October update

Dear resident

It's been a busy few weeks in Hall and there are a few more things coming up in the next week or so. I thought it might be useful for you to have an update on everything in one place.


1. Residents' Club elections - 08/10/13 

At dinner time on Tuesday 8th October, you will be able to elect five new representatives to the Residents' Club Committee. The people you choose will organise many of the social events in Hall this year, run the bar, and spend up to £6500 of your money - so listen to what they have to say and what they are going to do for you. At the time of writing, only two residents have put themselves forward for the election. If fewer than five people stand, there will be no election and those who have nominated themselves will be appointed automatically. More of you must have ideas for how we can make this year amazing for everyone: stand for election and share your ideas; if you get enough votes, you will be able to put them into practice! Visit election.connaught-hall.org.uk for more information about the Club and the election, and to nominate yourself. My "letter to candidates" tells you exactly what's involved, and what you can expect from us in return. Or speak to me, a Senior Member, or one of the outgoing members from last year's Committee. The deadline for nominations is midday on Saturday 5 October: it's an automatic system that will close at exactly midday. 


2. "Anything but clothes" party - 04/10/13 

Friday night is our freshers' ABC party in the bar, 8pm till 2am (bar serves alcohol until 1am). You are invited to be creative with your outfit and wear absolutely anything - except clothes. Maybe some photos of previous ABC parties at Connaught will provide you with inspiration: flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/tags/anythingbutclothes. 

As you can see, it's totally fine if you want to come to the party in actual clothes: we'd rather have you there in clothes than not there in not-clothes! 

As with all our late parties, you may sign in a maximum of two guests for the duration of the event (8 till 2). 

Please try and keep the party confined to the bar and Bell room so that residents who don't want to attend the party are not disturbed. I regret that we strictly cannot allow any "after-parties" in bedrooms or corridors after 2am, and we must keep noise outside the front of the Hall to a minimum so our hotel & residential neighbours don't complain and stop us from having more parties in future. 


3. Fire drill - 04/10/13 

Weather permitting, a fire drill will be held on Friday evening.

When you hear the fire alarm: 

Evacuate the building immediately.
Close all doors and windows behind you.
Leave by the shortest route.
Do not use the lift.
Assemble on the pavement outside Passfield Hall on Endsleigh Place.

Follow the green exit signs to find your nearest escape route. Hall staff will help you. Remember it is possible that there may be a real fire alarm on the day, so for your own safety never ignore the alarm because you assume it is a drill. Your Licence Agreement obliges you to participate in fire drills. If the total evacuation time is too long, more fire drills will be held over the next few weeks – so don’t let everyone else down! 


4. Have you taken some good photos of our freshers' events? 

We love our photos at Connaught. If you have any shots you're proud of from any of our welcome events (afternoon teas, grand bar opening, welcome dinner, speed meeting, or of course from tomorrow's party), I'd be really delighted if you sent me some that I can upload at photos.connaught-hall.org.uk or at instagram.com/connaughthall. Email me one or two pictures at warden@connaught-hall.org.uk, send me a link to your photos on your own Flickr, or ask me about lending you a memory stick if you have lots to share. 


5. Join the Facilities Committee and/or Multicultural Students' Forum (McSF) 

I posted a message about how to join these committees a few days ago: democracy-feedback-and-student. 

Both committees meet three or four times a year for about an hour. If you haven't been on a committee before, it will be good experience of how meetings work. And whatever your level of previous committee experience, your input to making Connaught Hall better for everybody will be greatly valued. Please follow the instructions in my previous post and join up as soon as possible if you're interested. 


6. Room swaps

I have been asked frequently about room swaps in the last few weeks. If you are thinking about asking for a room change, please take note of the following advice from our Residents' Handbook:

Requests for room swaps are dealt with exclusively by the Reservations Office based at ULU, and will only be considered after the middle of October when everyone has moved in: email info.halls@london.ac.uk. 

We regret that the staff at Connaught Hall cannot approve requests for room swaps.

The Reservations Team are the best people to answer all your questions on this subject, including things like "are there currently any empty rooms?" or "is there anyone who hasn't moved in when they should?". I regret that the Senior Members and I do not routinely have access to the information that would allow us to give you an accurate answer to these questions.


7. Access [H]all Areas 

This private, invitation-only online social network for the intercollegiate halls of residence was new this year. It already has almost 800 members so it's a good platform for sharing ideas for sports meet-ups, outings, and clubs, especially where there may be benefits in the numbers gained from getting more than one hall involved. 

