Noise complaints on the increase

We've been dealing with an increased number of noise complaints recently. So this would be a good time for everyone to review our rules & expectations about noise, and our top tips for preventing noise from souring the relationship between you and your neighbours:

Expectations & rules about noise
• We should all be able to study or rest without unreasonable disturbance from others at any time.
Residents — or their guests — who are unable to adhere to these guidelines will face disciplinary
action and possible removal from the Hall.
• You must make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am.
• Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day. The Warden or his nominated Deputy (normally the Duty Senior Member) shall be the arbiter of whether noise is excessive, and his/her decision shall be final.
• If your neighbour asks you to be quieter, you must respond politely and cooperatively. 

Five top tips for reducing accidental noise
1. Talk to one another
• Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life.
• So agree on quiet times with your neighbours, and other times when it might be ok to make a bit more noise. You can only do this by asking them: “Am I too noisy sometimes? How can I make it better for you?”
• Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!
2. Think carefully about how sound travels
• Most of us have at least eight immediate neighbours: one either side, three above, and three below. But when you’re thinking about noise, you should consider everyone on your section of corridor to be a neighbour, too.
• Our walls, floors, and ceilings are quite thin and transmit sound readily. You don’t have to be having a huge party to be making too much noise.
• It’s easy to cause noise for your neighbours without realising it, especially for anyone who lives underneath you: something dropping on the floor can make a really loud bang downstairs!
• Please, whenever you are up after 11pm, think very carefully if what you are doing might be keeping your neighbour awake, especially if you have visitors in your room.
3. Take your friends to a common room at night
• If you have more than one visitor after 11pm, it’s best to go to one of the common rooms, so as to avoid disturbing anyone.
4. Be extra quiet when you’re in the corridors after 11pm
• Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells. One loud shriek or giggle could wake up everyone on the corridor.
• Pull doors closed quietly and push the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night. Slamming doors (especially when you have several friends in your room, maybe going to and from the bathroom) are one of the commonest noise complaints.
5. Be quiet when you’re outside the building, too
• In the garden, keep noise down at all times: even a little noise here echoes around the courtyard and can disturb people in rear-facing bedrooms.
• Outside the front of the building, don’t shout late at night: you can wake up almost half the Hall whose bedrooms face onto the square.

If you're suffering because of noise, we have a whole page of guidance that will help us to help you deal with the problem efficiently and effectively: noise.connaught-hall.org.uk

We can make the most effective types of intervention only if you call reception while the noise is still happening.

FAQ: Postgraduates' frequently asked questions - noise, room allocation, age

Questions frequently asked by postgraduates

What is the average age of Connaught Hall residents?

The median age in Hall is usually 19 years. In 2014-15, we had 47 residents aged 21 or over; 29 residents were postgraduate students (out of 230).

I understand most residents are first-year undergraduates. Is it noisy? Will I be able to study?

Our Hall handbook has this to say about noise:

Noise disturbance generally creates the most dissatisfaction with Hall life. The Halls are large halls of residence of mostly first-year undergraduate students in a busy part of London. Nowhere in the Hall can be completely silent. Most staff and residents find that occasionally they need to wear earplugs at night, even if the only noise they can hear is traffic noise. Some people are particularly sensitive to even low levels of noise and we would advise that a mainly undergraduate hall of residence in central London may not be suitable accommodation in this case. It is not always reasonable to restrict others’ activities to meet the expectations of someone who is especially sensitive to noise.

There is a lot of traffic noise. There is a fire station, police station, ambulance station, and hospital all within less than a mile radius of the Hall (this is also true for College Hall and International Hall; I think Lillian Penson Hall and Nutford House may be slightly quieter in this regard). On the positive side, this must make us one of the safest places in the world!

It’s probably true to say that almost everyone experiences some noise from their neighbours occasionally. 

Of course, we do have effective procedures for dealing with this if it is serious or recurrent (http://noise.connaught-hall.org.uk).

Is there a part of the Hall reserved for postgraduates?

We have 230 residents living on 6 floors. The ground and lower ground floors are quite small. From 1st to 4th, each floor has about 48 rooms arranged along a single, long corridor divided into three sections by fire doors. There are staircases at each end and in the middle of every floor. Each floor has a male and a female toilet/shower block (three toilet stalls and three shower cubicles in each). Most floors have three or four en suite rooms.

We are a predominantly first-year undergraduate hall. We do try to accommodate most of our postgraduates on the second floor – so you would almost certainly be allocated a room there, unless you have an en suite room (with only four en suite rooms on the second floor, there are sometimes more postgrads who want en suite than there are rooms available on the second floor). But this does not mean that the second floor is necessarily any quieter than anywhere else. We haven’t enough postgrads to fill a whole floor, so there are undergrads on the same corridor, and of course the rooms above and below are occupied by undergraduates.

