Oxford Polytechnic

It was 21st September 1977, my Dad and Sister waved goodbye and headed home to somewhere near Blackpool. I was on my own and about to begin a big new chapter. Registering that day at Oxford Polytechnic was the first act in 3 years of independence and growing up where I would have to learn the harsh realities of cooking, washing clothes and generally doing all those things that Mum used to do. Much like everybody else enrolling that day. Those early days are a bit of a blur, trying to come to terms with so many new experiences and concepts all at the same time was often difficult. It was a whole new world, it was very different from school, to be treated like grown ups was a new experience to many.

Academia
The end game was some sort of higher educational qualification that would enable us to walk straight into our chosen career. If only it had been that simple.

Like a large number of other students there I had enrolled on a modular course, the idea was that you built up your degree as you went along, points were scored courtesy of exams at the end of each term. There were no 'finals' hanging over you at the end of the course, instead you went through a lower level of stress on a more regular basis. There were so many exams, up to four a term, that you almost got used to them, but not quite. I believe this style of course was actually pioneered at Oxford Poly, it allowed a considerable amount of flexibility and an option to change course at the end of the first year. In the beginning I was studying Environmental Biology, three years later I had a BSc in Biology and Psychology, and the opportunity to dress up in funny clothes (see left). There were of course many non modular courses, we all knew somebody who had to go through some really big exams. Most of us were on three year courses, except of course for the Architects who embarked on a seven year path to qualification, five years in and two out, phew!

Non Academia
Outside the confines of the course there were many other things to be discovered and experienced. This was all part of the package, hopefully the product would be a better educated and well rounded individual ready to step into the outside world. The trick was to get the balance right between academia and non academia. Not surprisingly there was a fair amount of alcohol consumption and occasional dalliance with soft drugs, any excuse for a party was eagerly accepted. Then there was the melting pot of people around you. Outside the bigger cities there was only a slim chance of coming across somebody from a different country or culture, or with a different skin colour, or with an alternative sexual orientation. Overnight you became part of this cosmopolitan community, it was great, it changed you forever.

Sites and Buildings During this period the main buildings at the Gipsy Lane site were the Admin Block, Science Block, Architecture Block, Engineering Block, the Main Hall, the Main Lecture Theatre (MLT), Refectory, Common Room, Gibbs Building and last but not least the Bar. The Wheatley site, despite regular buses and the best efforts of the SU, tended to be a bit isolated, unless you were based there you only tended to go over for the occasional social function or for field course accommodation.

		Accommodation A very important issue and something that needed to be sorted as soon as possible. In 1977 Oxford Polytechnic had two Halls of Residence close to the main site, Cheney and Cotuit, a third, Morrell Hall, was opened a couple of years later. Further capacity was available at Wheatley (left) but that was generally for students on courses based at that site.

I had applied early and subsequently had no trouble getting into Cheney. There were four older blocks, Brookes, Walker, Weare and one other whose name escapes me, and then newer alphabetically named units. Each floor had at least one kitchen which was shared by around ten students, this acted as a focal point and meeting place. It even encouraged some to develop culinary skills beyond beans on toast! Most importantly there was a bar and refectory, plus TV lounge and launderette.

The site warden was Len Clarke who was also on the teaching staff. The job of trying to treat several hundred new students as adults when a large percentage wanted to behave like adolescents must have been very tricky. I guess he must have seen every possible variation of alcohol fuelled prank. There were however occasions when we were definitely not treated like adults. Every new occupant of Cheney Hall received a copy of the rules, and everybody who read those rules learned a new word, pernoctation. Those with a smattering of Latin realised it was just a pretentious way of saying "No overnight guests." Perish the thought! Needless to say amongst several hundred healthy young people plenty of pernoctating went on, and occasionally somebody would be summoned to the Warden's office to be read the riot act!

Students' Union
The SU were especially prominent at the start as they sought to ensure the Freshers were happy with their accommodation, courses, grants and just about anything else you can think of. It was very well intentioned of course but you couldn't help get the feeling that some of them were mainly in it for reasons of ego and image. The sabbatical year off for the main officers must have seemed very attractive too. Student politics seemed like a bit of a game, for some it was a good grounding for future careers. Sarah Veale, who was President for 1979/80, is nowadays senior employment rights officer for the TUC. The President in my first year was John Browning, a mature student and former Trade Union activist in his early forties who naturally enough was at pains to emphasise that his age was of no consequence. Towards the end of this time in office though he confessed he had realised that he just could not relate to the average student. The political persuasions of the SU tended to the left, although the average student generally held a more moderate view, or more likely didn't have a clue. I confess I initially fell into the latter category but I began to take an interest and a few things fell into place. In my final year I became more involved, attended meetings and enthusiastically participated in the elections.

