RAG (student society)
Encyclopedia
University Rag societies are student-run charitable
fundraising organisations that are widespread in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
. Most universities in the UK and Ireland, as well as some in South Africa
and the Netherlands
have a Rag. In some universities Rags are known as Charities Campaigns, Charity Appeals, Charity Kommittees, or Karnivals, but they all share many of the same attributes.
when students took time out of their studies to collect rags to clothe the poor. The verb "rag" means to badger or pester someone, and early Rags collectors may have "ragged" passers-by until they made a donation.
Much more recently "RAG" has come to stand for "Raise and Give", "Raise A Grand" or "Raising and Giving"; these are backronym
s, purportedly coined to convince a manager in a large charity of the value of working with student fundraisers.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the origin of the word from "An act of ragging; esp. an extensive display of noisy disorderly conduct, carried on in defiance of authority or discipline", and provides a citation from 1864, noting that the word was known in Oxford before this date.
Student Rags took place between University College London
and King's College London
from their foundation in the 1820s, and to this day there is an annual competition between the United Hospitals
.
The first Rag in South Africa
was started at the University of Pretoria
in 1925. The students took to the streets in parade that still exists today and is known as the Procession. During this parade, where they build floats
, they carry cans and ask the spectating public to make donations. Today RAG is held almost exclusively in Afrikaans
universities and is called JOOL. The acronym (Jou Onbaatsugtige Opoffering vir Liefdadigheid) is translated from Afrikaans as "Your selfless sacrifice for charity". The annual JOOL/RAG week is held at the start of every academic year and serves also as a kind of welcoming party to students of the university. The universities with the biggest JOOL traditions are the Potchefstroom University, the University of the Free State
and the University of Pretoria
Traditionally fundraising activities have centred around an annual Rag Week, with events each day for the week. While some Rags are only active for this week, others use "Rag Week" as their flagship week to encourage participation for the whole year.
A number of Rags claim to have published the first ever Rag mags:
Sheffield University Rag's Twikker
was first produced in 1925. It is also claimed that Manchester University published the first Rag mag, in 1924. An issue of a Rag mag dating from 1923, called "Goblio", is said to be in the archives of the University of Southampton. However, Queen's University Belfast holds the most complete set of Rag magazines in its archives, holding 81 different copies of PTQ (Pro Tanto Quid – taken from the city's motto "Pro tanto quid retribuamus") from 1927 onwards.
Sponsored Challenges
Fundraising Events
Manchester RAG also run one of the longest running sponsored events in the North West, known as The Bogle Stroll, which celebrates its semicentennial anniversary in 2011.
Exeter RAG hold the Biggest World Aids Day event in the UK, called the Safer Sex Ball, Seeing Thousands of students attending to raise a ton of money for Charity, £20,000 of which is annually set aside for local AIDs charity the Eddistone Trust.
Many Rags also organise week-long 'Tours' over the university holidays in which they will travel from town to town, collecting in each one, and raising thousands of pounds for the beneficiary charity.
Megaraids: A Megaraid is defined as a Raid where more than one Rag is present and in recent years these have been organised on a massive scale by charities with some events taking place consistently for over a decade. Charities which have a developed student fundraising events include Barnardo's
, Help the Aged
, Meningitis UK
, Meningitis Research Foundation, Kidscan
, the Meningitis Trust and Cancer Research UK
. All Megaraids tend to include a social aspect and often attract former students who still take part.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
fundraising organisations that are widespread in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Most universities in the UK and Ireland, as well as some in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
have a Rag. In some universities Rags are known as Charities Campaigns, Charity Appeals, Charity Kommittees, or Karnivals, but they all share many of the same attributes.
Origins
It is not known where the term "Rag" originates in this context, but it is thought to be from the Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
when students took time out of their studies to collect rags to clothe the poor. The verb "rag" means to badger or pester someone, and early Rags collectors may have "ragged" passers-by until they made a donation.
Much more recently "RAG" has come to stand for "Raise and Give", "Raise A Grand" or "Raising and Giving"; these are backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
s, purportedly coined to convince a manager in a large charity of the value of working with student fundraisers.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the origin of the word from "An act of ragging; esp. an extensive display of noisy disorderly conduct, carried on in defiance of authority or discipline", and provides a citation from 1864, noting that the word was known in Oxford before this date.
Student Rags took place between University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
from their foundation in the 1820s, and to this day there is an annual competition between the United Hospitals
United Hospitals
United Hospitals is the historical collective name of the medical schools of London. They are all part of the University of London with the exception of Imperial College School of Medicine which left in 2007. The original United Hospitals referred to Guy's Hospital and St Thomas's Hospital and...