If you're not already a member, sign up with this link: uol-halls.ning.com/?xgi=3KprrvqzHofzOa - and remember to join the Connaught Hall group on the site!

Do remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, as well: tweets.connaught-hall.org.uk and facebook.connaught-hall.org.uk.


8. Last reminder to check the Residents' Handbook! 

Our Residents' Handbook can be found at handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk.

It is long, so we don't expect you to read every page in detail. We do very much expect you to read the sections on noise and fire safety, and strongly advise you to have an idea of the contents pages, so you can dip into those bits that interest you now, and know what information is available for you to refer back to later in the year if you're not sure about anything.

So, one last time: please take a look at our Handbook!

Welcome to your dining hall

Welcome to your dining hall, a photo by connaught.hall on Flickr.

Pretty much everything you might want or need to know about the dining hall and catering service in one poster - http://flic.kr/p/gkEYte

Welcome speech - delivered at dinner on 1st October 2013

Hello everyone. If we haven't met already, I'm Adrian, your warden here at Connaught hall.

I hope you’re enjoying your food. Let’s thank our kitchen staff.

Now, some congratulations are due...

Due to all of you, in fact. You have arrived here, in London, at Connaught hall, to begin or to continue studying at one of the best  universities in the world. Well done:  you must not undervalue your own achievement in getting here.

Thanks  are also due to Chris, Becca, Christopher, Georgina, Daisy, and Emily of the outgoing Residents' Club Committee for the brilliant freshers' programme they put together for us.

We all want the academic year that lies ahead to be your best and most successful year so far.

You're in the right place for it: Connaught has a reputation as being the happiest and most social hall in London. I hope you have already found yourself calling Connaught  your home, and if home is where the heart is, that Connaught will take to your heart as it has to mine.

We can call ourselves successful if we can look back and say that this year we have deepened our understanding of ourselves, contributed to the happiness of others, and learned a little more about the rich diversity of our world and the people we share it with.

In order to do this, we need a safe, secure home environment. The Hall Management team strive to make the building comfortable. Harriet is our Hall Manager and can help you with anything to do with your room, common areas, bathrooms, catering, safety, maintenance, and cleaning. You can see Harriet and her team in the office behind reception.

While the Management team look after the building, as your Warden, I’m here to look after the people who live here: to help you enjoy your experience this year, to support you through any tough times or difficulties, and to promote a social, cohesive, supportive community spirit. Five student Senior Members help me. This year, they are Bill, Jing, Joe, Vikki, and Zack.

I am a specialist A&E doctor at University College Hospital, and the Senior Members are full-time students, so we are mostly available in the evenings and at weekends. I can offer confidential listening and support for absolutely anything that impacts on your wellbeing. No problem is too big or too small. Email me, ask for a chat, or come to one of my advertised open office sessions.  

For help in emergencies, a Senior Member is on call every night and all weekend. You can contact them by asking at reception, and they can call me, if they need to, any time of day or night.

There are a few things that will unfortunately guarantee this year is neither your best nor your most successful.  The most common one is noise. The most serious one is fire. I’m not going to harp on about negative things tonight, but please, please take a few minutes this week to read the sections of the Residents’ Handbook about noise and fire safety. It’s really important. Please remember to take a look.

Let's get back to how we can positively make this your best and most successful year...

Everyone in this room is bright, intelligent, thoughtful, and uniquely interesting as an individual. We can all make a valued contribution to our hall community.

You can contribute in a formal way, by getting elected to the Residents Club Committee, or joining the Facilities Committee or Multicultural Students' Forum. There are posters and Facebook posts up right now about how how to get involved in these. The deadline for all of them is within the next week or so, so check the noticeboard in reception tonight if you haven't already seen these.

Or you can contribute in a thousand different ways informally.

• Set up a club or society - jazz, chess, movies, art, whatever interests you. 
• Have a regular lunch date for anyone to join. 
• Organise a trip to a museum or tourist attraction. 
• Pick up litter in common areas. 
• Bring your friends to the hall bar. 
• Set up a pool tournament. 
• If you spot something that's broken, report it.
• If you see potential for improvement in something, tell me. 
• Encourage people to recycle. 
• Tell your neighbours in a friendly way if they're being too noisy. Or report it to me if it's a frequent problem. 
• Support your friends if they're feeling upset, sick, or lonely. Tell me if you're worried about them. 
• Share your hobbies and interests with us. 
• Encourage and promote respect for everyone, regardless of their faith, culture, disability, colour, gender, sexuality, politics, or social class. 
• Challenge prejudice. 
• Ask questions. 
• Donate books to the library when you don't need them anymore. 
• Or simply turn up at events.

