BNOC PRESENTATION (u2012453)

Legendary statement or just a big compliment?

The lEgend of the BNOC

• BNOC culture at Warwick

• Origins

• General BNOC culture

• Folkloric qualities

• Who/What is BNOC?

cONTENT

THE LEGEND OF THE BNOC

NAME SURNAME

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

The official definition

Who/What is a BNOC

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

03

Has been morphed

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

02

Secific to a 'folk' group

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

01

Multiple sources

The bnoc as folklore

It's qualities

Current 4th Year student

"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"

CuRRENT 4TH YEAR STUDENT

"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"

current 4th year student

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

WhaT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

WHO/wHAT is a BNOC?

“...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."

2023 graduate

WhaT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

WHO/wHAT is a BNOC?

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

4th year student

"What's a BNOC?"

3rd year student

"A what?"

1ST yEAR student (living on campus)

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

Where did it come from?

origin of the bnoc

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

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

Where did it come from?

origin of the bnoc

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

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

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

Checklist for whether you can be considered a BNOC

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

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

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.

feels ‘concentrated and unique’ at warwick - 2023 gratuate

BNOCs at warwick

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

THE BNOC at warwick

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

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

75%

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.

IN IT'S PRIME

THE BNOC at warwick

• 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

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

Celebration of the bnoc

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

• 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??

2) RAW Radio

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

Celebration of the bnoc

- 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

wARWICK gRAPEVINE - posted 11 October 2023

tHE wARWICK BNOC TODAY

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

The true bnoc