.
The first Rag in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
was started at the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
in 1925. The students took to the streets in parade that still exists today and is known as the Procession. During this parade, where they build floats
Float (parade)
A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...
, they carry cans and ask the spectating public to make donations. Today RAG is held almost exclusively in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
universities and is called JOOL. The acronym (Jou Onbaatsugtige Opoffering vir Liefdadigheid) is translated from Afrikaans as "Your selfless sacrifice for charity". The annual JOOL/RAG week is held at the start of every academic year and serves also as a kind of welcoming party to students of the university. The universities with the biggest JOOL traditions are the Potchefstroom University, the University of the Free State
University of the Free State
The University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...
and the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
Rag Week
Rag Mag
A 'Rag mag' is a small booklet traditionally filled with very un-PC humour sold to the local community during Rag Week. Some university Rags with a strong local tradition still sell their (substantially cleaner and funnier) Rag Mags, whilst others use theirs more as information-tools for new students wanting to know more about Rag.A number of Rags claim to have published the first ever Rag mags:
Sheffield University Rag's Twikker
Twikker
Twikker was the Rag Mag of Sheffield University Rag. The name is a corruption of The Wicker, a well-known street in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England crossed at one end by the Wicker Arches ....
was first produced in 1925. It is also claimed that Manchester University published the first Rag mag, in 1924. An issue of a Rag mag dating from 1923, called "Goblio", is said to be in the archives of the University of Southampton. However, Queen's University Belfast holds the most complete set of Rag magazines in its archives, holding 81 different copies of PTQ (Pro Tanto Quid – taken from the city's motto "Pro tanto quid retribuamus") from 1927 onwards.
Sponsored Challenges and Fundraising Events
Many Rags raise the majority of their money for charity through sponsored challenges and fundraising events. While these vary from University to University, typical examples of each include:Sponsored Challenges
- "Jailbreaks," competitions to get as far from the start and back again within a set period of time, without spending any money on transport.
- Sponsored skydives
- Running events including marathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s, half marathons and 'Tough Guy' challenges - Climbing expeditions
- Sponsored hitch-hikes.
Fundraising Events
- Pub CrawlsPub crawlA pub crawl is the act of one or more people drinking in multiple pubs or bars in a single night, normally walking or busing to each one between drinking.-Origin of the term:...
- World RecordWorld recordA world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
attempts - Bed-runs racing teams with hospital beds.
- Pub Quizzes
- Duck races
Manchester RAG also run one of the longest running sponsored events in the North West, known as The Bogle Stroll, which celebrates its semicentennial anniversary in 2011.
Exeter RAG hold the Biggest World Aids Day event in the UK, called the Safer Sex Ball, Seeing Thousands of students attending to raise a ton of money for Charity, £20,000 of which is annually set aside for local AIDs charity the Eddistone Trust.
Rag Raids
Street Collections: Currently known as 'Raids', volunteer collectors go out into the streets (often in costume) to collect for a specific charity on any given day with buckets rather than the clipboards.Many Rags also organise week-long 'Tours' over the university holidays in which they will travel from town to town, collecting in each one, and raising thousands of pounds for the beneficiary charity.
Megaraids: A Megaraid is defined as a Raid where more than one Rag is present and in recent years these have been organised on a massive scale by charities with some events taking place consistently for over a decade. Charities which have a developed student fundraising events include Barnardo's
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2010, it spends over £190 million each year on more than 400 local services aimed at helping these same groups...
, Help the Aged
Help the Aged
Help the Aged was a United Kingdom based, international charity, founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole, to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with Age Concern in 2009 to form Age UK.-Organisation and campaigns:...
, Meningitis UK
Meningitis UK
Meningitis UK is a national charity based in the United Kingdom. Its sole focus is on prevention and funding lifesaving research to eradicate all forms of meningitis.- History of Meningitis UK :...
, Meningitis Research Foundation, Kidscan
KidsCan
The KidsCan Charitable Trust is a national charity in New Zealand.It was founded in August 2005 by Julie Helson, who after undergoing extensive research with primary schools throughout New Zealand, realised that there were too many Kiwi kids going to school without the basic physical and...
, the Meningitis Trust and Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
. All Megaraids tend to include a social aspect and often attract former students who still take part.
External links
- UKRag.net - Student Fundraising forum & peer support
- UK Rag Wiki - Student fundraising guides and information