2013

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WELCOME TO CUTH’S! ....................................................................................... 5

User’s Guide .............................................................................................................. 5

Meet the Exec - Vice-President’s Welcome ............................................................. 6

Meet the Exec - President’s Welcome ...................................................................... 8

CUTH’S HISTORY .................................................................................................. 9

Meet the Staff .......................................................................................................... 11

The SCR ................................................................................................................... 13

WHAT IS THE JCR? ............................................................................................. 13

Meet the Exec – the Treasurer’s Welcome ............................................................ 14

Our Facilities ........................................................................................................... 15 The Bars............................................................................................................... 15 The Bar Steward .................................................................................................. 15 Jobs ...................................................................................................................... 16 The Library .......................................................................................................... 16 Meet the Exec – The (Assistant) Librarian’s Welcome ........................................ 17 Gyms & Other Sporting Facilities ........................................................................ 18 Music Room ........................................................................................................ 18 Computer Rooms ................................................................................................. 19 JCRs..................................................................................................................... 19 Green Machine..................................................................................................... 19

SPORTS AND SOCIETIES ................................................................................... 20

Meet the Exec – Sports’ and Societies’ Chair’s Welcome .................................... 20 Induction Week Fair ............................................................................................ 21 New Societies ...................................................................................................... 22

SOCIAL EVENTS................................................................................................... 23

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Meet the Exec – Social Chair .................................................................................. 23 Big Events............................................................................................................ 23 Formals and Smaller Events ................................................................................ 24 Committees – Social Comm ................................................................................ 25

WELFARE .............................................................................................................. 25

Meet the Exec – Female Welfare Officer’s Welcome ............................................ 25

Meet the Exec – Male Welfare Officer’s Welcome ............................................... 26 Resident Wardens ................................................................................................ 27 Committees – Welfare Comm .............................................................................. 27 Security ................................................................................................................ 27 Health Care .......................................................................................................... 31 Contacts ............................................................................................................... 31

REPRESENTATION .............................................................................................. 31

Meet the Exec – Chair’s Welcome ......................................................................... 32

JCR Officers – The Senior Returning Officer’s Welcome ................................... 34 Committees – Standing Comm ............................................................................ 35

International Students ............................................................................................ 35

Meet the Exec – International Students Rep’s Welcome ...................................... 36 Arriving in Durham ............................................................................................. 37

Postgraduate and Mature Students........................................................................ 38

Meet the Exec – Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep’s Welcome................ 38 Committees – Postgrad Comm ............................................................................. 39 Advice from Previous Mature Students ............................................................... 39

Livers Out ................................................................................................................ 40

Meet the Exec – Livers Out Rep’s Welcome ......................................................... 40 College Families .................................................................................................. 41

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The Durham Student’s Union ................................................................................ 41

Meet the Exec – The Senior DSU Rep’s Welcome ................................................ 41 DSU Exec ............................................................................................................ 42 What does the DSU do for us? ............................................................................. 43 DSU/Team Durham Induction Week Fair ............................................................ 44

ADVICE ................................................................................................................... 44

Checklist of what to bring ....................................................................................... 44

Grants, Bursaries and Loans .................................................................................. 46

How much will University cost? ............................................................................. 47

Things we wish we’d known before coming to Durham ....................................... 48

FAQs ........................................................................................................................ 49

EPILOGUE.............................................................................................................. 51

The Rest Of Durham ............................................................................................... 51 Other Colleges and their Bars .............................................................................. 51 Eating Out ............................................................................................................ 53 Durham’s Bars ..................................................................................................... 54 Life Outside Durham ........................................................................................... 55

Useful Phone Numbers ............................................................................................ 55

Glossary ................................................................................................................... 56

Songs ........................................................................................................................ 59

Freshers’ Week ....................................................................................................... 62

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Welcome to Cuth’s! This is your education

Hello and welcome to Durham University, one of the finest Universities in the country, and to St Cuthbert’s Society, the finest collegiate body in Durham. I’m Mike, the vice-president for this year. I’ll introduce myself properly soon, but first, here are a few useful definitions to help make sure the handbook makes sense!

User’s Guide

The Small Print - Please note that this handbook is the work of members of St Cuthbert’s Society Junior Common Room (JCR). In it they will attempt to give an overview of what life is like at Cuth’s, and try to give you some idea of what will happen when you arrive. However, only minimal efforts have been made to check the accuracy of this work, so apologies in advance for any omissions/errors. If you treat it as a faultless guide to life in Durham, then on your own head be it. The views in this book in no way represent the views of Durham University or St Cuthbert’s Society. They may not even represent the views of the person expressing them. The JCR accepts no liability for any injuries caused as a result of reading this handbook (paper cuts, insanity brought on by confusion, back injuries caused by over-packing etc.). This handbook is not to be ingested, and is not suitable for use by children under the age of 16. You have been warned, so don’t sue us...

Here are a few helpful definitions to get you started:

St Cuthbert’s Society is one of the sixteen colleges of Durham University (we’ll tell you about the others later. They’re not as good). St Cuthbert’s Society is often abbreviated to Cuthbert’s or more simply Cuth’s.

What’s the difference between a Society and a College? Cuth’s was originally founded by students who did not like the rigid structure of college life. Cuth’s performs the same role as all of the other collegiate bodies – you will live, eat, socialise together and be looked after on-site by full-time Society staff – but we pride ourselves on having independence of thought and action and on always listening to our members (that’s all of you). We also pride ourselves on catering for everyone’s tastes and preferences and welcoming everyone no matter whom. Unlike the Colleges, everyone who works in the Society’s bars and library are Cuth’s students. We are immensely proud of our heritage and our name – St Cuthbert’s Society –

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reflects the nature of our introduction into the University (more on that later), and we therefore almost always refer to ‘The Society’.

What does being a Society mean to the students? It basically means that everything we do aims to include and privilege every one of our members (any student who is lucky enough to be at Cuth’s). It means that our members are encouraged to be as involved as possible and are given responsibility over the things that they want to organise and run. It also means that we welcome local, postgraduate, mature and international students, and regard them as an integral part of our JCR activities and organisation.

St. Cuthbert’s Society’s Junior Common Room (or JCR, as we’re too lazy to say the whole thing…) is an independent charity and Student’s Union, existing for the benefit of its members (which is a complicated way of saying it’s a body to look after your interests). To quote a cliché, it’s a body of students, run for students by students.

Cuth’s has two licensed club bars. One on the Bailey (referred to as ‘Cuth’s Bar’ or the ‘Bailey Bar’) and a one at Brooks House (referred to as ‘Brooks’, or occasionally ‘Brooks Café’). Events are on at both throughout freshers’ week!

‘Gratia Gratiam Parit’ – our motto. Literally translated, it means ‘Friendship begets friendship’. This refers to diversity and friendliness of Cuth’s, which has had a reputation for inclusivity and welcoming everyone in for the past one hundred and twenty odd years and we’re not about to change that any time soon!

Meet the Exec - Vice-President’s Welcome

(Brooks House, Flat I.0; cuthberts.jcr-vicepresident@durham.ac.uk)

Hello again. I hope that brief introduction will help make things a bit clearer, but if not, don’t worry, there are plenty of people you can ask to explain things! My name is Michael Foulkes, most people call me Mike or Mikey, and I will be the JCR’s Vice-President for 2013/14. So, why do I get to be the first to welcome you to Cuth’s? As Vice-President it is my job to write the Handbook that you are now reading, though luckily I’ve had quite a lot of help with this one! Make sure you read it all, there will be a test when you arrive (there won’t, but read the whole thing anyway, it’s full of good information and you won’t have anything else to do over the summer!).

The Vice-President also minutes all of the meetings of the committees and JCR, as well as sending round a weekly newsletter to let you all know what’s happening (if you want anything included in it, just drop me an email at cuthberts.jcr-vicepresident@durham.ac.uk before midday on Sundays and I’ll send the newsletter round on Sunday evenings). The Vice-President is also in charge of what’s known as

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‘stash’ – the Durham word for college clothing. There’s a section about stash at the end of the Handbook.

So, aside from being Vice-President, who am I? I’m a second year PhD student, studying 17th Century French theatre. I did my undergrad (French and German) and Masters (17th Century French theatre) at Durham, and so this is now my 7th year at Cuth’s and I still love it here! I’m also a fairly active member of the Boat Club, so if you’ve got any questions about rowing, Modern Languages, postgraduate life or Cuth’s in general, feel free to get in touch!

So before I hand over to Serge Chapman for his Presidential address, here are a few bits of advice that I couldn’t fit anywhere else in the Handbook. They’re mainly degree based, all the Cuth’s stuff comes later!

Don’t be afraid of the computer rooms or libraries. They can be a bit intimidating at first, especially if you’re not particularly good at computers. If you’re unsure about anything, just ask a member of staff – they’re always there to help!

Learn to discard information. This is difficult to do, but you can’t use all those notes in one piece of work. Keep to what is relevant, though the other notes may be useful for later revision. Also, concentrate on what you do well and enjoy.

Remember that you are here as students, so your degree should come first, but that’s not to say you need to lock yourself in your room the entire time! You’ll find it much easier to concentrate if you take some time off and meet up with people. Seeing other people is an excellent way of ensuring you don’t go crazy staring at a computer all day.

Try to get involved as much as possible. University is probably the last time you will have so many opportunities to do different things. Go to a JCR meeting, attend a debate at the Union, try a new sport, audition for a play, set up your own society. Even if you don’t like the idea of any of those, then the simplest one is just talk to someone who you would not normally have spoken to. Cuth’s is a massive melting pot of different backgrounds and you can learn something from everyone, so you’d be foolish to waste this amazing opportunity!

Right, that’s enough from me, over to someone far more important and interesting...

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Meet the Exec - President’s Welcome

(House 8; cuthberts.jcr-president@durham.ac.uk; 07919921048)

Hello everyone and welcome to St. Cuthbert’s Society! My name is Serge and I shall be your President! This year shall be my fourth in Durham having studied an undergraduate course in Anthropology over the last 3 years. I enjoyed my course but throughout my time at Durham, it has been the Junior Common Room that has given me the most joy.

The Junior Common Room is responsible for the social events, sports and societies, student welfare provision, facilities and representation that, as students at Cuth’s, you will have access to and hopefully will get as much from as I have! Flicking through these pages you will find many a student who has given up their time and energy for the benefit of other students, each helping to create a better student experience. Crucially, these people alone are not the Junior Common Room, you are. As a student of St. Cuthbert’sFa Society you are a part of the Junior Common Room, whether you hold a position on a committee, participate in or run a sport or society or just turn up to the JCR meetings, you can set the tone for what you want from your student experience. All you need do is participate!

From when it was first set up in 1888 as a “non-collegiate body”, Cuth’s was the traditional home for eccentrics, oddballs and misfits, united by their diversity and liberal attitudes. Now after 125 years, a lot has changed for us. The University employs full-time college staff, offers rooms within the University and has reduced the dogmatic rules which governed college life.

Saying that, we haven’t forgotten our roots. The JCR is as diverse as ever and we encourage students from all walks of life to find a home here at Cuths. We are also a registered independent charity, set-up for the benefit of our members, meaning we are partners of the college and University in making sure you have the best Uni experience possible. As JCR President, I am charged with this responsibility and am answerable to you. So if there is something you like and want more of, tell me and if there is something you hate and want less of, tell me.

Please check out our website, www.cuths.com for more information about Cuths and like our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Cuthsfreshers2013for regular updates on what is going on in Fresher’s week and beyond and to ask questions of our wonderful team of reps.

Other than that, I hope you have a wonderful time here, get as involved as your academic schedule will allow you to and enjoy all that Cuth’s has to offer (whilst also offering something back)!

Serge Chapman

President 2013/14

cuthberts.jcr-president@durham.ac.uk

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Cuth’s History A body of non-collegiate students in a collegiate university, it was neither a college nor not a college; it was in the University but not wholly of it

We’re very proud of our history, and the anniversary of our 125th year obviously marks a great chance to celebrate it, and we will be having loads of events throughout the year. So to get you into the spirit, here is a brief history of Cuth’s from its inception. In 1832, the University only had one college, known as University College, situated in Durham Castle. In 1846 this was followed by Hatfield Hall (previously the servants’ quarters for the Castle, a fact we like to remind them of on an all too regular basis!). Prior to 1888, a significant number of students registered for degree courses, but chose not to be allocated to a college. They were known as the ‘unattached’, because they had chosen not to attach themselves to a particular college. The unattached regularly held informal meetings at the City Tavern (now the Market Tavern). It was at one of these meetings, on 25th October 1888, that they agreed to set up St. Cuthbert’s Society with the objective of giving a dimension, other than the academic, to their lives in Durham. They therefore decided to form an association ‘with the avowed purpose of conserving their interests, and making their influence, as a separate and distinct class of students, felt in relation to the existing University Societies and Clubs; and for the purpose of overlooking and guarding their interests both individually and collectively’. This was subsequently approved by the Vice Chancellor and St Cuthbert’s became the first Society within the University of Durham. It was agreed that they should organise debates, concerts, lectures and sports teams in order to broaden the horizons of their members, who had previously only concentrated on the academic aspect of University life.

From 1888 to the beginning of the First World War, the Society had a membership of under fifty, but successfully took part in all activities of the University. During the inter-war period, membership slumped and there were several occasions where the University authorities considered closing the Society down. St. Cuthbert’s was closed for the duration of the Second World War but was re-opened in 1946 by the ‘Refounders’ (hence ‘Refounders’ House’ at Parson’s Field). They were mainly men who had served in the armed forces and wanted to complete their degree courses or had decided to take up opportunities to follow professional careers. In 1947, St. Cuthbert’s Society became the recognised designation for noncollegiate students, in other words people who had not directly applied to one of the colleges. This year also saw the appointment of a Principal with the responsibility of managing St Cuthbert’s Society. At this time, there were no permanent buildings that the students could use. Over a period of six years they moved from one set of rooms to another so that the Society could meet and members could talk to their tutors. It was during this period,

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in 1948, that a new St Cuthbert’s Society came into existence. This was the organisation recognised by the University Council as the home of non-collegiate students, with its new (though temporary) common rooms on Church Street. It was to be a body that, from its inception, was brought under the umbrella of University Council who would make provisions for its budget and be responsible for the appointment of the new academic and administrative staff. However, the inception of this new Society did not amount to the termination of the original St Cuthbert’s Society. In fact, that original Society still continues to this day in the form of what is now known as the Junior Common Room – “an association of students for the promotion of mutual benefit and welfare [that] enjoys a much greater degree of autonomy than any other JCR in the University.” (Henry Tudor, Society Historian, 1988).

In 1952 the Society obtained 12 and 13 South Bailey. Once there, St. Cuthbert’s started to expand, and by the end of the decade membership was nearly 300. The 60s, 70s and 80s were mainly consolidation years. Membership remained at 300 but the Society expanded on the Bailey and added several houses in the City to its housing stock. In 1988 it was decided that the Society should increase its membership in order to help the University expand. From 1988 to 1997 numbers increased from 300 to nearly 1200.

In 2005, St Cuthbert's Society moved towards its current state with the acquisition of three of the four Buildings at the Parsons Field Site; Refounders’ House, Fonteyn Court & Parson’s Field Court. This was the final year where some first year students were scattered all over the city in houses rented by the Society. In 2006, the construction of Brooks’ House was completed allowing for the first occasion in Society History where all first year and many returning students lived in college accommodation.

The latest chapter of the Society’s history took place in March 2011. Changes in the law meant a vote on whether to merge the JCR – the original Society – with the University, or whether to continue as an independent organisation. The members overwhelmingly voted to remain independent. To summarise what we are today, allow me to end this brief trip into the past on a quote: “The Cuthbert’s community was always mature, confident and intelligent, yet sometimes a little crazier than the other colleges!” (Norman Askew, Chairman IMI, Taylor Woodrow, Cuth’s Alumnus).

