Exeter MCR

If the Blue Room of the MCR look a little more aqua or teal to you, that's because deep in the heart it's green. A great big thank you to Katherine LaFrance, who has picked up recycling bins for the MCR. A green box and a blue box can now be found under the large table. While your friends may not, these bins will happily let you hurl your rubbish their way.

Not only will the bins encourage recycling of waste, they also will aid in the conservation of energy: you will no longer have to walk ALL the way around to the back quad (a huge exertion, obviously) to place recyclable items in the College bins there. They're there, within easy reach – please use them!

Exeter House

Green boxes are available in Exeter House for recycling paper, food tins and drink cans, glass bottles and jars. All paper can be recycled, including glossy magazines and flyers, but envelopes and other sticky paper cannot.

Give tins, cans, bottles and jars a quick rinse to remove remnants of foie gras, dregs of fine red wine, etcs, and place in the appropriate wheelie bin outside the house for weekly collection by the city council. Plastic and other materials can't be recycled yet, but we're doing our best to make that happen.

Please recycle - it takes very little effort and, remember, recycling just one pop can saves enough energy to power the common room television for an entire evening! If you have any questions about the recycling scheme or are interested in other college environment initiatives, get in touch with Ari Romney.

Recycling - how does it work?

Green Box

YES please	NO thank you
glass bottles	broken or sheet glass
glass jars	plastic bags
newspapers	cards and cardboard
magazines	envelopes
white office paper	coloured office paper
	food/drink tins/cans
	junk mail
	directories
	food/drink cartons (Tetra-pak)

Please rinse the glass bottles and jars, and take off the lids.
These items are separately sorted at the kerbside, for the following reasons:

• The glass can't be collected in the blue box because those recyclables are compacted in the lorry - any broken glass will contaminate the other items and make them more difficult to process.
• Newspapers, magazines and office paper are 'high quality', and are worth collecting separately so that they can be recycled back into newsprint.

Blue Box

Plastics
YES please	NO thank you
plastic drinks bottles	polystyrene
plastic milk bottles	clingfilm
plastic shampoo bottles	plastic food trays
plastic cleaning products bottles	sandwich packaging
plastic bottle tops	plastic carrier bags
	margarine tubs
	yogurt pots
	ice cream containers
	plant pots and trays
	plastic toys/gadgets
	bubble wrap
	glass of any kind

CANS/TINS
YES please	NO thank you
aluminium drinks cans	food-soiled foil items
aluminium foil	metal lids from glass jars
metal food tins	metal bottle tops
	aerosols

CARD/CARDBOARD
YES please	NO thank you
any kind of clean cardboard	Tetra-pak cartons
any kind of greetings cards
any cardboard labels
toilet roll inner tubes

LOW GRADE PAPER
YES please	NO thank you
junk mail	kitchen paper (even clean)
Brochures	tissues (even clean)
wrapping paper	jiffy bags
art paper (pencil or pen)	art project paper (painted)
coloured office paper	glued collage projects
directories (inc Yellow Pages)
any envelopes (inc windows)
Catalogues

Please rinse and squash the plastic bottles and cans. You can put the lids back onto the bottles.
These items are compacted on the lorry to save space and reduce environmental and financial costs of transporting. They are taken to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) where they are separated and sent on for reprocessing.

Welcome to Exeter College! Just to clarify some of the terminology, the MCR (Middle Common Room) serves as the focal point for all graduate activity in College. The name itself serves a dual role: the MCR refers to both the graduate student body and the actual rooms occupied by the society within college. The MCR is governed by a committee of students elected by the graduates in January of each year. The MCR Exec takes care of the day-to-day running of the MCR; provides welfare support and represents graduates at both a college and university level with a strong commitment to improve services for graduates. Most importantly the Exec is responsible for your busy social life during term and organise a wide spectrum of social, sporting and intellectual activities.

The graduate community is made up of approximately 180 students, representing a diverse international community from over 20 different nations. The graduate community is also made up of fourth year undergraduates, mature students, junior research fellows, college lecturers as well as students reading for a second BA. The majority of our graduate community pursue research and taught degrees of various disciplines.