Aside from putting postgrads together on the second floor, the accommodation office do not allow students to request specific rooms.

Are there separate study facilities?

We have two rooms for studying in: the Lang room, which is intended primarily for group study, and the Convocation Trust study room, which is for quiet, individual study. Both are on the lower ground floor; both are open 24 hours a day; and both can accommodate 6 to 8 students. It is very unusual for the study rooms to be full; on the contrary, they are often both empty, except around the spring/summer exam season!

FAQ: What can I do if I’m being disturbed by noise?

We have a whole web page with detailed instructions to help you deal with and report noise problems – whether it’s a banging radiator pipe or a neighbour playing music at 3am.

Visit noise.connaught-hall.org.uk for help.

Guidance for residents who have been the subject of noise complaints

If you have been the subject of more than one or two noise complaints, you should recently have received a letter from the Senior Member on your floor. The back of the letter includes some tips on how to avoid any more complaints from your neighbours.

We understand that most of the time when people disturb their neighbours in Hall, it is unintentional – and often those making noise do not realise how loud they are being, or how much the sound might be travelling and disturbing others. So we are trying to raise awareness and help everyone get on better together, in the hope that none of these problems will escalate into disciplinary matters.
This is especially important as we move towards more exams and coursework deadline over the coming months.

NOISE: EXPECTATIONS AND RULES

Noise disturbance generally creates the most dissatisfaction with Hall life, and is the commonest reason for disciplinary action. Connaught Hall is a large hall of residence of mostly first-year undergraduate students in a busy part of London. So we do not expect complete silence all the time. But we do expect that everyone will be sensitive to the needs of their neighbours for quiet time.

We should all be able to study or rest without unreasonable disturbance from others at any time. Residents — or their guests — who are unable to adhere to these guidelines will face disciplinary action and possible removal from the Hall.

You must make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am.

Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day. The Warden or his nominated Deputy (normally the Duty Senior Member) shall be the arbiter of whether noise is excessive, and his/her decision shall be final.

If your neighbour asks you to be quieter, you must respond politely and cooperatively.

SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU GET ON WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Most of us have at least eight immediate neighbours: one either side, three above, and three below. But when you’re thinking about noise, you should consider everyone on your section of corridor to be a neighbour, too.

Talk to one another

Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life.

So agree on quiet times with your neighbours, and other times when it might be ok to make a bit more noise. You can only do this by asking them: “Am I too noisy sometimes? How can I make it better for you?”

Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!

Think carefully about how sound travels

Our walls, floors, and ceilings are quite thin and transmit sound readily. You don’t have to be having a huge party to be making too much noise.

It’s easy to cause noise for your neighbours without realising it, especially for anyone who lives underneath you: something dropping on the floor can make a really loud bang downstairs!

Please, whenever you are up after 11pm, think very carefully if what you are doing might be keeping your neighbour awake, especially if you have visitors in your room. 

Take your friends to a common room at night

If you have more than one visitor after 11pm, it’s best to go to one of the common rooms, so as to avoid disturbing anyone.

Be extra quiet when you’re in the corridors after 11pm

Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells. One loud shriek or giggle could wake up everyone on the corridor.

Close doors quietly

Pull doors closed quietly and push the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night. Slamming doors (especially when you have several friends in your room, maybe going to and from the bathroom) are one of the commonest noise complaints.

Be quiet when you’re outside the building, too

In the garden, keep noise down at all times: even a little noise here echoes around the courtyard and can disturb people in rear-facing bedrooms.

Outside the front of the building, don’t shout late at night: you can wake up almost half the Hall whose bedrooms face onto the square.

Noise survey

I have received so many noise complaints recently that it's becoming difficult to track what exactly is a problem, where, and when. Please help by answering a few questions about noise in this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/connaughtnoise

Even if noise is not a problem for you in Hall, please answer that one question to tell us that noise isn't a problem for you. It will take less than a minute if noise isn't a problem for you. Otherwise we'll have very skewed results only from people who find noise a problem.

Remember we have published guidance on how to deal with noise problems, as well as some tips on how to make sure you are not the subject of a noise complaint. Visit this page for more:

http://noise.connaught-hall.org.uk

Noise complaints

Since the beginning of this new term, I have become aware of a few noise complaints that in some cases have been an ongoing problem for several months, but have not be escalated to me to deal with, leaving the people suffering with noise now feeling very frustrated. It is possible that others find themselves in the same situation, so I am writing to remind you how to complain about noise. For I understand that noise can cause a lot of stress, anger, and sleeplessness, and I want to be able to help you with noise problems effectively.