In all these ways, and many more, you can make our hall and our community better; help others to do well; and give yourself something to be proud of.

We are only one or two weeks into the year. Many of you will still be feeling some sense of homesickness, loneliness, or even culture shock. Most of you will still be anxious about whether you will make enough friends, or the right sort of friends, or whether your degree is the right one for you. All these feelings are normal and most will resolve themselves over the next few weeks. I hope our programme of welcome events has already helped you to work through some of your worries. If you need more support, remember that's exactly what I am are here for.

Together, let's build a community that will see us all through the year ahead. This hall is a great place to live. Make it your home. Make it special. Make some great friends.

Now, without further ado, let's raise a toast to your best and most successful year!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those four really important pages of the Residents' Handbook....

Democracy, feedback, and student involvement: the Facilities Committee, Multicultural Students' Forum, and Residents' Club Committee

Join the Connaught Hall Facilities Committee and/or Multicultural Students' Forum (McSF)! 

Unlike the Residents' Club Committee, there are no elections to be a representative on the Facilities Committee or McSF.


Facilities Committee

We need six student reps on the committee. Members meet with hall staff and contractors to improve the facilities and services in hall, such as catering, cleaning, maintenance, and security.

Email facilities.committee@connaught-hall.org.uk ASAP with your name and room number to join.

Visit http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/facilities/facilitiescommittee.html for more information. If more than six residents apply, we will choose six names randomly.


Multicultural Students' Forum

We need student representatives from any and all cultures, religions, countries, and backgrounds to act as advisors to the Warden, Residents' Club, and Hall Management on matters of interest to international, overseas, and ethnic minority students. Everyone is welcome (including white British "home" students): all that's needed is that you share the ideals of the McSF.

Follow this link for more information: http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/community/mcsf.html

You can join the McSF mailing list at the link above. If you are on the mailing list, you will be invited to meetings of the McSF three times a year. Our first meeting will be in October, so make sure you sign up ASAP!


Residents' Club Committee

Remember there will be elections for five Officers of the Residents' Club Committee on Tuesday 8th October. For more information, and to stand for election, visit http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/community/clubelections.html.

Nominations close at midday on Saturday 5th October.

Alcohol licensing and under-18s at Connaught Hall bar

This letter was sent to all residents aged under 18. All residents should note that it is also an offence to attempt to purchase alcohol for or on behalf of a person under 18. 

I am writing to you about the bar because you are aged under 18 years, which means that English law prohibits you from purchasing alcoholic drinks, and prohibits others from purchasing alcoholic drinks for you, on licensed premises including the bar here at Connaught Hall.

You are very welcome to use the bar to socialise, play pool, and buy soft drinks, but I must ask you not to attempt to buy alcohol there, nor ask your friends to buy alcohol for you, until you are 18.

The relevant law is the Licensing Act 2003, which includes these provisions:

146 Sale of alcohol to children

(1) A person commits an offence if he sells alcohol to an individual aged under 18. ...

149 Purchase of alcohol by or on behalf of children

(1) An individual aged under 18 commits an offence if — (a) he buys or attempts to buy alcohol, ...

(3) A person commits an offence if — 

(a) he buys or attempts to buy alcohol on behalf of an individual aged under 18, ...

You are committing a criminal offence if you try to buy alcoholic drinks from the bar. Your friends commit an offence if they try to buy alcohol for you. We commit an offence if we allow either sale to take place.

If the bar breaches these rules, it is very likely that it will be closed down – by the police, by the licensing authority, or by the University of London – all of whom have the right to inspect the bar at any time. We have been inspected three times in the last four years: so it really does happen.

Please do not put our bar at risk by attempting to purchase alcohol there. Photographs of all residents aged under 18 have been circulated to the bar staff and Senior Members, and they are very clearly instructed to refuse the sale, which may be embarrassing for both you and them. Regrettably, I must warn you that if you are found drinking alcohol within the bar area, you will be required to leave; a second offence will result in you being banned from the bar and formal disciplinary action being commenced under Schedule 3 of the Intercollegiate Halls Licence Agreement. Similar consequences will ensue if bar staff report to me that they frequently have to refuse you alcohol.