Rag Week was always entertaining as students strove to find even wilder stunts and sponsored challenges in the name of raising money for good causes. I remember the Five Legged Beer Race was a rather grotesque spectacle where four persons tied together had to drink a pint in each of four local pubs (Britannia, Black Boy, White Hart and White Horse) plus a final one in the Poly Bar. Obviously speed was of the essence, drinking the first in one was easy, the second not too bad, the third was definitely a bit heavy going towards the end, and as for the fourth, it was just as well the activity took place in the pub car park otherwise the SU would have received a hefty cleaning bill. Female team members were only required to drink halves so inevitably the Ladies Hockey Team always won.

The Bar
All this talk of the SU naturally leads on to one of the main student pastimes. Oxford Polytechnic was unusual amongst similar establishments in that the SU did not run the Students' Bar. The college employed a Bars' Manager (Barsteward?), Roland was his name and he occupied this position for the duration of my time as a student. In 1977 the Bar was beginning to creak under the sheer weight of numbers as the intake of students increased, the whole set up needed an overhaul. To their credit the college authorities recognised this and the new Bar was duly opened in 1979, a great improvement.

Money
This was long before student loans became an unwelcome issue. Parents were means tested and based on their income and circumstances the Government would issue a grant to cover course fees and living expenses, and you wouldn't have to pay it back!. Joining the queue in the Admin Block to collect the Grant Cheque was the first major task each term, the second major task was to begin spending it. Books (not always Course related), booze (too much), food (unhealthy), rent (too high), records (CDs were still a twinkle in somebody's eye), clothes (fashion unconscious) were the main agenda items. Not surprisingly the SU considered the grant to be insufficient yet most of us were able to get by without too much discomfort. Quite how I was able to buy so many records and still afford to eat is nothing short of miraculous. The occasional bit of part time work helped, I handed out leaflets for Music Market, my favourite record shop, and for a few months I worked a couple of evenings a week at the Burgerland fast food outlet on Cornmarket Street.

Entertainment (aka Ents)
Like many other areas of student life we suddenly found ourselves spoilt for choice. The SU Social Secretary had overall responsibility for the many and varied activities, but let's face it, the reputation of the Social Sec was only as good as the bands he managed to book. Paul Mason was the man in the hot seat for 77-78 and he soon hit the jackpot when Weather Report, globally famous jazz/rock band, signed up for their only UK college date on the European Tour. A few musical minds were blown that night I can tell you. In the late 70s Oxpoly continued to be a popular date on many a British tour, although problems with local residents did eventually begin to curb the frequency of high profile gigs. Even so my diary records gigs by the Stranglers (bad tempered, didn't like students), Squeeze (pretty much unknown at the time), Ian Gillan (ex Deep Purple), Phil Manzanera (ex Roxy Music), Bruford (Rock Goes to College for the BBC), Brand X, Gordon Giltrap, Cheap Trick, Tom Robinson, Rockpile (Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe), Steve Hillage (a gig that formed part of his Live Herald album), Wreckless Eric (Ian Dury was on drums!), Jona Lewie (one hit wonder, remember Stop The Cavalry?), Eddie and the Hotrods, and even Dire Straits before they were famous (although I didn't actually go to that one, drat!).

Outside of College there were various popular pubs, in Headington it was generally the White Hart or the Black Boy, down in the town it would be the Kings Arms, the Head of the River or the Roebuck. My diaries show I spent a lot of time at the Penultimate Picture Palace (PPP), a small independent cinema run by a larger than life American called Bill Heine. Initially he would show a different film each night of the week, although eventually some of the more 'art house' movies disappeared due to economics. Whatever the programming you were guaranteed at least one decent movie a week, cult or mainstream. Headington was also home to Oxford United who were a fairly unspectacular lower division team in those days, their best times were still ahead of them a year or two after I left Oxpoly. Being a lover of the beautiful game though I became a fairly frequent visitor to the Manor Ground.

The University has always tended to be a community of its own, this state of affairs has caused occasional conflict with the locals as far back as the 13th Century. Many rituals and traditions surround this ancient seat of learning, most of them take place within the hallowed walls of its colleges, but some are very public. The May Day celebrations were worth experiencing at least once, masses of people congregate on Magdalen Bridge at 6.00am to hear the choristers singing from the top of the Tower. In reality you could never hear much but it was like a big party, lots of the town pubs were open. It was a bit odd sitting there with your pint and realising it was 6.30am. Another occasion with an atmosphere worth sampling was Eights Week, effectively the Colleges rowing championship. Huge numbers would congregate on the banks of the River around the College boathouses to cheer on their rowers and drinks lots of Pimms. It was quite an experience for the average Polytechnic student from a somewhat less privileged background.

Travel
Until coming to Oxford my experience of travel had been restricted to annual holidays in the UK with my family. I'd never even been on a train! Then I discovered hitching as a cheap and interesting method of travel. Obviously it was not a method to adopt if you had deadlines to meet but you could usually manage to reach your destination in reasonable time. I hitched all over the place visiting friends and family, I think the furthest I went was Edinburgh. I guess this was really borne out of economics, it all stopped as soon as I had access to a car, but I had a few adventures along the way. Do people still do this? The idea of stopping and giving a lift to a total stranger nowadays seems virtually unthinkable.