Fenham is notorious for nothing except a sprinkling of drunks (mainly women), a dash of nymphomaniacs (also mainly women), and total unresponsiveness. I wish only to give you a few random quotes; draw your own conclusions:

Education lecturer, after having been given an essay with no bibliography: 'I don't want to know what you think, unless you can back it up with quotes ... there should be the minimum of you in your essays - what I want is the ideas of the great educationalists and proof that you've read them ... what right have you to say what you think?'

Same lecturer - different occasion: 'while I'm your lecturer you'll write what I want.'

Warden, having rifled through rooms prior to open day 1970: 'Take your disgusting literature off your walls ... I can't conceive of why you should want leaves - leaves! - in your room; I've put them in the large dustbin at the back of the dining room - you can get them out if you like, but don't take them near your room'.

While I think of it, in December '71, the whole of the third year were suspended for being drunk and disorderly on the night they finished their final teaching practice. Rumour had it, that a local newspaper phoned up to get a story out of it, but our president declined the offer. We like to keep these things to ourselves, it seems.

And when a few wayward first years were found to have men in their rooms outside the stipulated mixed visiting hours, the complete first year resident community were gated. In the words of our Principal: 'My, we do have a problem, don't we?'

Fanny