St. Edmund Hall Middle Common Room Queen's Lane · Oxford · OX1 4AR From the President Oxford, Summer 2016 Dear Fresher Hello, and welcome to St. Edmund Hall! - or Teddy Hall, as it’s more commonly known. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about life as a member of the Teddy Hall graduate community and what to expect on your arrival to College. St. Edmund Hall is the oldest and some say the best of the 38 colleges of the University of Oxford and is known for its fun, friendly and welcoming environment. As a postgraduate student of Teddy Hall, you are officially a member of the Middle Common Room (MCR). What is the MCR? A common room serves two key purposes: it provides a social environment for all members from every discipline studying at Teddy Hall, and represents the interests of its members within the College on various College committees and within the wider university. The common room refers to both the members of the common room as well as the physical space- the actual common room.You will get a flavour of all of these parts of the College through your time at the Hall.
Transcript
St. Edmund Hall
Middle Common Room
Queen's Lane · Oxford · OX1 4AR
From the President
Oxford, Summer 2016
Dear Fresher
Hello, and welcome to St. Edmund Hall! - or Teddy Hall, as it’s more commonly known. I would like to take this opportunity to
tell you a little bit about life as a member of the Teddy Hall graduate community and what to expect on your arrival to College.
St. Edmund Hall is the oldest and some say the best of the 38 colleges of the University of Oxford and is known for its fun, friendly
and welcoming environment. As a postgraduate student of Teddy Hall, you are officially a member of the Middle Common Room
(MCR).
What is the MCR?
A common room serves two key purposes: it provides a social environment for all members from every discipline studying at
Teddy Hall, and represents the interests of its members within the College on various College committees and within the wider
university. The common room refers to both the members of the common room as well as the physical space- the
actual common room.You will get a flavour of all of these parts of the College through your time at the Hall.
The MCR is on the main College site, just off the quad at staircase 4. Upon your arrival to the Porters Lodge, you will be given
a fob (a.k.a salto key) which will give you access to the MCR, and a variety of MCR Facilities, which you will keep for your entire
stay at Teddy Hall. The MCR is a true home away from home. Inside you will find cosy chairs and couches, friendly folk to
chat with, various newspapers and magazines and free tea and coffee to help keep you going. Across the corridor is the MCR
computer room with Internet access, printers and a scanner.
From the time you arrive and throughout the year, the MCR puts on a wide variety of activities from very British high teas and
black tie dinners, to movie nights, BBQ’s, wine tastings, exchange dinners with other colleges, and various parties from the
suave and sophisticated, to the more relaxed garden party. A complimentary brunch is also served every Sunday during term
from 11 am in the Common Room at the Norham Gardens site (NSE). It is our aim to provide events that everyone can enjoy,
so if there is something you think is missing and you have a suggestion or, better still, would like to organise something yourself,
let us know and we’ll do our best to help make it happen. A schedule for all these events will be in the google calendar on the
MCR website mcr.seh.ox.ac.uk together with all other useful information about the MCR.
Formal Halls a l s o play a key part in the MCR’s social calendar. These take place on Tuesday and Friday evenings during term
time, and are an occasion for you to experience an exquisite meal prepared by our excellent chef John McGreevy served with
wine, or non- alcoholic alternatives, in the company of your fellow students. As graduate students, you may also dine at High
Table and take “second dessert” with the fellows afterwards. I would also encourage you to book a place at the even more
elaborate meal, SCR Guest Night, served in the wonderful Old Dining Hall, at some point during your time at Teddy Hall.
Clubs and Societies
There are a lot of opportunities to get involved with College life, as well as the MCR. Teddy Hall is famous for sporting
achievements and drama, as well as academic achievements. The College Freshers' Fair held during Freshers’ week will have
more information about these clubs and societies. There is also a separate University Freshers' Fair, which will let you see what
is available at Oxford at large. The MCR has numerous members in the Teddy Hall Boat Club, the hockey team, and amongst
other clubs and societies, the MCR has its very own football team.
Getting connected
Over the next few weeks you will be added to the MCR mailing list, through which College and the MCR committee regularly
advertise what's going on in the graduate community so you don't miss out on important news and event notices. Additionally, we
have set up a Facebook group to help you ask questions and meet people before you arrive – simply search for the group
“Teddy Hall MCR 2016”. The other place to keep an eye on is the notice board in the MCR for info on university events, MCR
sign-ups and other information.
Teddy Hall MCR has been a huge part of my years in Oxford and I have made some great friends from an incredibly diverse
range of geographical, cultural and academic backgrounds. We will do our best to run amazing events for you and I hope to
see you at many of them throughout the year! Even though you will be busy working hard, please try to come along. These
events are a great way to meet new people, take some time out from your work and enjoy yourself.
Finally, I would just like to say that the current MCR and our committee are greatly looking forward to meeting you! In the
meantime, please don't hesitate to contact any of us with questions or comments, during the summer or as term progresses.
With all best wishes for your time at Oxford and at Teddy Hall,
