Facebook page for students at all the intercollegiate halls of residence

I have set up a Facebook page for residents and staff of all eight intercollegiate halls of residence:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/University-of-London-Intercollegiate-Halls-of-Residence/248015725232212

My hope is that this page will make it much easier for residents in different halls to contact one another and organise inter-hall events, sports competitions, etc. It should be especially useful for elected JCR / Club committee members.

Now available to chat on Skype

My Skype name is connaught.hall.

Residents and future residents are welcome to add me as a contact and if I'm shown as online, I am free to chat or voice call about Hall business.

I am also happy to approve Facebook friend requests from residents and chat via FB chat.

These online chat facilities are like an extension of my open office hours. Feel free to message or call me.

FAQ: Mattress sizes

I want to bring my own bedding to the Hall. What size are the beds?


The beds in most of our single rooms are standard UK single size - 91 × 191 cm (36 × 75 in).

Food theft from pantry fridges

It is a sad fact that every year I receive many complaints about food being stolen from the pantry refrigerators.

There is of course no realistic chance of us finding out who takes others’ belongings from the fridges as they are unsupervised and accessible to anyone 24 hours a day.

But the complaints I receive about this relate so much frustration, disappointment, and distress from those who have had their things stolen that I implore all of you to:

a) label anything you put in the fridge, so you know which items are yours
and there are no accidental mix-ups; and

b) only remove things from the fridge that belong to you: for however
you might try to justify it to yourself, taking someone else’s things is theft
and is extraordinarily selfish.

I know this request only need apply to a handful of residents, as the
very great majority of you already respect each other and each other’s
property.

Sometimes, your fellow residents keep food in the fridge because they are unwell and can only muster an appetite for certain foods, or because they have special dietary requirements. They might have to go hungry if someone else takes their food. And whatever the reason for having food in the refrigerators, it is really upsetting to find it taken by someone else.

I sincerely hope that I shall receive no complaints about food theft this year.

FAQ: Worried about fee dates / deadlines / can't pay on time

When do I have to pay? What if I can't pay my fees on time?

Hall fees are due in termly instalments in the first two weeks of October, January, and April.

The online fee payment site (https://epay.london.ac.uk) will allow you to pay in one lump sum or in termly or monthly instalments.

If you anticipate any problems paying on time, please contact the accommodation finance office: either visit them at Student Central on Malet Street, or email ahd.finance@london.ac.uk.

If you tell us about your difficulties before the deadline and agree a payment plan with us, we can nearly always reach an agreement that you will be happy with. It is much more difficult if you leave it until after the deadline or if you ignore reminder notices from us!

If you prefer to pay in person rather than online, you must go to the office at Student Central. The office at Connaught Hall cannot receive payments.

Room rates for 2015-2016 are published here: http://www.halls.london.ac.uk/Fees2015

FAQ: Gym / fitness room

Does Connaught Hall have a gym / fitness room?

No. Unfortunately, our fitness room had to be closed in 2009 because we were unable to insure users of the fitness equipment against injury.

What used to be the fitness room is now our library.

All University of London students can join the "EnergyBase" gym at ULU on Malet Street and the "Bloomsbury Fitness" UCL union gym on Gordon Street, both of which are very nearby. There are also Fitness First, Nuffield Health, and Bannatyne’s gyms within easy walking distance of the Hall and most offer discounted membership rates for students.

FAQ: Car parking

Where can I / my parents park when moving into / out of the Hall?

Most of Tavistock Square and adjoining Gordon Square have a single yellow line (parking prohibited at specified times) and residents' parking bays. During the week, it is therefore very difficult to park near the Hall, and the best option is usually to park in the NCP car park underneath the Royal National Hotel, one block south of Connaught Hall, at a cost of about £20 for 6 hours.

Anyone can park on the single yellow lines or in the residents' parking spaces in Tavistock Square and Gordon Square:

• after 6.30pm Mon-Fri;
• after 1.30pm Saturday; and
• all day Sunday.

So if you are arriving on a Sunday, as most people do, you can park on the street just outside the Hall.

