Unilodge party “Full Moon Goon” has been cancelled by Unilodge days before it was to be held. The event, a traditional pre-O week party, has previously been the cause of safety concerns for the Lodges.
Davey Lodge resident Ben Frankish posted on February 7 calling for residents to attend the event at his shared flat, the traditional venue for the event, the Sunday night before O-week. Frankish said that he was hosting the event in “the spirit of upholding democracy”. The next day, Unilodge Residents’ Committee (URC) President Bella Tobiano communicated the Unilodge administration’s decision that “full moon goon won’t be going ahead”.
The party has previously been a significant part of Lodge student life. One former URC member told Observer “a lot of Lodgers … regard full moon goon as the main cultural event of the year”, and explained that the event was “a complete rejection of everything that unilodge corporate tries to make the experience” of living at Lodge. However, this rejection comes at a cost; the same former URC member explained that “the question … isn’t if we will have a major safety incident, but how many”.
In 2017, Lodge restricted access to the event. However, parties occurred in other Lodge rooms, making policing and provision of assistance more difficult, according to those present.
This year, Lodge has promised to have “SRs, RAs and security patrolling the residences” to prevent alternative venues being used. Observer is unaware of any plans to hold alternative venues for the event. When asked about the cancellation, Frankish told Observer “I’m sure fmg would have been a good laugh … and I think it’s bit of a unilodge tradition. [sic]” He described the health concerns motivating Lodge administration as “fair enough.”
Unilodge did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Correction: This article originally stated that Lodge cancelled 2017’s Full Moon Goon. Lodge in fact restricted access to the event. The article has been updated to reflect this.
