Library - residents' survey 2011

Early responses to the residents' survey showed a great deal of dissatisfaction with the library. In response, we were able to have decorators in to plaster the walls and repair the damaged windows, and re-paint the library.

Over the next few weeks (so in good time for the summer term, when the library tends to be most used), I want to have some shelves and books put into the library, hang some pictures on the walls, and place some bright uplighters to make it a nicer working environment.

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

Residents' Survey results 2011

The results of the residents’ survey are now available to download at survey.connaught-hall.org.uk, including:

• A colour-coded report on the agree/disagree parts of the survey
• A selection of the free-text comments made
• A comparison of the responses for Connaught Hall vs all eight intercollegiate halls

There is also a link to a filtered version of my blog, where I will be publishing details of the action we are taking based on the survey responses.

Results of all Hall surveys from the last four years are also available from the same page, so you can compare with previous years’ results.

Valentine's party

Last night was a great party. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and quite a few got into the spirit of the Rubik's cube theme - well done Zac for the idea!

The next late party at Connaught Hall is on Saturday 12 March and will be a talent show organised by the Residents' Club Committee. Get practising for your act now....

Connaught Hall on Twitter

tweets.connaught-hall.org.uk

Follow us on Twitter for updates on what's going on in Hall!

We've been on Twitter for well over a year but it's been under-utilised until now. I have revived our account and hope it will become a useful way for us all to communicate.

Revised Residents' Handbook

The Connaught Hall Residents' Handbook has been fully revised for 2011.

At page 51 of the pdf is a "top ten tips" page. Many of these are a bit dull at the moment, so I am looking for suggestions - what little gems of information do you wish you had when you moved in? Pass on your experience to next year's new residents by contributing a "top ten tip"! Either email me or comment on this blog post with your ideas.

Other new content:

• a fully revised and expanded section on noise;
• maintenance response times;
• what to do if the washing machine breaks down;
• snow & ice policy;
• personal emergency evacuation plans for residents who may need special assistance in an evacuation;
• heating times;
• local transport links;
• gambling;
• alcohol;
• extensively revised sections on catering, re-admissions, the Facilities Committee, Residents' Club Committee, bar & common rooms, Bursar's Office, InHAB, and the Warden's team.

Library

Good news! After feedback from residents about the library, we have been able to secure funding for a refurbishment. Your library should be a much nicer environment to work in by the end of the week.

Residents' Survey 2011

survey.connaught-hall.org.uk

Feedback from residents is the best driver for us to improve the service we provide to you. Your opinion is important to us.

Residents from all the intercollegiate halls of residence will be invited to complete our online survey next week, but I can send Connaught Hall residents the link early (so if you complete this survey now, you can ignore the email you will get from info.halls next week). I can see your responses as soon as you send them, so the sooner you respond, the sooner I can start acting on your feedback!

Please use the free text sections to explain to us what you do and do not like about anything and everything in Hall. The more specific you can be, the better. And it is important that you tell us what is good as well as what is bad – to make sure we keep doing the things you already like, and reward the staff who are doing a good job.

It’s completely anonymous so you can say exactly what you really think.

I can see your responses in real time. Then, after the closing date, the results for all eight halls are sent to all the senior staff in all the halls as well as the Head of Residences & Facilities, the regional catering manager, the Facilities Contracts Manager, and the Director of Estates & Facilities – all senior University staff based at Senate House. So your opinions will be heard at a very high level.

Fill out the survey now – go to survey.connaught-hall.org.uk.

It’s the same survey as the one info.halls will contact you about next week – but the earlier you respond, the sooner I can get things done.

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.

Apple cores in children’s nursery behind Connaught Hall

Apple cores in children’s nursery behind Connaught Hall

Those of you who live on the back of the Hall, facing the courtyard garden, are probably aware that there is a children’s nursery in the buildings on the other side of the courtyard, with a small garden fenced off from ours.

The staff at the nursery have been finding apple cores in their garden most mornings for the last few weeks and they have complained to us that they think these apple cores are being thrown out of windows at Connaught Hall.

I have no way of proving or disproving their suspicion but this week their staff rescued a child just in time from choking on an apple core he had picked up in the garden. It was very a serious “near-miss”. So please, please let’s make sure nothing of ours ends up in the garden of the nursery. Throwing things out of the window is a breach of paragraph 8.2 of the Connaught Hall Supplementary Regulations – and can lead to expulsion – but that is of no significance whatever if a child chokes to death on something that one of us threw out of the window as rubbish.

