Study spaces in Hall - survey feedback

Several residents expressed dissatisfaction with the quality and amount of study space at Connaught Hall in our survey last week.

All the following areas are available for you to study in. They all have WiFi with EduRoam access. As you will see below, we are investing money in improving these areas for you.

Convocation Trust Study Room 

This is our main study area, located on the lower ground floor, north side (turn left out of the lift), past the laundrette and housekeeping, opposite room LG15.

The study room was completely refurbished only a few years ago, but we have asked the Residents' Club Committee to for their input on how we can make it a more pleasant, inviting space. We are going to hang pictures on the walls and install a few more desks, aiming to complete all this before the start of term 2.

This room is intended for quiet personal study only.

Dining hall

You can use the dining hall as study space every day after breakfast / brunch has finished, until dinner time. This space is suitable space for group study and teamwork projects. During the daytime, it's the brightest room in the building, so it's a nice, refreshing, airy place to study.

If you bring your own bread and butter, jam, etc., you are also welcome to use the toaster in the dining hall; and if you bring your own mug, drinks from the dining hall coffee machine are just 10p.

Please ensure that all your work is removed from the dining hall in time for dinner.

Lang room

The Lang Room (next to the dining hall) is currently being used to store catering equipment. This is because one of the store rooms in the kitchen was refurbished in the summer but unforeseen structural problems meant this refurbishment has taken much longer than expected. 

When the work on the kitchen store room is finished later this month, we are going to redecorate the Lang room to make it lovely and fill it with bean bags and low tables so it will become a relaxed study area, due to re-open, fully refurbished for you, in time for the start of term 2.

Reception lobby

This is a popular area for relaxed study, and you can use our coffee machine for high-quality teas, coffees, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate - starting at 70p. 

We may be able to put a few more tables in the reception area to make it easier to study there and use your laptop - we will look into this.

Televisions - survey feedback

TVs that didn't work was a frequent complaint in last week's survey.

So William Stewart, Jemima Lovatt, and I spent yesterday evening figuring out what equipment works with what. We now have three working televisions in communal areas.

1. the bar

Our largest and newest TV is in the bar. You can use the buttons on the right-hand side of the TV to turn it on and switch between all FreeView digital terrestrial (DVB) channels.

The bar also has an AppleTV device, but this can only be used by bar staff when the bar is open - sadly, the one we had for public use earlier this term was stolen.

There is a vacant HDMI port so you can connect your own DVD player or laptop to this TV (only with permission if the bar is open and serving drinks).

The bar area (for the TV, pool, and table football) is open from 10am to 11pm, regardless of the bar serving hours. Please don't drink your own alcohol in the bar when it is open and serving drinks.

2. the Bell room

Turn the TV on by pressing the centre button on the front. You can change the AV input and volume using the buttons on the right-hand side. The remote control is missing. Don't use the TV or DTV modes, because these don't work (DTV would work, but needs the remote control...).

To watch broadcast television, you have to use the separate Goodmans FreeView device. Select AV1 input and use the Goodmans remote control to change between FreeView digital terrestrial (DVB) channels.

There is also a working DVD player inputting to AV2.

The HDMI input is vacant, so you can easily plug games consoles, etc., into there.

Please don't swap equipment or remote controls between the Bamforth and Bell Rooms, so it doesn't all get confused again. Look after the remote control for the Goodmans unit, as without it, you can't change channels. Use the HDMI port to plug in your own devices - not the SCART inputs, as this will mean other people cannot later watch DVDs or TV without changing all the cables again. 

The Bell room is open 24/7, except if an external group has booked it for a conference during office hours. Please don't drink your own alcohol in the Bell room when the bar is open.

3. the Bamforth room 

Control the TV using the buttons down the right-hand side (the remote control is missing). Don't use the TV or DTV modes, because these don't work

Put it into AV1 to receive input from the Goodmans FreeSat unit. You can switch between all the FreeSat channels using the Goodmans remote control. The range of channels on this device is different from the Bell room, because the Bamforth room has free-to-view satellite channels.

There is also a working DVD player inputting to AV2. Again, the remote control is missing, so you have to use the buttons on the unit itself.

The HDMI input is vacant, so you can easily plug games consoles, etc., into there.
Please don't swap equipment or remote controls between the Bamforth and Bell Rooms, so it doesn't all get confused again. Look after the remote control for the Goodmans unit, as without it, you can't change channels. Use the HDMI port to plug in your own devices - not the SCART inputs, as this will mean other people cannot later watch DVDs or TV without changing all the cables again. 

The Bamforth room is open 24/7, except if an external group has booked it for a conference during office hours. You can drink your own alcohol in the Bamforth room 24/7.

Bell room DVD player - on SCART input AV2

For all our TVs, you must use the buttons down the right-hand side as all our remote controls have been lost.

Watch FreeView digital terrestrial channels in the Bell room using this box.
It's connected to SCART input AV1.
Look after the remote; it's useless without it!

Bell room setup.

Bamforth room DVD player - on SCART input AV2.

The team that brought TV back to Connaught...

FreeSat unit with remote control in the Bamforth room: free-to-air satellite channels. It's connected to SCART input AV1. Look after that remote!