Noise that could be fixed by building maintenance

If you are being troubled by a part of the building that makes noise (e.g. a pipe, a radiator, or a squeaky door). please report it in the maintenance book at reception. In most cases, it will be fixed within two working days. If it remains a problem after two working days, then email suggestions@conaught-hall.org.uk and it will be followed up at a higher level. 

Nocturnal noise from the courtyard garden or bar

The garden closes at 23.00. Except when we have a temporary event notice for a late party (not more than 6 times a year), there should never be anyone in the garden after 23.10, and no one in the bar after 23.30. Music from the bar should not audible in anyone’s bedroom after 23.00.

If you can hear noise from the bar or garden after 23.10, please phone reception (extension 8200) immediately and ask that the Duty Senior Member attends to deal with the noise. In addition, in the morning, email noise@connaught-hall.org.uk so I can look into why the garden and/or bar are not being closed at the proper time, and take corrective action. Send an email like this every time it happens. 

Noisy neighbours

The most common type of noise is that caused by other people. If your neighbours are making too much noise between 23.00 and 07.00, please follow the steps below:

1. If noise from your neighbour is a rare occurrence (i.e. once or twice a term) and if you feel able to do so, knock on your neighbour’s door and ask them to be quieter.
   
   a. If the problem is not resolved 10 minutes after you spoke with them, call reception on extension 8200.
   
   b. If anyone is ever rude to you when you ask them to be quieter, call reception immediately and ask that the Duty Senior Member attends right away.
   
   c. If you have to speak to your neighbour about noise more than once a month, it’s time to stop trying this approach and go straight to point 2 below.
   
   
2. If your neighbour is often noisy, or if you don’t feel able to speak with them yourself, please phone reception on extension 8200 and report the noise.
   
   a. If the problem is resolved within 10 minutes, enjoy a good night’s sleep and in the morning, email noise@connaught-hall.org.uk so that I can keep a record of what happened and when. In your email, tell us (i) what the noise was (voices, music, banging, etc); (ii) what time it was; (iii) what action you took. Send an email like this every time you ever have to call reception about noisy neighbours.
   
   b. If, 10 minutes after you called reception, it is still noisy, call again and this time ask that the Duty Senior Member attends to deal with the noise. Then, also send an email to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk giving the information listed in 2a above.
   
   
3. If you have to call reception more than once a week, then please contact me to arrange an appointment or come to one of my open office sessions to discuss the next steps. But be aware that it is almost impossible for me to take effective disciplinary action unless you have called reception - as per point 2 above – at least two or three times previously. 

Page 60 of the Residents’ Handbook (handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk) gives more advice about dealing with noise in Hall.

Ear plugs

I strongly recommend ear plugs for sleeping. They do not cancel out all noise, and they do still let your alarm clock wake you up. There will always be some noise in Hall – from traffic outside, people walking home after a night out, or banging doors along your corridor – that we cannot do anything about. Ear plugs can sometimes just help stop you from being woken up by these brief episodes of noise that otherwise might ruin your night’s sleep.

Could you be disturbing your neighbour(s)?
Our walls, floors, and ceilings are quite thin. It’s easy to cause noise for your neighbour without realising it. Please, whenever you are up after 23.00, think very carefully if what you are doing might be keeping your neighbour awake, especially if you have visitors in your room. The Residents’ Handbook gives this advice:

• Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life. You do not want to inflict those feelings on your neighbours.
  
• Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!
  
• Agree on quiet times with your neighbours, and times when it might be ok to make a bit more noise (not between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am, when everyone must be quiet).
  
• Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells.
  
• Remember the walls between rooms are thin; and the floors and ceilings transmit sound very easily (most noise complaints are about the room above or below). Please make a conscious effort to think about your neighbours if you have visitors in your room at night.
  
• Subwoofer speakers (with output in the 20-200 Hz range) are prohibited. If a subwoofer is found in your room after a noise complaint, it will be confiscated.
  
• Our doors are heavy and have closer mechanisms to comply with fire safety regulations; so they make a bang when they close. Please try to pull your door closed quietly and pull the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night so you don’t wake up your neighbours.
  
• In the garden keep noise down at all times: even a little noise here echoes around the courtyard and can disturb people in rear-facing bedrooms.
  
• Outside the front of the building, don’t shout late at night: you can wake up almost half the Hall whose bedrooms face onto the square.
  
• You must be quiet 11.00 pm to 7.00 am: no noise at all should be audible from outside your room between these times.

I hope some of this guidance is useful. As always, please talk to me if anything isn’t clear.

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.

