Exeter College MCR - Recent frontpage articles

Elections Hilary 2010

Nela Cicmil — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:52:57 +0000

Election Results!

First of all, thank you for attending hustings, asking great questions, and for a good participation in the elections. It is my pleasure (and relief) to say that we did cross the magic threshold of votes that were necessary to validate the elections. 88 ordinary members cast their votes which, although not as high as last year, is still a substantial number.

And now THE RESULTS!

Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2009-2010

Nela Cicmil — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:08:01 +0100

Welcome to Exeter College, and welcome to the William Petre Society - otherwise known as the Exeter College MCR!: What is the MCR? The MCR is two things. Firstly, it is all of us. You, me, everyone else - we are all members of the MCR. Secondly, it is our common room and common social space, the set of rooms we have in college, just for us. In other words, the MCR is there - for the MCR!

MCR Policies

Admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:22:58 +0100

The constitution does not specify exactly how a lot of things should be done, and this page specifies some of them in more detail. Policy decisions are made by the President or the MCR Executive Committee as appropriate, except where TGM (Termly General Meeting) motions specify them.

President's Report 2008

Sara Adams — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:09:35 +0000

This is the MCR report published in the 2008 Register. The full register is available at https://www.exetercollege.net/design/pdfs/08Register.pdf.

Trinity 2008

Our MCR, the William Petre Society, looks back to an eventful year. In Michaelmas 2008 the MCR bustled with excitement, not only due to the start of the new academic year, but especially with the prospect of getting to know the 82 new graduate freshers Exeter welcomed. The free MCR- branded T-shirts we organised were immensely popular, and it’s been great to see people wearing them throughout the year. With a Parenting Scheme set up for the first time, many graduates had a child they could show around, helping them with the secrets you simply discover by living in Oxford.

Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2008-2009

Sara Adams — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:04:36 +0100

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:

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.
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.

Freshers' Week

Ricardo Pachon — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:38:31 +0100

New to Oxford? We'll show you around!

View our map for help on what's where in Oxford.

For Freshers' Week, the week before your academic programme officially starts, we've got the events below planned. Do join us - it's a great chance to mix with other students. Enjoy the week!

Power Lifting at Exeter

Sara Adams — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:36:52 +0100

Kate Kingsbury and Evren Cubukgil, Exeter College power lifter

Kate Kingsbury dead lifting

Steve Pellegrino, former Exeter student, started the Exeter College Power Lifting Tradition in 2005 when his amazing performance allowed Oxford's Power Lifting Club to triumph over Cambridge alongside Jame Kirkham a fellow Exeter student. Steve met two fellow Exeter students in the Exeter MCR and his passion for the sport inspired them to join the team when it re-opened in 2007.

Evren Cubukgil, D.Phil in Economics, will be competing against Cambridge in the Varsity event in June. Kate Kingsbury, D.Phil in Anthropology, is the first woman to have ever joined the team and hopes to start an all female power lifting team in 2009 so as to open up the sport to women.

Yearbook Entry 2008

Sara Adams — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:26:54 +0100

The following article is the Exeter MCR's University yearbook entry for 2008. It was written by Nerisha Singh, who immatriculated in 2003, and finished her D.Phil in law in 2008. She was MCR President in 2004/05, and very involved with the MCR throughout her whole studies. Enjoy her description of how doing a D.Phil is like becoming all of the seven dwarves.

D.Phil and the Seven Dwarves by Nerisha Singh

It’s true—as I was once told, being a D.Phil student really is like becoming all of the Seven Dwarves. In the beginning you’re Dopey and Bashful. In the middle, you are usually sick (Sneezy), exhausted (Sleepy), and difficult to deal with (Grumpy). But at the end of it all, they call you Doc, and then you're very Happy!

Dopey and Bashful

Looking back on my arrival in Oxford, I was certainly Dopey and Bashful.
Dopey because on my first day I navigated the corridors of Exeter House, the graduate accommodation block, for an hour looking for my room, the common room and the kitchen. And when I did eventually find my room, I convinced myself that it was not my assigned room! "It’s too small", I complained to the Warden. Clearly, I was not well acquainted with the realities of graduate living.
Things improved quickly once I settled down. I went from day one and not being able to find my room to day three and discovering the College and its grounds. It was a visual delight to say the least and is something I'm constantly reminded of whether I find myself in the Fellow's garden enjoying the magnificent views of Radcliffe Square or listening to piano recitals in the College’s magnificent chapel, built in the style of Sainte-Chapelle, Paris.
The porters were wonderfully welcoming and delighted me with stories of Dexter's Inspector Morse and the antics of Pullman's Lyra. More importantly as a new student, they were a valuable source of information and were always willing to answer questions about College and the city itself.