I am sorry to have to write to you so sternly within your first few weeks in Hall – but we have had some problems with underage residents recently when they were refused alcohol at the bar.

There is some good news, though: we will buy you and one friend a drink (bottle of beer or cider, 175mL glass of wine, or single spirit with mixer) on your eighteenth birthday! You simply have to visit the bar on the day of your birthday, with this letter, your passport or driving licence, and your friend.

Thank you for your help and understanding; and I hope you enjoy that drink!

To all residents moving in this weekend

Welcome to Connaught Hall!

We have organised a few events over the next couple of weeks to help you meet one another and the staff in Hall. The first is on Sunday 15 September: tea & cakes in the reception lobby, 2.30 till 5.30 pm. Check the posters in Hall, and find us on Facebook and Twitter for details of all the other things we are putting on for you.

It is with great regret that I now find myself unable to join you for all of this week’s afternoon tea. I unexpectedly have to provide night shift cover as the doctor in charge of University College Hospital accident & emergency department (UCH A&E, where I work when I am not doing Warden things) all weekend. But I will do my best to make it to the last half hour or so of afternoon tea.

So I am sad that I shall not get to meet so many of you this weekend, but there will be lots more opportunities for us to meet in the next few weeks, including our curry night on Tuesday and more afternoon tea events every Sunday in September.

I hope you enjoy your time here at Connaught Hall and that this year is happy, safe, and productive for you.

Please get in touch in you have any worries or questions.

FAQ: Landlord references and references from the Warden / Can you give me a letter for the bank to prove my address?

I'm renting privately in my second or third year and my new landlord or agent wants a reference. Whom do I contact?

Landlords want to know that you paid your accommodation fees on time and that you did not damage your accommodation. The Hall management office have a template for landlord references that means they can easily put this information into an email or letter for you. So just email info.connaught@london.ac.uk and they will help you with the reference you need for privately rented accommodation.


I need a character reference for employment or volunteering work. Can the Hall help?

Some types of character, personal, or employment references may need to come from me (as Warden), which I am happy to provide so long as you have been involved in a role within the Hall that has allowed me to form enough of an opinion about you to be able to write a few reliable paragraphs about your personality and character. Otherwise, your college personal tutor may be able to help you.

FAQ: (August/September) problems with offer letter / contract / passport photos / personal details form

My college has told me I will be offered a place at Connaught Hall but I haven't heard any more. What should I do?

Your college will have told the intercollegiate halls accommodation reservations office to send you a formal offer of accommodation. We at Connaught Hall won't know anything about you until early September.

So if you are worried that you haven't yet received your formal offer of accommodation, please contact the intercollegiate accommodation office at info.halls@london.ac.uk. They should be able to help you.


I've heard that some people got sent a personal details form to fill out and return, but I don't have one. Do I have to return one? Where do I get it?

Again, all this information comes from the central accommodation office. Look out for an email from info.halls@london.ac.uk and if you haven't received a request to return a personal details form, and it's less than a month to go until you move into the Hall, contact the accommodation team at that email address.


Which room have I been given?

The accommodation office make and change room allocations right up until the move-in date, so we cannot normally tell you which room you will be allocated until the day you arrive, unless you have a disability that means you need to be given a particular room or type of room. If you have any questions about this, again, you should contact the accommodation team at info.halls@london.ac.uk.

For more information about room allocations and swaps, see here: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/faq-room-swaps.html.


Do I have to send passport photos? Where to?

We need three passport-typephotographs of you at least two weeks before you arrive in Hall, so that we can have your Hall ID card made and ready for you to pick up on your arrival date. 

Without your Hall ID card, it will be difficult for you to get past security each time you enter the Hall, and you may not be able to take meals in the dining hall, request packed meals, or borrow items like the vacuum cleaner, games, or table tennis bats.

Please send your three passport-type photos, with your name written on the back of each, to the Administration Office, Connaught Hall, 36-45 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9EX. 

Or you can email your photos - so long as they are the right size and shape - to info.connaught@london.ac.uk. Remember to include your full name in your email.


Can I arrive earlier than the date / time shown on my offer letter?

Please see this post: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/faq-arriving-earlier-than-datetime.html.

FAQ: Arriving earlier than the date/time shown on your offer letter or contract

Can I arrive earlier than the date shown on my offer letter?

We can usually agree to an earlier arrival date, up to one or sometimes two weeks before the standard arrival date on your offer letter. Availability is not guaranteed, however.