Consultation on maximum sound levels

The regulations on noise in Hall state:

Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day. The Warden or his nominated Deputy (normally the Duty Senior Member) shall be the arbiter of whether noise is excessive, and his/her decision shall be final.

You must make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am.
 

The Warden would like to make the definition of "excessively loud" clearer. We have a sound level meter (decibel meter) in Hall so it may be useful for us to employ this in deciding whether noise is excessinve or not, by comparing the noise to established normal sound levels in everyday environments.

The point of measurement would need to be standardised. Two points are proposed: 15cm away from the door of the room where the noise is being generated, and/or in the centre of a neighbour's room (both horizontal and vertical neighbours). So for example, if you complained about noise, the Duty Senior Member could come to your room and take a sound level reading from inside your room; or if the Senior Member thinks noise is excessive whilst walking around the building on their rounds, they could check the sound level at the door of the room in question.

The chart below is a FIRST DRAFT of proposed maximum permissible sound levels, charted against time of day.




A better quality version, and a pdf download, are available here: http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/welfare/discipline.html.

Your views on this proposal will be welcomed. No final decision has been made either to adopt this proposal at all, or on exactly what the maximum sound levels should be. One additional option might be to reduce the maximum permissible sound levels during the daytime, but then have a "power hour" where louder music is allowed even up to 80dB around, say, 18.00:



Please write to the Warden with your comments and ideas: warden@connaught-hall.org.uk. 

Top tips for freshers

The Senior Members and I have put together our combined experience of some 35 years in higher education to bring you these top tips for freshers. Take a look! They're all tweet-sized or smaller, so really easy to digest. Thanks to Benny for comiling these into one list!

Money

 

• Always ask if there is a student discount (Marianne)

• Get a Student Oyster card for discounted travel (Marianne)

• Register your Young Person's railcard with your oyster to get discounted day rates (Marianne)

• London charity shops are great - check out the rich areas (Marianne)

• Keep a bank/building society at home AND a separate one at uni.  Then you can prove you live at both addresses and order stuff to both. (Benny)

• Carry cash around with you instead of paying for everything by credit/debit card.  You'll get a better sense of how much you're spending (Benny)

• If you like reading for pleasure, why not save money buying books by borrowing from uni libraries? (Benny)

• London's an expensive place. Don't beat yourself up if your wallet/purse takes a dent. It's collateral of living in a great city. (Benny)

• If you withdraw cash every Monday to last the whole week and only spend that amount all week, you may find it easier to control your spending (Adrian)

Living in Halls

• Everyone feels homesick, no matter what they say (Marianne)

• Don't let friends back home rule your life at college. Catch up with them sometimes, but meet new people and get involved in new things in London. (Adrian)

• Talk to your neighbours in Hall. If you're friends - or at least acquiantaces - then it's much easier to ask them to shut up when their TV is too loud at 3am (Adrian)

• However strict we might try to be, there will always be some occasional noise at night. Ear plugs are cheap and useful. (Adrian)

•  The walls and floors are thin; we are all living close together. Try not to disturb others: we often don’t realise how much noise we can make just chatting (Adrian)

• Investing in a nice pair of headphones will improve the sound on your laptop for music/films, but your neighbours will also thank you for it when you're deep into a late night session. (Benny)

• Get some indoors "flip-flops" to wear in the shower if you are worried about hygiene (Adrian)

• Freshers is fun, but you don't actually have to go out and get totally drunk every night to enjoy it. The same applies for social events the rest of the year. (Adrian)

• Sharing food is a good way to make new friends or to start a conversation with someone you don't know too well (Benny)

• Make the most of having the advantage of living in such a fantastic central location. (Benny)

• Bored at Connaught looking for something to do?  Do your linen/laundry/washing up/food shopping.  Kills time + it's productive. (Benny)

Work

•  
• Talk to second and third year students about getting your work/life balance right. They won't think you're a nerd: they will be flattered that you asked them (Adrian)

• Register with more libraries that just your univsersity's own one – there are loads you can sign up to (Bill)

• If there's a piece of uni work you're dreading, try doing it for just 5 minutes.  It doesn't seem so bad once you get down to it. (Benny)

• Work in the library then return to Hall to relax, eat and have a drink.  Working too much in your room can make it a negative, instead of relaxing, space (Benny)

Wellbeing

 

• At Connaught, at least 8 people in your immediate hall/college life are actually paid to help you with any problems you may come across at uni. Use them! (Adrian)

• Wear a condom (Zack) (blunt but, frankly, good advice.  RUBBER UP! Don't be silly, wrap your willy, etc)

• Check your university email addresses daily in order to avoid such calamities as not realising a lecture has been cancelled at short notice (Benny)

• Universities have really good counselling services that they put a lot of money into, but not a lot of people know about them (Benny)

• Caffeine seems like a good idea to stay awake in lectures but when you crash, it's worse than when you started.  Try an apple!