The apple cores may never have come from Connaught Hall – but please let us all have an absolutely clear conscience on this.

Christmas address

My speech to this year's Christmas dinner at Connaught Hall

Photos from the evening are available at http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/photos/christmas2010/.

I hope you are all having a good time. I think this has been a great end to a very enjoyable first term. And it’s not even over yet – we’ve got live music in a few minutes, then Christmas pudding, carol singing after dinner, and our Christmas masquerade ball at 8 o’clock till 1.

I said in my speech to the welcome buffet this year that I hoped you would all quickly settle into the Hall and make it your home; I am delighted to see that you are doing just that: there is a real sense of community at Connaught Hall this year, and I know many of you have made friendships here already that will endure long beyond your time at University.

I hope events like the welcome buffet, like this dinner, the Christmas tree dressing last week, and our night out on Foundation Day help you to meet people you otherwise would never get to know and reinforce your sense that this place is your home and our community is your family here in London.

Still reflecting back to my welcome speech: I tried to play down my role in enforcing discipline here because I hoped you would all get on with each other and pretty much stay within the rules. So I’m very pleased to say that by-and-large I think you’re possibly the friendliest, most mature – and frankly, the one of the best – year of residents I can remember.

The Residents' Club Committee this year have been doing a good job of balancing events and activities with the need for financial restraint this year. And I think after
tonight’s masquerade ball you will agree they have worked extremely hard to organise a fantastic party for you. We had a few weeks without a Sports Officer, but as you should have seen, Amin was unopposed in the by-election last week; so we now have a Sports Officer and you should start to see some more sports events
being organised.


The Committee have had the disadvantage of not being able to hold late parties for most of this term because of licensing issues following our welcome party. But I think we have got over these issues, with a few tweaks to how we organise our parties, and I hope tonight’s ball will be a fresh start and the first of several successful parties for this Committee.

As always, get in touch if you have any suggestions for me and my team, the Bursar’s Office, or the Residents’ Club. We can only make things better with your help; if you tell us what you want; and report things if they’re not working as they should.


Now, the kitchen staff have been working all day to prepare this super meal for us, so I think we should say thank you for all their hard work.

The other people we have to thank are all the residents who helped set up the dining hall today – I think it looks amazing, thank you!

And finally, our musicians.

Don't forget to have your photo taken beside the tree and stay for carols after pudding. Then put a mask on and enjoy the party in the bar.

I am going to hand over to our in just a few seconds: Polly & Sam, Alex, and Kate & Elliott.

If you are travelling during the holidays, I wish you a safe journey and look forward to seeing you back relaxed and refreshed next year.

And I wish all of you a wonderful, joyful Christmas, and a happy, successful new year.

New Sports Officer

Amin Yazdi was unopposed as a candidate in the Sports Officer by-election. He has therefore been returned as the new Sports Officer on the Residents' Club Committee.

Christmas tree decorating

Thank you to everyone who helped decorate the Hall Christmas trees last night. I hope you enjoyed the mulled wine and mince pies - and maybe even the music!

The trees look great and I was impressed with how many turned out to help. I enjoyed the evening and I hope you all did too.



A couple of people asked me what some of the music was, so the playlist from my iPod is reproduced here:

I'll Be Home For Christmas - Al Green

Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid

Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys

Do You Hear What I Hear? - Bing Crosby

White Christmas - Bing Crosby

Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms

Little Drummer Boy - Boney M

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Boney M

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - The Cadillacs

Last Christmas - Cascada

A spaceman came travelling - Chris De burgh

A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris De Burgh

The Christmas Song - Christina Aguilera

The Christmas Song (Holiday Remix) - Christina Aguilera

All I Want For Christmas - Mariah Carey

Mistletoe And Wine - Cliff Richard

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Crystals

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Crystals

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

A Winter's Tale - David Essex

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin

Baby, It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin

Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Winter Wonderland - Elvis Presley

Jingle Bell Rock - Girls Aloud

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year - Glee Cast

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Glee Cast

O Christmas Tree - Glee Cast

Angels We Have Heard On High - Glee Cast

O Holy Night - Glee Cast

Deck The Halls - Gospel Enlightenment

We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Gospel Enlightenment

I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake

We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Hallé Orchestra/Maurice Handford