If you want to arrange an early arrival, email Housing Services (info.halls@london.ac.uk) and carbon copy your message to the Connaught Hall management team (info.connaught@london.ac.uk), clearly stating your full name and preferred arrival date.


When can I move in on the day?

Our official check-in time is 2pm. This is to ensure that your room has been cleaned following the departure of any B&B guests or other students who may have left that morning.

If you are arriving on the standard arrival date indicated on your offer letter, it is most likely that your room will have been empty for several days before you move in. So we can usually let you move in from around 9am on your check-in date. However, your room is not guaranteed to be available and clean until 2pm. If you want to be sure about whether you will be able to move in earlier than 2pm, please contact the Hall management team a week in advance of your arrival: info.connaught@london.ac.uk.

Annual photo 2013

For more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/connaughthall/tags/annualphoto2013/

End of year farewell message

Most of you will be moving out of Connaught Hall for the end of the academic year over the next two weeks; a few have already gone.

Wherever and whenever you are travelling, I wish you a safe journey. I hope you have the chance to enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing break from your work or studies this summer, and that your accommodation plans for summer and next year are starting to come together.

It genuinely has been a pleasure to have you at Connaught Hall this year. I hope you have enjoyed your time here as much as I have, and that we have succeeded in our wish to be your home-from-home in London. Thank you all for making it such a pleasant year in Hall!

I hope we have promoted a spirit of neighbourliness and togetherness all this year in Hall, and that this is an attitude that we can all take with us when we move on to other, wider neighbourhoods and communities.

This year has not been without some hiccups, I know, in the building fabric of our Hall, yet in the residents’ survey, we were still the intercollegiate halls with the highest satisfaction ratings by a long way. The credit for that goes to everyone who has lived here this year and made thousands of contributions, small and large, to making this place a friendlier, safer, better place to live.

I am delighted to say there are far too many of you for me credit you all individually, but I do especially want to thank this year’s Residents’ Club Committee and Senior Members for all their hard work in organising a social programme for the Hall and keeping our bar running as a valuable focus for Hall social life.

If you are returning to the Hall next year, all the staff and Senior Members look forward to welcoming you back. Wherever you will be living, keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and I wish you success in your work or studies and every happiness for the future.

Letter to all residents

Many of you by now have finished your exams and coursework, and have another week or so to enjoy in London without any academic commitments. Congratulations for getting through to this side of your exams on completing this year of university: you certainly deserve to celebrate. But please do remember that many others in Hall are still taking examinations - some colleges are only just starting their main exam periods. Students at those colleges deserve peace and quiet to study and rest, every bit as much as those with earlier exams did.

We have all come this far and made so many friends this year: please let's finish on a high and not sour things by being inconsiderate. Those with exams don't want to finish the year with exams on no sleep; and those who are celebrating don't want to come home to a disciplinary.

So remember to be especially quiet between 11pm and 7am - make a special effort to keep the volume down when you arrive back from a night out - and be helpful any time of day or night if your neighbour asks you to be quieter.
HALL PHOTO
After two weeks of disastrous weather leading us to twice cancel the annual Hall photo, I very much hope we shall be able finally to get a picture of us all together outside the front of the Hall around 5.30pm on Thursday 6 June. Join the event on Facebook to keep up to date with any more announcements about the photo: http://www.facebook.com/events/166346023532000.
AWARDS & PARTY
Also coming up in the next week or so are the Connaught Hall awards in the bar from 8pm on Monday 3 June (http://www.facebook.com/events/563159060394776) and our year-end summer party, in the bar till late, on Friday 7 June (http://www.facebook.com/events/131478407054520).
Many of you are due to move out on Saturday 8 June. I have to tell you that Friday night's party does not in any way excuse you from the requirement to vacate your room by 10am on Saturday. Those who stay after 10am run the risk of being charged extra from their deposits. The University uses Connaught Hall in the summer for bed & breakfast bookings, and we do have some guests arriving on Saturday.
YEARBOOK
Finally, a reminder about the yearbook being produced by your Residents' Club Committee: Suggested items for your profile in the yearbook include: your photo; name; course & university; birthdate; hometown / country; contact details (email address, phone number etc); anything you would like to say about Connaught; any other comments. Please feel free to add more items to the list and be creative with your submission! In order for the book to be published before 8 June, please submit your entries by 5 June to yearbook@connaught-hall.org.uk.
GOOD LUCK!
Good luck to those of you who are still taking examinations, and I wish a safe journey home and a relaxing summer to everyone.