Uni Life

 

• Don't bother joining random groups at your SU that you will give up after a week – get involved with ones that interest you enough to maintain your commitment (Adrian/Bill)

• Start learning a new language or take up a new hobby – 3 years at uni (minimum), a lot of spare time – make the most of it! (Bill)

• Be yourself. There's never been a better time to stop worrying about what other people think of you. (Zack)

• Strive to be excellent at what you do. You've chosen the course you're on, you're paying through the nose for it - now go be amazing. (Zack/KJ)

• Bring lots of passport-sized photos with you.  You'd be surprised how many application forms require them (Benny)

London

 

• Familiarise yourself with another culture.  London is a diverse place.  Broaden your horizons! (Bill)

• Travel: London has some of the cheapest budget airlines in the world.  Plan ahead with friends for the best deals. (Bill)

• If you're walking around, and you see someone giving out free samples, tell your friends where to find them too (Benny)

• ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS ARE FREE AND AND THERE ARE LOTS OF THEM AND SOME OF THEM ARE REALLY GOOD (Benny)

Visit our web page for more support and wellbeing information: http://connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/welfare/welfare.html

Consultation on banning subwoofers

Only one response (in favour) was received to our consultation about banning subwoofer speakers in Hall.

This was the consultation text:

Subwoofers are special speakers that specifically output sound in the 20-200 Hz range. These are very low bass sounds. Sounds in the 20-200 Hz range transmit through walls, floors, and ceilings much more than higher frequencies. The overall volume of music might be reasonably low, but the bass will still cause a vibration in rooms next door, above, and below. For this reason, subwoofers will be banned at Connaught Hall by a change in the Supplementary Regulations from 1st September 2012. Subwoofers will then be at risk of confiscation if they are found in a room subject to a noise complaint.

I should like to consult current residents on whether this ban should be introduced earlier - from 3rd January 2012. Or it may be that raising awareness (through this consultation) that subwoofers can cause problems for your neighbours will be enough for this year.

Changing the regulations part-way through the year often leads to some residents feeling unfairly treated, so with only one response to the consultation, I do not think there is enough weight of opinion in favour of this change for the ban to be introduced this academic year. The change in the regulations will therefore take effect in September 2012.

If you have - or plan to acquire - a subwoofer speaker, please remember it can be disturbing to your neighbours either side, above, and below. For your neighbour's benefit, please turn if off at 11pm and be prepared to turn it off at other times if your neighbours complain about it.

Consultation on banning subwoofers

Subwoofers are special speakers that specifically output sound in the 20-200 Hz range. These are very low bass sounds.

Sounds in the 20-200 Hz range transmit through walls, floors, and ceilings much more than higher frequencies. The overall volume of music might be reasonably low, but the bass will still cause a vibration in rooms next door, above, and below.

For this reason, subwoofers will be banned at Connaught Hall by a change in the Supplementary Regulations from 1st September 2012. Subwoofers will then be at risk of confiscation if they are found in a room subject to a noise complaint.

I should like to consult current residents on whether this ban should be introduced earlier - from 3rd January 2012.

It may be that raising awareness (through this consultation) that subwoofers can cause problems for your neighbours will be enough for this year.

What do you think? Should we ban subwoofers from January?

Please respond either by a comment on this post or by email to warden@connaught-hall.org.uk.

Noise complaints, November 2011

I have received several complaints in the past few weeks about noise. Most of these complaints relate to loud conversations in the corridor, and sometimes inside bedrooms, rather than music.

For your own benefit and that of your neighbours, please take a few moments to read section on noise (pp 38-9) in the Residents’ Handbook. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on a person’s quality of life. I know you do not want to inflict those feelings on your neighbours.

Remember:

Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; don’t run or shout. It only takes one loud shriek down the corridor in the early hours of the morning to wake up all your neighbours. They don’t thank you for it. So please give extra consideration to how loud your
conversations might be between 11pm and 7am.

The walls between rooms are thin; and the floors and ceilings transmit sound very easily. Please make a conscious effort to think about your neighbours if you have visitors in your room at night.

The best place to meet friends at night is the common room, since there are no bedrooms nearby.

Our doors make a bang when they close. Please try to pull your door closed quietly at night so you don’t wake up your neighbours.

If you are being disturbed by noise, follow the advice given in the attachment for reporting the problem: tell someone straight away – so we can deal with the noise immediately – then send an email to make sure I get to hear about it.