Sleigh Ride - Hayley Westenra

Frosty The Snowman - The Jackson 5

So This Is Christmas - John Lennon & Yoko Ono

When A Child Is Born - Johnny Mathis

Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie

Fairytale of New York - Kirsty MacColl/The Pogues

Mr. Christmas - Kristine W

Christmas Tree - Lady Gaga

O Christmas Tree - Londonderry Boys Choir

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Mariah Carey

O Holy Night - Mariah Carey

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Mariah Carey

Joy To The World - Mariah Carey

Lonely This Christmas - Mud

The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

Frosty The Snowman - The Ronettes

Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes

Jingle Bells - Rosemary Clooney

Little Drummer Boy - Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones

Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade

Christmas Wrapping - Spice Girls

I Believe In Father Christmas - State of the Heart

Last Christmas - Wham!

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizard

Winter Wonderland - Aretha Franklin

Temporary Event Notice for Christmas masquerade ball Friday 10th December

There will be some restrictions on guests, music policy, sound levels, and alcohol during our Christmas masquerade ball on Friday. The following letter that I wrote to the Licensing Authority when applying for Friday's temporary event notice explains the changes that you will see.

Addressing difficulties arising at our temporary event on 9 October 2010

At our last temporary event at Connaught Hall, a welcome party on 9-10 October 2010, five non-resident, signed-in guests were responsible for minor assaults on two of our residents. The guests were removed from the premises with no difficulty, but then gathered outside the Hall on Tavistock Square and refused to disperse and go home. I called the police as I was concerned these guests posed a threat of causing disorder.

In the 13 years I have been at Connaught Hall, there have been no previous similar incidents. We have held at least five temporary events every academic year since The Licensing Act 2003 came into effect and several late parties per year under the old magistrates system.

The guests who caused problems have been permanently banned from Connaught Hall; where appropriate, their colleges or student unions have been informed. The residents who signed in those guests have been subject to internal disciplinary proceedings.

I am confident that we can make our parties safer whilst remaining every bit as enjoyable for the majority who I know had a great time and weren't involved in any trouble at all.

From now on, residents may only sign in two guests each during a temporary event. A special sign-in book and more personnel at reception will help monitor this. Residents will be required to show Hall ID when entering the building and guests will be issued with wrist bands.

There will be some changes to the music policy - moving away from any drum & bass towards more disco / pop / uplifting dance music and a clear 30-minute wind-down period with slower music at the end of the event.

Our Christmas party will follow on from a formal Christmas dinner; both events will have a smart dress code with optional (but encouraged) black tie.

Licensed hours will be shorter than at recent Connaught Hall events and there will be a champagne & (long) cocktails theme. We will not run any reduced price drinks promotions.

I hope these measures will prevent any difficulties arising at this or future temporary events at Connaught Hall.

Christmas dinner: Friday 10th December

Connaught Hall's Christmas dinner is at 6.00pm on Friday 10th December.

Follow the link to see the menu and programme of entertainment.

I've also uploaded some photos of past Christmas dinners at Connaught Hall.

I do hope everyone will make the effort to get dressed up: it makes the evening that bit more special!



The current financial climate has made it quite a challenge to get funding and approval for the food, wine, decorations, and table service this year. The package we have agreed will, I hope, match any previous year’s Christmas dinner, but we are not allowed to pay for any extra staff hours in the kitchen – so unlike before, they will not be able to set up and clear away in the dining hall.

So we need a lot of help from residents this year!

Let’s show that we can come together and pull off another brilliant Christmas dinner even with the reduced resources available to us. The Christmas dinner & ball is traditionally the highlight of the social calendar in our Hall, and I really want this year to be the best yet. We can only do it with your help.

Below is the plan for setting up on Friday. If you think you can help with any of these activities, please come and join us in the dining hall.