If you are interested in the history of our Society, then you can read:

St Cuthbert’s Society 1888-1988: The History of a modest but exciting institution in the University of Durham by Henry Tudor. Copies can be found in Cuth’s library or via the online stash orders.

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Meet the Staff The staff are the people behind the running of the Society, who make sure that you get your food, electricity and general peace of mind while you are here.

Principal – Elizabeth Archibald (019133 43404; e.f.archibald@durham.ac.uk) – Elizabeth is responsible for all matters relating to the management of the Society and her office is on the second floor of 12 South Bailey. She is a Professor of English who specialises in King Arthur, so if you are interested in the Arthurian legends, she is definitely the person to talk to! She has started to introduce more academic based events to Cuth’s, using her impressive contact list to find some extremely interesting guest speakers, and also introducing the ‘Senses Symposia’.

Vice Principal/Senior Tutor– Sharon Richardson (019133 43390; sharon.richardson@durham.ac.uk) – Sharon is responsible for the management of the academic support operations of St Cuthbert’s Society which include admissions, Student Support Service, discipline and the college mentor system. Her office is on the second floor of 12 South Bailey. Sharon has worked at Cuth’s for 7 years, and before that was Head of the Careers Advisory Service at Queen’s Campus.

Assistant Senior Tutor – Barbara Harrison (019133 43403; barbara.harrison@durham.ac.uk) – Barbara’s job is to work with Sharon on the Student Support Service, providing another point of contact for any welfare issues you might have, or even just the chance to have a friendly chat. Her office is on the top floor of 12 South Bailey.

Bursar and Club Secretary – Chris Finnemore (019133 43408; c.a.finnemore@durham.ac.uk) – Chris looks after the financial side of the Society, as well as directing the accommodation and catering services. You probably won’t have much to do with him, as you should contact the accountant, Bev, in relation to University or Society bills. Chris is also our elected Club secretary for our two outstanding bars, although he doesn’t have much to do with the daily running of them, which is done by the Bar Manager and Bar Steward.

Facilities Manager – Sue Cole (019133 43384; s.m.cole@durham.ac.uk) – Sue deals with all of the accommodation bits. If you have a problem with your accommodation, or need a new room key, or anything related to your accommodation, speak to Sue. Sue’s office is on the ground floor of 12 South Bailey, opposite the reception

Accountant – Beverley Garrett (019133 43385; beverly.garrett@durham.ac.uk) – Beverley is the Society’s accountant, so if you ever need to pay a bill (and you will!) or have any problems or questions regarding your bill go and see her. Her office is on the ground floor of 12 South Bailey, next to Sue’s.

Head Chef – Marc Reavley (019133 43394; marc.reavley@durham.ac.uk) – Marc is in charge of the catering, so should you have any special dietary requirements, speak to him and he will see what he can do for you.

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Food Services Manager – Dawn Purdy (019133 43396; dawn.purdy@durham.ac.uk) – Again, any issues with food, get in touch with Dawn.

Bar Manager (at time of writing, vacant) and Bar Steward- Shawnee Mark (cuthberts.bar@durham.ac.uk) – The Bar Manager and Bar Steward are responsible for the upkeep and (profitable) running of both of Cuth’s Bars (Brooks and Bailey). The Bar Steward is a sabbatical position, much like the President. However, it is a University position rather than a JCR position. That being said, both the Bar Manager and Bar Steward work extremely hard to cater for students and are always looking for feedback.

Society Chaplin – Barnaby Huish (019133 43400; cuthberts.chaplain@durham.ac.uk) – Barnaby is an Anglican parish priest with care of two churches in Durham: St Margaret's and St John's. Having read Modern Languages at Durham, he went on to study theology at Oxford and served as a priest in Darlington and St Albans before moving back to Durham.

Undergraduate Admissions Secretary – Ann Peart (019133 43387; ann.peart@durham.ac.uk) – Her office is in the reception of 12 South Bailey.

Postgraduate Admissions Secretary – Joyce Elliot (019133 43386; joyce.elliott@durham.ac.uk) – Her office is also in the reception of 12 South Bailey.

Receptionists – Joanne Franklin (Bailey am; 019133 43400; cuthberts.reception@durham.ac.uk); Margaret Thompson (Bailey pm; 019133 43400; cuthberts.reception@durham.ac.uk); Carol Philipson (Parson’s Field;; 019133 46596; carol.philipson@durham.ac.uk) – Reception on the Bailey is open from 9am-5pm, and at Parson’s Field from 10am-3pm. You can collect post from reception and they’re the people to get in touch with if you haven’t heard which room you’re in.

Porters – Wayne Turfrey, Dennis Doran, David Nichols, Clive Waites, Richie Lumley, Peter Braithwaite and Peter Ditchbourne – The porters are the people you will see all about Cuth’s, looking after the buildings and making sure that all is well and safe in your accommodation. There is 24 hour cover, 7 days a week. There will be a list of contacts for them in every house on the notice board or available at reception. They are very friendly, so if you see them around, stop and have a chat with them. The friendlier you are to them, the more likely they are to help you quickly and willingly!

Resident Wardens- Phil Bolton (Parson’s Field;; 07584364847), Bailey Resident Warden (at time of writing, vacant) (Bailey; 07584 364736) - The resident wardens work with Senior Tutor and Student Welfare Team to provide out of hours welfare support to students who may find themselves with a problem in the middle of the night. If you wish to have a chat or need to speak to someone urgently, please get in contact with your friendly resident wardens! However, if you find yourself locked out of your room or wish to make a noise complaint, please get in contact with the porters.

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Housekeeper – Mandy Patterson (019133 46593; Amanda.patterson@durham.ac.uk) – Mandy is in charge of housekeeping, so if you have any issues with your room, get in touch with her. Her office is in Refounders’ House, next door to the computer room.

Cleaning and Catering Staff – far too many of them to list by name, but suffice it to say that they are brilliant and extremely friendly. Definitely people who you want to keep onside, so make sure you are always polite and friendly to them. They do a lot of hard work which often goes unnoticed, so the occasional ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ won’t go amiss. Nor would a cup of tea or a box of chocolates at the end of term. Given the state of most student rooms and kitchens it will be the least they deserve!

The SCR

The SCR (or Senior Common Room to give them their full title) is made up of academics from the University, Fellows, College Mentors, members of the local community and alumni. They should not be confused with the Senior Management! The SCR are similar to the JCR, but their members are no longer students. Led by the SCR President - Ian Harrison, they organise many social and academic events such as Guest Nights and also Difficult Discussions. They also take a lot of responsibility for lovingly taking care of Cuth’s gardens and are always looking for students with green fingers to chip in! We do arrange joint socials with them, so you will get to meet their members and they are always worth talking to as they have a wealth of brilliant stories.

St Cuthbert’s Association

St Cuthbert’s Association is the alumni organisation for St Cuthbert’s Society. The alumni are anyone who went to Cuth’s and has now graduated. As with the SCR, you don’t need to worry about what they do just yet, but you will become members when you graduate, and will then be able to take part in all of the events they organise. If you do see any of the alumni wandering round Cuth’s, stop and say hello. They’re all very keen to relive their student days, so if you have a chat with them they will almost certainly buy you a drink!

What is the JCR? The Junior Common Room (or JCR) is the student body of Cuth’s. Unlike most of the other colleges, every student of Cuth’s (whether undergraduate or postgraduate and regardless of year, age or nationality) is a member of the JCR. You can either be a contributing member or a non-contributing member. Contributing members pay £35 per year (£105 for the 3 years of an undergraduate course), and in return for this may use all of the facilities Cuth’s has (library, gyms, common rooms, music room and bars), may join sports teams and societies, and attend formals and JCR meetings. They may also stand for any JCR position as well as proposing or seconding motions in meetings. Non-contributing members are any members who do not pay the £35. They are not allowed to use any of the JCR’s facilities, are not allowed to join a sports team or society, JCR social events or JCR meetings until they become contributing members.

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You’re probably wondering, well that’s all very well and good but what do I actually “get”? I’ll let our JCR Treasurer Ben Hamer answer that question, but first he’ll tell you a bit about himself and his role….

Meet the Exec – the Treasurer’s Welcome

(House 8; cuthberts.jcr-treasurer@durham.ac.uk)

Hi all and welcome to Durham! I’m Ben, a third year History student and the JCR treasurer. I’m also the editor in chief of Durham’s official student newspaper, Palatinate, so please direct all complaints about it to me! As Treasurer it’s my job to act as a killjoy/the sensible one and prevent everyone from spending all of the JCR’s money on frivolous things. My main job during the year is to organise the budgets for the Sports and Societies to make sure they have enough money to keep performing at the highest level.

I look forward to meeting you all in October

Ben Hamer

JCR Treasurer

Committee-Finance Comm

To help Ben, he has a group of finance gnomes, normally called Finance Comm, who are there to ensure the proper financial management of the JCR, make sure the Treasurer isn’t doing anything they shouldn’t be doing, and to make sure the JCR members don’t do anything that will financially ruin the JCR! The committee is made up of the President of the Society, the JCR’s Vice-President, the JCR’s Treasurer, and various Finance Comm members. Most of the Finance Comm members are elected at the first JCR meeting of the first term, so if you want to get involved and like looking after large amounts of money, Finance Comm is a fairly easy way in!

So what do you get from it?

The money you pay to the JCR will be spent on the JCR facilities, for example, we have recently spent £2,500 updating the music room in Fonteyn, have completely renovated the gym at Parson’s Field, and are close to completing renovation of the gym on the Bailey. The library has a large annual budget to allow them to buy any books you want, saving you from having to buy them or fight for them at the University library. The money also goes to the sports and societies and we’re proud to say we spend more money on our sports and societies than any other college. This means that you get to benefit from better and newer equipment and, thanks to the new JCR grants introduced last year, better coaching and training. The £35 also goes towards our budget for social events.

So for £35 you get – a year’s membership to two gyms;; a year’s membership to a music room; a year’s library membership with the ability to order any book you need;

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the chance to join some of the best equipped sports teams and societies in the University (though most of them do still charge additional subs, but they’re still cheaper than student memberships are elsewhere); and some of the best socials in Durham. Not to mention the chance to develop yourself personally by standing for a JCR position or getting some money to help you get on a coaching course. All of that for just £35 a year? It’s not a bad deal really!

IMPORTANT NOTE

If you are still unconvinced however and wish to opt out of the JCR please get in contact with the President, cuthberts.jcr-president@durham.ac.uk and the charge will be removed from your first accommodation bill.

Our Facilities The Bars

There is a sign above the door of the Bailey bar saying “Don’t let your degree get in the way of your education”. This basically means that while you are at University, you have a fantastic opportunity to learn about life and the wider world. Our bars are an ideal place to start learning about things other than your degree, simply by talking to as many people as possible. Who would have thought that bars could be good for your education?The person in charge of the bars is the Bar Steward, Shawnee Mark, so she’ll tell you more about them after introducing herself...

The Bar Steward

(House 12, cuthberts.bar@durham.ac.uk)

Hi, I’m Shawnee and I’m your Bar Steward for 2013-2014. Cuth’s is lucky to have two of the best and busiest college bars in Durham, and I am responsible for running them and making sure you get the most out of them. I will ensure the bars are stocked up with your favourite drinks and snacks, the sports you love are available to watch and there are plenty of events and nights to ensure your Fresher’s year is the best it can be.

The bars at Cuth's are also a great way to make some extra money whilst seeing your friends and meeting new people and I will be asking for applications in first term for students who are interested in working behind the bar.

The main thing I would like to stress is that the bar is for students and as such I’d love to hear any opinions, suggestions or comments from you guys – I would love to work closely with you to make sure the bar is the best it can be for you.

See you in Fresher’s week! x

Shawnee Mark

Society Bar Steward

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Our bars are open longer than any other college bar, which makes them a perfect place to relax in the early evening or after playing sports. Both bars open at 12:30 at the weekend, which makes them perfect if you want to watch a sporting event, or just enjoy not having any lectures! During the week Brooks opens at 3pm and has plenty of tables, making it a slightly more social place to work if you’re fed up of your room, have to do group work or just fancy a pint of Fanta and a bag of crisps while working. It’s also a very popular place for sports teams to go to ‘recover’ after their training sessions on Wednesday afternoons since the Maiden Castle sports pitches are only about 5 minutes away. The Bailey bar opens at 5 during the week. Both bars are open until 11pm from Monday-Thursday, then until midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10:30pm on Sunday. Both bars have full Sky TV packages and will show whatever people want, though if two big events clash one will be shown at Brooks and the other at the Bailey. Both bars also have new sound systems and access to Spotify and music channels. Both bars also have darts boards and pool tables, as well as a selection of board games and Itboxes to give you a chance to win some money on quiz games. On a similar note, there is a weekly Pub Quiz, held in Brooks bar on a Sunday at 8pm, which is a great chance to win some money, or just have a good time rejoicing in your collective ignorance of weird facts!

Jobs

As Shawnee mentioned, the bar always needs members of staff, and like the library, everyone who works behind one of our bars is a current student, so if you’re interested in a job, look out for an email from Shawnee asking for applications, then send her your CV. No previous experience is necessary!

The Library

Like all of the other colleges, Cuth’s has our own library (named after a former Senior Tutor, Charles Holmes) to save you trekking up to the University library and fighting to get a book out of there. Unlike any of the other colleges, our library is entirely student run and is a great way to earn some cash in your free time. If you are interested in a job at the library, send an email to cuthberts.jcr-library@durham.ac.uk or come along to the library stall at the Freshers’ Fair. We don’t currently have a Librarian, but we do have an Assistant Librarian, so over to Harriet Rawet to give you all the information you will ever need about our library...

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Meet the Exec – The (Assistant) Librarian’s Welcome

(House 8; cuthberts.jcr-library@durham.ac.uk)

Hello!

I'm Harriet and I will be your Assistant Librarian for the coming year. All the colleges have their own library and Cuth's in no exception. It's located on the ground floor of House 8 and the code to get through the front door is 512 (you have to turn the handle to the right, gets me every time). The library is only for Cuth's students so you can often find books in there that have already been snapped up in the main library, and if there's an academic book you want that we don't have, you can request it and we'll get it for you. You do this using the book request form in the library section of cuths.com.

Opening hours are 11am-8pm on weekdays and 12pm-6pm on weekends, but these are extended to 9am-9pm in exam time.

Your campus card works as your library card too so you're automatically registered. You can take out up to 15 books at a time and the standard loan time is three weeks, although some of the more popular books in the main library are only available on a shorter loan but they’ll be available in our library for 3 weeks, so you don’t need to worry about getting them back as soon! If a book is overdue you get charged 20p per

day late and if you have a fine of £5 or more you won't be able to take out any more books until you pay it off. You can only pay your fines at the main library and not at Cuth's, but if it's more than £5 then you can pay it online too. This is important because if you have outstanding library fines they won't let you graduate!

Cuth's library is run entirely by students, so if you're interested in getting a job there then just email cuthberts.jcr-library@durham.ac.uk

See you soon!

