November survey - Packed breakfast & packed dinner

Quite a few responses to our feedback survey asked for packed meals to be available at the weekend.

I can confirm that packed meals are available seven days a week.

You can order a packed breakfast for any day of the week (Mon to Sun) by leaving your ID card at reception before 5pm the day before the packed breakfast is required (e.g. before 5pm on Friday for a packed breakfast on Saturday).

You can order a packed dinner for any day of the week (Mon to Sun) by leaving your ID card at reception before 11am on the day.

Catering staff - survey feedback

A number of survey responses last week complained about the customer service provided by our catering staff. We have heard your comments. The Hall Manager and I will meet with the Regional Business Manager for the catering company next week to find a way forward on this.

Please keep on feeding back to us any incidents of unsatisfactory customer service: suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk. Emails to this address go directly to the Warden (me), the Hall Manager, and the catering comments inbox. We aim to reply to suggestions emails within three working days.

If you do not feel able to send an email with your name, you can send an anonymous text to my mobile - 07907753894. Please note, this phone is not attended 24/7 so do not use that number for emergencies. The response time is similar to emails (three working days). In an emergency, always contact the member of staff on duty via reception.

Eating off paper with plastic....

I received this from our catering manager last week:

Unfortunately we are now approaching the time of year where our china and cutlery stocks are running rather low. We are very short of mugs and plates and will soon be forced to use disposables.  

As you know this gives our customers a negative meal experience but also harms the environment. 

Please could we declare an amnesty! 

If our customers could kindly return to the dining hall any items they have in their bedrooms, I and your catering team would be very, very grateful.

So please, if you have any cutlery or china from the dining hall, return it ASAP, no questions asked. None of us wants to be eating off paper plates with plastic cutlery.

Weekend round-up

1. Televisions / common rooms / sofas

The TV in the Bamforth Room has good reception of BBC ONE via the FreeSat receiver. Put the TV on AV input 2 and use the EPG on the FreeSat box to find one of the BBC ONE channels with a good picture.

The TV in the Bell Room has good reception of ITV1 through the terrestrial aerial. Select P3.

I have asked for a TV engineer to be called out to get all channels working on both TVs again.

During this term the Hall will buy some new sofas for reception and the sofas currently in reception will be moved to the common rooms. We also have some more comfortable chairs coming this week for the Bell Room.


2. Drinking water

The water fountains were removed from reception and the dining hall on Friday. I have asked the kitchen to put out jugs of water at meal times, and will find out about replacing the water fountains this week.


3. The garden / smoking / drinking alcohol

Please remember that smoking is only allowed in the designated smoking area, not in the rest of the garden. Smoking too close to the building or under the shelter outside the bar causes smoke to go into rooms facing the garden, which isn't very nice for non-smokers!

The Supplementary Regulations also say that only alcohol bought from the Hall bar may be consumed in the garden and Bell Room from 19.00 to 23.00. This is a licensing issue; breaking this rule could lead to the licence being revoked for our bar.


4. Newspapers

Traditionally, the Club subscribes to a number of daily newspapers which are placed the reception lobby for residents to read. At present, the Club has insufficient cash funds available to pay these subscriptions for September and early October.

Newspapers will be re-started when the Club receives this term's instalment of £10/resident/term subscriptions from the Bursar's Office.


5. Fire drill

There will be a fire drill on Monday 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 opposite the Hall.

Follow the green exit signs to find your nearest escape route (not necessarily via the main stairs/reception). 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.

It is a condition of residence that you participate in fire drills. If the total evacuation time is too long, more drills will be held over the next few weeks – so don’t let everyone else down!

Please contact me or the Bursar’s Office if you may need assistance to evacuate the building.


6. Events next week

Tue 04/10 - Welcome buffet 6-7pm in the dining hall

Wed 05/10 - Floor party for fourth floor, hosted by John

Thu 06/10 - Floor party for third floor, hosted by Alyson

Fri 07/10 - Floor party for first floor, hosted by Zack

Sat 08/10 - Welcome party 8pm-2am in the bar

Sun 09/10 - Postgraduate reception (second floor), hosted by Tom

Mon 10/10 - Floor party for ground & lower-ground floors and second-floor undergraduates, hosted by Ilk

Catering - residents' survey 2011

In the residents' survey 2001, there was more disatisfaction with catering than with any other service or facility in Hall.

The University of London has now commissioned an external consultant to research residents' views about our catering and look at ways of increasing satisfaction with this service. Any major changes are likely to be implemented in the 2012-13 academic year, since they may require changes to the fees structure and catering contracts.

In the shorter term, we will be looking at specific areas where dissatisfaction was highest, and at your individual suggestions on catering, to make small improvements where we can. The Facilities Committee will have an opportunity to discuss this in detail at its next meeting so talk to a member of the committee if there are any particular changes you would like to see implemented.

Further posts on catering will be published here as and when changes are agreed with the catering company.

See a summary of the survey results and a selection of the comments made at survey.connaught-hall.org.uk.

Residents' Survey - juice at dinner

Responses to Residents' Survey 3: juice at dinner time

Continuing my series of blog posts to repond to residents' comments in the February 2010 intercollegiate halls residents' survey. A summary of responses to the multiple choice questions on the survey can be seen here: Residents' Survey results. And you can filter this blog so just the survey-related posts show by clicking on "survey" in the list of labels on the right hand side.

Juice could be served at dinner as well as at breakfast.

Someone told me juice costs 23p per cup and that's why we can't have it at dinner time... this is rubbish (or else you need to get a new supplier)! Let's have juice at dinner time.

Why can't we have juice in the evenings?

Juice is now available at dinner time.

Residents' Survey - breakfast variety

Responses to Residents' Survey 1: breakfast variety

This is the first in a series of blog posts to repond to residents' comments in the survey conducted across all eight intercollegiate halls in February 2010.

Residents thought there was not enough variety at breakfast time -

The quality and variety of brunch (and perhaps breakfast as well) could be improved, as it's always the same tasteless pasta every brunch and the same few items everyday for breakfast and brunch.

Breakfast during the week was generally completely unsatisfactory. Those who don't like the typical English breakfast have only cornflakes and sandwich toast. This is not healthy at all.

Breakfast: - a fruit salad would be really nice and healthy. - As for variety, there isn't much else apart from cooked breakfast, which obviously isn't the healthy option (if it weren't the only proper option).

From this week, a whole new set of breakfast items will be served on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, inluding oat & banana smoothies, kedgeree, bean burritos, fruit wraps, and lots more.

Keep watching this blog for more responses to your comments in the survey. When we put all the "free text" answers together, they came to 11,545 words just for those surveys completed by Connaught Hall residents; so it will take us a while to get through them all and make what changes we can!

A summary of responses to the multiple choice questions on the survey can be seen here: Residents' Survey results. And you can filter this blog so just the survey-related posts show by clicking on "survey" in the list of labels on the right hand side.

Facilities Committee

Applications are invited for eight student representatives on the Hall Facilities Committee.

As a student representative, you will meet with Hall staff and members of the elected Residents’ Club Committee to help make decisions about:

• fire safety
• housekeeping
• first aid
• security
• catering
• smoking policy
• maintenance
• health promotion
• reception services
• recycling & re-use

There are four meetings a year, each lasting around one hour – so it’s not a huge commitment, and it’s a good point to add to your CV!

If you want to join, send a note of your name, room number & email address to facilities.committee@connaught-hall.org.uk no later than 6pm on 26 November.

If more than eight residents apply, members will be chosen randomly from the applications received. The first meeting will be in early December.