10.00 Table & chair arranging

11.00 Table cloths on tables & table confetti

12.00 Plates & cutlery to tables

13.30 Glasses to tables

14.00 Candles to tables

14.20 Decorations around dining hall

15.30 Set up music system

17.00 Starters put out on tables

17.40 Staff, committee, musicians meet in dining hall

17.45 Candles lit

18.00 DOORS OPEN, LIVE MUSIC STARTS

18.05 Wine taken to tables

18.10 Recorded music replaces live music

18.20 MAIN COURSE SERVED

18.20 Photographs taken at each table

18.45 SPEECH

18.50 LIVE MUSIC

19.00 Recorded music

19.00 PUDDING SERVED

19.15 Residents clear tables of plates & cutlery

19.20 CHRISTMAS CAROLS

19.20 Photographs by the tree

19.30 Wine glasses cleared away

* 19.40 Set up guest signing‐in table at reception

19.40 Candles cleared away

20.00 Rubbish in bin

* 20.00 Guest checks & wrist bands

Residents' Club election results

The results at last night's election were as follows:

President
Hannes ANSORG: 16
William STANGER: 33
James WILSON: 88

Secretary
Michelle ANSAH: 98
Hannah EDWARDS: 42

Treasurer
Daniel ENG: 33
Jacob MURPHY: 43
Thomas STEWART: 63

Entertainment Officer
Freddie ELCOCK: 51
Zac ZURYBIDA: 86

Sports Officer
Harbhajan Singh BARYAH: 78
Jamie HURLEY: 59


The turnout was 140.

Party 9 October 2010

If you attended our welcome party last night you will be aware that we unfortunately had three scuffles break out and a number of residents were injured. Some non-resident guests were involved in every case. The non-residents were all escorted off the premises last night.

If you know who they are, please check your photographs from last night for clear face pictures of any non-residents who were involved in last night’s problems. I should be very grateful if you would send any such photos to me so that reception can be instructed not to allow access to the hall for those people again.

If you were one of the residents involved, please make an appointment to see me this week so we can find out exactly what happened and how we can prevent it from happening again.

If you signed in any of the guests whom I had to escort out of the building, I should like to see you too.

I will be available in my office tonight (Sunday) between 17.00 and 18.00, and on Friday 15th between 20.15 and 21.15 (after the election & count). Or you can make an appointment to see me most evenings this week.

I know most of you had an enjoyable and trouble-free night and I am sorry that a handful of disruptive elements spoiled the end of the party – and, given that the police were eventually involved, damaged our prospects for being able to hold future late parties.

We have never had anyone injured in this way at any of our parties at least since the Licensing Act 2003 and the current procedure for organising late parties came into force. Last night's problems must prompt us to review how we manage parties, how late the bar stays open, and security arrangements. I will write to you all in more detail about the events of last night and our response in the next week or so, after I have spoken with those involved.

Fire

A fire on the roof of the dining hall yesterday evening, related to the ongoing building work to the roof, damaged the servery area of the dining hall. Consequently, our dining hall will be closed until the beginning of next week when the damge can be repaired. Meanwhile, Connaught Hall residents may take meals at International Hall - but you you must remember to take your Hall ID card with you.

Thank you all for conducting an orderly evacuation yesterday.

Welcome buffet

I hope everyone enjoyed our welcome buffet last night. I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to meet some more residents and put a few more names to faces.

Here is the text of my welcome address in case you couldn't make it to the buffet last night:

Good evening everyone. I hope you’re enjoying the buffet. In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Adrian Clark, the Warden.

You all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch – well, there’s no such thing as a free buffet either – so I am going to take about 6 minutes to welcome you to the Hall, introduce the staff, and tell you about some things that are happening in the next few weeks.

So, firstly, on behalf of the University of London and all the staff in Hall: welcome! I hope you are starting to settle in now and that you will enjoy a very happy and successful year here.

You probably know that Connaught Hall has a reputation for being a very friendly Hall. So I hope you will continue our tradition of being the most sociable and community-spirited hall of residence in London. And that means two things: we have a lot of fun but we also look out for one another and always respect everyone who shares this community with us.

I’m sorry that your first few weeks have been marred by building work that over-ran from the summer, but I have been very impressed by how tolerant and cooperative everyone has been while these works are finished. So thank you.

Now, I want to introduce some of the staff to you.

Harriet is our deputy bursar. She works full time office hours in the general office just behind reception and can help you with problems with your room, paying fees, catering, housekeeping, maintenance, all that sort of really quite useful stuff. And if she can’t help, she will put you in contact with someone who can.

As the Warden, I am responsible for your welfare, the community and social life of the Hall; and discipline I have a team of five student Senior Members to assist me (Alyson, Ashleigh, Amy, John, Tom).