Harriet Rawet x

JCR Assistant Librarian

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Gyms & Other Sporting Facilities

Cuth’s has two gyms, both of which are now equipped with professional equipment. On the Bailey (in House 8) is the weights gym, and at Parson’s Field (in Refounders’ House) is the cardiovascular gym. Both are open throughout the day and

can be accessed via key codes. The Bailey gym is usually closed at night, and although you can still use the one in Refounders’ throughout the night, please be considerate and remember that people will be trying to sleep above it! Before you use the gym, you must be given a full induction by our Gym Manager (Andrew Rutherford), to make sure you know how everything works but more details about that will be available when you get here. Also on the sports front, we have our own tennis courts, just behind House 12 (the key is available from Reception), as well as the best college boathouse (even the other colleges say so!), and some of the best boats in Durham – up until very recently even the University Boat Club borrowed our top boat! Last year we also bought a new pool table for the Brooks JCR, which those who know about these sort of things claim is the best college pool table in Durham, as well as a new darts board at the Bailey. We also have our own croquet set, basketball and netball hoops and table tennis table, as well as providing plenty of kit for our other sports teams.

Music Room

Last year the JCR spent £2,500 refurbishing the music room in Fonteyn Court, complete with a piano, a bass head and bass cabinet, combo bass amp, guitar head and speaker cabinet, drum kit, a mini PA system and mixer, two microphones and infinite mic stands and music stands. The key is available from the porters’ office in Brooks. For the other societies, we also have a dark room on the Bailey for developing photos. Currently none of the other societies have their own dedicated room, but can freely and easily book either the conference room in House 8, or the dining hall in House 12, which is where most of the drama productions are staged.

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Computer Rooms

There are computer rooms on both sites, in Refounders’ and House 8 (by an odd quirk both are virtually next door to the gyms...), so if your laptop is broken or you don’t have a printer you can use them. As with the gyms, you can use the one in Refounders’ all the time, but House 8 may be locked at night. The computer rooms mean that you don’t have to bring a laptop with you, though it is still advisable. You won’t need a printer (though it will save you a mild amount of hassle and mean you suddenly make lots of new friends when deadlines are approaching) as we have several and all of the departments will have plenty as well.

JCRs

Both sites also have a JCR, which stands for Junior Common Room, which, as well as being the name given to the student body, is also an actual room. That’s where the pigeon holes and post lists will be displayed and also where the newspapers are kept if you want to keep abreast of what’s happening in the real world. The one at Brooks has a pool table and giant TV. Sadly the Sky deal doesn’t extend to the Brooks JCR but you can use it to play DVDs. You don’t need to book the JCR, though the pool team may be using the pool table for a match in the evenings, but unless there is a match on, the pool table can be used by anyone (it costs 30p per game). The Bailey JCR is rather short on space, but there is a TV room in House 8 if you feel like watching a DVD in the evenings.

Green Machine

The Green Machine is our name for all of the technical equipment we own, like lights, UV cannons, all of the equipment for a silent disco and various other technical things that I don’t know the name of! Fortunately we have someone more technically minded in charge of the Green Machine, but we’re always on the lookout for people to help with it, so if you’re interested in tech stuff, look out for our Green Machine Technician, Charlie Hudson, who will teach you the important life skill of being able to connect two wires together without electrocuting yourself!

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Sports and Societies Cuth’s is rightly extremely proud of its wide range of sports and societies, which cater for all tastes, needs and abilities, so whether you’re a semi-professional footballer, or someone who just likes a kick about, then sign up, because there will be something for you! In recent years, Cuth’s has regularly been one of the top two college rugby teams in the men’s game, while the ‘B’ team were in the Premiership last year. The rugby success is not limited to the men, with the women dominating their league, and regularly providing up to half of the University’s Women’s Rugby squad. Our women’s football team have also enjoyed recent success, winning the cup last year, while the men’s football team finished runners-up in the league, as did both the men’s and women’s hockey teams. The men and women’s badminton teams won their respective leagues and our men’s rowing squad were the fastest college crew throughout last year, and were the only Durham college to go to the qualifiers for Henley Royal Regatta over the summer. Our Big Band is the best in the University, and is regularly invited to perform in other colleges and for the Vice-Chancellor, while our choir have sung in Durham Cathedral, York Cathedral and Hexham Abbey. Cuth’s Drama Society perform a range of different plays throughout the year, all of which have received recent excellent reviews.

If you’re less competitive, we have several non-competitive sports teams, like the Climbing Club, and many of our sports teams will cater for the more amateur level players, as evidenced by the large number of football and pool teams, both of whom range from Premier Division ‘A’ teams, down to ‘E’ or ‘F’ teams. Or perhaps you want the opportunity to try something new at University? None of our sports teams or societies require any previous experience, so you can pick up anything from scratch or after a break. Two of the most popular sports teams for complete beginners are Ultimate Frisbee and the Boat Club, especially as rowing is a very stereotypical Durham sport! Or you might discover a talent for Art or Drama you never knew you had! Whatever your interests or level, Cuth’s can cater for you, and if we can’t then you can always start your own team or society.

Over now to the man whose job it is to oversee this plethora of teams and societies, Rich Root...

Meet the Exec – Sports’ and Societies’ Chair’s Welcome

(cuthberts.jcr-sportsandsocs@durham.ac.uk)

Welcome to Cuth’s you lucky pumpkins. I’m Rich Root and I’ll be the Sports’ and Societies’ Chair for your first year. That means I can help you get involved with all our societies and sports teams as well as making sure they all run smoothly. I’m sure you’ll soon realise that Cuth’s has better societies than all of those other pesky colleges, and you can see a list of them just over a few pages. Please get in touch with specific societies if you have questions before you arrive, or have a chat with me when you get here. See you soon!

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Rich Root

JCR Sports and Societies Chair

Induction Week Fair

This takes place during the afternoon of the second Saturday of Freshers’ Week, held in the dining hall, and is your chance to sign up for the sports and societies that interest you. All of the sports and societies will set up a table, usually with photos or bits of kit to show you exactly who they are. Some of them might also have free food... Most people usually sign up for just about everything, even if they have absolutely no experience of it, but if you do miss signing up, you can either email Rich, or have a look in both JCRs, where there is a list of email addresses for all of the sports and societies. That exact list has been meticulously copied out for you below, so if you’re really keen you can email people before you arrive!

Art Society elizabeth.ricketts@durham.ac.uk

Badminton Club j.k.m.tsang@durham.ac.uk

Basketball Club j.j.fenney@durham.ac.uk

Big Band j.d.somerton@durham.ac.uk

Boat Club (Rowing) cuthberts.boatclub@durham.ac.uk

Choir natasha.richardson@durham.ac.uk

Christian Union rebekah.prince@durham.ac.uk

Climbing Club a.r.bloom@durham.ac.uk

Cricket Club (Men’s) joseph.snow@durham.ac.uk

Cricket Club (Women’s) joseph.snow@durham.ac.uk

Cuth’s Real Ale and Cider Appreciation Society

cuth.aleandcider@durham.ac.uk

Darts Club

Drama Society l.r.morrell@durham.ac.uk

Football Club (Men’s) george.goldhagen@durham.ac.uk

Football Club (Women’s) s.a.appleton@durham.ac.uk

Hockey Club (Men’s) alexander.kirton@durham.ac.uk

Hockey Club (Women’s)

Mixed Lacrosse Club

Netball Club elisa.beeley@durham.ac.uk

Pool Club james.horne@durham.ac.uk

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Rugby Union Club (Men’s) s.e.cuthbert@durham.ac.uk

Rugby Union Club (Women’s) miriamgannon@googlemail.com

Squash Club j.a.mitchison@durham.ac.uk

Tennis Club k.c.lam@durham.ac.uk

Ultimate Frisbee Club edmund.barry@durham.ac.uk

Most of the sports and societies will also have a Facebook page or group (called something fairly obvious if you want to search for it) so you can also try contacting them that way and a few may even have Twitter pages!

New Societies

So, you’ve had a look round the fair, but couldn’t find the sport or society you were looking for? Well, not to worry, you can always start it yourself! To do this you’ll need to submit a motion to a JCR meeting (we usually have two or three a term) and you’ll need to get fourteen people to support you (it sounds like a lot, but shouldn’t be too difficult, since there are about 1,300 students in Cuths...). To make things a bit clearer, here’s a recent motion that helped to create a new society to illustrate the process:

This JCR Notes [this section tells everyone the current situation]

The lack of a society dedicated to appreciating the wonder and magic of cider and ale

The wide range of lager, spirits and “alcopops” available at Cuths Bar The love for Ale and Cider that burns in the heart of some students The ability of students to create societies and clubs for the benefit of

students of the society

This JCR Believes [this section is why the current situation should be changed]:

The students of St. Cuthbert’s Society would benefit from a society dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Ale and Cider in Cuth’s Bars and in external events

This JCR resolves [and this section is how we want to change it]

To create the Cuths Ale and Cider Appreciation Society for the promotion and appreciation for Ale and Cider.

Proposed by: SC

Seconded by: RK, LM, AM, BA, CC, KM, BS, LT, AT, BR, KR, AR, SR, RG (so this shows the 14 people who seconded the motion, there’s nothing to stop you having more than 14 seconders though).

If you do want to set up a new society or have any questions about it, send an email to Rich (cuthberts.jcr-sportsandsocs@durham.ac.uk) who will help you through all of the steps, especially as he’s very keen to increase the number of societies we have, so will be eager and happy to help!

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Social Events You will of course need something to help you relax from all the hard work you have to do and from all of the sports & societies stuff you’ll be doing when not in lectures. Happily, Cuth’s has one of the best social calendars of the whole University, so over now to our master of ceremonies, the Social Chair, Gabriel Currie

Meet the Exec – Social Chair

(cuthberts.jcr-social@durham.ac.uk)

Kia ora and welcome to Cuthbert’s – probably the best college in the world. I’m Gabe and I’m your Social Chair! Congratulations on your results and place here – now we begin the fun.

But first, a bit about me: I’m a fourth year Spanish student, so I spent last year in various corners of the world reliving the gap yah I never had. In what little spare time I have I like walking up mountains, Due South (yes, you can borrow the box set), going to Klute, appreciating terrible music, and running around Yorkshire with the Army.

My job as social chair is to organise and run the many social events in college this year, beginning of course with Freshers’ Week 2013. With the help of the wonderful team of freshers’ reps, you will be introduced to all that is great and good about Cuths, University and Durham. We’ve got loads of great events planned which should cover most people’s tastes, so do come down and meet everyone.

It’s not just about Freshers’ Week. With the help of the elected Social Committee I’ll be putting on acoustic nights in the bar, formals in the dining hall, balls, feasts, parties, college nights in town, silent discos, as well as Cuth’s Day: our very own music festival. There really is something for everyone.

I’ll be around all week so please do come say hi, and join me for a drink in one of our wonderful bars. If you have any questions (before, during or after freshers’) then please contact me via the email above.

I hope you have a truly awesome time not just during this week but for the rest of your time here;; remember: Durham firmly believes your degree shouldn’t get in the way of your education. Good luck.

Gabe Currie

JCR Social Chair

Big Events

Cuth’s organises one big event per term, the Winter Ball (22nd Nov) just before Christmas, the

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Feast of St Cuthbert (28th Feb) just before Easter, and Cuth’s Day (21st June) after exams. The Winter Ball is a formal meal held in an external venue and the Feast is another formal, held in Cuth’s. Both also have events afterwards so if you don’t want to go to the meal (or more likely, can’t get a ticket as they sell out fast!) you can still go along to the events afterwards. Cuth’s Day is the big event of the year that everyone can go to as the capacity is not limited in the way it is for formal meals. Cuth’s Day is your chance to celebrate the end of exams. It’s held in the gardens on the Bailey, the Bailey bar is open from 10am, and we’ve got two stages featuring music from current Cuth’s students and big name groups, for instance in recent years we’ve had Yadi, 5ive, Mr Hudson and S Club!

Formals and Smaller Events

Obviously we don’t just have the three big events, we also organise a wide variety of events, whether they’re themed (like Chinese New Year, Halloween, Valentine’s Day), formal meals or something slightly more intellectual!

Formals are black tie dinners, where you wear a posh suit and bow tie or a full length evening dress (if you’ve ever seen a film set in a casino, you’ll be wearing what they’re wearing).

We have a large number of formals planned (18 in total) starting from your first few days in Durham and going right the way through to mid-June. We normally have two a month (so one a fortnight, usually held on

Wednesdays) but in October we will be having one every week, so you will have plenty of opportunities to get some wear out of your dinner jackets or posh frocks! For those of you who want to be organised, or just want to start filling up your diary, the dates of the formals in first term will be:

September 26th (for International and Postgraduate students); October 3rd (Undergraduate Freshers); October 9th; October 16th (the Prize Giving Formal); October 23rd (the Foundation Formal); October 30th, November 13th; November 27th; December 10th and 11th (the two Christmas Formals).

Last year Cuth’s started to focus on providing some more academic based events mainly, but not exclusively, for Postgraduates. We introduced the Research Forums, at which postgraduates get to talk about the research they’re currently doing, and a spin off from that in which final year undergraduates are given one powerpoint slide and five minutes to talk about their dissertation. We also had several guest speakers come in to talk on topics ranging from the Northern Lights to Speech Writing, as well as the inter-disciplinary ‘Senses Symposia’, at which people from different fields talked about a sense from their particular viewpoint. These are all things that we hope to continue this year, beginning with talks on Sunday, October 6th at the Bailey,

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starting at 8pm. If you would like to talk at one of these events, then please get in touch with the Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep(currently held by the President). If you don’t feel like you’re at a stage where you could present anything yet then come along anyway, the talks are a brilliant way to find out what other people are doing, and you might find there’s some overlap to what you’re working on! While the speakers are almost always Postgrads or invited guests, undergraduates are invited along as well and last year we had a brilliant turn out of Freshers at all of the talks. So if you’ve come to University to actually learn something (a shocking idea...) then these talks will be perfect for you!

Committees – Social Comm

Now clearly Gabe can’t organise all of the amazing events Cuth’s has and do a degree and remain sane, without a bit of help. So he has a committee made up of a Major Events Manager (who helps organise the big events like the Winter Ball and Cuth’s Day), a Sponsorship Officer, a Formals Manager (who is in charge of the events in Cuth’s), a Publicity Officer, a Photography Officer and various Reps for each year group from first years through to postgraduates. All of these are elected in the first JCR meeting of the first term, so if you’re interested in helping to make sure the socials are run well, or thought that the events in Freshers’ Week were so good you have to help keep things at that standard throughout the year, then get in touch with Gabe and run for a position on Social Comm!

Welfare Your welfare is obviously a key concern, we want to make sure you have as good a time as possible at Cuth’s, which is why, in addition to the staff support, we also have two JCR Welfare Officers. They are there to provide a confidential signposting service and will also anonymously provide condoms through the Condom Fairy. They are both ‘on-duty’ from 8am-8pm, which means they can be contacted via mobile or though a face-to-face meeting. You can of course get in touch with them after 8pm, but please bear in mind that they have to study for their own degrees as well & need some free-time, so if you do need to talk to someone after 8pm, get in touch with the Resident Wardens. Durham also has Nightline, a confidential, non-advisory, anonymous phone service run by students who can be contacted between 9pm and 7am. More on the Resident Wardens in a minute, but first a few words from our JCR Welfare Officers, Eleanor Harby and Luke Talbot.

Meet the Exec – Female Welfare Officer’s Welcome

(Brooks House, Flat I.0.1; Mobile 07503 429 158; cuthberts.jcr-femalewelfare@durham.ac.uk)

Hello, freshers! I'm Eleanor Harby, a second year psychology student. I will be your female welfare officer for this year. "What does that mean?" I hear you whisper with excitement and anticipation. Basically, I'm available to listen to any problems you might have and signpost you to the right places. Of course, the weekly

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drop-in sessions I’ll be holding aren't exclusively for personal or academic problems. If you want a good old rant or even just a friendly chat, come on by! I have free chocolate!! You'll be seeing me around in fresher's week. I'll be the one serving water and toast as well as busting out some sweet moves in the silent disco (#Welflair). I’ll be around throughout the year to listen to any problems you might have, whatever they are BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WELFARE IS FOR!!! I shall wait with bated breath for your arrival.