As a place, the MCR (located in staircase 8) comprises of two large comfortable rooms, a study room, a small kitchen and a computer room. The MCR provides a variety of newspapers and periodicals, and supplies of tea and coffee are available throughout the year. High-speed secure wireless internet access is active in both rooms for your convenience. Renowned for being the friendliest in Oxford , the MCR is a buzz of activity where members meet and relax between lectures or after a long day's work in the library in a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. During term the MCR is a hub of social activity. These include exchange dinners with other colleges, wine-tasting, punting excursions, barbecues and bops (themed parties) organised by your social secretaries.

With much support from the Rector, Frances Caincross, and from the JCR President the MCR, will boast a lively year of intellectual and social events. In the lead up to our 700th anniversary in 2014, these are exciting times for the MCR and I strongly encourage you to contribute and actively participate in MCR life.

Have a great year in Oxford.

Definition

1. Those students pursuing graduate degrees
2. The space allocated to postgrads (Staircase 8)

Function

1. Social community
2. Place to relax, check email, read newspapers, have a cuppa

Rules and courtesies

1. No smoking in the MCR. Ever.
2. No private parties of more than five people permitted in the MCR without committee and college permission, especially if alcohol is to be consumed.
3. Clean up after yourselves - throw away rubbish and wash your plates, cups and glasses.
4. Share all newspapers and magazines and do not remove them from the MCR at any time.
5. No sleeping overnight in the MCR; occasional nap attacks are okay.

Officers

President

The President represents the MCR on college committees and provides leadership and vision for the graduate community at Exeter.

Vice President

The Vice-President fulfills the duties of the President when he is unable, and assists in administration of MCR policies.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for balancing accounts and managing the MCR budget.

Welfare

The Welfare Officer acts as a resource for support systems available to Exeter postgrads, including counseling services, harassment procedures, academic welfare, and student funding.

Social Secs

The Social Secretaries are high-energy people charged with planning and executing activities for your entertainment and fun.

Exeter House President

The EH President is generally responsible for administering Exeter's graduate hostel. If you live at EH, he or she is your primary resource for questions, problems or concerns.

Sports Rep

The Sports rep is involved with organising the sports teams etc. within the MCR.

Environmental

The Environmental Officer encourages sustainable habits and wears a lot of green. Might growl if he sees someone neglecting to recycle a pop can.

Computer

The Computer Officer represents IT concerns in college and maintains the MCR website.

See the UKCOSA pages to get lots more info for international students studying in Britain.

Non-EU students

Bring all documents for immigration, i.e., letters of acceptance from faculty and college, proof of financial support, proof that you have somewhere to live (lease agreement or housing confirmation) and visa, if necessary. This cannot be overemphasised - your first entry into the UK will determine whether you get a multiple-entry stamp in your passport for the duration of your programme. See the Government Visa site for more information.

Money

It is absolutely essential that you bring enough pounds sterling to support yourself for the first several weeks, as it takes some time to open a bank account. If possible, get the account open before you come. For details, see section on Financial notes.

Formal dress

Sub fusc is required dress for matriculation, exams and a few other academic occasions.
For women, this consists of a dark skirt or trousers, dark stockings, dark shoes, white shirt with collar and black ribbon tie. For men, a dark suit, white shirt, white bow-tie, dark socks and dark shoes are required.
For all students, an academic gown and mortarboard are worn over sub fusc. All of these items can be purchased in Oxford. Sub fusc is an academic dress and is only worn on such occasions.
To clear any slight confusion, for events such as Formal Hall, Graduate Dinners, Freshers' Dinner etc. (non-academic occasions) you do not wear sub fusc. For men this basically means replacing the white bow-tie with a regular tie and losing the mortar board. For women this means anything smart that would fit a semi-formal occasion. If an event is 'black tie' (usually a college ball etc.) then men are expected to don a Tuxedo and women dress more formally.

Electricity

The UK runs on 230V with three pin plugs. You may want to bring an adapter with you if you come from a country with different electricity. Laptop cables can be purchased at the university computing centre for about £3.

Bedding

University housing provides pillows and duvets but you must bring your own linens. These items also may be purchased at Argos on New Inn Street, or at Boswell's in Cornmarket.

Greeting

If you would like to be met upon arrival in the Exeter College Lodge, please contact us and someone will be there to meet you.

Academic Calendar

The Oxford academic calendar is divided into three terms of eight weeks. The week before full term starts is called Noughth (0th) Week and is used for administration.This will be a busy week for all new students. You will attend a college induction programme and your Faculty will no doubt also have a registration and orientation day.