We can help with … well, pretty much anything you throw at us, really, … So feel free to approach us any time you see us around the Hall, contact me for an appointment, or come to one of my open office sessions.

One of the Senior Members is on duty and available in the Hall every evening and weekend – basically whenever the office is closed – to help in case of emergency. You can contact the Duty Senior Member any time by asking at reception.

This is a welcome speech so I don’t want to dwell on discipline. But I do want to talk about noise, which is by far the most common complaint that the Senior Members and I have to deal with. The walls and floors are pretty thin -you’ve noticed, I’m sure; noise travels easily, so please be considerate of your neighbours, especially between 11pm and 7am. And if someone asks you to be quiet, be nice and help them out.

Our new common rooms here in the basement – we’ve just moved them down from the third and fourth floors – are quite far from any bedrooms so you can be a bit louder in the common rooms, within reason.

And of course, the bar is in the basement, too. I know many of you have already discovered that our bar is a really friendly space to relax and meet people. So I hope you will all enjoy using the bar – whether you drink or not – and maybe even think about working there. A word of warning, though: all seven other intercollegiate halls have had their student-run bars closed by the powers that be. So please don’t let there be any justification for our bar to be closed: use it sensibly, and don’t go out from the bar into the garden after 11pm: because noise from the garden attracts complaints both from residents and from neighbouring buildings – and that’s a sure-fire way for us to lose our licence. So enjoy the bar, but help us make sure it stays open!

Now, the more you get involved with Hall life, the more you will get out of it. The social life of the hall will be what you make it. There are lots of ways to get involved – starting right now.

The Residents’ Club Committee organises most of the big social events and runs the bar. You will be asked to elect a new committee next Friday. And I would really encourage you all to consider standing for election to one of the committee posts.

On the subject of the Committee, let’s all show our appreciation for Matthew, Polly, Alastair, and Aria from last year’s committee for putting on such a great fortnight of freshers’ activities for us… And don’t forget Lewis, our new bar manager, who
has taken to his job so smoothly and had a brilliant series of events going on
in the bar!

But even if you don’t want to join the Committee, you can still set up your own social events and clubs. We’ve had wine clubs, jazz bands, film clubs, table tennis tournaments… all sorts of things. It’s up to you. The Residents’ Club can sometimes help you with funding for these sorts of clubs. Talk to me if you need help setting anything like this up.

Also think about joining the Facilities Committee, where you can meet the Hall’s management staff and make suggestions about catering, cleaning, maintenance, and that sort of thing. Ashleigh is going to be running the Facilities Committee this year so talk to her or me for more information.

And the last thing I want to plug is Foundation Day. I hope you have seen the posters for this event on 25 November, where HRH The Princess Royal, as Chancellor of the University, presents honorary degrees to some well-known people including, this year, the Archbishop of York and Mary Quant (the inventor of the mini-skirt). After the degree ceremony, there is a reception where the Princess likes to try and meet all the students who attend. You can sometimes meet the honorary graduates as well. It’s quite a fun evening, and a nice chance to get dressed up, so do think about sending me your name for a ticket. I need to send our guest list to the University on 10th October.

Finally, if you have any questions or problems, please talk to a member of staff. We’re all fairly nice! And we will try to help you to sort out any difficulties; but we obviously can’t help if we don’t know there is a problem!

I look forward to meeting you all very soon. And I hope you will quickly come to call Connaught Hall your home, make some great friends here, and that you will look back on this year as one of the best of your life.

Now, please raise your glasses… to the best hall in London, to you - it’s residents - and our best year so far...

Open office

I've just published the times of my open office sessions for October and November. USe these sessions to come and talk to me about anything that's bothering you, or just for a chat and a catchu-up if you like. It's a bit less formal than "making an appointment" and if I'm super organised on the day, I can sometimes make you a cup of coffee. No promises on the coffee - but I can promise to listen to you and do my best to help.

Sports

It's been great to see how popular the sports events have been so far this year. I think sport is a really good way for residents to get to know one another, work together, and ultimately contribute more to the Hall community. I hope this is something that will continue throughout the year.

Election

Yesterday, I opened nominations for the Residents' Club Committee election to be held on Friday 15 October.

