor Hall) but I can skip it and choose to go for the informal dinner.

I had often lamented how I never got to wear the topi and throw it in the air at BITS after my graduation. And so, now I get all the gown action I want! The subfusc is also compulsory for examinations at the Said Business School (as it is at all other components of the Oxford University)

According to Wikipedia:

In 2006, a referendum held amongst the Oxford student body showed 81% against making the wearing of subfusc voluntary in examinations — 4,382 voted in the poll, almost 1,000 more than voted in the previous term's students' union elections. This was widely interpreted by students as not so much being a vote on making subfusc voluntary, but rather a vote on whether or not to effectively abolish it by default, as it was assumed that if a minority of people came to exams without subfusc, the rest would soon follow. The defeat of this motion showed clear support throughout the Oxford student body for the retention of the subfusc tradition.

Oh, I'm so kicked about wearing the gown!

Christ Church has sent me a form using which I can pre-order the subfusc. The dressers are an institution called Ede and Ravenscroft. They were founded in 1689, to put it in perspective, that's only a couple of decades after Taj Mahal was built!

The form says:

Ede and Ravenscroft was founded over 300 years ago and has produced royal garments for 12 British coronations as well as numerous state openings of parliament and countless royal, civic, legal and academic ceremonies.

Whoa!

The Graduate Fresher's Guide in itself is a very, very interesting read. It's funny to see the modernity contrasted with the oodles of tradition. For example, the college dues are called "battels" (the last time I read that word was in a Shakespeare play!) and it's funny when they talk of ethernet cards and laser prints being billed directly to your "battels". Your mailbox is called "the pidge" (short for pigeon hole!) and the porters are authorized to sign for Amazon packages on your behalf. Amazon sending packages through pigeons!! :))

And the guide keeps talking of wine and cheese tastings in the GCR (Graduates Common Room). I've gotta attend one of those!

If you're a BITSian, you'd fondly remember that t-shirt "A to Z of BITS", which listed out all the lingo. The Graduate Guide ends with a similar collection of words from the Oxford (and Christ Church in particular) lingo. Some are listed below (the most awesome is "Other Place"):

Alice Tree - The most famous person ever to reside at Christ Church (apart from Einstein, Locke, Sidney, Gladstone etc... possibly) was Alice Liddell of Alice in Wonderland fame. Charles Dodgson (known by his pen name of Lewis Carroll) was a mathematics tutor at Christ Church, and wrote the story for Alice who was the daughter of the Dean. The Alice Tree was where the Cheshire Cat supposedly appeared. It is located in the Pocock Garden.

Bod - Oxford-speak, short for the Bodleian Library... or a children’s TV show that really old British graduates will remember, and go on and on about if asked.

Bop - Where we get to put on our dancing shoes and show the younger generation how to really get down. Or not. Good fun regardless.

Dining Club - These clubs are generally social in design, small in number, and very alcoholic in content (especially with regards to the stomach and head). They exist in most colleges and can be for both men and women. They tend to find you, so don’t put too much thought into it.

Gaudy - A reunion party for old members of the house. Some of them are very distinguished. Others are asleep a lot.

Harry Potter - Since they filmed portions of the Harry Potter films here and based the Hogwarts Hall on ours, we get plenty of tourists who want to bathe in the glory of the place. Sometimes they wear costumes...

The House - Christ Church’s nickname. Comes from Christ Church’s Latin name Aedes Christi. Find a classicist to explain.

Mercury - The statue in the middle of the pond in Tom Quad, guarded by George, the great white carp. (a gift from the Emperor of Japan) Made famous by Evelyn Waugh in Brideshead Revisited.

Other Place - Cambridge University.

Quad - Square things, occasionally with grass. Known as a ‘Court’ at the Other Place.

Staircase - Rooms in Oxford colleges are located via their staircase. For instance, St Aldates 3:9 is room number 9 in Staircase 3 of St Aldates Quad.

Tourist - You’ll see lots of these. They are drawn here by Alice and Harry, and to a lesser extent, the magnificent architecture and famous historical associations. As they bring the college over £1m in revenue every year, don’t even try to compete...

Under-graduates - Young people who listen to ghastly music and use too many profanities. They go home during the vacations, at which point the college fills up with conference guests instead.

Wicket key - The key to Tom and Canterbury wicket gates, bike sheds, St Aldate’s main gate and laundry rooms. Also known as the Tom Gate Key. These have mostly been replaced with magnetic keys that log your name and time of entry/exit. Who needs Big Brother...


:D