Oxford colleges crack down on ‘thieving undergrads’ after scores of cutlery and cups vanish

Two of Oxford’s oldest colleges have been forced to crack down on thieving students as branded plates and cups have been disappearing from college halls. 

Balliol College said it would stop using college crested cups and placemats at its student dinners as too many are vanishing.

The college hosts formal three-course dinners every Tuesday during term time and said 20 cups were still missing from a recent evening event. 

Students were caught using pockets and bags to smuggle out the coveted crockery from the swanky dinners. 

And Magdalen College declared an amnesty on tableware but warned students who didn’t return college items that it would be treated as theft. 

Balliol College said staff were having to run around to find extra cups and placemats while laying the tables as so many were going missing

The college hosts formal three-course dinners every Tuesday during term time and said 20 cups were still missing from a single night 

Balliol College students were told that the college was ‘disappointed’ that it had to tell emails to stop 

Students have long taken pride in collecting college-branded ‘stash’, including hoodies, tracksuits and scarves, but the ‘incredibly selfish’ trend of nicking plates and cups has gone too far.

An email sent to Balliol students said the thefts were causing additional stress for college staff. 

 ‘I am very sorry to say that we will no longer be using Balliol crested cups or placemats for student dinners,’ the email read. 

‘The staff in Hall last night had to ask many students to empty cups that they had stolen from the table from pockets and bags – even with this being the case 20 were still stolen. 

‘The cutlery and crockery that we use in Hall has to be paid for, if it goes missing then we must pay to replace it. This is money that is then not available to spend in other areas. 

‘Some of the items are used at all of the dinner that Balliol hosts, not just Tuesday Hall. Staff do not count the cups and placemats after a dinner – they will have to start doing so due to the incredibly selfish actions of some of you.’

The college offers its dining hall, which can seat 226 guests, for private rental – with prices starting at £64.75 a head for a ‘truly remarkable dining experience’. 

The dining hall at Balliol College. Students stole 20 cups in a single night during a recent formal dinner, an email from the college said 

In an email, Balliol students were warned to stop taking cups from formal evening events after 20 were stolen in a single night 

Students can eat at the formal halls on a daily basis and many colleges host three-course evening dinners several times a week 

‘When a full Hall needs to be laid up and it is discovered that there are no longer enough cups or placemats the staff have to tun around the College looking in every pantry to see if they can produce any extra and if not then make do with that they can. 

‘This might seem trivial to some of you, however the added stress when we are dealing with a busy evening is unnecessary and not what the Catering staff who work hard looking after you all should have to put up with. 

‘I am extremely disappointed to have to email adults studying at Balliol College to ask them not to steal.’ 

Students have been stealing plates, cups and placemats from formal dinners at Oxford colleges

A formal dinner at Magdalen College, Oxford. The college hosts four formal dinners a week during term time, which cost students around £10 a head

A formal dinner at Magdalen College, Oxford. The college hosts four formal dinners a week during term time, which cost students around £10 a head

Magdalen told students that if they didn’t return items by Friday the ‘fad’ for taking plates would be considered theft 

Magdalen College said that the ‘fad’ for taking the souvenirs had worsened and offered students the chance to return the items before March 10. 

The college, famous for being where C.S. Lewis wrote Narnia, holds four formal dinners a week, alongside ‘Special Formals’. 

It told students that any further thievery would be taken very seriously.  

‘Following this period any items of College property found in a student’s possession will be regarded as theft and be treated as such.’