Eleanor Harby

JCR Female Welfare Officer

Meet the Exec – Male Welfare Officer’s Welcome

(Mobile 07584 048 694; cuthberts.jcr-malewelfare@durham.ac.uk)

My name is Luke Talbot, I am a third year Natural Sciences student and I am going to be your Male Welfare Officer in the coming academic year. I see Eleanor has already introduced herself and the role of the Welfare Officers so I won’t bore you and go through it twice! I will be around in Fresher’s Week, so feel free to come and say hi!

Along with Eleanor, I will be holding weekly drop-in sessions- twice the chance to come and see one of us if ever you need to! Throughout the year, we will be running various campaigns so keep an eye out.

Hope you are all having a good summer and cannot wait to see you all!

Luke Talbot

JCR Male Welfare Officer

Condom Fairy

As well as running Drop-Ins and Campaigns, both welfare officers carry a plethora of sexual health supplies (condoms, lube, pregnancy tests etc.) that are free of charge to use. This service is affectionately known as The Condom Fairy. You can get access to these by getting in contact with either welfare officer via email with a preferred way of dropping these off to you. However practicing safe sex isn’t just about having the right protection and taking the right precautions, it is also about asking whether you are doing something you’re comfortable with and whether you’re doing it with the right person. Many students come to university with very little sexual experience and our advice is to wait till, at the very least after, Freshers’ Week before making decisions to get involved in the sexual side of life (if at all)! That being said both welfare officers and resident wardens are on standby to talk to confidentially about any concerns you may have.

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Resident Wardens

The Resident Wardens are two members of University Staff who live in Cuth’s and are paid to offer out of hours welfare support (in other words from 8pm to 8am). Phil Bolton is the resident warden at Parson’s Field (Mobile 07584 364 847), and lives in Brooks House Flat D3.1, and combines his resident warden work with his day job as a teaching fellow in the German department. The bailey warden (Mobile 07584 364 736) lives in House 8. The previous Bailey resident warden left in July (for a job in Stockton of all places!) and the college staff are currently in the process of hiring someone to take over. At the time of going to press (I’ve always wanted to say that...) we don’t know who will be the resident warden for the Bailey but we do know that they will be in place by the time you get here! Both of them will be delighted to have a chat with you, whether it’s about welfare or you just want to talk. Their mobile phone numbers are also on display around both sites, so if you do need any support after 8pm, get in touch with them.

Committees – Welfare Comm

Welfare Comm’s job is to ensure the smooth running of the JCR’s Welfare Support Structure, and to raise awareness of all of the campaigns being run. The Welfare Comm is made up of the President of the Society, the JCR’s Vice-President, the two JCR Welfare Officers, and two JCR Assistant Welfare Officers, one male and one female as well as the LGBTa (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Officer and Students with Disabilities Officer. Welfare Comm can then recruit Welfare sub-officers, who help them but aren’t members of Welfare Comm.

For this year the Assistant Female Welfare Officer is Sam Tobin and the LGBTa Officer is Hannah Wade. The positions of Assistant Male Welfare Officer and the Students with Disabilities Officer are both still open.

Security Durham is a safe and secure city – but please be sensible about your safety! As with any place, Durham can have its problems and it is very important you take care of yourself and your belongings; if you follow your common sense, this should be easy. Try not to walk alone at night. Walk home in groups, or get a taxi. Or the DSU-run Nightbus runs every night from 9pm to 3am, has stops all over the city and only costs 50p. If you do walk home, keep to well-lit streets and don’t walk along the riverbanks. DSU have a supply of Attack alarms for sale at around £2. They are small and discrete and can be put in a handbag (if you have one, carry it with you!). Don’t have an attitude of ‘It won’t happen to me!’ Everyone should carry them, as they can be enough to frighten away an attacker. Room/Building Security When you are in your accommodation always be alert. NEVER leave your room unlocked, even when you just pop out for a few seconds. ALWAYS lock your door!

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-Don’t leave your keys in the door or lying around. -When you go out close all your room windows: if a lock is fitted, use it. -Be aware of strangers in/around your accommodation and never let anyone in unless you know who they are and are sure they are supposed to be in the accommodation. If you have any doubts, you should call the Society’s staff (0191 3343400) or porters (0191 33 43470). -Ensure that you lock the main entrance to your accommodation and encourage others to do the same. -Avoid putting your name or room number on your key ring in case they get lost or stolen. (If your key comes with a tag with this information on, take the tag off!) -Use fire exits only in an emergency, not as a short cut. -Report any suspicious activities and strangers to the Society staff (0191 3343400) or porters (0191 33 43470), University Security (0191 3342222) or the Police (0345 60 60 365). Keeping your Stuff Safe -The most commonly stolen items from student accommodation are TVs, videos, hi-fi gear (including CDs), and your computers. -Never leave your valuables on open view: keep them out of sight if you can. -Do not leave your valuables in communal areas – these areas are often very easy to get into and things have gone missing in the past. -Obtain insurance cover for your valuables or check your parents’ home insurance to see if you are covered under their policy. -List all your valuable property and note serial numbers and descriptions; if your gear is stolen your insurers will need this information. -Consider marking your property with a post-code; the cheapest method is by using an ultra-violet pen. A property-marking scheme will be organised by the JCR and the Police. Use it! (See Marking Your Property section below.) -Stickers are available to say that your property has been marked. Remember criminals want their job made easy – so thieves do not like identifiable property. -Report any theft or loss immediately to the Police and University Security. If the item is insured, you will need to provide a police record to make your claim. Cash -Look after your cash, chequebook, cash cards and credit cards. -Avoid carrying large quantities of cash. -Keep your cheque card and chequebook in separate places. -Keep your PIN number to yourself. Don’t write it down. -Don’t leave purses and wallets lying around. -Look after your purse and wallet, especially in a crowded place. A wallet in a back pocket is an easy target for a thief. -Sign your credit and bankcards immediately upon receiving them. -When using cash machines try to go in daylight hours. Go with a friend if possible. -Look around before inserting your card/entering your PIN and do not count your money in full view of strangers. -Report any theft or loss immediately to your Bank and the Police. Out on the Town -When you go out, take extra care of your belongings. -Do not leave your bag (keep it fastened), purse or wallet unattended.

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-If you’re in a café, bar or restaurant, hook your foot or a chair leg through the straps of your bag to prevent it being snatched. Always keep an eye on it – DON’T hang it on the back of your chair. -When you’re shopping and trying on clothes, keep an eye on your bag. -Be aware of pickpockets. -Again, if you have anything stolen, report it to the Police as soon as you can. -If drinking, don’t get so smashed you don’t know where and who you are. -Keep an eye on your drink. Getting your drink spiked is not common but it does happen. -If you suspect you are being followed, head to a public place – bars and clubs will often have people inside cleaning up who will usually be fine with you waiting there or using their phone if you explain your situation to them. Getting Around -When using a taxi, always sit in the back behind the driver. Also, be wary of getting into a car which is ‘child-locked’ and never be afraid to demand to be let out. If the driver stalls or refuses, call the police. -If you are female and travelling alone, you can explain your situation to the taxi firm and possibly get bumped up the list. -Each taxi in Durham has a two digit number displayed on it – this identifies the car and driver. Make a note of it before you get in the taxi. -Avoid out of the way bus stops and quiet areas of bus stations and railway stations. -Sit as close to the bus driver as possible. -If you are pestered by someone on a train or a bus, complain to the driver or guard. -Never hitch-hike or accept lifts from strangers. (Unless it’s for DUCK on a sponsored hitch-hike – and even then, use your common sense!) Your Bike -Always lock your bike when you leave it, even if it is only for a minute or so. -Solid locks, such as a D-Lock are far better than chains. -Fasten it to something solid, e.g. a bike rack, lamp post or railing – but don’t leave it where it will get in the way. Try to use the provided cycle racks. -Don’t leave it unattended in the city area at night, even if it is secure. -Postcode it. -Wear protective headgear and bright colours whilst cycling. -Use lights in poor visibility and when it is dark. -Remember, a lot of Durham City Centre is pedestrianised – so do not ride your bike in these areas. University Security -The University provides a specialist Security Service. As a student you will have their protection and they can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0191 3342222 -You can now also contact the Police’s University Liaison Officer PC. Philip Raine on 0345 6060365. -If you have a crime committed against you while on University property, report all details to Security in addition to the Police and Society staff. -Always carry your campus card. It is not only essential for using many of the University’s services;; it is also required under the University’s regulations. Be ready to produce your card if requested by the Security staff or other authorised persons.

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-UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS STATE THAT YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE IDENTIFICATION IF REQUESTED TO DO SO WHILE IN UNIVERSITY PROPERTY. -The University operates a Community Liaison Patrol and a Community Hotline which residents and students can use to report problems involving students. -Upon receipt of a report the Community Liaison Patrol will deal with the matter as quickly as possible, attending the location if necessary. -The Patrol (and other members of University staff) have the authority to request that individuals believed to be members of the University identify themselves. -If you need Security assistance – telephone Internal 2222 or External (i.e. from mobiles) 0191 3342222 -If you need the Community Liaison Patrol – telephone 0191 334 2222. Property Marking -Mark it to keep it – make thieves think twice! – property marking is your second line of defense against thieves. -Nobody wants to be burgled and lose their valuable property, so property marking has to make sense. It’s a way in which you can help the police to protect you by deterring burglars and tracing more stolen property. -Deter would-be thieves by marking your property with your own postcode and your house or flat number (or the first two letters of the name of your house). Then, if your property is stolen it will be much easier to trace, as it can be positively identified as yours. -If you move, just place an ‘X’ at the end of your old postcode and mark your property again with your new postcode, as described above. -Take a good look around your room. Consider all the things you would be sorry to lose or find hard to replace, then mark them! Remember that anything remotely useful or attractive is resalable. -For instance, all your electrical and mechanical goods, household appliances, furniture, pictures, ornaments, CDs and tapes, in fact anything can be a target of thieves. -Permanent marking: Engraving and punching identifies your property for good. Inexpensive tools and kits for the job can be bought from DIY shops and ironmongers. Improvising by scratching to save yourself the outlay is acceptable but might need a little extra care. -Punching with a hammer and a set of punches bearing marking information. Use only on heavier metal – items such as bicycles. N.B. Aluminium is easily damaged by punching and should not be marked in this way. -Invisible marking: For valuable property which might be devalued or spoiled by visible marking, there’s an invisible ultra-violet marker. Burglars cannot see it, but if something marked is stolen the police can identify it with a special ultraviolet lamp. UV markers are available from the President and Livers Out Rep free of charge. It’s important to remember that UV marking fades and will need to be renewed every so often. -Where you mark your property matters – particularly if you are using the engraving method. If you prefer the mark to remain out of sight, you’ll obviously choose somewhere behind or underneath the article. The really important thing to remember

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is to select a surface that can’t be removed without spoiling the basic appearance or performance of the article. -Burglars hate marked property – so use ‘Marked property’ stickers: It pays to have these visible. Place tickers strategically – anywhere a burglar might force an entry. They are an effective deterrent, and are available free from the Durham Police Station. Health Care University Health Centre or Claypath Medical Practice Green Lane 26 Gilesgate Durham Durham DH1 3JX DH1 1QW Tel: 0191 386 5081 Tel:0191 333 2830 When you arrive in Durham, you should register with the University Health Centre. On the Tuesday of Freshers’ Week there will be a medical registration at Brooks from 2:30pm-5:30pm, so that is your best chance to do it, though if you can’t make that, you can also just go along to the Health Centre and do it there. Contacts Society staff - 0191 33 43400 Porters - 0191 33 43470 University Security and Community Liaison Patrol - 0191 33 42222 The Police - 0345 60 60 365 University Health Centre - 0191 386 5081 JCR Welfare Officer (Female) – 07503 429 158 JCR Welfare Officer (Male) – 07584 048 694 Resident Warden (Bailey) – 07584 364 736 Resident Warden (Parson’s Field) – 07584 364 847

Representation Right, now that you’ve heard what your membership of the JCR will get you, it’s time to hear how the JCR is run. And before you skip this section, it’s actually very important because it will let you know who to go to if you’ve got a problem and how to go about solving it!

How is the JCR run? Essentially like a democratic government. Each year students are elected to positions on the executive committee (or Exec) to fulfil specific roles. They then carry out these roles for one academic year, and report back to you at the JCR meetings, which happen two or three times a term, and are held in the Bailey bar. Any contributing member of the JCR may attend the JCR meetings (and you’re all strongly encouraged to come along!), where we discuss issues relating to Cuth’s and try to improve things for current and future students. At the meetings, the Exec will report on what they’ve done since the last meeting, and you can ask them (relevant) questions. Motions will also be submitted, discussed, possibly amended and then voted on. At this stage you’re probably wondering how a bunch of disorganised students manage to have an organised meeting. Well, the JCR Chair is elected specifically to keep the meetings to order and to be impartial in all

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discussions. This seems like the opportune moment to introduce the person tasked with this difficult role, so over to Cressida Peever...

Meet the Exec – Chair’s Welcome

(cuthberts.jcr-chair@durham.ac.uk)

My name is Cressida Peever and I am your JCR Chair for the year! I am a final year English Lit student, interested in journalism and theatre. My role ensures that JCR meetings run smoothly, fairly and in line with the constitution, and it is also my responsibility to encourage as many of you as possible to come to meetings and give your opinion about how Cuth’s is run. If you have any questions about the JCR, or even anything at all, please contact me and I’ll endeavor to answer your questions to the best of my ability!

Cressida Peever

JCR Chair

So, you’ve heard from Cressida, and been enthused with a desire to attend a JCR Meeting. What should you do? Well, it’s very simple. All you have to do is keep an eye out for posters or emails telling you the date of the next meeting (our first meeting of this year is provisionally scheduled for October 14th), then head along to the Bailey bar at the appointed time (usually 7:30pm). Then after the meeting you can hang around for a couple of drinks and a chat.

Supposing you want to change something in Cuth’s? In that case you’ll need to submit a motion to a JCR meeting. This sounds intimidating, but again in reality it’s simplicity itself! Motions have three steps – This JCR Notes (state some facts); This JCR Believes (your opinion); This JCR Resolves (what you want to do). Here’s an example from a previous meeting to make things a bit clearer:

JCR Improvement Motion

I. This JCR Notes: [these are the facts]

- That the condition of the House 8 TV room has deteriorated over the past few years and is in need of refurbishment

- That Brooks JCR, while in a better condition, could also use some improvements

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II. This JCR Believes: [this is why those facts should be changed]

- Improvements to both the House 8 TV room and the Brooks JCR would create better social areas on both sites and provide a nice place where JCR members can relax with friends outside of the bar

III. This JCR Resolves: [this is how we want to change them]

- To spend up to £5,000 on improvements to both the House 8 TV room and the Brooks JCR

Every motion needs a proposer and a seconder. The proposer will briefly speak on behalf of the motion to explain it, and answer any questions. The motion will then be discussed, and changes may be suggested. So in the above example, someone might have suggested that £5,000 was too much and we should spend less. This is known as an amendment. Someone who suggests an amendment it is not opposed to the motion, but merely wants to change it slightly. Amendments are voted on separately, and if passed will become part of the motion. If there are no further amendments, then the motion itself will be voted on. If there is no opposition, the motion may be passed on a ‘general aye’ (everyone shouts ‘aye’ if they agree). If there is opposition, someone will speak against the motion, and we will then vote by a show of hands.

