Amorous Cambridge students told to keep the noise down

Perhaps the complaints about late-night noise at an all-women Cambridge college related to the sound of papers rustling as undergraduates studied round-the-clock. But when an email went out to students at Newnham College asking them to be “discreet in your activities” after dark, most understood it to refer to noise of a more amorous nature.

Yesterday, young women at the college, which was founded in 1871, admitted to having blushed as they read the message, which followed claims that Newnham had gained a reputation for being “slutty”.

Lizzy Cole, the college’s undergraduate president, sent the email to all 400 residents after the student union received 30 complaints about noise in the student halls.



“I’d just like to politely remind everyone that Newnham corridors funnel sound and walls are very thin in some buildings,” it read. “Therefore, please remember to be discrete (sic) in your activities, especially during late/early hours of the day.”

Some girls said they had been horrified to think that fellow students may have heard them with their boyfriends. One Newnham undergraduate, 20, said: “It’s just so embarrassing to think that people have been listening in. I was blushing when I got the email. You try to keep it down, but it’s easy to forget the walls are so thin if you get a bit carried away.

“This sort of thing must happen at every university in the country. Only in Cambridge would your fellow students complain. They’ll be handing out ear plugs next.” Boyfriends are allowed to stay in student rooms at the college for two days before they have to register for a spare room.