I know that none of you is intentionally noisy, so I hope this gentle reminder will be enough to make you think again about your neighbours and make sure they are not disturbed.

Response to complaint about noise & diversity issues

I have received several replies by email and on Facebook to this post about a complaint made in a response to my "two quick questions" survey for November:

http://connaughthall.blogspot.com/2011/11/cultural-diversity-noise-complaint-in.html

The anonymous complainant said:

"I would recommend more strict enforement of after hour silence and
have a corridor monitor on most nights. The balance is too much towards
having mindless fun and this needs to be changed by the weak leadership. Also
residents of black and ethnic minority background needs to be more enfranchised
and protected, maybe you could have a diversity officer on the student
council."

I have considered this complaint in light of my own observations and the replies to my previous post. My response follows.

• There is no evidence that the overall balance in Hall is too far towards recreation at the expense of rest and/or study.
• There can be times when noise causes disturbance and disruption, but we have a well established, effective policy for dealing with this, set out at page 38 of the Residents' Handbook (http://handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk).
• Senior Members have responsibility for monitoring noise levels in their designated areas of the building. Moreover, sll residents are encouraged to discuss noise problems at an early stage with their neighbours, facilitied by the Warden or a Senior Member if they fell unconfortable doing this alone.
• I believe that the introduction of student "noise monitors" on every corridor would be divisive and insidious, bringing more harm than benefit to the Hall community.
• In the last three years, no complaints have been made about failures to protect the rights and interests of residents from black or ethnic minority backgrounds. Of course any such complaint would be dealt with as a most serious and urgent matter, and this responsibility would rest with me as the Warden. I am proud of our record on equality and diversity. We are the only intercollegiate hall to display an equality statement on public noticeboards: http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/documents/Connaught-Hall-discrimination%20poster.pdf.
• The Constitution of the Residents' Club already requires the Clerk to the Club & Senior Treasurer "to ensure that the Club is operated in such a way that promotes equal opportunities and without discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, creed, disability, political belief, social class, or sexual orientation". See http://constitution.connaught-hall.org.uk.
• I am not persuaded by the argument for a whole new post to monitor diversity issues but it may not be unreasonable to require the President or Secretary to take on a proactive diversity promotion role. I will consult with the Residents' Club Committee on this.

Noise rules - residents' survey 2011

In the survey, a few residents complained that noise rules are inconsistently applied: “we’ve been reprimanded for minor noise at 11pm, whereas more serious noise at 2am has gone without any complaint”.

Senior Members can obviously only deal with noise either if they hear it for themselves or if the noise is reported to them by another resident. The rules are consistent; but enforcement
depends on the noise being reported, which may be much less consistent.

The Duty Senior Member makes a tour of the building between 11pm and midnight, so this might be why noise is noticed and dealt with more often at this time.

There is some heterogeneity of opinion on the noise rules and how well they are applied.

We asked you to say how much you agree with two statements:

"Most of the time, I can study and sleep without being disturbed"
Stongly disagree - 0.9%
Disagree - 13.8%
Neither agree nor disagree - 14.7%
Agree - 44.0%
Strongly agree- 26.6%

And

"Rules about noise, smoking, harassment, etc. are adequately enforced"
Strongly disagree - 1.8%
Disagree - 11.9%
Neither agree nor disagree - 11.0%
Agree - 45.9%
Strongly agree - 29.4%

Here is a selection of comments:

It is too easy for people to get away with consistent noise violations. Punishments are maybe too light.

As our warden has noticed, noise is a problem I find disturbing. I used to go to bed before 11, however I often wake up twice or more during sleep because of the noise, whether its from student gathering at the front door or at the corridor.

At times it is difficult to study due to a few running up and down corridors, and congregating outside rooms. I feel that this would be greatly reduced if, as said before, the common room facilities are improved upon. As it is, it feels as though people should socialise in smaller groups in their rooms, and this brings noise.

People are very loud in the halls after eleven--often as late as three. It happens when drunk people return home. Asking them to be quiet has no effect. Outside is worse. One technically can't tell them to be quiet.

We have very thin walls, but after the Warden's e-mail about noise complaints I think things will get better.

Sometimes I find that my neighbours don't get the fact that after a certain time they should be quiet when they are sitting out in the corridoor. I haven't made any noise complaints because I do get on with them, and it would make it extremely awkward if I did so because they would know it was me. They are always sitting in the corridoor until way past midnight, and are so loud; talking and laughing and banging doors.