All of this sounds quite complicated, but in reality it’s not, it’s just hard to explain! The easiest way to understand motions and meetings is to come along to one, watch and ask questions. If you do have questions, everyone on the Exec adores this sort of thing (we wouldn’t be on the Exec if we didn’t love JCR Meetings!), so will be very happy to talk to you about it.

The first motion that we have to discuss at the first JCR meeting is this:

Re-painting the Weights Gym

I. This JCR Notes

-The crumbling paintwork in the Bailey Weights Gym

-The large proportion of men who use the Gym relative to the few women who use the gym due to the “atmosphere of masculinity”

II. This JCR Believes - If the gym looked more presentable, members would treat it with greater

respect. - That women should feel just as comfortable in the gym as men.

III. This JCR Resolves

- To repaint the gym to make it a more attractive space - To repaint the gym pink so as to make the space less masculine.

Proposed by Serge Chapman Seconded by Mike Foulkes

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If you have an opinion on this motion and wish to voice it (after-all, it’s your money and your gym), please attend the first meeting on the 14th of October.

The other thing that happens in JCR meetings is elections. We have a separate person who runs those, called the Senior Returning Officer or SRO, who takes over from the Chair for elections. As there aren’t always elections, the SRO has less responsibility than the Chair, so is a JCR Officer, but is not on the Exec. Time for them to introduce themselves, so step forward Lydia Morrell

JCR Officers – The Senior Returning Officer’s Welcome

(cuthberts.jcr-sro@durham.ac.uk)

Hi! I'm Lydia Morrell, a second year Anthropology student and your Senior Returning Officer. Essentially, this means that I organise JCR elections- your chance to vote for the students who manage different parts of Cuth's. Everyone you'll hear from in this booklet has been voted into their position, and my job is to make sure that elections are fair.

In the first JCR meeting of term (it'll probably be on October 14th, but trust me- you'll know about it when the time comes!) several positions that Freshers usually run for will be elected. You'll hear more from me about what these roles are and how to run in due course, but if you're interested and want to know more, feel free to get in touch! Holding a position in first year is a great way to get involved in the JCR and college life in general. Can't wait to meet you all!

Lydia x

JCR Senior Returning Officer

In Cuth’s we have three election methods, which are as follows:

Method (i) – a week long process, with nominations normally closing at midday on the Monday. Candidates need a proposer and seconder, an A4 manifesto and 20 posters. There are also husts held on a Tuesday evening in the Bailey bar. Voting opens at midnight following the husts and remains open until 4pm on Friday, and is carried out via an online system. Every contributing member of the JCR has a Single Transferable Vote (STV – I’ll explain it more fully later). The results are announced at 5pm in the bar, except for the results of the Presidential election, which are announced from the balcony of House 8.

Method (ii) – forms are handed out and collected at the JCR meeting at which the election will occur. A proposer and seconder are needed, but nothing else. The names of the candidates are read out and those at the meeting will be asked if there is a call to hust. If the call to hust is made (or there are more candidates than positions), there will be a hust, followed by a vote held at the meeting by a show of hands.

Method (iii) – this method is reserved for those special positions and awards unique to Cuth’s. Nominations are made by the names of candidates being shouted from the floor. The Chair will then call out the name of each candidate, and the members present shall cheer for the winner of their choice. It is then left to the Chair’s discretion who the winner will be (according to the Standing Orders “The Chair’s

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judgement shall be wholly questionable and open to disagreement, argument, heckling and physical onslaught”).

There are quite a few positions available for next year, which you can run for at the first JCR meeting of the year. Sadly you are all ineligible for two of them (Librarian and Assistant Bar Steward, since you have to have worked in the library/bar for at least two terms before you can run), but can run for all of the other positions. These are: Postgraduate and Mature Students Rep; JCR Stool; Junior Returning Officer; DUCK (Durham University Charities Kommission) Rep; Webmaster; Music Room Manager; Junior DSU Reps and roles on various committees like Social Comm, Finance Comm, Standing Comm and Postgraduate Comm. If you are interested in a position then get in touch with Cressida, Lydia or Serge and they’ll point you in the right direction.

Committees – Standing Comm

Standing Comm’s job is to interpret the JCR’s governing documents, to investigate complaints against the JCR, advise the JCR on motions and to advise the SRO in matters pertaining to elections. Essentially, they have to check that everything the JCR is doing is in accordance with our constitution and standing orders. Standing Comm is made up of the President of the Society, the JCR Vice-President, the JCR Chair, the JCR SRO, the JCR Stool (the Chair’s deputy), and three Junior Returning Officers. The three JROs are elected in the first meeting of the new academic year, so if you want to get involved straight away, this is an excellent way to get right into the heart of things without having too much responsibility.

Trustees

As previously mentioned (only three or four times…), Cuth’s JCR is an independent charity that works in partnership with the University. Although the JCR members and JCR Executive committee run a large proportion of day to day college life, just like any other charity we have a Trustee Board who is legally and financially responsible for the Junior Common Room. The Trustee Board is made of alumni, specialists, the president and current students who are elected via Method (i). While the position carries a heavy and scary amount of responsibility it is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about management, budgeting, human resources and legal requirements when running a charity. They have the ultimate say in how the JCR is run (although will not step in except under special circumstances) so are well worth a mention. If you have any questions or interest about being a trustee, please get in contact with the president; cuthberts.jcr-president@durham.ac.uk.

International Students

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Welcome to Durham and England! If all of this talk about ‘colleges’, ‘common rooms’ and ‘societies’ has left you feeling confused, then don’t worry! Unfortunately they are all quite difficult to explain unless you’ve had some experience of them, but basically, Cuth’s will look after the non-academic side of your time at University, from accommodation to social life and your well-being. Having said that, the easiest way to find out what a college is, is to get as involved as possible in what we do! You could try something typically English, like cricket or rowing, or something you’re more familiar with. Or just sit in the bar and meet people from a different culture. Traditionally Cuth’s has always been the most welcoming college for everyone, regardless of their background, and that’s a reputation that we’re keen to keep up! So don’t worry, everyone is incredibly friendly and more than happy to chat, but if you do have any questions or issues, the International Student’s Representative is there to help you out. Over to Catherine Ainsley...

Meet the Exec – International Students Rep’s Welcome

(cuthberts.jcr-international@durham.ac.uk)

Hi Freshers! My name is Catherine Ainsley and I am your International Students Rep for this year!

I am originally from England but grew up in America and Singapore and therefore know how it feels to live in a new country and the need to have a family type support system here in Durham.

Cuth’s is one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in Durham and during your time here you will be meeting fellow students from all over the world. As your International Rep my task is to represent you, solve your issues and speak in the interests of all the international students in Cuth’s. I

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will make sure that the international students get the help they need to make the transition as smooth as possible and make their time here in Durham into a great experience.

So if you are feeling homesick, need help coping with linguistic or cultural barriers, or just want to hang out with other international students for awhile, I am the person to come to!

Throughout the year I will organize social activities and events to further help this transition into Durham social life, both specifically for Cuth’s and alongside the university wide ISA (International Students Association). If you have any questions, issues or ideas, do not hesitate to get in touch. I am looking forward to meeting you all, international or non-international, and hope you enjoy your first year in Durham and at St Cuthbert’s Society.

Catherine Ainsley

JCR International Rep

Arriving in Durham

When you arrive in Durham you will have a few things to sort out, but don’t worry, we’ll give you plenty of help! You’ll need to register with the college, get your passport/visa checked and collect a campus card, all of which can be done any time from 9am-5pm from Wednesday-Friday, so you’ve got plenty of time, and we’ll make sure there’s someone around to show you where to go. It’s probably also a good idea to set up a bank account and get a British mobile phone (or sim card) as it will be cheaper for you in the long term. With phones, try to either get a sim card for your existing phone, or buy a cheap phone as it’s not really worth getting an expensive one that you can’t use when you get home. Most banks will offer student accounts but might need to see proof that you are a student, so you might need to wait until you’ve got your campus card before setting one up. You’ll probably need your visa and passport a lot during the first few days but after that you won’t need it very much so it’s usually safest left in your room, though you might need some form of identification to buy alcohol, cigarettes or get into nightclubs. Lastly, language problems. The main thing if you are having issues communicating is not to panic or get frustrated! If you are having issues in lectures, the University’s English Language Centre offer a range of courses to help you improve. If you’re having problems in day-to-day life then the School of Modern Languages offer a tandem partner scheme where you get partnered up with someone who wants to learn/practise your native language and you can arrange between you how best to work. Or you can just practise on people you live with!

Before we move on to the next section, just a quick word on College Families. These get discussed at more length later on, but essentially they are where two second year students look after Freshers who study the same subject as them, and this includes international students. They are well worth getting involved in since they help you to meet new people from different backgrounds who can help you deal with life at Durham whether you need help settling in to English life or just working out what the lecturers expect from you.

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You will also be provided with an International Family, who will be much like your College Family but made up of people from different parts of the world who will be invaluable for finding out more about adjusting to a different culture. The first event for International Families is Saturday 23rd October at Brooks Bar at 8pm.

Postgraduate and Mature Students Cuth’s has always had a tradition of welcoming and including everyone, so unlike most other colleges, we don’t have a separate Middle Common Room for Postgraduates, as we don’t like the idea of segregating them away, so instead we make sure the Junior Common Room can cater for any needs they might have. So if you are a postgraduate or a mature student, join in with all of the Induction Week events, but if they aren’t all to your taste, then make sure you at least go to the Sports and Societies Fair. The Sports and Societies are open to anyone who has paid their JCR Membership fee, so if you’ve played a sport previously, or been part of a society before, or want to try something new, then head along! Even if you’ve played a sport in the past but can’t anymore (because of injuries or whatever) and still want to be involved, all of our teams could do with coaches and referees, and the JCR can help pay for you to go on courses to get extra qualifications. Even if you want to concentrate on your studies, do remember to take a break occasionally, and head to the bar for a quiet drink, especially in the afternoon when there’s usually a more relaxed atmosphere. The person charged with making sure you don’t feel you’re missing out is the Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep, who hasn’t yet been elected, so if you are keen to get involved, this is your chance!

Meet the Exec – Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep’s Welcome (written by a previous incumbent, who is now Vice-President...)

(cuthberts.jcr-postgrad@durham.ac.uk)

Hello! Doubtless you were hoping to hear from someone else for a change but sadly you’ve got to put up with me again. As I’ve mentioned somewhere else I’m currently in my second year as a PhD student, and in my first year I was the Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep, so I’ve been dragged in to fill the gap (and encourage people to run for the position...). Cuth’s has an unusual attitude towards Postgrads and Mature students, which surprises some people when they first arrive but which we think works well. Unlike most other colleges, where you’re treated like the poor relation who no-one listens to and who gets locked away in the MCR and isn’t allowed to have any fun or speak to anyone, at Cuth’s you’re treated just like everyone else. We offer exactly the same advantages as all of the other colleges, we have regular Research Forums, with big name guest speakers as well as giving our postgrads a chance to present their work, formals exclusively for postgrads, meals for mature students, priority booking for some events, the lot! What makes us different is that, unlike most of the other colleges, you can all use every facility that Cuth’s

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offers and can attend every event we organise (with two exceptions – the Graduands meals at the end of the year are for graduating students only, and postgrads can’t come to the Formal on the Thursday of Induction Week but you get a welcome meal the week before so don’t miss out). You also won’t spend your entire time being made to feel like a second-class citizen (naming no names but this definitely happens elsewhere in Durham!), being given weird looks every time you enter the bar or being frowned on for talking to people. Sadly we don’t have a room with a fireplace where you can smoke cigars and drink brandy while sitting in leather armchairs but then nowhere else in Durham does either!

Before I move on, just a quick word on College Families. These get discussed at more length in a minute, but essentially they are where two second year students look after Freshers who study the same subject as them, and this includes postgraduates and mature students. They are well worth getting involved in since they help you to meet new people and pass on your knowledge and experience as well as being a great way to help you deal with life at Durham, whether you’ve come from a different uni (we do quite a few things differently...) or haven’t been to uni before and want a few tips on what the lecturers are looking for. We’ll also be organising postgraduate families to help the postgrads meet people in different subjects and often from different cultures.

Committees – Postgrad Comm

Postgrad Comm is there to make sure that the Postgraduate Students are as well represented as possible and to make sure that they have a chance to be involved. The Committee is made up of the President of the Society, the JCR’s Vice-President, the JCR’s Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep, a Postgraduate Social Rep, a Postgraduate International Rep, a Postgraduate DSU Rep, a Postgraduate Library Rep, and four other Postgraduate Reps. The four reps with specific roles are expected to help both the Postgraduate Rep, and the JCR Exec member responsible for that area (so the Postgraduate International Rep works with both the JCR’s Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Rep, and the JCR’s International Rep). The 8 reps are all elected in the first meeting of the first term, so this is a great chance for postgraduate students to get involved right from the start of their time at Cuth’s, even if they don’t want to have too much responsibility. All of the reps must be postgrads.

Advice from Previous Mature Students

I’m aware that everything so far has been a bit Postgrad-centric, so this section is devoted to the Mature students.

Throw off the Imposter Syndrome – many mature students feel that they are at University under false pretences and that someone will eventually try to throw them out. This is ridiculous, you have earned your place by hard work, determination and commitment, so make the very most of everything and ENJOY IT!

Recognise your biological clock and use it. Ask yourself what time of day is best for you to work and for how long you can concentrate, then plan accordingly. Keep some time for yourself and for domestic or social activities.

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Non-mature students are OK. Other students will be just as much in awe of you as you are of them. Try to make friends with all age groups and nationalities. It’s a great opportunity to mix with a very wide range of people, and you are just the sort of adventurous person to take the initiative in getting to know people.

Exchange ideas. Discussing your work and ideas, sharing notes and reading each other’s work is perfectly acceptable (just avoid plagiarism). Working with others helps you to pinpoint what is expected of you academically. Mature students often form their own study support groups, asking second and third year students along to give advice.

Try to make friends with people in your classes. This sounds like a fairly obvious one, but it can be harder than you think. It is easier to get talking to people in a classroom or a lab environment than it is in lectures. Introduce yourself to people and perhaps arrange to meet up beforehand and go along together. You can also try and go through work together, it’s a great way to get over any academic problems and meet new people.

Bring a friend along. You might want to get involved in something but don’t want to go alone. The best solution is to take a friend with you for moral support.

If you feel that you are not coping, ASK PEOPLE! Your tutors, Student Support Service, Counselling Service, Mature Students’ Rep or JCR Welfare Officers will all be able to help. Try to relax and enjoy your time at University.

Finally, get involved in Cuth’s! We are here to help you get the most out of your university experience and we can only do that if we get feedback from you. If we are not offering events that interest you, let us know and we will try to arrange something that does.

Livers Out Most of our Freshers will live in society accommodation during their first year, but we do have a few who live out. Also, most of you will choose to live out in your second year, though it is possible to live in for your entire time at Cuth’s if you want! Anyway, when it comes to the tricky matter of choosing houses and house-mates, you’ll probably be grateful for some help, in which case you’ll turn to the Livers Out Rep, Millie Tanner...

Meet the Exec – Livers Out Rep’s Welcome

(cuthberts.jcr-liversout@durham.ac.uk)

Hiya, I’m Millie, and can I first congratulate you on making it to the best college in Durham – welcome to Cuth’s!

As many of you will be “living in” this year (that is, living in college accommodation), you might think my job has little to do with you – but you’re wrong! The first thing I’ll be doing is organising you some College Parents – it’s a fun tradition here at Cuth’s to assign you some

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‘parents’. They are second or third year students who do your subject, and can give you lots of helpful advice on module choices etc. More on Parents’ Night later but make sure you’re there – it’s one not to be missed!