Bamforth room setup.

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!

Televisions at Connaught Hall

Several responses in the residents' survey mentioned problems with the televisions in the common rooms.

The televisions are the property of the Residents' Club and responsibility for them lies with the Residents' Club Committee. Purchases of these televisions and associated equipment are funded by your £30/year Club subscription.

Today, I spent some time to find out exactly what is wrong with each of the televisions. My findings are shown in the table below, with my recommendations to the Residents' Club Committee in red.

It is up to your elected representatives whether they wish to use Club funds for the expenditure I have suggested. Talk to them - or email them at committee@connaught-hall.org.uk - if you have any views on whether they should or should not buy new equipment.

Please also email the committee if you are aware of any other faults or problems that I might have missed when I was looking at the TVs today.

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. 

FAQ: Can the bar be open more?

We are commonly asked if the bar can be open more / longer hours.

The opening times for the actual bar (i.e. serving drinks) are set by the Bar Manager with a view to keeping the bar financially viable. This usually means the bar is open and serving drinks for 3-3.5 hours every night during term 1, and less in terms 2 and 3. This year (2013), the bar is still open every night in term 2, but only for 2 hours, from 9pm to 11pm. The Bar Manager is always happy to consider your ideas for how the bar could be open longer hours without losing money, so get in touch at bar@connaught-hall.org.uk. Of course, there are also some legal / licensing restrictions on the hours the bar can serve alcoholic drinks.

The bar area (i.e. the room where the bar and pool table are) is not a common room. By and large, the bar area is only open when there is a member of staff serving drinks behind the bar. This year, the Duty Senior Member opens the bar area at 7pm so the area is open and unsupervised for up to 2 hours a day.

We have tried in previous years to keep the bar area open for longer as an extra common room, but problems have always arisen and forced us to return to locking the bar area except when it is supervised:

• damage to the pool table;
• break-ins and theft from behind the bar;
• vandalism of chairs and sofas in the bar area;
• noise complaints from rooms facing the garden because of people playing the piano or music in the bar after 11pm;
• use of the doors from the bar to access the garden when it is closed after 11pm, also leading to noise complaints.

Because of these problems - all of which occurred more than once over a few years - we unfortunately cannot agree to open the bar area for longer.

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

Election night: Thursday 6th May 2010

There's been quite a lot of interest in the TV leaders' debates in the run-up to the UK general election, with a fair few residents watching the debates in the common rooms.

On election night (Thursday 6th May), we will move the large TV from the third-floor common room to the Bell Room and put some comfy sofas in there so you can watch the results as they come in.

Eight hours of live coverage starts on BBC 1 at 21.55, hosted by David Dimbleby. I hope to join you from about 00.30 when I get home from work!

Common rooms

We've had a couple of problems with the common rooms in recent weeks, so I want to make sure everyone is clear about the best way to use the common rooms whilst ensuring other residents are not inconvenienced.

There are some rules about using the common rooms, posted on the doors to the common rooms, and you can view this poster by clicking here.

The key things to remember are:

1. There are bedrooms immediately opposite and adjacent to both common rooms. They do have proper concrete walls (rather than the thin plasterboard that separates many bedrooms from one another) so it's ok to talk at normal volume in the common rooms any time. But they are not an appropriate place to hold a party at night: as with any other area of the building, no noise should be audible from outside the common rooms between 11pm and 7am.

2. Please don't "reserve" common rooms. They are for eveyone. If you need a room to study in, talk to someone in the Bursar's Office well in advance and they will see if there is anything they can do to help.

3. Leave the common rooms tidy. If everyone picks up their own rubbish and puts it in the bin, the room will be in a useable state for the next resident who wants to use it. They're only cleaned once every morning!

Noise

We've received a few noise complaints already this year about noise mostly in the early hours of the morning when residents come home from a night out.

Please remember the walls in Hall are pretty thin and the layout of our corridors means the noise from voices and slamming doors travels a long way and can disturb a lot of people. This was a problem identified by many respondents to last year's noise survey, the results of which are published here:

http://www.scribd.com/full/15504181?access_key=key-14av9ejuuqu4b3fjzue6


So please keep your voices down when you get back after a night out, try not to let doors slam shut, and be aware that if you're in the corridor or standing outside the front of the Hall smoking, any noise you make could wake up lots of people.

If you're having problems with noise, email us at noise@connaught-hall.org.uk.

Welcome & fitness room

It's been a pleasure to meet some of the first wave of new residents to move in this weekend. I hope you are all starting to settle in and looking forward to lots more arrivals over the next two weeks.

Quite a few people have been asking about the gym / fitness room.

The University has asked us to close the gym on insurance / health & safety grounds: if we kept the gym open and someone hurt themself, our insurers would not pay out, which would cause problems for the injured resident, the hall finances, and all the other residents whose facilities would suffer as a result of the hall having to foot the compensation bill.

I do really think this is a shame but the truth is that the fitness room was only ever used by a small minority of residents and its closure opens up the possibility of us creating a new, exciting social space in the basement that should be more widely used. This is a project that the elected Residents' Club Committee for 2009-10 will enjoy.

Be sure to let us know if you have any ideas for how we could use the old fitness room in future.