For ease of reference, here is a local area map on Google Maps: http://map.connaught-hall.org.uk.

FAQ: Overnight guests

How long can I have someone stay with me at Connaught Hall? How many guests am I allowed?

You may sign in a maximum of three day guests at any one time.

You may have one overnight guest at any one time. 

You may have someone stay with you overnight for up to 10 nights in total per calendar month. This could be a single stay of 10 nights, or ten separate one-night stays, or anything in-between, up to a maximum of ten nights in the month. 

When your overnight guest arrives, tell the security officer that you want the guest to stay overnight. Provided you have not already had 10 overnight stays that month, security will issue your guest with an overnight guest pass. If you are staying in a twin room, please seek permission from your roommate before inviting an overnight guest.

If you want to host more than three day guests at the same time, more than one overnight guest on the same night, or have more than 10 nights in one calendar month when a guest stays with you, you must make a request to the Warden. You must send your request to the Warden by email at least 48 hours in advance, and ideally 7 days before your guest is due to arrive. Your request should include a reason why the Warden ought to make a special exception for your case.

The Warden will not necessarily agree to all requests for extra guests. Never promise others they can visit you outside the rules above before securing written agreement from the Warden.

FAQ: Shared bathrooms

How many people share a bathroom at Connaught Hall?

We have 230 rooms on 6 floors; each floor has two toliet/shower blocks (one male, one female) with three toilet stalls and three shower cubicles in each block. 19 rooms have ensuite facilities.

On average, then, about 21 people share each block of three toilets & showers.

That's one toilet stall or one shower cubicle per 7 residents.

Everyone gets up at different times due to different lecture schedules, so in practice it is very unusual to see any queues for the showers.

The bathrooms are fully cleaned every day, Monday-Friday, and have a "light clean" on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays.

Defining the Warden's role

The recent University of London consultation on removing all Wardens and Vice-Wardens from the intercollegiate halls of residence (see this thread of posts about the consultation and what happened) prompted me to review the way we describe the Warden's role at Connaught Hall.

It is important that residents understand precisely what the Warden and Senior Members are for and what they do. Correspondence from the Warden's team will now make clear that the Warden's role lies in -

enhancing opportunities for personal, social, academic and cultural development through: welfare and pastoral care; discipline and conflict resolution; community and social life; Residents’ Club and Hall bar; out-of-hours emergencies; and re-admissions.

I would value your feedback on this description: is it too long? does it make sense? does it help clarify the Warden's role? Feel free to comment directly on this blog post or email me.

The Warden's Team: supporting you all the way.

Connaught Hall welcome letter

The welcome letter for residents coming to Connaught Hall in September/October 2011 has now been published online: welcome.connaught-hall.org.uk.

Themed receptions

I am excited about a new idea for helping residents meet one another at Connaught Hall this year.

Throughout the year, I will organise a number of themed receptions for residents with particular interests. The invitation to each reception will be open to all residents; the receptions will not be exclusive in any way: any resident will be welcome to attend, but the intention is that residents interested in the theme of the reception will come and meet other like-minded residents with similar interests.

For example, there might be receptions for residents interested in sport, charitable work, acting, political activities, LGBT, photography, medical students, national or cultural groups, etc... Where possible, I should like to be able to invite relevant external guests.

I am open to suggestions for themes. Please get in touch if you would like to see a themed reception for a particular interest, activity, or group.

Two quick questions

In 2007, I developed the annual residents' survey at Connaught Hall and it was rolled out for use across all eight intercollegiate halls in 2009.

This year, I want to start a new programme for obtaining residents' feedback not just in February each year but right through their time in Hall. But filling in questionnaires can be time-consuming and response rates are often low when there is no direct reward offered for completion of the survey.

So to make it easier for residents to tell us what they think, I am going to introduce the "two quick questions" programme. All residents will be invited to respond to a simple two-question survey every month or so: one question asking for a numerical agree/disagree rating, and the second question inviting the resident to explain why they gave that particular rating.