Senior Member vacancies

Senior Member vacancies | Connaught Hall, University of London

We have three vacancies for Senior Members at Connaught Hall for 2013-14.

A team of five Senior Members assist the Warden in promoting residents’ personal and social welfare, dealing with disciplinary issues, and encouraging a supportive and harmonious living environment.  Each night and at weekends one Senior Member is on duty, with responsibility for managing any emergencies that arise. In addition, they are expected to do approximately 4 hours of work per week outside of their duty shift commitments, participate fully in the life of the Hall, attend meetings, and be aware of residents’ concerns.

Duty shift times are 6pm to 8am (14 hours), Monday to Friday, and 8am to 8 am (24 hours) at weekends and bank holidays. The Duty Senior Member is required to be contactable and available on the premises for the entire shift. Senior Members can expect to be on duty approximately 52 weekday nights per year and 23 weekend days or bank holidays.

One post will start on 10th August 2013; two posts will start on 1st September. All appointments will be until 31st August 2014 in the first instance.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for a Senior Member position, you must:

(i) be enrolled on a full-time course of study or programme of study or research within the federal University of London leading to the award of a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree, or a PGCE or MBA;

(ii) by the start date of the post, have completed at least two years' study at bachelors degree level or above in the UK;

(iii) be entitled to work a minimum of 20 hours per week in the UK (if you are not an EU citizen (excluding Bulgaria and Romania), you should check your visa and confirm with the UK Border Agency what work restrictions apply to you); and

(iv) successfully undergo a criminal records check.

Applicants should be sociable and approachable; have a mature, responsible attitude; possess excellent communication skills; be able to stay calm and take control in emergency situations. This is a compulsory live-in appointment.

Benefits:

Senior Members will not be offered employment contracts with the University as the post is voluntary. Accommodation in Hall is provided free of charge in recognition of duties performed.  No other payment will be made.  The accommodation (including all standard meals in the dining hall) is in a large single room.  There may be an option to upgrade to anen suite room, subject to availability, on payment of the difference between standard anden suite accommodation rates.

An advertisement, information pack, and application form will be placed on the University of London website during the week commencing Monday 13th May 2013:

University of London vacancies page

Away from Connaught Hall 12 May to 21 May 2013

I will be away from the Hall with limited email / Facebook access from Sunday 12th May to Tuesday 21st May, inclusive. 

I have an open office session on Saturday 11th May, 14.30 to 15.30, to help clear up any issues before going away. If you need any overnight guest authorisations (>3 nights) or advice on anything, attend that open office session or get in touch by email (warden@connaught-hall.org.uk) before 19.00 on Saturday 11th May. Any messages received after that time will most likely only be answered after 21st May.

The Senior Members will still be able to contact me for help and advice in emergencies, or they can contact the Warden of another Hall if needed on-site for a serious emergency. So if you have an issue that cannot wait until 21st May, you should speak with the Duty Senior Member - on call via reception.

My next open office session after I return is 19.15-20.15 on Thursday 23rd May.

Senior Member vacancies update

A quick update on my earlier post: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/senior-member-vacancies-2013-14.html ... Following the delayed implementation of a new University-wide recruitment process for Senior Members, I hope to be able to advertise Connaught Hall's vacancies for 2013-14 on or shortly before 11 May 2013.

Keep following this blog and our Twitter and Facebook profiles for updates as and when I get them. Thank you for your patience!

Televisions unusable - again!

I was really disappointed to find the FreeSat remote control missing from the Bamforth Room and the batteries removed from the Freeview remote control in the Bell Room this evening. It took me a day off work -- only 22 days ago -- to get both televisions showing a full range of channels and I shall not have time to repeat this endeavour until 17 June, never mind the cost to the committee budget.

Do you know where the Bamforth remote is? Or who removed the Bell room batteries? Please help if you do!

Senior Member vacancies 2013-14

A quick update on my earlier post: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/senior-member-vacancies-2013-14.html ... There is still no news from University of London Human Resources on the final agreed procedure for applications and recruitment of Senior Members this year.

Keep following this blog and our Twitter and Facebook profiles for updates as and when I get them.

Survey results summary 2013

I have been producing a quick, colour-coded summary of the residents' survey results for Connaught Hall in a standard format every year since 2007. I've just published this year's results at surveys.connaught-hall.org.uk, where you can also compare the chart with results from previous years.

