RCSU Ballin' in moderation

In my ancestral Tennessee, we have a saying: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Certainly this appears to be the approach the RCSU has adopted in regards to their entertainments over the last few years. The recipe goes something like this: 1) Take a dark room in Central London. 2) Add some loud music. 3) Fill with scientists soaked in inexpensive (or free) alcohol. Shake and serve over ice with a garnish of mint leaves. The mixture is simple but effective – in some cases cripplingly so.

Details do change: Monday’s DJ was probably the worst in recent memory (seriously, who mixes Don’t Stop Believin’ with Who Let the Dogs Out? Who does that? Who? Who?). Opal is a pretty uninspiring venue, being essentially like Metric but with nicer seats. But on the whole, the formula is a tried-and-tested crowd pleaser: despite a nasty suit-ruining downpour, so many students turned up that at times Opal’s dancefloor threatened to burst at the seams. The number of no-shows and nappers in Tuesday morning’s lectures testified to an enjoyable night, and the most common complaint was, “I can’t believe they rickrolled us!”, after Rick Astley’s one-hit wonder filled the sound system shortly after midnight. Decrying student drinking as ‘dangerous’, or ‘irresponsible’ appears to be something of a national pastime these days.

I think the critics don’t realise how healthy it is to have the occasional raucous night with old friends and new faces alike. RCSU Welfare Officer Akash Jyoti later mentioned that RCSU’s balls would be good for student welfare on the whole (although this is far from being official RCSU policy). It’s true that this was one of RCSU’s less extravagant events (what, no vodka luge? No chocolate fountain? Outrage!), and to those of us outside the RCSU committee, ‘business as usual’ may seem a little disappointing. But it’s worth remembering that events like this never happen by themselves: organising an event that is a) well-attended and b) where everyone goes home happy is a major feat in itself.

Congratulations are due to RCSU President Serena Yuen and her team – we look forward to many more such events over the next year.