Look out for the first "two quick questions" survey in October 2011!

Results of the Consultation on Pastoral Support in the Halls of Residence

The University has recently completed a consultation exercise on proposals to create more than 50 new student bedrooms by changing the arrangements for pastoral support in the Halls.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group has now considered the results of the consultation and we are grateful to those people who took the time to submit their views. The consultation has shown the range of groups interested in the outcome of this decision. The VCEG wishes to examine fully the range of options available and the implications of any changes and has therefore decided:

1. To suspend the consultation and implementation process immediately and confirm the status quo for the coming year 2011/12;

2. To review and re-examine the range of options available to ensure the availability of appropriate pastoral support for students and to increase the availability of student rooms in the intercollegiate halls, taking in to account the suggestions that emerged during the consultation;

3. To receive by the end of December 2011 proposals on the case for restructuring and the range of options, along with a full consultation and communications plan; this will take account of our legal obligations to Wardens and to students, and the UK Code of Practice for University-Managed Student Accommodation.

Wardens in Higher Education Residences

In response to the University of London's proposed cuts in student support in the intercollegiate halls of residence, I have founded Wardens in Higher Education Residences (WHER).

WHER is a new charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated and registered at Companies House on 16 June 2011. As an incorporated legal entity, WHER has power to own property, manage its own finances, engage in public campaigning and political lobbying, and pursue legal action.

WHER's values may be stated as follows:

We believe in promoting ethical standards of conduct and compliance with the law by providers of student accommodation.

We believe student accommodation must provide robust systems for pastoral support, discipline, and community building.

We believe that university accommodation should provide opportunities for the academic, social, recreational, and cultural development of students.

We believe that student accommodation providers must put in place clear and effective structures to deal with noise, nuisance, vandalism, bullying, and racial, homophobic, and other kinds of abuse.

Please join us and support this important cause today!

Download an application form: http://www.hallwardens.org/WHER-application.pdf

Get in touch at info@hallwardens.org, "like" our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter @HigherEdWardens.

As well as recruiting a membership base, WHER is currently looking to appoint two new Directors to manage the charity. I'd be happy to discuss this with anyone who might be interested.

Wardens' formal consultation response

The response of the ten University of London wardens and vice-wardens to a proposal to cut student support in the halls of residence has been published online: http://www.hallwardens.org/wardens-response.pdf

Letter to Editor of London Student

Sir

I read with interest your interview with Martin Burchett about the University of London’s proposal to remove wardens and vice-wardens from the intercollegiate halls of residence.

Wardens are life-in staff who work part-time in the halls, being also employed as academic or senior academically-related staff elsewhere within the University. We help to provide students, especially first year undergraduates, with a safe, friendly and supportive home-from-home in halls by maintaining discipline, resolving conflicts, supporting students with difficulties, and organising community and social events.

The University of London Strategic Plan for 2009-14 states that “the University has a proud tradition of providing services to Colleges which add to their students’ experience of University life, both educationally and socially.” Wardens are one of the main ways in which the University maintains this tradition.

Students in halls are often living away from home for the first time. In my experience, they can encounter problems with loneliness, social isolation, bullying, conflicts related to religion or sexuality, depression, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, as well as antisocial behaviour, noisy neighbours, theft, and damage to property. Wardens have a wealth of experience in offering front-line advice and support for students wrestling with these problems.
The University’s stated reason for cutting wardens and vice-wardens is to create up to 52 extra student rooms from the conversion of wardens’ flats. The University asserts that the cuts will not cause a reduction in the level of pastoral support or community building because the wardens’ functions will be taken on by volunteer senior students and the halls’ administration staff. They further argue that private halls of residence and some other universities’ halls do not have wardens.

We certainly recognise the need for more student accommodation in London, but degrading the quality of existing accommodation is not the way to do it. The University’s plan is akin to making more seats on an aeroplane by taking out the pilot: it won’t get off the ground. We can identify numerous means by which more accommodation can be created in the halls, without shedding staff or cutting services.