This is one of a series of posts responding to the results of the residents' survey. You can see all the posts here: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Survey%202013.

Appointment of new officers to the Residents’ Club Committee

An important announcement has been published by the Residents' Club Committee on their page at committee.connaught-hall.org.uk.

The full text is as follows:


Appointment of new officers to the Residents’ Club Committee The President and Entertainment Officer are not planning on returning to Connaught Hall for the 2013-14 academic year. September/October is an important time for Hall social events to welcome our new residents, and for some administrative purposes, the Club must have a President or Acting president at all times. 

The Club Constitution states:

In the event, for any reason, of a post falling vacant mid-session, a by-election must be held within one calendar month of the vacancy arising, except when such vacancy arises in the third term, when the elective Committee shall have power to co-opt subject to approval at the next General Meeting.

The Committee has therefore made the following appointments with effect from 1 August 2013, until the elections in October:

President – Christopher Madden

Secretary – Rebecca Ashton

Entertainment Officer – Georgina Cherry 

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about these appointments, you may write to the Warden, in confidence, at warden@connaught-hall.org.uk. The Warden will present your comments to the Committee at their next meeting. All feedback will be anonymised before being presented to the Committee, unless you explicitly state that you would like your name to appear with your comment. Please send any feedback before 5pm on Monday 15 April.

Formal ratification of these appointments is at a General Meeting of the Residents’ Club. The Constitution says:

The opinions of Members shall be voiced in General Meetings ... Ordinary Members shall have power to require a General Meeting to be summoned at any time on reasonable notice, but only if at least twenty-five Ordinary Members or one-eighth of the Ordinary Membership, whichever is the smaller, jointly wish to do so.

There is no scheduled General Meeting before the October elections at which these appointments can formally be ratified by the membership, but if the Warden receives twenty-five or more requests for the above appointments to be reviewed, an extraordinary General Meeting can be called this term for that purpose.

We wish the new officers a very successful and productive start to the new academic year, and expect they will prove to be a friendly, welcoming face for new residents. 

11 April 2013



An further announcement has been published on the bar page at bar.connaught-hall.org.uk:

Appointment of Bar Manager & Assistant Bar Manager for 2013-14
Acting on the advice of the Residents' Club Committee, the Warden has made the following appointments for the 2013-14 academic year:

Bar Manager - Emily Burns

Assistant Bar Manager - Marion Guiraud

14 April 2013

FAQ: hot water / cold showers

Sometimes you might have to run the hot water tap / shower for 5-10 minutes before it gets hot, especially at off-peak times (i.e. in the middle of the day, when most people are out, and the middle of the night, when most people are asleep) in parts of the building that are farthest from the boiler.

If the water has been sitting in the pipes for a long time, it will be cold; and in a big building, it can take a long time of running the tap before you start getting water fresh from the boiler.

If, for some reason, the water isn't hot after 10 minutes of running the hot tap fast, please tell reception immediately. It's nearly always a very simple problem that we can fix really quickly - but only if someone reports it!

Senior member vacancies 2013-14

I am being asked a lot about senior member vacancies for next year (2013-14).

The most up-to-date, confirmed information about our vacancies will always be posted at vacancies.connaught-hall.org.uk. Updates to that page will always be publicised via Twitter (tweets.connaught-hall.org.uk), Facebook (facebook.connaught-hall.org.uk) and our RSS feed (rssmix.com/u/3697426/rss.xml), so if you are interested in applying, make sure you are following at least one of those.

However, I also have lots of unconfirmed news that potential applicants will find interesting but is not definite enough for me to upload to the vacancies page. So I will use this blog post to share what I know.

The University of London is currently reviewing senior member posts and the recruitment process. Likely or possible changes include:

• Recruitment of senior members will be centralised, so all applications will go to the University's HR department instead of to the warden of each hall.

• Applications will be completely anonymised so the shortlisting panel does not know the name, age, sex, disabled status, or ethnicity of the applicants.

• Applications may be invited for all eight halls at the same time, on the same form, instead of separate applications being made to individual halls. Interviews may be centralised so there is one big recruitment day for all eight halls.

• Instead of candidates sending a short "eligibility" form along with a letter, curriculum vitae, and equal opportunities form, there may be one form that covers everything, dispensing with the need for letters and CVs.

• Appointments will be for one-year, fixed term.

