BNOC PRESENTATION (u2012453)

The lEgend of the BNOC

Legendary statement or just a big compliment?

cONTENT

• Who/What is BNOC?

• Origins

THE LEGEND OF THE BNOC

• Folkloric qualities

• General BNOC culture

• BNOC culture at Warwick

Who/What is a BNOC

The official definition

'Big Name On Campus': a student who has gained wide recognition or notoriety among his or her peers"

NAME SURNAME

The bnoc as folklore

It's qualities

Secific to a 'folk' group

Multiple sources

01

Has been morphed

03

02

The legend/lore has been mutated through its transmission. Each reciever of the lore alters it, before passing it on

Lore is typically shared by word of mouth; more generally, we can say it’s shared person to person

A folk group of institutional cultureFolk group ny group of people Whatsoever who share at least one common uniting factor.”

WHO/wHAT is a BNOC?

WhaT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

"I would say a BNOC is someone who many people recognise either when they see them or hear their name, not necessarily someone who knows them back: a person who either knows many people or has a reputation on campus"

"For me, a BNOC is somebody that seems to know everybody on campus and everybody on campus seems to know them. They’re a social butterfly that thrives to meet more people and can’t go anywhere without stopping to say hi to people"

“I’d describe a BNOC as someone who everyone knows (or knows someone who knows them); a campus celebrity"

current 4th year student

CuRRENT 4TH YEAR STUDENT

Current 4th Year student

WHO/wHAT is a BNOC?

WhaT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

“...a strange concept; like being back in high school with a hierarchy, Looking back, it's cringey. It never really affects your day to day life anyway."

"What's a BNOC?"

“I didn’t know what it meant for ages to be honest"

"A what?"

3rd year student

1ST yEAR student (living on campus)

4th year student

2023 graduate

origin of the bnoc

Where did it come from?

The popular and most accepted theory is that the concept began at Sheffield University

origin of the bnoc

Where did it come from?

But there still seems to be doubt as to its origins.

It seems to be a lore that doesn't really belong to anyone

The term has even been adapted and morphed according to personal beliefs or opinions held by the indiviual passing on the lore

Negative Connotations:"The term is often used to mock the subject for their delusions of grandeur, rather than as a compliment." - The Guardian (2012)

Checklist for whether you can be considered a BNOC

Source: "Were You A Big Name On Campus At University?" - Buzzfeed

The BNOC is now being morphed into more than just being stereotypically 'popular'

Source: "The Official™ OxStu Guide to Spotting BNOCs" - The Oxford Student

BNOCs at warwick

feels ‘concentrated and unique’ at warwick - 2023 gratuate

1) Being a campus university, 'word spreads fast'. 2) Many available and reliable hosts to pass on the 'virus' that is the lore. 3)Consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: BNOCs given higher importance due to lack of external entertainment/events.

THE BNOC at warwick

iN IT'S PRIME

...of sources found about BNOCs at Warwick were published during the years of, or the 3 years follwing the pandemic (2020-2023)

Could this be due to the development and rise on popularity of social media?

...or was the social intensity due to campus lockdown the driving factor

75%

THE BNOC at warwick

IN IT'S PRIME

Proof of the effect of the COVID-19 lockdowns can be seen through talking with students in years not as affected and comparing them to our own points of view: 3rd year (2021 fresher): didn't know what a BNOC was before explained the definition; then gave a vague example. 1st year (2023 fresher): has no understanding of the term whatsoever.

Celebration of the bnoc

Two unique celebrations of the bnoc lore can be seen at warwirck:

• Earliest documented vote - 2014
• Also took place in 2017 & 2018
• Vote with biggest social media coverage - 2022

• The Warwick Tab did a lot of promotion through articles and memes

1) A vote for BNOC of the year

iMPORTANCE OF THE bnoc VOTE:'ONE STUDENT ACTUALLY SENT IN A WHOLE PARAGRAPH COMPLAINING BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T CHOSEN'

Celebration of the bnoc

Two unique celebrations of the bnoc lore can be seen at warwirck:

2) RAW Radio

• Radio show where BNOCs would chat and entertain listeners
• Only aired 3 times (in 2021, following the pandemic)
• Who has even heard of Enoch or Cam??

tHE wARWICK BNOC TODAY

wARWICK gRAPEVINE - posted 11 October 2023

- Most recent university meme page since the shutting down of Warwickconfessions (which escalated social unrest on campus)- One of the only remaining and currently active materialisations of the lore

The true bnoc

'There is only one BNOC and his name is rolf the cat'