I’ll also be around to support those of you who want to “live out” of college in your second year: I’ll be organising Find-a-Housemate events and giving you lots of information on the different residential areas of Durham. I’ll also be liaising with Durham Students’ Union (the big dogs) to help you make sure you’re not signing a dodgy contract.

If you’re a student living locally in your first year, I’m here to support you with any problems you might have, and to make sure you’re getting just as much from Cuth’s as those living in! So please do get in touch with me if you have any concerns or problems with attending Freshers’ Week. I’d encourage you to come along to as much as you possibly can –it’s a great opportunity to get to know your fellow freshers, sign up for our huge range of sports and societies, and learn a lot about what Cuth’s and the JCR can do for you.

I look forward to meeting you all after the summer!

Millie x

JCR Livers-Out Rep

As she mentioned in her welcome, Millie also organises the College Families. At this point you’re probably asking yourself, what on earth is a College Family? Well ponder no more...

College Families

When you arrive at Cuth’s you will be given ‘college parents’, who do the same degree as you (or a very similar one). The idea is that your parents will be able to give you and your college siblings some subject specific advice and answer any subject related questions you might have, as well as making sure you have a good time by arranging some family get togethers! The college parent system is organised by the Livers’ Out Rep, so Millie has spent her summer desperately trying to make sure everything runs smoothly! The first event takes place on October 12th, in Brooks bar starting at 8pm when you will get to meet your families and your parents will entertain you and look after you!

The Durham Student’s Union Like all other Universities, Durham has a Student’s Union, which in Durham is extremely active. All of the colleges are represented at DSU meetings, so we can make sure they don’t do anything we’re opposed to and so that they get some feedback from the colleges. The Cuth’s representative for this year is Carl Okunubi...

Meet the Exec – The Senior DSU Rep’s Welcome

(cuthberts.dsurep@durham.ac.uk)

Hey there, and welcome to the lovely Cuths! My name is Carl and I am your student

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representative at the Durham Students’ Union (DSU) this year. My job entails representing Cuths and the university as a whole at the DSU assembly, and also feeding in information about the DSU to Cuths. Oh and the smooth running of the college University Challenge competition. Most importantly, my role is to make sure all of you are aware of the support and services that the DSU provides.

In my spare time I am a third year Physics student and live out in the viaduct. I was also Social Sec and Beneficiaries Manager of Foodcycle Durham which is an organisation that reduces food waste and provides free meals for the community. I am a keen member of the Rugby team and also attend King’s Church Durham.

Hopefully I will get to speak to all of you at some point and that you have an enjoyable Fresher’s Week. I will be working at Cuths bar during the year, so if any of you want to get to know more about the things I am involved with, I am always happy to have a chat.

See you in Fresher’s Week and make the most of the years you spend at Cuths. This is the beginning of the rest of your life...

Carl Okunubi

JCR Senior DSU Rep

Carl also has some Junior DSU Reps to help him, and they are elected at the first JCR meeting of the Michaelmas term, so this is another great chance to get involved from the very start, this time on both a collegiate and a University level!

DSU Exec

The following people will be in charge of running the various arms of the DSU for this academic year. All DSU posts are sabbatical, so everyone who holds one graduated last year.

President – Dan Slavin (Biomedical Sciences, Stephenson).As President Dan will be responsible for getting more students involved with, and participating in, the Union. Dan will be the lead student representative; chief spokesperson and figurehead of the Union. Dan will be the primary liaison with the University, Common Rooms, and the National Union of Students.

Academic Affairs Officer – David Morris (History, St Aidan’s). David will represents students on education-related matters to make sure their education meets their expectations, whether teaching, research or support services such as the library. David will support Academic Reps and makes sure the course and faculty representative system runs successfully. He will oversee academic evaluation projects including the National Student Survey and Quality Assurance Agency audits.

Activities Officer – Krystina Warrington (Natural Sciences, St Cuthbert’s). As Activities Officer Krystina will make sure student groups (societies, fundraising groups, volunteering groups and student media) run effectively. She will support student groups in organising events and activities. Krystina will make sure student groups have the resources they need; campaigning for more resources where necessary; and makes sure resources are allocated fairly. She will help student groups

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to measure how effective they are, offering advice and support to help them become more successful.

Communities Officer – Grace Abel (Sociology, Collingwood).As Community Officer Grace will promote student health and wellbeing. She will work to improve non-academic facilities within the University for students. Grace will champion equality and diversity, supporting and coordinating Associations, liberation and rights campaigns. Grace will help to make accommodation (college and private) better so students can focus on their degree, and champions the Union’s work in the community, including charity fundraising.

Development Officer – Chris Pocock (Mechanical Engineering, Trevelyan). Chris will develop programmes and initiatives to enhance students’ skills and graduate qualities through participation in extra-curricular activities. He will develop relevant training for officers, student group leaders, course/faculty reps, other volunteers and common rooms. As Development Officer Chris will be responsible for the delivery of training, skills programmes and projects in conjunction with Student Groups, student media, charity fundraising, volunteering and other student organisations. He will liaise with the University on issues regarding personal development and employability.

What does the DSU do for us?

Representation and Democracy The Union is totally democratic and represents student opinion and concerns to the University, campaigning on your behalf. There are lots of DSU positions, minor and major, which are a great experience and opportunity to meet different people. Societies Durham boasts more societies than any other student union in the country so there is bound to be something you’re interested in, but if there isn’t you could always start your own! Dunelm House This is the concrete monstrosity in town which is home of Kingsgate Bar and Riverside Café. Welfare A variety of services, including personal advice and guidance. Contact the DSU Advice Centre on 0191 3341775 Media Palatinate (our student newspaper) & Purple Radio – which is presented by student DJs and always welcomes new talent, so feel free to get involved. Associations

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LGBTA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association), Mature Students, Postgraduate, Students with Disabilities and International Students all provide support and social networks for students. Charities Through their charity group DUCK (Durham University Charities Kommission), Durham has one of the largest and most successful student charity organisations. They organise a wide range of activities, such as rag raids, Jailbreak, trips abroad and a giant duck race on the river. If you’re interested they send round frequent emails to let you know what’s happening, so keep an eye out. Go to www.dsu.org.uk to find out more!

DSU/Team Durham Induction Week Fair

Very similar to the Cuth’s Fair, but with slightly different societies. Definitely worth popping in to, if only for all of the free stuff you can pick up! The DSU Societies Fair is held in Dunelm House, the Team Durham Sports Fair is held in Elvet Riverside. The DSU Fair will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, but some societies will only be there on one day, so make sure you go to both days! The Sports will all be there on Tuesday, as the second day is usually held in Stockton.

Advice You’ve probably got a million and one questions you want to ask by this point, but I’m going to try to pre-empt them based on what people normally ask. If I don’t answer your question in this section (or elsewhere in the Handbook), then please do ask it!

To begin with – What should I bring with me?

Checklist of what to bring

An alarm clock – students have a deserved reputation for being lazy, so an alarm clock is vital to make sure you get to lectures on time and looking vaguely presentable, as opposed to rushing in 10 minutes late wearing whatever clothes you managed to grab in a mad panic! If you want to save on packing, mobile phones can double as alarm clocks.

Bed linen – you can buy a pack from college, otherwise you’ll need to bring your own. The same goes for pillows (plus if you bring them yourself you can sleep on the way up – unless you’re the one driving...).

Black tie – Some events are specified as ‘black tie’, which means formal evening wear, so dinner jackets, bow ties, posh frocks etc. It will very quickly become very expensive if you have to hire one for every event, so buy a cheap one, as it will work out cheaper in the long run.

Camera – vital for catching the important moments. Also, your parents will probably pester you for photos of the cathedral in different sorts of weather (mine are

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always asking for photos). Again, a phone can do service as a camera, but the quality may not be as high.

Cheque book and guarantee card – it’s a lot easier and safer to pay for things like balls or subscriptions by cheque as it means you’re not carrying around large amounts of money and don’t have to go past the cash machines. Remember to make a note of your card and account numbers and helpline number in case you lose them. This is also a good idea for phone numbers, as most people tend to lose their phone at some point!

Coat hangers – aren’t provided and means you can keep your clothes vaguely tidy rather than strewn across the floor. Another one that parents will appreciate.

Computer and printer – you don’t have to have your own, as there are free computers and printers in Cuth’s, at the University library and in departments. However, it makes life easier if you do have your own (especially your own laptop), as then you can waste time on the internet without leaving your room. Owning a printer will make you very popular around deadlines...

Cough/Flu medicine – essential to fight off the effects of the famous Freshers’ Flu. A rudimentary first aid kit would not go amiss (plasters, Lemsip, Strepsils, paracetamol etc).

Crockery and cutlery – some of the accommodation will have pots and pans left over from previous years, but generally crockery is a good investment since, if you are careful, it will last into your life after university, and save you having to buy it then. Even if you’re fully catered it’s probably worth bringing the basics as you might want a snack at some point.

Decorations – are allowed (and encouraged) to make your room feel a bit more homely. Just be warned that you will be charged for any damage, so only use drawing pins on the notice boards.

Departmental information and student loan forms – obviously essential for registration.

Fancy dress – many social events in Durham involve some form of fancy dress, so anything you have at home will come in handy. Witches’ hats, kilts, togas, toy guns, school uniforms and animal costumes will all be useful.

Hat, scarf, umbrella, wellies and gloves – Durham is very cold in the winter, and it rains a lot. Be prepared...

Insurance – probably more something to check. Most household policies bought by your parents/yourself will cover your stuff at university providing it is in a locked dwelling. All policies vary though, so best to check, and if you’re not covered insurance doesn’t cost much and is definitely worth it, if only for the peace of mind.

Internet banking – not vital, as all payments can still be done the old fashioned way, but it’s a lot more convenient. Your tuition fees, accommodation payments and other payments (one off or regular) can be easily set up and performed rapidly online. Think about setting up a direct debit so you don’t have to pay fees face-to-face, it will be done automatically.

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Laundry Bag – makes it easy to carry clothes to the washing machines.

Lamp – not all of the rooms have one, and some of them may be in awkward positions. Having said that, I’ve never needed a lamp while I’ve been at Cuth’s, so it’s very much a personal choice. If you think you will need one then bring one in case your room doesn’t have one (you can always send it back home if you don’t need it).

National Insurance Number – will be needed for filling out student loan forms, or if you want to get a job in Durham (unless you don’t want to be paid...).

Paperwork – bring up anything relating to your student loan, tuition fee and anything you’ve been sent by Cuth’s or your department, you never know when you’ll need it!

Photo ID (Passport/Driving Licence) – will be needed for filling out forms, and also can be used as ID on a night out.

Sensible shoes – Durham has cobbles and hills, lots of hills. You will also have to contend with rain and snow, and because everything is so close together, you will be doing a lot of walking. Blisters are not fun, nor is slipping and ending up flat on your face. Broken ankles really aren’t fun. By all means bring nice shoes to go with formal wear, just make sure you’ve got trainers and wellies as well. Durham is the only place where I have seen people in a nightclub wearing wellingtons...

Sports Kit – some sports teams will start having trials as early as the first week, so you might not have time to buy kit, so come equipped.

Suit/Smart clothes – several events will require you to look smart, from matriculation down to socials, so bring a lounge suit or smart business wear.

Tea/Coffee/Similar – even if you don’t drink it yourself, always useful to have some in to offer other people.

Towels – aren’t provided, and you will need them, so bring some up.

USB drive – extremely useful to save work onto, and to transport files around. Similarly Dropbox, which is free, comes in very handy as it updates automatically, so you don’t need to worry about your laptop crashing mid-essay.

Young person’s railcard – will save you quite a bit on train travel and is relatively cheap at £20 for the year.

What about money?

Grants, Bursaries and Loans

Durham has a wide range of grants, bursaries and loans, full details of which can be found at http://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/finance/loans/. If you need any help with financial matters, then get in touch with the Senior Tutor (Sharon Richardson) or Assistant Senior Tutor (Barbara Harrison), who can help you with budgeting or applying for grants. The DSU also offer free confidential financial advice and debt counselling.

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If, once you’ve started at Durham, you are unexpectedly in need of financial support, you can apply to the Access to Learning Fund through Cuth’s (ask Sharon or Barbara for help). The award values depend on circumstances and evidence of hardship. Durham also offers grants to people who wish to become involved in extra-curricular activities but cannot afford to. Details are available through Cuth’s, and will usually be emailed round. Similarly the JCR has started offering 4 grants of £200 each to members of their sports or societies in order to aid their personal development and the development of their sport or society (so to pay for coaching courses and so on). These are awarded in the Easter term.

Some departments will also offer scholarships to non-final year students based on their grades, and may also offer travel funding if it is relevant.

Student parents are eligible for Child Tax Credits paid by the Inland Revenue and Child Benefit, as well as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Income Support.

Lastly it may be worth asking your parents for financial help. This can sometimes be a touchy area, so it is worth sitting down and discussing it with them before you leave. If nothing else, they may be willing to cover the cost of books, or transport home.

How much will University cost?

This section is designed to help you work out a budget for the year, so that you don’t run out of money too quickly! Remember though that all of the prices below are estimates, so try to personalise your budget as much as possible.

Accommodation, Food, Utilities and Insurance – accommodation at Cuth’s costs between £4,230 and £5,995, and is paid for termly (so divide the amount you are paying by 3 to work out how much to set aside per term). If you are self-catered, you will normally need to spend about £25-30 per week on food. There are no extra utility charges, but you may need to take out contents insurance, which is approximately £40 for the year.

Course costs (excluding tuition fees) – you shouldn’t need to spend more than £7-£13 per week, though this will depend on what you are studying. Will you need to purchase specialist equipment or pay for field trips? As for any text books, you won’t need to buy all of the books on your reading list, as they should all be in the University library or Cuth’s library. If you want a core text book and it’s not in Cuth’s library, let us know and we’ll order it in, thus saving you money! Also in some departments, students from previous years will sell their old text books if they no longer need them, which may be cheaper than buying new books.

Transport – everything in Durham is within easy walking distance, although people will often cycle too. The only travel you will need to pay for will be between university and home, in which case it is worth getting a Young Person’s Railcard (cost £20 but get you 1/3 off journeys so you can quickly make it back) or looking into season tickets. Unless you are commuting in or have a specific need (e.g. disability) it’s not worth bringing a car up as parking is extremely limited and very expensive. During term time, there is a free bus between Durham and Stockton.

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Clothes and Toiletries – try to be careful with your budget for clothes and toiletries, and aim to spend less than £10 per week on them. If you are looking for new clothes or shoes, some shops will give you a student discount, or it might be worth simply asking for them as a Christmas or birthday present. As for gowns, Cuth’s students generally don’t wear gowns (apart from at graduation), so it’s probably easiest to hire one as and when you need it. Formal-wear (black tie) is more common, so it is worth investing in this, especially as it will last you longer than a gown (since your gown changes depending on your academic status).

Mobile phones – Hunt around for good monthly contracts with free texts, or if you don’t use your phone much try to stick to a pay-as-you-go weekly budget. It might be worth trying to guilt trip your parents into paying your phone bill if you will be calling home regularly. The University provides free internet access, so you don’t have to have that on your phone.

Leisure – can be quite expensive! Try to set yourself a limit (I manage on about £30 per week). Durham is comparatively cheap, but don’t let this fool you, as people sometimes end up spending more than they would normally because it is cheaper (getting a cheap takeaway twice a week can be more expensive than getting one expensive one a week). If you are planning to watch live TV in your room, you will need a TV licence, so budget for that. Having said that, both bars have Sky TV and you can watch catch-up TV (like BBC iPlayer) without a licence, as long as it isn’t live.

