Campus 14

Campus 14 is a bar crawl on the University Park Campus of the University of Nottingham, England. Following complaints from the local hospital about the number of students requiring medical attention, in 2001 the university officially banned students from taking part in the event. Staff at hall bars now occasionally refuse to admit or serve students who they suspect are attempting the bar crawl. The ban is arguably ineffective; nearly all first year students learn of the Campus 14 during their first week, and it is still regularly undertaken by students from all year groups.

The Campus 14 is often attempted in large groups, and sometimes in fancy dress. There are many accounts of students who have completed the crawl and then attempted to swim across the University Park boating lake. The story that the offical ban was introduced following the death of a student during a post-Campus-14 swim is, however, unfounded. Nevertheless, a number of students have died either directly or indirectly as a result of intoxication after attempting the Campus 14.

Typical Route
The Campus 14 traditionally took place exclusively in bars located on the University Park Campus. This included twelve Hall Bars, and counted the Students' Union bar (Mooch, formerly The Ark, and formerly the Buttery and the DH Lawrence Bar) twice.

Many students now prefer to include the Broadgate Park bar, making only one drink necessary in Mooch.

The usual order in which the Hall Bars are visited is:


 * Florence Boot Hall,
 * Willoughby Hall,
 * Cavendish Hall,
 * Ancaster Hall,
 * Nightingale Hall,
 * Rutland Hall,
 * Sherwood Hall,
 * Derby Hall,
 * Lincoln Hall,
 * Lenton and Wortley Hall,
 * Cripps Hall, and
 * Hugh Stewart Hall.

If included, Broadgate Park Bar is usually treated as the starting bar, since it tends to open a little earlier than the Hall Bars. Mooch is either visited first and last, or last only, and two drinks consumed there at the end of the night.

'Rules'
To complete the crawl properly it is necessary to drink either a pint or a double shot in each bar, though few students manage this in all fourteen. The crawl is complicated by the relatively short time in which it has to be undertaken; the Hall of Residence bars open at 7pm, and all except Mooch close by 11pm, making the time limit usually around twenty minutes per bar including the walks between them. It is commonly performed on a Friday and Saturday night, when bars in town typically do not offer student discounts and Mooch is open later.

Health Dangers
It should be noted that consuming 14 pints or double spirits will usually equate to at least 28 units of alcohol. Each unit of alcohol consumed typically raises the Blood alcohol content by around 0.04. Hence, 28 units equates to a blood alcohol content of 1.12 - the LD50 (lethal dose for 50% of people) is accepted to be 0.4.

Whilst some alcohol will be metabolised by the body during the crawl, meaning the blood alcohol level is unlikely to reach 1.12, this calculation gives some indication of the dangerous levels of alcohol that completing the campus 14 in such a short period can create.

As well as potential from alcohol poisoning, other dangers include choking or slipping on vomit, getting involved in a drunken fight, and stumbling in front of traffic whilst drunk. There are also long term effects associated with high levels of alcohol consumption, notably impacting liver and brain function. Alcohol also has a high calorific content, and excessive consumption is a contributory factor to many students putting on weight when they go to university.

Route Variations
Many variations of the crawl exist. The most common being to go in the opposite direction so as to avoid the security staff that were added to the later bars after the bar crawl was banned. This reverse direction crawl also has the beneficial effect of reducing congestion in most of the bars on the route, except those in the middle (typically Sherwood, Rutland and Derby Hall bars) where the parties tend to arrive 'from both sides' at around the same time.

Another common variations include starting with a drink in the off-campus Broadgate Park Bar, as it opens earlier (6pm) than the Hall of Residence Bars. This route then requires only one drink in Mooch.

Other bars that could potentially be counted towards the bar crawl include:


 * Sutton Bonington bar
 * Newark and Southwell bars on Jubilee Campus
 * The Staff Club bar
 * The Beach Bar (Raleigh Park)

These are not part of the typical route for various reasons. The bars on Sutton Bonington and Jubilee Campuses would require considerable travelling, which is impractical against an already challenging schedule. The Staff Club is not generally open to students.

Rule Variations
Many people prefer to perform the Campus 14 drinking half-pints or single spirits. This is considerably safer than drinking pints or doubles, but still constitutes a large quantity of alcohol.

Others have attempted to complete the Campus 14 drinking soft drinks. Some have noted that trying to do it drinking 14 pints of cola can be just as difficult as drinking alcohol due to the amount of 'fizz', and the sickening quantity of sugar. This would also comprise a large dose of caffeine, which is likely to create a sensation similar to a hang over due to dehydration, and potentially other problems.

History
It should be noted that prior to 2000 the Ark (now Mooch and the Den) was formally viewed as two bars: the DH Lawrence Bar and the Buttery Bar. In practice, the two were just as joined as the Ark, and on most evenings punters could pass freely between the two; occasionally one half would be reserved for a private function, and the inter-connecting doors would be closed. This appears to be the origin of counting 14 bars - the Buttery and DH Lawrence were counted separately.

Further Complications

 * Many of the halls now have Smart Card access, intended to restrict entry to residents of that hall.
 * Those wishing to complete the bar crawl would often like to take a drink with them, to drink en route to the next bar. Taking drinks out of the bars is particularly frowned upon by security staff.
 * Cripps hall seems to open later than other hall bars.