• It may be possible for appointments to be extended, one year at a time, depending of satisfactory service. This decision may be guided by a formal process of appraisal and assessment, which may be externally validated.

• The current absolute maximum of three years as a senior member may be lifted completely, or increased to four years.

• It may be compulsory for senior members to take standard single rooms, losing the option to upgrade to en-suite or other accommodation.

• For the first time, a formal person specification has been developed, detailing certain "essential" and "desirable" qualifications, training, personal attributes, and experience.

• There will be detailed guidance on the appointment and eligibility of students who are in the UK on a "tier 4" visa. At present, these students are not eligible to apply as they can only work 20 hours or less per week during term time. This blanket ban may be removed or changed, subject to certain rota requirements.

• It may become possible for third-year undergraduate students to take on senior member positions. (At present, you have to be at least a fourth-year undergraduate, or a postgraduate student.)

All these changes are still being considered and possibly modified between the wardens, halls management, and human resources. As soon as the recruitment process and eligibility criteria for this year are confirmed, I will update the vacancies.connaught-hall.org.uk page.

suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk

The email address to give feedback about anything at Connaught Hall is suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk.

Some respondents to the residents' survey were not aware of this address (stating they didn't know how to give feedback). One respondent was unhappy upon finding out that his/her email about catering had been distributed to some members of the Residents' Club Committee. Another said s/he expected emails to the suggestion box would be anonymised.

The full distribution list for suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk is:

• the Warden;
• the Hall Manager;
• from the catering company - the regional Catering Manager and our local Chef-Manager, as well as the company's own "comments" email address, cateringcomments@london.ac.uk;
• the Facilities Committee Senior Member (and this year only, the McSF Senior Member);
• the President and Secretary of the Residents' Club Committee.

This distribution ensures that the right person receives your email straight away, helping us to provide a timely response. By not anonymising emails, we can reply to the person who writes to us and let them know what action we have taken, or ask if we need more information about the complaint or suggestion.

The existence, purpose, and distribution of the suggestions email is well advertised online and in Hall --

On our website:

On the table-top fliers in the dining hall:

And on posters:

The address is also mentioned at several places in the residents' handbook. 

In light of the survey comments, I have looked at what we already have on this and cannot at this time see any way in which I can make the existence, purpose, or distribution of suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk any clearer. 

It would be possible to have emails reviewed by one person (probably me) initially, then anonymised and forwarded to the person(s) who need to see it - e.g. if it's a complaint about catering, it would be sent only to the catering team. Such a system, however, would have disadvantages over the present arrangement:

• it would slow down receipt of the email by the person who needs to act on it by up to 72 hours, if the email were sent on a Friday morning and the reviewer could not review and forward it until Friday evening, to be received by office workers on Monday morning;
• anonymised emails would not be replied to, so you would never know what action had been taken;
• it would prevent the Residents' Club Committee, facilities Senior Member, and Hall Manager from reviewing the whole spectrum of complaints, so we wouldn't see patterns of complaints that might need action higher up that at the individual service level.

Of course, if you are worried about your identity being known, or about your email being read by people not directly involved in your complaint or suggestion, you can always write to me (warden@connaught-hall.org.uk) with your ideas or complaints ans ask me to pass them on - anonymously if you prefer - to the relevant people or offices.

If you have any feedback on the publicity we produce for our suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk address, or any thoughts on a better way of providing feedback, please get in touch with me. I should be especially interested to hear your views on the distribution of emails sent to the suggestion box: are you uncomfortable with your suggestions being seen by everyone on the distribution list?

This is one of a series of posts responding to the results of the residents' survey. You can see all the posts here: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Survey%202013. 

Fridge thieves beware!

A large number of comments in the residents' survey talked about theft from the pantry fridges.

College Hall recently introduced a new scheme, using a a bit of technology and some decoy food items to catch fridge thieves. They caught three people red-handed in a week and appropriate disciplinary action was taken.

I propose to introduce the same method to catch thieves at Connaught Hall in April 2013. I really very sincerely hope that we shall not catch anyone: that this message will be enough to remind people that stealing others' food is not OK; and that the now very real threat of being caught might be a deterrent.

In the past, I have been limited to making pleas not to steal, but had no realistic means of detecting the culprits. That is no longer the case. And this has been such a persistent, insidious problem this year that I will apply harsh penalties to anyone who is caught stealing.

This is one of a series of posts responding to the results of the residents' survey. You can see all the posts here: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Survey%202013.