Term Card TT 2008

Ricardo Pachon — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:09:41 +0100

What's happening in Trinity 2008?

Below the term card is listed. You can alternatively view the pdf version: Term_Card_TT08.pdf

Day	Event	Time	Location
Week 0
Sa, 19 Apr	Fantasia 'The Garden Ball'	7.30pm	Exeter College
Sa-Su 19-20 Apr	Emmanuel, Cambridge Exchange	1pm	Exeter College
Week 1
We, 23 Apr	Host Magdalen Exchange Dinner	6.45pm	Exeter MCR, then Hall
Fr, 25 Apr	Welcome Back Wine and Cheese	6.30pm	Exeter MCR
Week 2
Sa-Su, 3-4 May	Excursion to Emannuel, Cambridge	1pm	Emannuel, Cambridge
Week 3
Tu, 6 May	Joseph Nye: Leadership and American Presidents	5.30pm	Rectors' Lodgings
We, 7 May	Host Christ Church Exchange Dinner	6.45pm	Exeter MCR, then Hall
Th, 8 May	Graduate Hight Table and MCR Photo	5.45pm	Fellow's Garden, MRC, then Hall
Sa, 10 May	Turl Street Bar Crawl	8pm	Exeter MCR
Week 4
We, 14 May	Exchange Dinner at Magdalen	6.45pm	Magdalen College
Week 5
Tu, 20 May	Lady Galadriel's launching ceremony	7.30pm	Exeter's Boat House
We-Sa, 21-24 May	Summer Eights	various	Exeter's Boat House
Week 6
We, 28 May	Exchange Dinner at Christ Church	7pm	Christ Church
Week 9
Fr, 20 Jun	End of Year Party, Awards Ceremony	7pm	Exeter MCR
Sa, 21 Feb	Turl Street Joint Barbecue	1pm	tba

Exeter to spend £6.5m on new graduate accommodation

Sara Adams — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:49:35 +0100

Source: http://www.cherwell.org/cherwell/content/view/131/77/

Cherwell, 22 February 2008, by Sarah Fleming

Exeter College is to spend £6.5 million on expanding Iffley Road accommodation for its graduate students. The College’s proposals to build the new student housing were passed on Wednesday by Oxford City Council’s Planning Authorities. As a result Exeter will be able to house its 106 graduate students in College-owned accommodation. Currently only 41 of Exeter’s graduate students live at Exeter House – the accommodation block on the Iffley Road site – as first years are given priority when allocating from the limited number of rooms. The new buildings will be completed by October 2009, and existing accommodation will undergo refurbishment, scheduled to be completed by 2010. The plans to extend and renovate existing accommodation have been welcomed by students.
MCR President Sara Adams said, “College has been very open to feedback on what we, as graduates at Exeter College, want and what we think prospective students will be looking for in accommodation. Information on plans was released to the graduate community early in the planning stage, and since then our opinions have been listened to and considered. I think it’s important for Colleges to pay attention to their students’ opinions, and I feel Exeter is setting a good example here.”

Peer Supporter Contact Details: MCR & JCR

Sara Adams — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:36:48 +0000

The new Peer Supporters have been announced! Please read on for more information and their contact details...

Term Card HT 2008

Sara Adams — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:57:24 +0000

What's happening in Hilary 2008?

Be prepared for a term full of activities:
If you want to treat yourself, why not join the exchange dinners with St. Cross and St. Catz, and go to the various special college dinners organized this term. Burn's Night will be a must in any case!
If you're more into non-food events, don't miss our jazz / movie / poetry nights, wine tasting, and our bops.
Great speakers have been invited to in this term's seminar series in the Rector's Lodgings, so mark your calendar for those.
Turl Street Arts Festival in 5th and Torpids in 6th should also easily keep you busy.
And our Exec election is scheduled for 2nd week. Why not run yourself?

Below the term card is listed. You can alternatively view the pdf version: Term_Card_HT08.pdf [out-of-date]

Recycling

Sara Adams — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:39:17 +0000

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.