Introductory Sessions

The MCR would also like to invite you to an introduction session for Exeter graduate freshers on Sunday October 8 at 4:00 pm in the MCR to give you the opportunity to formally meet the MCR executive committee and enjoy tea and cakes.
Social activities have been planned for you during 0th Week and the timetable for mandatory college events during Graduate Freshers' Week has been sent to you already. Copies of both will be posted in the MCR.

The Terms

Oxford terms are divided into three putatively 8-week periods: Michaelmas in the autumn, Hilary in the winter, and Trinity in the spring (though many dons refer to Trinity as 'summer term').Be warned, however, that your course may include requirements, essays, exams or meetings with your tutor outside these 8-week terms.
For most graduate students, terms are more usually ten weeks long (some longer, some shorter) so be sure to check with your supervisor before you book a flight home for Christmas holidays, lest you inadvertently miss a deadline.

Map of college

Stairways are marked with numbers, so addresses in college are indicated by stairway and room. For example, the Chaplain's Rooms are 9:8, or Staircase 9, Room 8. Check out the map of college.

Bodleian Card

The key to everything is your university card. Make sure you get the form and photo to the College Office as soon as possible, as this card gets you access to most buildings, discounts at local shops and is necessary to have before you can get a university email account. To sign up for email, go to the OUCS website (Oxford University Computing Services).

Meals

As a postgrad you are entitled to take meals in the Exeter Hall, where the food is all organic. Lunch (12:30-1:30pm) is paid for on your university card and can be 'charged' with five or ten pound notes at the machine in the Lodge. To eat dinner, you must sign up by noon in the entrance to Hall or online (meal.signin@exeter.ox.ac.uk) and specify whether you are eating at First Hall (6:15pm, cafeteria style) or Second Hall (7:15pm, served by kitchen staff). Gowns must be worn at Second Hall.

College Library

The College Library is located next to the Fellows Garden and is accessed by your university card. It is open 24 hours a day, but is staffed Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm by Ms Juliet Chadwick. Postgrads have full borrowing privileges.

Your college address

Your college address will be Exeter College, Oxford, OX1 3DP. Your mail will be put in your pigeonhole in the Lodge. Internal university post (pigeon post) will also come to your pidge; outgoing pigeon post may be given to the Porter.

Computers

You will have access to two computers rooms in college, one in the MCR, one in the Margary Quad - the Balsdon Room is near the Saskatchewan and Quarrell Rooms and is larger though shared with undergrads. It also has a photocopier.

Gym and music rooms

These are located in Staircases 10 and 14, respectively. Ask the Porter for the key(s).

Recreational facilities

During Trinity term, you may join the Punting Club for £12 and have access to the Exeter college punt. Sign up with the Porter no more than 24 hours in advance. Take the ticket to Magdalen Bridge to get the punt. 'Messing about in boats' is a long and venerable Oxford tradition. Don't break it.

Guest Rooms

The college has 3 guest rooms available for £23/night for your guests for a maximum of three days. Reserve rooms via the Domestic Manager. Also, ten rooms are available at the newly-built University Club on Mansfield Road. As a postgrad, you are entitled to free membership, but the rooms cost £65-85/night. Go to the University Club website for more information.

General city information can be accessed from the City Council, a tourist site but with some useful information. Also check out the Daily Info.

Living Out

If you are not living in Exeter House or university housing, you will need to read the Living Out Guide produced by OUSU (Oxford University Student Union). Further info on graduate accommodation can be got from the Administration Department.

Bikes

Buying bikes

You can buy a good secondhand or new bike at one of the many bike shops in town. Used bikes are sold at the Oxford Union on St Michael's Street on Wednesdays; Cycle King on Cowley Road sells both new and used bikes at reasonable prices. Don't forget to buy a lock and lights! Thieves are active in Oxford and you should always lock your bike, preferably to an immovable object. Pick up a UV pen at the Freshers Fair and get the college to mark your bike. You will also want to check out the Oxford Cycle Workshop. It's a non-profit community project that recycles abandoned bikes in Oxford for resale at low cost to local people, while providing work for the homeless, young offenders, and the unemployed. Fully refurbished bikes sell from as little as 35 quid and it's just around the corner from Exeter House at 239 Magdalen Rd.

Registering your bike

If you want to leave your bike inside Exeter College, please register your bike. This is easily done by calling into the porters Lodge and completing a tag. The tag is then attached to the base of your bike saddle. The maintenance department will then arrange for a college number to be allocated to your bicycle.

