Nothing wrong with a few arts students – for decorative purposes

There has been a great hullaballoo about the Summer Ball. The old adage that the more trivial the matter, the more vicious the invective has been proved true once again by the arguments over the changes to the Summer Ball. Or Summer Festival, as it should probably now be called. Whilst students at other universities occupy lecture theatres to protest the effect of government cuts on their degrees, Imperial students suggest calling an Extraordinary General Meeting to demand that the dress code of the end-of-year party be obligatory black tie.

That is not to demean the desire of what seems to be the majority of students to have an event where they can dress up with their friends and celebrate the end of the year. In fact, Felix would advise students to consider the dress code to be black tie, regardless of the event’s ‘Whatever you think is best’ label.

But unfortunately, amidst the furore over whether having Goldsmith’s students within a 100-yard radius has the potential to ruin an evening, the core reason why the Summer Ball is so cherished has been forgotten.

We love the Summer Ball because we spend it with our close friends (and it must be said, not a small amount of alcohol). The novelty of wearing a cummerbund may add to the fun, but no amount of archaic dress can make you have a good time on your own. In any case, anyone who has attended previous Summer Balls knows that the adherence to the dress-code is far from universal to say the least.

No convincing argument has been put forward as to how the new format destroys this. Last year’s formal dinner was so sparsely attended that it simply did not factor in the vast majority’s experience of the Ball. The dress-code, although bungled, has not banned black tie dress, and in truth the incongruity of bow ties and an all-day festival is quite appealing. The selection of live acts seems better than ever and the cost has remained stable from last year. We would urge the Union to allow students to remain in the Quad through to the Sunday as usual, but we understand the pressure the Union faces from the Council with regards to their license.

The Union has certainly handled the proposed changes very badly. The new schedule came as a largely unwelcome surprise, and most students heard the news through negative responses on Facebook rather than directly from the Union. Students have been right to make their voices heard, and all criticisms and suggestions should be publicly aired and discussed. But when the day in question comes around, we hope that more time is spent having a good time than playing spot-the-fine-arts-student.