Discipline files reveal high jinks of Cambridge students

But while its students may well have earned an enviable reputation for academia, it seems some still have one or two things to learn about discipline.

A newly released dossier of student misdemeanours over the past five years has revealed hundreds of incidents of drunkenness, nudity, indecent exposure, vandalism and even violence.

In one incident a college dean was forced to fight off the sexual advances of a drunken student who propositioned her while naked.

In another incident a female undergraduate, who was described as being “extremely inebriated” was reprimanded after being caught “fouling” in a college corridor.

And at a Spring Ball held earlier this year, one male student was left needing hospital treatment, after being beaten up and attacked with a bottle by another.

These examples form just part of a long list of antics reported to college deans between 2005 and 2010, which were revealed following a Freedom of Information request the the Camridge University student newspaper, The Tab.

The files paint a colourful picture of life at Cambridge where 15 British Prime Ministers have been educated.

All but two of the 31 colleges which form Cambridge University, responded to the requests for details of disciplinary matters, with Churchill, Sidney Sussex and Clare emerging as the three with the worst records.

The Dean of Churchill College, Dr Priyamvada Gopal, was alerted to 91 incidents involving more than 100 students in the five years between 2005 and 2010.

Following once incident in March 2007 Dr Gopal reported how she was forced to reject the advances of a particularly inebriated student.

In her report she explained: “Several very drunk students and alumni after a rugby dinner, some of whom were running naked around college, and one of whom propositioned me.”

Another incident which appeared in the college’s disciplinary records involved an illegal gambling den which was discovered operating in a student’s room, while another undergraduate was reprimanded after a rabbit and hamster were discovered in his accommodation.

Some individuals made more than one appearance in the files prompting college authorities to consider expulsion.

Earlier this year one student was fined £250, put on a 10pm curfew and has his bar privileges rescinded after attacking another with a bottle.

Just weeks later, the same offender was mauled by a police dog after being caught on the roof of Churchill College.

And at Easter this year, he was summoned by the Dean after celebrating the lifting of his curfew by getting drunk with friends and breaking down a door, "injuring himself in the process".

Dr Gopal recommended: “He either be rusticated [suspended] for a year or sent down [expelled] permanently.”

Dons meted out other punishments including fines, curfews, withdrawal of alcohol purchase privileges, community service and formal apologies.

At Sidney Sussex College there were 112 disciplinary cases including one incident when a student vomited into a hand basin and then left the water running, flooding the library below.

It was only the quick actions of the porters which prevented valuable books being damaged.

Another incident in March this year involved a group of graduates getting extremely drunk at a whisky tasting evening, with shameful results.

The report revealed: “The organiser was found (drunk) urinating outside the Porter's Lodge.”

Clare College, which had the third worst disciplinary record, reported 43 incidents.