Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2008-2009

Welcome to the William Petre Society - or as most of us lovingly call it: Exeter MCR! MCR is short for Middle Common Room, and it stands for two things:

1. The community of graduate students and 2nd BA's studying at Exeter College, Oxford University. We also have some associate members, which include 4th year undergraduates at Exeter College, and spouses or long-term partners of MCR members.
2. A designated room for the members of this Society. It is located in staircase 8, Exeter College, and has two main sitting rooms. It also offers a kitchen, a tutorial space, computer access (including wireless), newspapers, periodicals, and lockers to store your books and gown in.

But what is the MCR all about? Mostly, it's about having fun, meeting interesting people (from other subject areas!), and generally making friends for life. Of course, there is a more official side to it, too. Every year at the end of January, an Executive Committee is elected. The committee runs the MCR, and represents the student body at College and University committees. We are there to guanantee that you get the most out of your stay. This includes negotiations on fees, charges, and rents, as well as offers of support and guidance given. Exeter College has a reputation for not just listening to our opinions, but also acting on them and really improving things where necessary. Two recent examples from summer 2008:

1. Exeter College is building new graduate accommodation. We were invited to comment on their plans, and they changed the design of the rooms after they heard our student perspective. By the way, the new graduate accommodation is just about the best you can get in Oxford. Many refurbished rooms are ready for Michaelmas 2008, and in 2009 even more rooms will be available for graduates.
2. Some graduates do not have offices in their departments, and libraries are at times overcrowded, or have restricted opening times. Although space is scarce, College granted us a designated graduate study space when we raised this concern.

If you ever encounter problems, no matter whether it's connected to your studies or your personal life, we are also there for you. Our Welfare Officer and the MCR President are the best people to contact in these cases, and anything you raise is treated absolutely confidentially. And you can of course ask any Exec member for help if you have a question and don't quite know where to find the answer to. Coming to Oxford can be a bit confusing, especially in the beginning. We've all been there, so never feel shy to ask. We've prepared a Freshers' Guide, but obviously it can't cover all questions you might have. For this reason we've also set up a Parenting Scheme. At the beginning of each academic year, existing MCR members parent Freshers - that's all the new students. Like this every new student has a specific person they can contact with just about anything they'd like to know about being in Oxford - even before their arrival there.
But back to the fun bit: The MCR is there for you to feel at home. Exeter does have a reputation for having one of the (if not THE) most welcoming, and most visited MCRs. We organise many events, including dinners, bops (parties), excursions, games nights, wine tastings, and more. But more generally, there'll always be someone round to chat to. Many of us especially appreciate coming here for lunch, or our weekly Tea & Cakes (and coffee and fruit). It's good to have a bit of time off work to energise yourself again. And what's better than talking to someone - not about work? We have a vibrant community of students from all sorts of countries, working in many different areas, and having very different views and opinions on just about anything you can think of. It's the best situation you could imagine to have interesting and diverse discussions.