News

Postgraduate students, incensed at the possible cancellation of their Friday night Gazebo drinks, have taken to the walls of Facebook for a regular old-fashioned bitching session. OUSA Postgraduate Representative Stephanie Ruddock, responsible for the Gazebo drinks, has threatened to send any future communication containing any “abuse, slander or profanity” to the Proctor. How naughty these postgrads get after they’ve had a few ports.
Ruddock claims that “Friday Night Gazebo Lounge used up 92% of the postgraduate budget and was attended by 5% of students” in 2010. Ruddock further asserts that it “has NOT been cancelled” but that the format of the event is to be discussed by the Postgraduate Committee. As an alternative activity, Ruddock has organized a Monday night shindig with Starters Bar, which is providing postgrads with “competitive food and drink deals…in a casual, relaxed setting”.

 
However some of her fellow postgrads aren’t so convinced. Student Cait O’Donnell posted a link on the Facebook event in question to Starters Bar’s website, along with the comment “This is where Stephanie wants to send us? Bull riding? Bikini contests? Drunken undergrads?…Oh and Starters also has JELLY WRESTLING”.
 

Critic speculates that O’Donnell seems excited by all of the above, presumably none of which were available at the Gazebo. Former Postgraduate Rep Margi Macmurdo-Reading also seems down for a throw in the jelly if her comment “Dude, I am so there!” is anything to go by.
 

Grant Michael McKenna also doesn’t seem too fazed by the potential cancellation of Gazebo, and seems to be really embracing the Scarfie life… “Hey, drinks at Starters! Awesome! When is the next wet T-shirt competition? Pity about any non-drinkers/women who don't flash their tits at strangers, but if they're like that they shouldn't come to Dunners, hey?”. Critic has never seen any non-drinkers flash their tits at strangers at Starters Bar, but if this is the sort of behaviour that goes on we’re looking at an office outing next week.

 
The potential cancellation of the “beloved” Gazebo event has clearly proved controversial, despite the obvious enthusiasm for a new location from more radical quarters of the postgrad ranks. Local celebrity OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan even stepped into the debate on Facebook, commenting that “there have been concerns that Gazebo Lounge doesn't satisfy everyone, but obviously from this page it is important to a number of people as well”.

 
Critic notes that Starters Bar is likely to become very important to quite a few male scarfies if all the claimed antics that go on there are true; UniCol boys, it’s on the corner of Frederick and Grange Sts, and Monday nights look like a real goer.