Of course removing all of the currently employed, dedicated, and experienced welfare and community-building staff out of the halls will lead to a reduction in the level of support and social events. There is nothing in the cuts proposal to guarantee otherwise.

It is true that private halls of residence often do not have wardens. But we are, after all, a University: surely it is our responsibility to provide academic and pastoral support for students? Students who are more independent or who require less of a social scene in their residence may well choose to live in private halls; but the University should make provision for those who wish or need to choose a more supported or more social living environment.

It is also true that some other universities do not have wardens in their halls. But if you look at the top ten UK universities, nine of them have wardenial systems similar to ours; and nearly all of the elite Russell Group universities have wardens. These are the institutions that the University of London is competing with. Moreover, residents in the intercollegiate halls can be relatively disadvantaged by the geographical and organisational remoteness of their college welfare services, unions, and health centres – especially those from smaller colleges or colleges outside of central London. I believe a robust pastoral and social support system within the halls, led by wardens, compensates for this.

We have been greatly encouraged by support from doctors, counsellors, chaplains, and other bodies involved in student support, as well as many students, hall residents, neighbourhood groups, and local councillors. Almost 1,000 people have signed an online petition (petition.hallwardens.org) supporting the wardens, and many students and their parents have written to the University (mail@hallwardens.org) to express their opposition to the cuts. A Facebook group (group.hallwardens.org) and Twitter profile (@SaveTheWardens) have been set up by hall residents.

The University’s consultation on this proposal ends on Friday 17 June and the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group will make a decision on 29 June. I hope your readers will agree with me that they should reject the proposed cuts and look instead for positive ways of creating more student accommodation in London.

Yours faithfully

Adrian Clark
Warden, Connaught Hall

END OF YEAR FAREWELL MESSSAGE

Most residents will be moving out of Connaught Hall for the end of the academic year over the next two weeks; some (mostly from King’s) have already gone.

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

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

I especially want to thank this year’s Residents’ Club Committee for all their hard work in organising a social programme for the Hall and keeping our bar running as a valuable focus for Hall social life. Thank you also to everyone who made a voluntary contribution to the bar restocking fund to help the bar recover from events at Easter; I was personally very impressed by the mature, responsible reaction of the Hall community to that particular challenge.

Remember you can obtain copies of this year’s residents’ photo at photos.connaught-hall.org.uk (downloads) and prints.connaught-hall.org.uk (prints from Photobox). Keep in touch with us @connaughthall on Twitter and on Facebook; and, of course, at www.connaught-hall.org.uk.

If you haven't already done so, please remember to sign the petition against cuts in student support in the intercollegiate halls (petition.hallwardens.org). Join the campaign on Facebook (group.hallwardens.org), and write directly to the University expressing your opposition to the cuts at mail@hallwardens.org. You can follow the campaign on Twitter @SaveTheWardens.

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

The future of student support in halls of residence

On 9 May 2011, the University of London informed Wardens that it intends to make significant cuts to the student support service in the halls of residence: it proposes to make all Wardens and Vice-Wardens redundant, and for the management of Senior Members to be transferred to the residences administration staff, who have no background, experience, or interest in dealing with social, welfare, community, or disciplinary matters.

I believe the University's proposal is wrong and dangerous. I think it threatens the very healthy and enjoyable community and social life from which intercollegiate halls residents currently benefit, and may be harmful to the welfare of more vulnerable students.

This is at a time when Hall fees are set to rise by well above inflation next year, and English students will soon start paying up to £9,000 for their tuition. If next year's residents can expect not to be supported by a Warden, and not have a thriving Residents' Club and vibrant Hall community, why should they pay even more than they pay this year? And why should next year's freshers not be given the opportunity to apply for a Hall like Connaught Hall - different in so many ways from the accommodation provided by UCL, Kings, LSE, etc.?

Students should expect more choice, more support, and better value for money. Removing the Wardens diminishes all three.

For the sake of future generations of students, I believe we must fight against the University's proposals.