Blogging the Oxford Experience

Sara Adams — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:08:27 +0100

http://oxford-2006.livejournal.com/

Birgit Mikus wrote a blog during her stay at Exeter College and Oxford University. You can find it on http://oxford-2006.livejournal.com/

Here's a short excerpt from one of her posts, which is absolutely taken out of life:

Dear tourists:

Yes, I live here in college.
Yes, that implies I'm a student.

I'm both a bit flattered and indignant that this impresses you so much.

But, if you visit this beautiful college:
- don't gape at me.
- don't try to take photos of me (especially not when I have my arms full of dirty laundry).
No, I won't pose with you for a photo either.
Why?
Well, I am not the tourist attraction here.
Go take a photo of the chapel.

Graduate High Table

Sara Adams — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:09:45 +0100

Start: 6 Nov 2007 - 6:30pm

The College invites you to Dinner

Every term, the college invites all graduates for a free dinner in Hall. This term that Graduate High Table will be held on Tuesday, 6 November. We'll start with some pre-dinner drinks at 6.30pm, proceed to the Senior Common Room at 7pm, and finally have dinner in Hall at 7.15pm. Dress code is formal.

By the way, most other colleges either don't have a Graduate High Table Dinner, or they charge their students for it. Just to show you yet again why Exeter is just the best!

You may, if you wish, bring one guest. The price for a guest will be £23.50 inclusive of wine plus VAT. You must book before 1.30pm on Friday, 2 November and you may cancel an earlier booking anytime up to the same time. Please book using Function Booker in the Lodge. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

If you book (and do not cancel the booking), but do NOT turn up to the dinner, you will have to pay the cost price of the meal.

Term Card MT 2007

Sara Adams — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 22:00:20 +0100

What's happening in Michaelmas 2007?

We've got all sorts of stuff planned for you this term: exchange dinners with Green and Templeton, a pub crawl and a couple of bops, special college dinners, talks in the Rector's Lodgings, joint events with other colleges, and much more! These events could keep you busy - even without working...

Below the term card is listed. You can alternatively view the pdf version: Term_Card_MT07.pdf

Student Self Service

Sara Adams — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:29:44 +0100

Confirm your details by 12^1th October

You should have recently received a letter containing details of your userID for the University of Oxford Student Self-Service site. Shortly after that you should have received an email containing your Student Self-Service site password.

If you have not received your userID or password, or if you have problems using the site, please contact OSIC@admin.ox.ac.uk.

The Student Self-Service site is where you will need to register online for your forthcoming year of study at Oxford. You will need to register online at the anniversary of the term in which you first started your current programme of study. Most of you will be Michaelmas term students and should hence register at the start of Michaelmas term.

Warning: Oxbridge Essays

Sara Adams — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:23:05 +0100

University Offence to Facilitate Plagiarism

Do not, on any account, allow yourself to be recruited by such companies. It is a university offence to contribute work to these types of organisations.

The company Oxbridge Essays has been emailing Oxford graduate students to recruit them as essay writers for the company, offering seemingly lucrative awards. Oxbridge Essays is one of an increasing number of companies that exists, essentially, to sell essays to students. Despite disclaimers on these companies' websites, the vast majority of their student customers hand such essays in as their own. Writing for such companies effectively condones and facilitates widespread plagiarism.

President's Report 2007

Sara Adams — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:31:42 +0100

Trinity 2007

You may have noticed some changes since January. We now have: new lamps, new paint, newly-stuffed and steam-cleaned upholstery, new board games, new mugs and teas. New wingchairs have been delivered and our new curtains and window cushions will be sewn and installed this summer. Further suggestions for changes or additions to the MCR physical environment are always welcome.
A particularly delightful feature of our physical environment, the weekly Tea and Cakes extravaganzas have increased in variety thanks to our inexhaustible welfare officer Naomi who has provided themed refreshments, guest bakers, and new weekly attractions (gummi bears, swiss rolls...). Her diligence and creativity have also brought you two amazing and very well-attended self-defence classes as well as a promptly replenished supply of drinks and things to drink them in (i.e., mugs) to adorn our kitchen.

www.academia.edu

Sara Adams — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:18:09 +0100

Academic webpages for graduate students free of charge

www.academia.edu is a site for graduate students and academics, which has just launched. It allows graduate students and academics who don’t know HTML to create academic webpages. To create a webpage, you just fill in a few fields, upload any papers, and press ‘create’. The site is totally free. Check out this sample academic webpage to get a better idea of what results might look like.