Jobs while at University – the University recommends not spending more than 10 hours per week in a part-time job, and don’t get a job if you think it will affect your studying. However, it is relatively easy to find part-time work within the University, both of the Cuth’s bars employ Cuth’s students, as does the Cuth’s library, and the University cafes also employ students. If you already have a part-time job at home, it is possible (depending on the company) to transfer to the Durham branch, though it’s probably not worth travelling to Newcastle as that wastes time and money. As University holidays are very long, that is normally the best time to look for part-time work and try to save up for the following year.

Overdrafts and Credit Cards – most high street banks will offer student accounts with interest free overdrafts of around £1,000, and these can be a good way of supplementing your income and managing your money. Again, look around and see if you can get a good deal (some banks will offer freebies). Also, think about if you will be spending time abroad, and see if any banks will allow you to withdraw money for free abroad, as this will save you setting up another account in a foreign country or being charged. Credit cards should be avoided, as they involve high levels of interest and strict monthly payment schedules with severe penalties for non-repayment.

Things we wish we’d known before coming to Durham

Don’t buy all your books as soon as you get here (or before as some of my friends did). The College library stocks most of the main textbooks for subjects (and if they don’t you can always request they buy it) and if we don’t have it in Cuth’s, the main

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library most probably will. Overdue library fines mount up quickly and get rather large so make sure you get books back on time - you can check and pay online

Bring every bit of fancy dress you have as fancy dress and themed nights are a massive part of the Durham nightlife; so dig out the fairy wings and make sure they are packed.

Durham is very much in the North of England and apparently the winters up here are much colder so make sure you bring plenty of warm clothing.

In your first year you need 40% to pass (although good marks will stand you in good stead and you need 50% in most subjects to do a Masters course). We aren’t encouraging you to do no work in your first year but you’re a Fresher, make the most of it.

Your room isn’t just a place to sleep, you have to live in it too so anything that makes your room homely and distinctly yours is really appreciated when you get here.

News spreads incredibly quickly in College, so it’s very hard to keep the events of a drunken night a secret. You have been warned. If you wish to talk confidentially, however, the student welfare officers, resident wardens and senior tutors are always there with a friendly ear.

FAQs

“What are the addresses?” – If you’re living on the Bailey, the postal address is 12 South Bailey, DH1 3EE, and if you’re living on Parson’s Field it is Brooks House, Green Lane, DH1 3JP. You can put your room number and house instead of 12 South Bailey or Brooks House, but if you don’t it will still get here! Those are also the postcodes you should use if you’re using a satnav to get here and the addresses you should ask for if you’re getting a taxi from the station.

“How do I get internet access?” – A crucial question! Every bedroom in Cuth’s has wired internet access, so you plug an ether net cable into the wall and connect it to your laptop and you have internet! If you don’t know what an ether net cable is, or don’t have one, don’t worry, you’ll be given one when you arrive. If you have one already, then feel free to bring it with you. As for WiFi, there are currently only three places where you can get WiFi access: the two bars and the library. If you want to know how to connect to the wireless, CIS have a helpful webpage here http://www.dur.ac.uk/cis/wireless/. Obviously you need internet to see it, so check it while you’re still at home.

“How and when do I pay for my accommodation?” – the easiest way to pay is to set up a direct debit account with the University, via this link https://www.dur.ac.uk/direct.debits/. Then they will take the money out of your account on December 1st, February 1st and May 1st.

“What do I need for my room?” – with most of the rooms it’s worth bringing a lamp, but don’t bring a kettle, toaster or mini fridge as you’re not allowed them (they’re a fire risk). All of the kitchens will have kettles, toasters, microwaves, fridges and freezers. If you get a couple of plates, bowls, mugs and glasses, a set of cutlery, basic set of pans, a sharp knife and a wooden spoon you should be all set.

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You can pick all of that up for about £30 in Tesco’s and it can be used once you move out as well, so it’s a worthwhile investment. Couple of other things people don’t always think about – oven gloves (you can use tea-towels, but getting burnt isn’t worth the risk) and Tupperware, because you will inevitably overestimate how much to cook, but if you have Tupperware you can freeze it and save it for another day.

“Am I allowed to decorate my room?” – Yes. Pretty much the only rule on this is try not to damage the walls. So only use drawing pins on notice boards, and use blu tack for everything else. Otherwise go for it! Your room will look a bit like a barren prison cell when you arrive, so bring up some posters to make it more homely.

“What about the laundry?” – Cuth’s has excellent laundry facilities. At Parson’s Field we have seven washing machines (six of which have washing powder included, so you don’t need to worry about buying any!) and four tumble dryers. At the Bailey there are 4 washing machines (three with detergent pre-loaded) and three dryers. A wash normally takes 20-25 minutes, and costs £2.50, while a dry takes 30 minutes and costs 50p. When you arrive you will be given a fob for the laundry, which you can top up in Brooks bar or in the Bailey JCR. Please note that the machines will only accept notes. Also, don’t lose your fob, as you’ll lose any money that was on there, and have to pay for a new one. There will be an iron and an ironing board in the kitchens.

“What about parking when we arrive?” – Probably more an issue for your parents, but one we’ve got a simple solution to! When you arrive, we will have teams of Freshers’ Reps (or Freps) to help you. One team will be on traffic control duty at each site, so when there’s a space, they will call you forward and get someone to help you unload. Once you’ve unloaded, we ask that your parents drive down to park out of the way, then come back to meet you. They will have plenty of time to help you settle in afterwards and it will make everything flow more smoothly!

“What do I need for registration?” - This depends on which subject you do. If you are studying a single honours degree you will go down to that department for possibly an introductory talk and then you will register for your compulsory modules – you do this by getting a member of staff from your department to sign an important piece of paper for you. You may then be able to choose some elective modules – you have to make sure that none of your electives clash with your compulsory modules (as hard as you try you cannot be in two lectures at once!) but you can pretty much sign up to anything.

If you are doing a joint honours or combined honours degree your registration can be a little more difficult and we advise that you read through any info you get from your department before arriving and have a good idea of which modules you want to do (there may still be some compulsory ones) from here you will visit each department individually to sign in.

With a fully completed form you can receive your Campus Card (student card).

It all sounds very complicated but if you are well prepared it’s not – and we will be have representatives from most subjects ready to answer questions in the dining hall at breakfast on the mornings of registration, so don't worry about it!

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“What happens if I have a complaint?” – The first thing to say is that all complaints will be treated confidentially (unless it involves a crime or dangerous situation). Secondly, any constructive complaints you have will help make Cuth’s better, so please don’t be afraid to speak up! After that it’s just a question of who to speak to. As a general rule the Exec will know who you should speak to, so if in doubt get in touch with them. Otherwise, for food issues talk to Dawn Purdy or Marc Reavley, for accommodation issues go to Sue Cole, and for noise complaints speak to either the porters, the JCR Welfare Officer or the Resident Wardens. There is also a formal complaints procedure for serious issues. Please refer to the University Complaints Procedure for more information: http://www.dur.ac.uk/university.calendar/volumei/codes_of_practice/complaints_procedure_for_students/

Epilogue

At last the wheel comes full circle

Right, well this is virtually the end of the Handbook, I hope that somewhere in it there was some useful information and that you now feel slightly more prepared for life in Cuth’s. If you do have any questions, then please ask them, if nothing else this Handbook should have given you a lot of different ways to get in touch with people, all of whom will be happy to help. If you need it there is a list of phone numbers included in this section.

So to finish up, here is a guide to the rest of Durham, along with a few useful terms you might need, and the Society’s songs.

I look forward to seeing you all in October!

The Rest Of Durham Occasionally you may want to venture forth from Cuth’s to see what the rest of Durham has to offer, or to sample the bright lights of Newcastle. In that case, here are a few places you might want to visit, though this is far from a complete list. Please note that all of the reviews are ludicrously biased & based on the preferences of the reviewer, the best way to find out about these places is to go there for yourself!

Other Colleges and their Bars

Collingwood – Sometimes known as the ‘conference centre’ because of its appearance and the fact that it hosts conferences out of term time. Situated next to the Botanic Gardens, near the top of the Hill, Collingwood was the first mixed college in Durham.

Grey – Another Hill college, and although steeped in tradition, they know how to throw a party, with their annual Bonfire night firework display a must see.

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Hatfield – The college everyone loves to hate, but don’t take this too far, the occasional reminder will be enough! The second oldest college in the University, established in the servants quarters of the Castle, they have a reputation for being stuck up.

Joesphine Butler – Also known as Butler, Jo Butler or ‘Butlins’, this is the newest college in the University, founded in 2006. Bizarrely proud of a mound that separates them and Ustinov. Mind you, as they’re so far out of town, they don’t have much else to get excited about!

St Aidan’s – Hosts an annual beer festival, which is always popular. Originally a Society, they took on College status when they moved into their current location on the Hill. They are very proud of their buildings, which were designed by Basil Spence.

St Chad’s – The smallest college in Durham, but very friendly. Housed in a former Anglican seminary on the Bailey. They’re now so small it seems as though they have to get the entire college out to field a sports team!

St Cuthbert’s – the best.

St Hild and St Bede – Originally two colleges (St Hild for women and St Bede for men). Situated off the Gilesgate roundabout, and so slightly out of the way of the other colleges. Usually regarded as a Bailey college when push comes to shove, despite the distance. A very sporty college, rivalling Cuth’s for the title of second largest college.

St John’s – Our friendly, religious neighbours, and one of the few colleges to actually own their buildings. Like Chad’s, a very small college, and their building on the Bailey calls to mind an underground burrow. The bar was designed for people who are about 4 foot tall, so a lot of stooping is required! Contains a large number of trainee priests.

St Mary’s – The last college to become mixed, it was women only until 2005. Situated at the bottom of the Hill, it is traditionally the last stop on a bar crawl, before heading to Cuth’s for last orders!

Trevelyan – Usually known as ‘Trevs’, they are a vibrant bunch, putting on many shows and social activities. All of their facilities are under one roof, and all of the rooms seem to be hexagonal, which is very bizarre.

University – Known by all as Castle. The first college to be founded and situated in the Castle. It has an extremely nice bar, but they’re quite touchy about letting outsiders in and frequently have the main gates closed to prevent anyone but Castle students getting in. Also tends to attract some stuck up people.

Ustinov – Comfortably the largest college in Durham, Ustinov is for postgraduate students only. Because of this, and because of the fact that it is the furthest college, situated right at the top of the Hill, there tends to be little incentive to go there, although their bar does have a fine selection of whiskies.

Van Mildert – Another Hill establishment, named after the founder of the University. A hospitable environment with a good social calendar, though most

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events are held in college. Like Butler with their mound, Mildert are excessively proud of their lake.

John Snow and George Stevenson – The two Stockton colleges. As Stockton is a two hour round trip away by bus there tends to be little interaction, and so little is actually known about the two colleges on that campus.

Eating Out

Now obviously you won’t want to spend your whole time eating college food or whatever you can cook for yourselves, so luckily Durham has plenty of options when it comes to eating out, whether you want a quick coffee, a restaurant or a takeaway.

Almshouse (0191 386 1054) – a cafe on Palace Green, homemade food and good view of the cathedral and castle. The sort of place your mother will want to go at least once during your time at Durham.

Ask (0191 383 2567) – an Italian chain restaurant, near the Gala theatre.

Bella Italia (0191 386 1060) – just before Framwellgate Bridge, underneath Cafe Rouge. Standard Italian food, quite expensive, but excellent views of the river on a nice day.

Caffe Nero (0191 384 9444) – next door to the Post Office, small selection of cakes and will give you a voucher card if you’re going to be a regular customer.

Cafe Rouge (0191 384 3429) – on Framwellgate Bridge, French food, a nice change from the large number of Italian restaurants in Durham, but can be a bit pricey.

Chiquitos (0191 370 6470) – near the Gala theatre, above Loveshack. Mexican food, and a great selection of it, but not cheap.

Costa (0191 383 0082) – in the Prince Bishop shopping centre, small array of cakes and food, bit less student orientated, which can be a nice change.

Court Inn (0191 384 7350) – just on the corner of Elvet Crescent, on the route between the Bailey and Parson’s Field. Excellent Sunday lunch, and really good, solid, filling English food at low prices. Also a pub, but not recommended for just drinking in, as they push the drink prices up in order to keep the food cheap.

Esquires (0191 375 7578) – next to Framwellgate Bridge, opposite Cafe Rouge. Lovely riverside location and good coffee.

Hide (0191 384 1999) – on Saddler Street on the way from the Market Place to the Bailey. Lovely restaurant that is popular with students, especially at lunch time, slightly more expensive, but definitely worth it.

In Shanghai (0191 375 7333) – a riverside restaurant, just below the Gates Shopping Centre. Chinese style buffet, doubles up as a proper restaurant in the evenings.

La Spaghettata (0191 383 9290) – just outside the marketplace, heading towards the Cathedral, the restaurant is on the first floor, with Fabio’s bar on the top floor. Known as Spags by everyone. Top value Italian and very popular with students because of the low prices and large bottles of wine. No disabled access.

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Nando’s (0191 384 5424) – near the Gala theatre, above Loveshack. A Portuguese restaurant selling mainly chicken. Excellent food.

Oldfields (0191 370 9595) – near the Gala theatre, a short way up Claypath. Best restaurant in Durham, but the most expensive because of this.

Pizza Express (0191 383 2661) – on Saddler Street, near La Spaghettata. An upmarket version of Pizza Hut, the starters and cheesecake are recommended.

Rajpooth (0191 386 1496) – on Claypath, probably the best Indian restaurant in town, does student discounts on some days.

Tango Burger (0191 384 0096) – specialises in burgers, as the name would suggest! Reasonably priced, again a nice change if you’re fed up of Italian. On Elvet Bridge.

Treats (0191 384 5620) – another one of the many cafes in Durham, provides extremely generous portions of cake!

Vennels (0191 375 0623) – hidden away slightly between Waterstones and the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, large portions and excellent cakes. Also has outdoor seating in summer

Zen (0191 384 9588) – just beyond the Court, next to Elvet Crescent and opposite the Court Inn. Specialises in Thai food, but quite expensive.

Of course there are other restaurants, this is just a choice selection. If you fancy something a bit cheaper or can’t be bothered to walk back after lectures, there are also cafes on the Science site and in the DSU (and at Maiden Castle) serving snacks as well as proper meals. Be warned that there aren’t any cash machines on the Science site or at Maiden Castle, so have some money with you, as they won’t always take card payments.

Durham’s Bars

Durham is blessed with a wide variety of bars and pubs and, although none of them match up to either of our bars, they are well worth a visit. After all, variety is the spice of life...

Boathouse – Near Elvet Bridge, a late licence bar, and very stylish, but can be quite expensive.

Dun Cow – Opposite Old Shire Hall on Old Elvet, a small pub with bags of character.

Full Moon – Bottom of Old Elvet, a decent pub with a good selection of real ales, and hosts a very good real ale festival. Has an excellent beer garden by the river.

Jimmy Allen’s – Underneath Elvet Bridge, near Klute. Spread across three floors, they have good drinks promotions and it’s very popular for its proximity to Klute.

Lloyd’s – Near the Gala Theatre, similar to Weatherspoon’s pubs, but has music and a tiny area for dancing, so a half-way house if you’re going clubbing. Next door to Loveshack, so not a bad place for a final drink before going there.

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Market Tavern – In the market place, next to the indoor market. The pub where Cuth’s was founded and consequently a place of pilgrimage for every Cuth’s student! A proper old pub.

New Inn – Practically on the Science site, an excellent choice for between lectures refreshment that the library can’t quite match. Also serves food, which comes as a blessing if you’re stuck at the library all day.

Swan and Three – On Elvet Bridge, an excellent pub, with prices that rival Cuth’s, also very student friendly.