A recurrent issue is the noise complaints, but I think everything could be clearer with regard to the handbook. You see, the handbook states that ''You are expected to make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am''. But what about the rest of the day? The only thing mentioned is that ''Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day''. But then again how excessive is 'excessive' and what exactly 'other' refer to? Not that I have spent much time thinking about how this could be best verbalised, but I feel that it would be better if it said something like ''You are expected to make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am, and during the other times of the day you can make audible from outside your room only the noises that you can't avoid such as the noise from the hairdryer or the electric shaver''.

The rules on my floor seem inconsistent. I have personally been asked to keep the noise down at 11pm when I was laughing with friends in my room (which I responded to) but times when people run up and down the hallway at 2am do not seem to be contacted.

It's be great if people were actually quiet after 11.

I think what the Warden team said in the recent letter about noise is the right thing.

In my halls, the Warden send a very adequate e-mail about the noise complaints, which I think will have a good effect on the residents.

The administration of discipline in the Hall is exactly summed up in the phrase 'adequate, fair, proportionate and reasonable'. The Warden shows a refreshing brilliance with regards to such matters.

I think the administration of discipline is adequate and fair. The recent rules about noise are necessary, and I am satisfied with how discipline is dealt with in Connaught.

Yes, fair, proportionate + reasonable.

Although I understand that noise complaints are serious, I think that the current system is too harsh, particularly as the walls and ceilings are thin and some people get noise complaints just from walking around their rooms. This needs to be taken into consideration.

Noise complaint procedures are quite long winded and excessive, though this has probably cut down the amount of complaints received, which is good.

Getting on with your neighbours

Getting on with your neighbours

Last term went really well: the Senior Members and I received maybe four or five noise complaints in the whole three months of the term.

This term, in the first four weeks, we have received 14 noise complaints. I cannot understand why there has been such an increase in dissatisfaction with noise levels but the present situation is clearly unacceptable for many of you – and therefore for me – and things must change.


First, some advice:

Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you.

Think about a time when you really wanted to sleep or had a coursework deadline and needed to study but you were prevented from doing so. It makes you annoyed, upset and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life. You are all pleasant, normal people and I am certain that none of you want to inflict those feelings on your neighbours. So don’t!

Agree on quiet times with your neighbours: you might decide between yourselves that a bit of loud-ish music is ok at certain times at the weekend, for example, but at other times you should both try to be really quiet.

Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells.

Remember the walls between rooms are thin; and the floors and ceilings transmit sound very easily (most noise complaints are about the room above or below). Most of us underestimate how much noise is generated just by having a few people in a room even without music, so please make a conscious effort to think about your neighbours if you have visitors in your room at night.

Our doors are heavy and have closer mechanisms to comply with fire safety regulations; so they make a bang when they close. Please try to pull your door closed quietly and pull the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night so you don’t wake up your neighbours.

In the garden keep noise down at all times: loud conversations in the garden can be heard in rear-facing rooms on the fourth floor! The garden is closed between 11.00 pm and 8.00 am – no one should be in the garden between these times at all.

Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!

You must be quiet 23.00 to 07.00: no noise at all should be audible from outside your room between these times. But just because it’s 8.00 pm doesn’t mean it’s ok to
make as much noise as you like. People need to study in the evenings and there isn’t room in the library for everybody.

Second, a warning:

Starting today, until the end of this term:

Anyone who is the subject of a single noise complaint will be required to attend a formal disciplinary interview and will not be offered another year in Hall next year, regardless of any other factors such as committee membership or medical problems.

A second complaint, if verified by a member of staff hearing the noise, will trigger another interview and an automatic fine of £40.

After a third complaint I will consider a higher level fine and/or expulsion from the Hall.

If you are being disturbed by noise:

Between 11.00 pm and 8.00 am: phone reception to report the problem. Reception will usually call the room making noise and ask them to be quiet. If it’s still noisy 10 minutes after your initial complaint, phone reception again and ask them to contact the Duty Senior Member.

Please don’t suffer in silence and wait until the next day to send an email about the noise: it is difficult for me to take disciplinary action unless a member of staff has verified how loud the noise was and confirmed which room it was coming from, so if you never report the noise while you can actually hear it, my ability to help you is very greatly reduced.

Afterwards, jot a quick email to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk to make sure your complaint is logged – sometimes if the receptionist deals with a noise complaint successfully, they don’t report the complaint to me, so I will only reliably hear about the problem if you also send an email.

Between 6.00 pm and 11.00 pm, Mon-Fri, and all day at weekends: knock on the person’s door and ask them to be quieter. Everyone has been asked in this email to respond politely to such requests. If they are rude or threatening in any way (it is very, very rare for this to happen), I will take that extremely seriously and they may be asked to leave the Hall. If they are still noisy 10 minutes later, phone reception and ask them to contact the Duty Senior Member.