There are also discussion areas of the site for various fields, and there
is a primitive paper-tracking engine that tracks the latest papers uploaded to the web in various fields.

The site was set up by a fellow of All Souls College for the academic community – any feedback to richard@academia.edu is very much appreciated. We'd like to thank him for his generosity!

What is the Parenting Scheme?

Sara Adams — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:37:36 +0100

Help Graduate Freshers Prepare for Oxford

The parenting scheme assigns each newcomer an existing MCR member, his or her college parent, whom they can contact before they arrive. The main responsibility of being a college parent is simply writing an introductory email, and responding to any subsequent queries or concerns that may arise. It is being a useful point of contact for newcomers who are able to ask informal questions to someone other than the college offices. As part of Freshers' Week, an event will be arranged whereby college parents and children can meet face to face.

We are sure you can all cast your minds back to the months before you arrived at Exeter, and the various questions/worries on things both serious and merely practical that you had. The college parent scheme does much to alleviate these concerns, and is well worth investing in.

Therefore, we would ask those who are willing to be a college parent to please sign up for the scheme specifying your nationality and subject area. You will be assigned a college child and sent their contact details in August, and will be asked to write to them within a week or so of that. College children will be assigned to parents first according to nationality (as it will be an advantage to know the cultural background/expectations of the newcomer), and then according to subject area.

If you have any question regarding parenting, send an e-mail to Hannah Perrin (hannah.perrin@exeter.ox.ac.uk) or Hannah Graff (hannah.graff@exeter.ox.ac.uk).

Late Submissions of Theses

Sara Adams — Fri, 18 May 2007 06:41:24 +0100

If you are unable to meet the deadline for your thesis, or have special requirements during examinations due to medical or other reasons, these are the steps that you should follow. Consult your department first; only after they have agreed should you contact College.

A. Consult your Department

Ask your supervisor, director of graduate studies or your head of department. They must agree to a delay and must define a new date for completion. When they have done so, you must inform College.

B. Inform College

It is possible that a delay or special arrangements for examinations can be authorised by your department without needing to get the additional approval from the university Proctors. Your department should tell you if this is the case or not.

Code of Conduct

Sara Adams — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:05:06 +0100

for venues where University Examinations take place

Source: Proctors' Office as of 15 May 2007

This Code of Conduct applies within a six-mile radius of Oxford city centre and applies to all venues where University Examinations take place (including the Exam Schools and Ewert House).

What you can't do:

continue to gather outside an examination venue after having been asked to leave
bring any food or fluids with the intention of throwing or spraying them
bring any alcoholic drinks at all
throw or spray any foods or fluids, e.g. champagne/fizzy drink, flour, eggs, shaving foam, silly string (even if your friends do not mind)
throw anything else (including confetti, glitter) which will cause litter
bring or use any water-pistols

Term Card TT 2007

Sara Adams — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 01:05:40 +0100

Picnics, Whiskey Tastings, Poetry Nights - you name it, we've got it

Our Ineffable Triumvirate, Maria, Spike and Brian, have a lot planned for you! No matter whether you're the partying sort, totally into outside activities or prefer relaxed get-togethers, they've thought of something you'll just have to attend.

Below we give you an overview of what's happening. You can also get a pdf version of the term card, which has also been printed and attached to various doors in the MCR.

By the way, there's of course Tea & Cakes every Friday at 4pm in the MCR, too!

Online Registration

Sara Adams — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:03:05 +0000

Online Registration - Michaelmas Term 2007

In the following we provide important advance information about a new online registration process for all students who will be returning to Oxford in Michaelmas Term 2007. It was sent out by M D Sibly, the Academic Registrar and Secretary of Faculties.

Registration is the annual process by which it is checked that the University has all the relevant information about you and confirm your status as a member of the University. For Michaelmas Term you will be asked to confirm your personal details, check the programme of study (course) you have been entered on, and confirm your continuing status as a student for the 07/08 academic year.
You may remember filling out paper registration forms in college last term. For Michaelmas Term 2007 you will be able to complete your registration online, at any time that is convenient to you, between the dates of 01 September-12 October. Ideally this would be done before you arrive at the University - saving you time when you return.