Safety Bus

If you're heading out clubbing and need to get home late at night, you can use the OUSU/OBSU Safety Bus. This service, provided in conjunction with Oxford Brookes Students' Union, is there to make sure you get home safely. It will pick you up from any location within the Oxford Ring road and take you home for a donation of only £1. To call the bus, just ring 07714 445 050 between 9pm and 3am Monday - Saturday and 9pm - 1am on Sunday.

Local Buses / Coaches

Local bus companies cover every possible destination. Schedules, routes, timetables and fares are available on their websites:
Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach
Coaches travel direct to London every 15 minutes (24 hours a day), using either the X90/Oxford Bus or the Oxford Tube. Tickets generally cost £11 return, £7 if you depart after 3pm.

Railway

Railcards can be bought for £20 at the Oxford rail stations. They entitle full-time students to 1/3 off regular fares for one year.

Insurance

It is wise to buy insurance for your possessions, especially if you own a laptop. You can get your possessions insured for approximately £30. Please note that if you live in Exeter House, your possessions are only insured by the college against fire, flood and other natural catastrophes, not theft. Check Endsleigh on the High for reasonable rates. (2 King Edward Street, Oxford, telephone 01865 245311)

Languages

You can take classes in several modern languages and use the library for free at the Language Teaching Centre on St Giles. Registration takes place early in 0th Week.

Gym / Pool

The University Gym and Pool are located on Iffley Road. Our MCR has membership to both gym and pool. You can book one of the access cards in the lodge (for up to 3 hours consecutively) up to a week before you want to use it, or just try your luck and pick it up without booking beforehand.
If you want your own membership (rather than use the MCR membership): Membership costs £70/year for the pool, £50/year for the gym.

Exeter College has a gym room that students are free to use provided they have been to one of the induction sessions. If you're willing to pay for a membership, you might want to consider the University Club gym, or one of the various commercial gyms that are all over town.

Public library

Oxford boasts a lovely large public library where you can check email on free internet terminals (there's usually a queue), get novels and rent videos and DVDs relatively cheaply. It is located in the Westgate Centre on Queen Street, Tel: 01865 815509.

What / where is Exeter House?

Exeter House is an annexe of the college for graduate students, situated 1.3 miles (2 km) from the college at 237-9 Iffley Road. It offers 43 study-bedrooms (with central heating), seven kitchens for self-catering, a TV and video lounge, a laundry, and computing facilities.
Exeter House President Patrick Wadden is there to assist students and is responsible for administrative issues.
If you have a question about computers at Exeter House, including laptops, contact it-help@exeter.ox.ac.uk.
Julian de Hoog, Exeter House President for 2006-07, has kindly created a ground plan of Exeter House and its Annex:

Exeter_House_basement.gif	Ground plan of exeter House, basement
Exeter_House_ground_floor.gif	Ground plan of Exeter House, ground floor
Exeter_House_first_floor.gif	Ground plan of Exeter House, first floor
Exeter_House_Annex.gif	Ground plan of Exeter House Annex
Exeter_House_rent.pdf	Room rents as in March 2007

There are also pictures of Exeter House in the photo gallery. Please note that the images are not exactly to scale, the room measurements not necessarily exact, and that prices may fluctuate from one year to the next.

Recycling

Green boxes are available in Exeter House for recycling paper, food tins and drink cans, glass bottles and jars. All paper can be recycled, including glossy magazines and flyers, but envelopes and other sticky paper cannot.
Give tins, cans, bottles and jars a quick rinse to remove remnants of foie gras, dregs of fine red wine, etcs, and place in the appropriate wheelie bin outside the house for weekly collection by the city council. Plastic and other materials can't be recycled yet, but we're doing our best to make that happen.
Please recycle - it takes very little effort and, remember, recycling just one pop can saves enough energy to power the common room television for an entire evening! If you have any questions about the recycling scheme or are interested in other college environment initiatives, get in touch with Ari Romney.

Most of what you need to know with regard to finances can be found in the pale yellow booklet provided by the college, called 'Financial Guide for Students'.