Afterwards, jot a quick email to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk to make sure your complaint is logged – I will only reliably hear about the problem if you send an email.

Between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm, Mon- Fri: knock on the person’s door and ask them to be quieter. If they are still noisy 10 minutes later, phone reception and ask them to contact the Bursar’s Office.

Afterwards, jot a quick email to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk to make sure your complaint is logged – I will only reliably hear about the problem if you send an email.

If you are being persistently disturbed by the same person, go to the online form at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=S7agi_2brPvpgZTFq9_2bsvTmg_3d_3d and submit a noise complaint, giving as much detail as you possibly can. Depending on the times and level of noise, I may decide that disciplinary action is the only approach, or I may suggest that we convene a mediation-arbitration meeting to help you agree on quiet times and acceptable noise levels with your neighbour. See attachment for information about mediation-arbitration meetings.


Finally, a reminder of the rules about noise: (you have all signed to say you agree to abide by these rules by accepting your Licence Agreement)

The Intercollegiate Halls of Residence Licence Agreement says:

9.3 You must behave in a responsible and proper manner at all times with consideration for all other students, staff, local residents, and members of the public generally. Behaving in an aggressive, violent, abusive, insulting or threatening manner towards anyone in the Hall is not acceptable and is a disciplinary offence, which may lead to expulsion. It is expected that every student should be able to study or rest without disturbance from others at any time, and particularly from 11.00 pm. to 7.00 am.

The Connaught Hall Supplementary Regulations state:

7. You must make no noise audible outside your room between 11 pm and 7 am. Excessive noise is not allowed at any time. You can report noise problems to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk or use the online form at warden.connaught-hall.org.uk.

The Connaught Hall Residents’ Handbook says:

Noise disturbance generally creates the most dissatisfaction with Hall life, but every student should be able to study or rest without unreasonable disturbance from others at any time. Remember that other students may want to study or sleep at different times than you, and try to respect their needs for quiet time.

You are expected to make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am. This rule is not negotiable. Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day. Residents — or their guests — who are unable to adhere to these guidelines will face disciplinary action and possible removal from the Hall.

If your neighbour(s) are making too much noise, please try to talk to them yourself
first. If this is ineffective, call reception and ask for the on-call Duty Officer (a member of the Warden’s team). We can help you a lot more if we actually hear the noise for ourselves and speak directly to the person responsible at the time. It is much more difficult if you wait until the next day to tell us about it!

The Warden’s team is responsible for dealing with noise complaints. If you find your neighbour(s) to be persistently noisy, talk to the Warden or a Senior Member, email noise@connaught-hall.org.uk, or use the form at warden.connaught-hall.org.uk.

It is regrettable that I have had to write to everyone about this. I really hope that having been reminded of the need to be considerate of your neighbours, everyone will get on a little better with one another and I shall not have to proceed to formal disciplinary action.

Mediation-Arbitration meetings

Sometimes I receive complaints about other residents' behaviour (usually related to noise) that, whilst irritating or disturbing to the complainant, does not fall under the code of discipline. Because there is no disciplinary fix to some of these issues, they can sometimes become chronic and both sides of the dispute end up feeling frustrated.

During the last few years I have experimented with a means of dispute resolution in these cases called mediation-arbitration. In most cases we have managed to come to a satisfactory conclusion for both parties to the dispute. I just published an information sheet about this process (click here to view). Contact me or one of the Senior Members if you think a meeting like this would be useful in solving any disputes between you and other Hall residents.

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.

Contacting the Warden's team

The Senior Members and I are resident in Hall, so you will often see us around the building. The team member living on your floor is often a good first point of contact. You are welcome to approach us whenever you see us in Hall; if we are not immediately available, we will arrange a time to meet.

Leave a note at reception or email me (warden@connaught-hall.org.uk) if you would like an appointment to see me, or look out for posters advertising my next open office session, when you can drop in to see me in my office without an appointment.

If you don’t need to discuss things in person, you can just write to us about the problem. You can email all the team at the same time using wardens.team@connaught-hall.org.uk, or use our online contact page at http://warden.connaught-hall.org.uk/, which will guide you through all the information we need to be best able to deal with your query quickly and efficiently. Individual Senior Members can be contacted by email using the format firstname.lastname@connaught-hall.org.uk.

We also have a dedicated email address for reporting noise problems as this is probably the thing we deal with most: noise@connaught-hall.org.uk.

There is an on-call Duty Officer from the Warden’s team available whenever the Bursar’s Office is closed, to help with any emergencies that arise in Hall (e.g. fire, lost keys, intruders, medical emergencies, injuries, disciplinary problems, emergency maintenance needs, etc.). The person on duty can always be contacted via reception.