Students upset at tourist plan

ST JOHN'S, Cambridge, is to become the first college to open its doors to tourists in summer, in spite of student fears that their examination results will suffer, writes Marianne Macdonald.

Undergraduates say the move shows college authorities think making money more important than maintaining academic standards. The tourist influx will coincide with the period when third- and fourth-year students study for their final examinations.

Jim Standing, an undergraduate representative, told the student newspaper Varsity: 'This decision changes the whole ethos of the college, from a place of serious academic pursuit to nothing more than a tourist attraction.'

But Ray Jobling, senior tutor, said: 'If there is any problem with noise or disturbance, the college council is confident it can close the whole thing down in a day.'