The ‘rahs’ rule the roost

A recent article in a Sunday supplement discussed the supposed influx of the so-called ‘rahs’ in recent years at Newcastle University. ‘Rahs’ can be defined as the social clique of ‘upper class public school kids’, now university students, who have become an increasingly dominant social power within the university society, as suggested in said article. These comments have most likely been initiated by the arrival at Newcastle University in September 2009 of a member of the Royal Family and, perhaps, a perfect symbol of the upper class ‘rahs’: Princess Eugenie. Having myself a 20 year-old brother who is currently a first year undergraduate at Newcastle University and an alumnus of Surrey public school Epsom College, I can obtain a good idea of the relationship a typical ‘rah’ is making with the local society and how the reported takeover of public school students has affected his way of life in Newcastle.

Compounding the possible social stratification at universities encouraged by the ‘rah’ issue is the possible ‘north/south divide’ that may exist at some universities. When questioned about the suggested ‘rah’ culture my brother responded that it was ‘basically true’ and revealed to me that he has ‘one friend who is a northerner’ and claimed that ‘everyone is southern’ in his social group. ‘All the girls wear Ugg boots and leavers hoodies’: a characteristic of female ‘rahs’ also reported in the already mentioned article, was another comment made.

The separation between the ‘northerners’ and ‘southerners’ suggested here seems not, however, to be intentional. My brother informed me that ‘we don’t generally ignore the locals’ but they are inherently prevented from regular means of socialising with locals through specially organised student-only events and arranged student nights at the various bars and clubs of Newcastle. It surprised me somewhat that my brother (who always looks for an excuse to go out) told me that he spends his Saturday nights eating take away pizza and staying in his halls of residence. The reason he gave for this was that Saturday night is ‘locals’ night’ in Newcastle; in which case university students avoid venturing into the city’s bars and claim that it is ‘so busy, more expensive and just not a fun night’.

In contrast, Thursday night is the ‘undisputed rah night out of the week’ as stated in the Sunday supplement and this was confirmed by my brother who said ‘Thursday nights offer the best nightlife for the typical public school group of people’.

If this apparent social divide is occurring at one of Great Britain’s leading universities, it seems unfortunately probable that others may soon follow the same trend.