If you think you can help continue Connaught Hall's tradition of being the most sociable (and, frankly, the best) hall of residence in London, I would strongly encourage you to stand for election to one of the five positions: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Entertainment, or Sports (click on the titles to see an explanation of the role and what will be expected of the post-holder this year).

I've written a letter to all potential candidates and a statement on the Club's current financial position.

Visit election.connaught-hall.org.uk for more information and to submit your nomination or to view the real-time list of candidates along with their manifestos.

Good luck if you are standing for election!

Afternoon tea

Afternoon tea on the first two Sundays of this academic year has been very well attended. I've had the pleasure of meeting lots of this year's freshers as well as catching up with the news from returning students.

The attendance has been so much better than the last few years yet the only difference from the organisational side is that this year we have music in the lobby (it's a collection of Glen Miller's best known tracks, if you were wondering). The music certainly does help create a really nice atmosphere.

I'm looking forward to meeting more residents this afternoon for the third and final Sunday afternoon tea of this term.

Please don't walk on the scaffolding

Please do not walk / climb on the scaffolding. Paragraph 8.1 of our supplementary regulations states -

You must not attempt to gain access to the roof or any ledges or parapets on the Hall exterior.

Accessing the scaffolding is therefore a breach of your accommodation agreement. Anyone found on the scaffolding will at the very least be required to attend a disciplinary interview.

Foundation Day 2010

I have a limited number of tickets for Connaught Hall residents to attend Foundation Day 2010 at Senate House on 25 November. The Chancellor of the University of London, HRH The Princess Royal, will preside over this flagship event to which students, staff and those with long-standing connections to the University are invited.

A special dinner will be held in the dining hall at Connaught Hall so all those attending can eat together at high table and then depart for Senate House as a group.

The following eminent individuals have already confirmed their acceptance to receive an Honorary Degree from the University:

• HE Luisa Dias Diogo, former president of Mozambique – Doctor of Science (Economics)
• Mary Quant OBE, fashion designer – Doctor of Literature
• Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu – Doctor of Divinity
• Anne Stevenson, poet and writer – Doctor of Literature

Hall residents who want to attend Foundation Day should complete the online form at tickets.connaught-hall.org.uk before 10 October. Please do not sign up if you think you might not actually attend, as you will be taking a ticket from someone else who might really want to go.

The dress code is lounge suit or smart day dress/academic robes.

The poster advertising Foundation Day at Connaught Hall can be viewed here.

Background: Foundation Day is the annual celebration of the grant of the Royal Charter to the University of London. Held in the evening at Senate House, the event begins with the presentation of honorary degrees to a number of public figures by the Chancellor of the University of London, H.R.H. The Princess Royal. Following the honorary degree ceremony, there is a reception where Her Royal Highness likes to meet many of the students present.

Welcome to Connaught Hall!

We've just published this year's welcome letter and a list of freshers' events.

All of us at Connaught Hall want to extend you a very warm welcome. We hope you will settle in quickly and that you will very soon be calling Connaught Hall “home”. All the staff are here to make your time in Hall as comfortable, safe, and enjoyable as possible so please come and talk to us any time you need help or even just for a chat.

Visit the Connaught Hall website at http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/. It's just been updated for 2010-11.

While you’re there, please take a few minutes to look through the Residents’ Handbook, which explains many of the Hall’s procedures, including where to find help should you need it, and outlines our expectations of your behaviour. Also available through the website are the Hall Licence Agreement and Supplementary Regulations. These constitute your contract of residence in Hall so it is important that you are familiar with them.

The Senior Members and I are resident members of staff responsible for welfare, discipline, re-admissions, and the community life of the Hall. I am a full-time hospital doctor specialising in accident & emergency; I am available in Hall on a part-time basis most evenings and weekends. The five Senior Members are experienced, usually postgraduate, students. We are all here to offer support and guidance in case of problems such as academic difficulties, health or emotional issues, social concerns, and disputes between residents. Feel free to approach me or a Senior Member whenever you see us around the Hall; attend one of my open office sessions (dates and times here: openoffice.connaught-hall.org.uk); or email wardens.team@connaught-hall.org.uk. I can usually arrange a time to meet within a few days. There is always a Duty Senior Member on call at evenings & weekends to help in case of emergency. You can contact the Duty Senior Member any time via reception.

We wish you a happy and successful year at Connaught Hall and we all look forward to meeting you soon.