Robbie Dale introduces the high spirits of RAG Week at the university.

WHEN the average person is asked to think about students, they usually have a couple of views.

The first is of the lazy individual wallowing in the stains of day-old curry and lamenting the loss of Diagnosis Murder on daytime TV.

The other is the mad-cap youngster hell bent on doing anything in a duck-costume to raise awareness of, well, just about anything.

While neither is that close to the reality, at this time of year the latter does have a ring of truth.

Next week at York University is RAG week and people will be lining up to raise awareness even if the duck costume doesn't fit. RAG stands for Raising And Giving and is the charitable arm of the Students' Union. Students work throughout the year for a variety of causes and RAG week is the focus of all that hard work.

Today, a Valentine hit-squad will be delivering messages d'amour around campus, then everything really kicks off on Saturday.

The RAG procession will start at Clifford's Tower and wind through the city centre, featuring students dressed as icons from their childhood as they shake a tin for the Lord Mayor's charities. There will also be entertainment in Parliament Street in the afternoon. Cracking!

With a jazz night, talent contest, speed dating and a '2 cool for skool' evening lined up over the week, fun for a good cause is just a hop, skip and a jump away. And there is more. On Monday, RAG will be hiding plastic ducks around campus in preparation for the great duck hunt (no real wildfowl, please), while later in the week donated items, including a full-size piano, will be auctioned off in what is colloquially known as a 'blagathon'.

Meanwhile, Tuesday sees 'The Playpen' hit York's campus, when eight people will be put in a large cage and made to act at the behest of the crowd.

If you really can't be bothered to wash out that day old curry stain, at least get out the house for a while.

Updated: 09:33 Friday, February 13, 2004