At www.connaught-hall.org.uk/support.pdf you can find a full-colour booklet explaining the University’s proposals and exactly what it will mean for future residents of Connaught Hall.

If you agree with me that Wardens add something distinctive, useful, and desirable to the student experience in the intercollegiate halls, please act now: send an email expressing your support to mail@hallwardens.org. Also, please sign the online petition at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gopetition.com%2Fpetitions%2Fpetition-to-oppose-the-re-structuring-of-the-pastoral-s.html&h=d6700.

Parents - especially those of international students - often are relieved to find there is someone in Hall to look after their sons & daughters as they leave home for the first time, so please ask your parents to write in, and to sign the petition, too.

There isn't much time: the University proposes to wipe away formal student support in the halls of residence by the end of this academic year, and the final decision will be made before the end of May. Please help us to persuade them that they are wrong.

I will continue to fight tirelessly for what I believe is the right level of student support in the halls of residence. I will be very grateful if I can count on your support.

Remember to visit www.connaught-hall.org.uk/support.pdf for more detail and a guide to how you can help. Also review my letter to Dame Jenny Abramsky, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of London, at www.connaught-hall.org.uk/abramsky-letter.pdf.

Bar thefts 26/03 to 03/04 - update

I have made some progress in identifying who was involved in taking around £600 worth of drink from the bar two weeks ago. However, there are still many residents who have been named as being involved but who have not yet approached me. I think part of the reason for this may be that they do not realise that the drink they took were effectively stolen. Those who have approached me so far have explained that most people who took drinks may not have known exactly what was going on, and that there was certainly no malice in their actions. For this reason I will delay making a decision on the police and disciplinary proceedings until Tuesday 19 April, allowing you time to read this and think whether you were perhaps unwittingly involved. If you were given, sold, or took any drink at all from the bar in the week between Saturday 26 March and Sunday 3 April, please contact me urgently and tell me what you had and who gave it to you (or how you got it). The bar was not officially open during that week at all, so anyone who was “working” behind the bar should not have been there and any “free drinks” they gave away were stolen from the bar. Sometimes, bottles of spirits were brought out from behind the bar so again, you may not have realised that you were receiving something that had been stolen. Please, please come forward and tell me about what happened. I do need to recover the cost of the drink that was stolen and it will be fairest to everyone if that cost is shared between everyone who took a drink. If absolutely everyone owns up, the cost could be as little as £12 each. The number of people who have come forward so far cannot repay the entire cost with the repayments capped at a maximum £30 each (as per my letter at http://notice.connaught-hall.org.uk/); and if we cannot recover this money, the bar and the Residents’ Club itself will really struggle to stay in business this year.

Bar thefts 26/03 to 03/04

In the period between Saturday 26 March and Sunday 3 April, around £600 worth of spirits, wine, beer, and soft drinks were taken from the bar without being paid for. I understand that a large number of people (perhaps 30 or more) were involved.

The bottom line is that this matter has been reported to the police but I have asked them not to pursue a full investigation until I have had an opportunity to resolve the issue internally; if we can satisfactorily deal with this within the Hall, I will ask the police to drop it completely.

So I am writing to you with an amnesty of sorts, and a proposal that I hope will resolve this matter simply and fairly.

My concerns and expectations are:

1. The bar and Residents’ Club already have a very difficult financial position this year and absolutely cannot afford to shoulder the cost of the missing stock. We must recover these costs in order for the bar to remain financially viable, to continue paying for daily newspaper deliveries, to complete the library refurbishment, and to allow some social activities to be organised in term 3.

2. This incident highlights the potential problems of leaving the bar area open 24 hours for access to the sofas, pool table, and table football; I need to be reassured that I can continue allowing the bar area to be left open when the bar itself is not staffed.

3. I cannot understand what has happened to make so many people think it was okay to effectively break into the bar and take drinks without paying for them, and I am concerned about what this means for the community dynamic in Hall.

4. I need to know this is not going to happen again, and that those involved are prepared to own up to it and take some responsibility for their potentially very damaging actions. I have a good deal of respect for people who can admit to a mistake; but I take a dim view of those who try to cover up or lie about things.

