Medical school embarrassed by controversial Daily Mail article

In an unpromising start to the New Year, the reputation of Imperial College School of Medicine was brought into disrepute by a scathing article published in the Daily Mail.

A no-holds-barred account of a recent Sports Night at the Reynolds bar – home to the medics – featured in the article, complete with several less-than-complimentary pictures of students. The report spoke of “outrageous drinking games”, students who “exposed themselves to each other” and the art of tactical chunder.

The Imperial College School of Medicine Student Union (ICSMSU), and consequently Imperial itself, was embarrassed by the article, which contained extracts from the ICSMSU handbook given to all medic freshers on arrival at Imperial. “Wednesday nights in the Reynolds are primarily a night for the sports teams to get together and enjoy themselves. They are supposed to be fun, and the student union have no intention of trying to curb your enjoyment. We recognise that there is a good chance of people vomiting on Wednesday night and so provide orange buckets for this purpose.”

Imperial College Union (ICU) attempted to contain the fallout in an official statement, stating that they “do not condone the excessive consumption on alcohol”. Indeed, in the student agreements introduced this year, which all medical students sign, students agree to “understand that inappropriate use of drugs or alcohol is totally unacceptable in the medical profession.” However, David Smith, President of ICSMSU, conceded that some students do drink excessively, saying, “excesses come from a minority of students, mainly men’s sports clubs”. However he pointed out that the problem was not confined to the medical school: “Excessive drinking is a feature of certain clubs across [all of] Imperial.” He also sought to clarify that the orange buckets provided are purely precautionary.

In light of the negative press attention, ICSMSU has been forced to create a strategy to curb excessive drinking and is set to enforce tougher guidelines on the student body. Alcohol will no longer be served to a student who “seems too drunk or [is] unwilling to drink anymore”. In the reviewed guidelines, students deemed too drunk will be removed from the premises and jugs of alcohol will no longer be served. Most importantly, a ‘bar steering’ group has been set up to collect student input into the future of the Reynolds. In addition, several campaigns will be run in conjunction with ICU, to remind students of the implication of excessive drinking with regards to both their health and future careers.

Smith has sought to reassure ICSMSU Clubs and Societies following the first bar steering group, which he admitted “went a lot worse than expected”, in a message to ICSMSU Club & Society Chairs, Treasurers and Secretaries. He went on to explain that the Charing Cross Campus Dean, Professor Peter Taylor demanded that “each club has a sober steward so that if the bouncers have to kick someone out, then you have someone who can take them home. They are also responsible for any vomit in your area.” Smith conceded that he realizes that people will be disappointed, but he states that “this is the best we could do”.

Many of the guidelines will be enforced at the discretion of the stewards on site. However Smith confirmed that they had been enforced successfully at the first Sports Night of the new term last Wednesday.

Members of the Christian Medic Fellowship (CMF) – the only group to be portrayed positively in the article – play a significant role in the stewardship of the site. The role of CMF at sports has been questioned, however – the ICMSU confirmed that CMF’s role was only to steward and not to clean up vomit, as the article suggested. In an official statement circulated to the captains of various clubs and societies, students are reminded that it is “the responsibility of the individual clubs [to clean up] rather than leaving it to the stewards”.

In addition to addressing the issue of excessive drinking, the security of both the student body and the Reynolds bar has been thrown into question, with many students questioning how reporters gained access to the bar. Up until now, access to the Reynolds bar, situated behind Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith has been fairly open, with ID rarely checked at the door or bar. In a publication produced by the ICSMSU about bar policy, it was detailed that students must now produce their college ID and sign in to gain access to the building, as well as presenting valid ID at the bar. It is rumoured that Campus Dean Professor Taylor, suggested introducing CCTV cameras at Reynolds. He did not deny the rumours.

The ICSMSU believes that the reporters “obtained much of his information from student Facebook accounts”. In order to prevent similar embarrassments in the future, as well as maintaining the security of its students, students will be reminded to be careful about what they broadcast in the public domain.

With ICSMSU desperate to avoid similar negative press coverage in the future, it is clear that both the attitudes of a minority of ICSM students and the way the Reynolds is run will be subject to considerable change. If the measures detailed by ICSMSU are unsuccessful however, the future of the Reynolds bar remains unclear.