Battels

Battels are the name given to your college accounts and comprise all charges other than university and college fees. This word is used as both a noun ('pay your battels') and a verb ('the charge will be batteled'). Battels are placed in the pigeonholes in the Lodge on the Monday before Full Term and must be paid at the Accounts Office by 4:30pm on the Thursday of First Week. Cheques should be made payable to The Bursar, Exeter College. Battels can also be paid in cash. Members who do not pay their battels on time incur a fee of £30, unless s/he has consulted the Sub-Rector before noon on Tuesday of First Week. University and college fees are billed separately.

Bank Accounts

Opening a UK bank account with a cheque drawn from overseas will take 2-4 weeks to clear. To open an account you will normally need to take your offer letter and some means of identification, the more the better. Be aware that this can be a complicated and frustrating process and can take longer than expected. Persevere!

Addresses of main financial institutions in Oxford

Abbey National Building Society	Abbey House, Carfax
Barclays Bank	54 Cornmarket (£2000 minimum balance)
Co-operative Bank	13 New Road
HSBC Bank	65 Cornmarket
Halifax Building Society	1 Westgate
Lloyds Bank	1/5 High Street
NatWest Bank	121 High, 32 Cornmarket
Royal Bank of Scotland	32 St Giles Street

Find a list of the main college officers below - they basically run the place!

Rector	Ms Frances Cairncross
Sub-Rector	Dr Ian Reid
Senior Tutor	Prof Gregory Hutchinson
Chaplain	Rev Dr Helen Orchard
Home Bursar	Mr Eric Bennett
Tutor for Graduates	Prof Frank Close
Tutor for Admissions	Mr Jonathan Herring
Academic Administrator	Mrs Joan Himpson
Junior Dean	Ms Rebecca Fields
Head Porter	Mr Chris Probert
Domestic Manager	Ms Meena Rowland
Events and Conference Manager	Mr Philip Munday
Catering Manager	Mrs Kate Goswell
Computer Manager	Mr Jonathan Marks
Women's Adviser	Dr Maureen Taylor

Department Stores/Housewares

Boswells (Broad Street) Oxford's original 'everything but the kitchen sink' store: bedding, towels, desk lights, pot and pans, suitcases...
Debenhams (George Street) Men's and Women's clothing, sheets, pillows, duvet covers (a bit pricier)
Argos (New Inn Hall Street) A catalogue store, where you can buy pretty much anything
Robert Dyas (Shoe Street) Affordable household supplies: irons, kettles, toasters, cooking gear

Pharmacies

Boots (Cornmarket)
SuperDrug (Market Street)

Markets

Sainsbury's (Westgate Center and Magdalen Street branches) open till 11pm.
Marks and Spencer Food (Queen Street and Summertown branches).
Tesco (Cowley Road) open till midnight Monday-Friday.
Co-op (Summertown and Iffley Road just past Exeter House).
Covered Market (a hop, skip, and jump from our lovely college!)
Outdoor farmers' market every Wednesday in Gloucester Green 10am-3pm.
Holland and Barretts natural food store (Golden Cross entrance to Covered Market).

Office Supplies

WH Smith (Cornmarket)
Ryman's (High Street)
Office Superstore (Park End Street)
Honest Stationery (Cowley Road near Tesco)
Benny's (St Aldates) Discount international phone cards.

Mobile Phone Dealers (all on Cornmarket)

Vodaphone, Carphone Warehouse, Orange, Nokia, Phones 4 U

Computer / Camera Stores

Dixon's (Clarendon Centre) all things technological
Jessops (High Street and George Street branches) camera shop/digital picture developing
Snappy Snaps (Cornmarket) passport photos
PC World (Botley Road) all things computer-related
Curry's (Botley Road) the world of household appliances (Botley Road)

Bookstores

Blackwells (Broad Street) The best bookstore in Britain for the last three years running. You haven't fully experienced Oxford until you visit the Norrington Room.
Waterstones (corner of Broad and Cornmarket)
Borders (Magdalen Street) One of the only places in Oxford that's open late (till 11 on Saturday). (The other is G and D's ice cream shop, with locations on Little Clarendon Street and St. Aldate's).

Gyms

Bourton Mill Health and Fitness (High Street) Formerly Peak Fitness, this popular gym offers good student deals at the start of term.
L.A. Fitness A bit more expensive but has swimming facilities.

Charity Shops

There are quite a few charity shops in town, but the two most well known are Oxfam (Broad Street) and Cancer Research (High Street).

Post Office

On St Aldate's across from Christ Church.