5. If at all possible, I should prefer to avoid any formal disciplinary action and/or criminal proceedings.

If you were involved in any way in the theft of drinks from the bar last week, come forward and tell me about it before 17.00 on Tuesday 19 April.

Send me an email: tell me (a) what happened, (b) when, (c) who was there, (d) what – if anything – made you think this was okay to do, and (e) what we can do to prevent it from happening again. I will arrange a time to meet with you.

If you come forward voluntarily before 19 April, I will give you these guarantees:

1. Your financial liability to the Club will be capped to a maximum of £30. The more people that come forward to share the cost, the less your liability will be, so please also encourage others who were involved to approach me.

2. If disciplinary action is necessary, the maximum penalty I will apply is a written warning (apart from charging for the missing stock as per point 1).

3. If you hold an offer of accommodation at Connaught Hall next year, I will not withdraw your offer on the basis of this incident alone.

On 15 April, I will make a decision about what to tell the police about continuing their investigation, and whether to commence disciplinary proceedings against those I know were involved but have not come forward voluntarily.

A letter similar to this was distributed, by friends of those who were involved, directly to the suspects last week – I had hoped to avoid sending such a negative letter to the whole Hall – but that was met with a very disappointing response. I hope that is because the letter did not reach all the suspects, and that by sending it to everyone, we will see a better response.

If too few people come forward, I will regrettably have to pursue the criminal and/or disciplinary routes to resolve this situation. I will seek to apply the most severe penalties available to me for anyone who was involved but fails to tell me about it before 19 April.

I must also make a decision about the future of the bar in Hall, re-opening the bar area for pool and table football, and any future social events. I hope you can reassure me that the Connaught Hall community can learn from what happened between 26 March and 3 April, and ensure a positive future for our bar.

Pantry fridges

I am disappointed to report that I have received several complaints recently about food being stolen from the pantry refrigerators.

There is of course no realistic chance of us finding out who takes others’ belongings from the fridges as they are unsupervised and accessible to anyone 24 hours a day. So this cannot, in practice, be a disciplinary issue.

But the complaints I receive about this relate so much frustration, disappointment, and distress from those who have had their things stolen that I want to make a plea, on behalf of everyone who uses those refrigerators, that you should:

a) label anything you put in the fridge, so you know which items are yours and there are no accidental mix-ups; and
b) only remove things from the fridge that belong to you.

Sometimes, your fellow residents keep food in the fridge because they are unwell and can only muster an appetite for certain foods, or because they have special dietary requirements. They might have to go hungry if someone else takes their food and they cannot get out to replace it straight away. And whatever the reason for having food in the refrigerators, it is really upsetting to find it taken by someone else.

So please – and I know this request only need apply to a tiny minority, as most of you respect each other and each other’s property – be considerate of your fellow residents and do not take anything from the pantry fridges if it doesn’t belong to you. For however you might try to justify it to yourself, this is theft and cannot in good conscience be called anything else.

Senior Members - residents' survey 2011

Most people who responded to the survey knew what the Senior Members and I do, who we are, and thought we are approachable and polite.

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

Two people, however, commented that the Senior Members often sit in an isolated part of the dining hall and this can make students feel less able to approach them.

First, let me assure you that the Senior Members and I are all happy to be approached by residents about anything at all, any time when we are in public areas of the Hall (and we are contactable from reception at other times).

But I can see that the team sitting in a huddle in one corner of the dining hall might be seen as intimidating, so with immediate effect, the Senior Members and I will sit in a more central part of the dining hall.

Please feel free to join us at our table either to talk to us in our capacity as staff or just for a chat. We will always be glad of the company. Except in the first few weeks of term, when most residents have not formed their own friendship groups in Hall, I don't expect the Senior Members to mingle around the dining hall at meal times - I am always conscious that residents might not want us sitting with them if they are dining with their friends. But I stress again that we are always happy for anyone to join us for a meal any time.

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.

Catering - residents' survey 2011

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

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

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

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

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