Varsity – Next door to Hide, a chain bar that is very good for sports matches on the rare occasions that they’re not being shown in Cuth’s. Also do good low-priced food.

Life Outside Durham

At some point while you’re at Cuth’s you may want to escape the Durham ‘bubble’. Here are a few suggestions for where to go:

Durham County Cricket Club, Chester-le-Street (0191 387 1717) – Hosts an Ashes Test Match this summer, an excellent place to enjoy the post-exam sunshine, tends to be lively for 20/20 matches.

Gateshead International Stadium (0191 433 5700) – International athletics stadium.

Kingston Park, Newcastle (0191 214 5588) – Home of the Newcastle Falcons rugby union team.

Newcastle Racecourse (0191 236 2020) – One of several racetracks in the area, a fun day out. The highlight is the Northumberland plate festival at the end of June.

The Riverside, Middlesbrough (0844 499 1234) – Home of Middlesbrough Football Club.

St James’ Park, Newcastle (0844 372 1892) – Home of Newcastle United Football Club.

Stadium of Light, Sunderland (0871 911 1200) – Home of Sunderland Athletic Football Club.

Sunderland Dogs (0191 56 86 200) – Hugely underrated and cheap night out

Useful Phone Numbers

Cuth’s Reception (Bailey) - 0191 334 3400

Cuth’s Reception (Parson’s Field) – 0191 334 6596

Cuth’s President - 0191 334 3398

Cuth’s Male Welfare Officer – 07584 048 694

Cuth’s Female Welfare Officer – 07503 429 158

Cuth’s Resident Warden (Bailey) – 07584 364 736

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Cuth’s Resident Warden (Parson’s Field) – 07584 364 847

Cuth’s Porters – 0191 33 43470

Cuth’s Senior Tutor – 0191 334 3390

Cuth’s Assistant Senior Tutor – 0191 334 3403

Cuth’s Facilities Manager – 0191 334 3384

Cuth’s Undergraduate Admissions Secretary – 0191 334 3387

Cuth’s Postgraduate Admissions Secretary – 0191 334 3386

Main University Switchboard - 0191 334 2000

Claypath Medical Practice - 0191 374 6888

University Health Centre - 0191 386 5081

Health and Safety Office - 0191 334 2660

Service for Students with Disabilities - 0191 334 8115

International Office - 0191 334 6328

English Language Centre - 0191 334 2230

Colleges Office - 0191 334 6129

University Library - 0191 334 3042

DSU Reception - 0191 334 1777

Team Durham Reception (Maiden Castle) - 0191 334 2178

Computing and Information Service - 0191 334 2700

Departmental Contacts – go to the University website (www.dur.ac.uk) then select the Departments section, choose your department and the phone number should be in a box on the right hand side.

Mac’s Taxis – 0191 384 1329

Paddy’s Taxis – 0191 386 6662

Pratt’s Taxis – 0191 386 4040

Glossary

Alumni – Anyone who has graduated from their degree, and in our case from St Cuthbert’s Society.

Brownie Bomber – The Society’s drink, it contains half lager, half cider, a shot of Malibu, peach Taboo and blackcurrant and is sprinkled with love. Its strong stuff, you have been warned.

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Cardiac Hill - the highly descriptive name given to the extremely steep hill that runs down through the science site, linking a group of the lecture buildings. But don’t worry, it is possible to make it to the top without suffering a heart attack and for those sensible people not willing to take the risk, there is an alternative route.

CIS – possibly still referred to as ITS by some of the older students who haven’t realised the name has changed. This stands for Computer and Internet Services, and as the name suggests, they deal with all of your computer or internet problems. Their number is in the list of contacts, and will also be on your campus card, and is definitely one to keep handy! Their offices are in the Palatine Centre on the Science Site.

Chunder - A word for vomit. If you are doing this then you need to stop drinking and seek help. A word of advice, if you throw up in University property not only will you make yourself instantly unpopular with the students and staff around you but will also have to pay a fine of at least £35.

DLB – Short for De L’Isle Booth (one of our first Presidents), this is an award given to up to 6 graduating students who have been exemplary servants of the JCR. This award confers honorary life membership of the JCR. You also get a silver cross to wear.

En-Suite Online – normally abbreviated to ESOL, this is the Durham University internet service. All rooms in Cuth’s have internet connections through ether net cables and they are super fast.

Fancy Dress- Fancy dress is not uncommon across college bars and the town’s bars and clubs. Essentially it’s putting on a costume to make yourself look thoroughly ridiculous. Widely encouraged during Freshers Week as it levels the playing field, everyone looks as ridiculous as each other. Just keep it clean and inoffensive.

Formative work – Any work that is formative does not count towards your final mark, it’s just there as something for you to learn from. That doesn’t mean you can get away with not doing it though!

Lad/Ladette- An often self-given term to denote qualities of abrasive, aloof and attention seeking behaviour. Best avoided even if its use is fully “self aware and ironic”.

Lecture – A meeting of people in which the notes of the professor become the notes of the students without passing through the minds of either. For science students these will make up the majority of your learning in your first two years, arts students get a framework to work from. Most lectures are non-compulsory (this is different to optional!) but attendance is strongly recommended as you will be examined on their content.

Lounge Suit/Cocktail Dress – Different to a Black Tie in that it is less formal. Essentially while at a Black Tie event you would be expected to roll up in a full length evening dress or a tuxedo and bow tie, at event marked Lounge Suit/Cocktail Dress it is acceptable to wear a short dress or be expected to wear a business suit. The formal in fresher’s week is Lounge Suit/Cocktail Dress.

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MC - MC refers to Maiden Castle, the University’s main sports centre, and if you’re involved in either college or university sports then there’s a good chance that this may become your second home.

Michaelmas, Epiphany, Easter – The names of the Durham terms. Michaelmas is the Autumn term (October-December), Epiphany is the Spring term (January-March) and Easter is the Summer term (April-June).

Practical – Science students only. Fairly self-explanatory, remember your schedule and any equipment you might need. Make sure you turn up on time, as some won’t let you in after the safety briefing.

Quorum – Quorum is the term used for the number of people required to be at a JCR meeting in order for the meeting to have any power, so it’s basically a way of ensuring that the meetings are representative. According to the constitution, we need 5% of the members to be present in order for quorum to be reached. Currently that’s about 65 people. If, at any time during a meeting, someone present feels that the meeting is not quorate (in other words, there aren’t enough people there), they may ask the Chair to count how many people are present, and if quorum has not been reached the meeting must end and no further business may be conducted.

Re-Open Nominations (RON) – A candidate in all of our elections, RON is the candidate you should vote for if you don’t want anyone who is standing to win. If RON wins an election, then the election has to be re-opened for new nominations, which means that different candidates will stand second time around.

Seminar – Once termed ‘pooled ignorance’, things haven’t changed much. It’s basically a small lecture with participation encouraged. As they are smaller in size than lectures, your absence is more obvious!

Single Transferable Vote (STV) – According to Wikipedia ‘a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat constituencies’. In practice what this means is that you list the candidates in order of preference. Then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. There will then be a second count, during which the second-preference candidate of anyone whose first-preference candidate has been eliminated, will be added to the votes their second-preference candidate got in the first round. So if the person you voted for is eliminated in the first round, your second choice candidate will get your vote in the second round. This then keeps going until one candidate has 50% of the votes. If you managed to understand that you’re well qualified to run for SRO or get a degree in politics!

Summative – A dreaded word, as unlike formative work, summative work counts towards your final mark. If you have trouble remembering which is which, then remember that lecturers will take the sum of your summative work to make your final grade, whereas formative work is just a guide to your recent form.

Tutorial – A small number of students assigned to a tutor for the course. You will meet for an hour to discuss parts of the course you don’t understand, go over past work and be set work for the next tutorial.

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Workshop – Similar to a seminar but based on completing tasks and answering questions. Useful, as they usually happen before an exam and so give you a clue about the format of the exam.

Songs

With all of the songs, musical ability and tunefulness should be sacrificed for enthusiasm and volume.

Thank God Van Mildert Didn’t Want Me – to be sung boisterously at the end of JCR Meetings to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic/John Brown’s Body

When I first came to Durham I was such a nice young man,

But now the Ex and Brown has caused much shaking of the hand,

Cirrhosis of the liver is the one foreseeable end,

I’m a student down at Cuth’s on the South Bailey

Chorus – Thank God Van Mildert didn’t want me,

Thank God Van Mildert didn’t want me,

Thank God Van Mildert didn’t want me,

So I ended up in Cuth’s on the South Bailey

I found accommodation: it was only eight miles out,

I had an awful landlady who’d scream and stamp about.

I started out a nice young man, now I’m a drunken lout,

Thank God the bar is open down at Cuth’s, 2, 3, 4...

Chorus

I once went to a lecture and it nearly made me weep,

The lecturer went on and on until I fell asleep.

To think my whole future lies with such a boring creep,

Thank God the bar is open down at Cuth’s, 2, 3, 4...

Chorus

I met a very nice young girl, she said she came from Trevs,

I asked her for a coffee and she said let’s go to bed.

I went to get some bubble-gum, but the bastard had none left,

Thank God the bar is open down at Cuth’s, 2, 3, 4...

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Chorus

And now the time has come for me to leave this wonderful place,

To go into the big wide world and fall flat on my face,

But I’ll be back each Cuth’s Day just to see all my old mates,

And get drunk again down in Cuth’s, 2, 3, 4...

Chorus

Angels – to the tune of the Robbie Williams song

I sit and wait

Does an angel contemplate my fate

And do they know

The places where we go

When we’re grey and old

‘Cause I’ve been told

That salvation lets their wings unfold

So when I’m lying in my bed

Thoughts running through my head

And I feel that love is dead

I’m loving Cuthbert’s instead.

And through it all she offers me protection

A lot of love and affection

Whether I’m right or wrong

And down the waterfall

Wherever it may take me

I know that life won’t break me

When I come to call, she won’t forsake me

I’m loving Cuthbert’s instead.

When I’m feeling weak

And my pain walks down a one-way street

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I look above

And I know I’ll always be blessed with love

And as the feeling grows

She breathes flesh to my bones

And when love is dead

I’m loving Cuthbert’s instead.

And through it all she offers me protection

A lot of love and affection

Whether I’m right or wrong

And down the waterfall

Wherever it may take me

I know that life won’t break me

When I come to call, she won’t forsake me

I’m loving Cuthbert’s instead.

STASH The section you’ve all been waiting for… The Stash Order!

One of the best ways to show your college pride is to buy stash! Whether this is a t-shirt, hoodie or a very fashionable body warmer, all come with the Cuth’s crest and almost whatever personalisation

you would like!

We have three orders a year (one for each term) however we offer you the opportunity to order over summer and collect your hoodie from us when you arrive! To order, simply follow the links below…

http://www.cuths.com/stash.htmlhttp://phoenixprint.co.uk/cuths/

You could even be as cool as these

guys!

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Please note that the order finishes on the 8th September, so the company can get it to us by the time of your arrival! In order to

collect it from us, just select the “collect from college” option for your delivery.

There is no better way to show your college pride! Order Now!

FRESHERS WEEK ITINERARY So, now for the bit you’re all interested in – Freshers’ Week! To help make sure you all get settled in and to make sure that all our events run smoothly we have Freshers’ Reps, who are second or third year students who have given up a week of their holidays to make sure you have a great introduction to Cuth’s. They’ll help you move into to your rooms, show you where everything is, help you settle in and make sure everything goes according to plan, so if you need anything or have any questions hunt them out! You can ask them questions at www.facebook.com/Cuthsfreshers2013 and if they can’t help you check out our website, www.cuths.com for more info. So it is time we heard from their leader… Angus Wood, the Senior Intro Week Rep!

Freshers’ Week – Senior Intro Week Rep’s Welcome

(angus.wood@durham.ac.uk)

Hello Freshlings! I’m Angus, a third year Physical Geography student and your Senior Intro Week Rep. It is my job, along with a dedicated team of reps, to ensure that Fresher’s week is one of the best weeks of your life. By coming to Cuth’s you have become part of one of the largest, friendliest and best colleges in Durham. Fresher’s week is your chance not only to get to know your fellow Cuth’s men and woman, but to learn, with the help of the rep team, how college and

university life works. The rep team is made up of people from every year and a wide variety of courses and interests. We will be there from the start, to help you move in and get settled. From then, we will be around day and night to answer any questions you may have about college, and to direct you to various university and college events that are running throughout the week. Our primary concern is that you enjoy yourselves, so if you’re ever at a loose end or unsure of anything, come and find one of us for a chat. Because of the close community within Cuth’s, many of the rep team will become your friends, even if they are responsible for the occasional early morning wake up call.

Angus Wood

JCR Senior Intro Week Rep

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Fresher’s Week Wristband

The most important piece of kit for Fresher’s Week, granting you access to all the Cuth’s activities and club entry throughout the week is your wristband. These will be available upon your arrival for the low price of £30! We have a whole raft of events going on every day and evening to help you feel more at home and introduce you to life at Durham and when you see what is planned I’m sure you’ll agree it is an absolute bargain. If you have any further enquiries, please get in touch with the President at cuthberts.jcr-president@durham.ac.uk.

Freshers’ Week Timetable Wednesday, September 25th – The very first day when the international students start to arrive. We’ll have Freps around to help you move all your stuff in and to welcome you to Durham. During the day (anytime from 9am-5pm) we will help you to collect your campus cards and get your visas checked. The University will also be offering IT Introduction Sessions throughout the day, which last 30 minutes. Then we’ll have a relaxed evening (to help those of you who are struggling with jet lag!) playing board games in Brooks bar, starting from 4pm and going on until 11pm but you can pop in and out throughout the evening or arrive a bit late if you need to. We will also introduce you to a key part of student life by spending the evening eating pizza!

Thursday, September 26th – Pretty similar to Wednesday as more of the international students arrive, so again we’ll help with campus cards, registration and visas (9am-5pm), and show you round Durham and give you an opportunity to meet the staff, with tours leaving Brooks House every hour from 11am-2pm. The postgraduate students also start to arrive on Thursday. In the evening there will be a welcome meal for everyone who has arrived since Wednesday and after we’ll be hosting a Pub Quiz in the Bailey Bar starting at 8pm and then head out for some slightly higher class cocktails afterwards.

Friday, September 27th – For the internationals and postgraduates this is another chance to deal with the admin side of things if you haven’t had time yet (again 9am-5pm), and there will be more tours of Durham during the day if you missed out on those (as on Thursday, these will be every hour from 11am-2pm). Starting at 1pm we will take you for a picnic on Palace Green (an area of grass between Durham’s cathedral and castle) to give you a chance for some touristy photos with Durham’s two most famous buildings. For new students living out in the town there will be a welcome meal hosted by the college at 1pm with an opportunity to meet your representative, Millie Tanner. Then at 2:30pm we will set you 10 tasks to complete that will test your new knowledge of Cuth’s and Durham! In the evening there will

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be a welcome event at Ustinov College which we will take all international and postgraduate students to, giving you an opportunity to meet students from other colleges and share experiences of your first few days in Durham!

Saturday, September 28th – Undergraduate students arrive and the Freps will help you to move all of your stuff in, before taking you up to the Bailey for dinner. When you arrive we will bombard you with bits of information that you will need throughout the week/year, including a wristband that allows you access to all of the events we’ll be running throughout the week and without which you won’t be allowed in, so don’t lose it! While they are getting settled in, the postgrads and internationals will be taken on a tour of the cathedral starting at 1pm and can then get their wristbands for the events. In the evening we will have a graffiti white t-shirt party in the Bailey bar. If you attended a post application open day then you’ll know what this is but, if not, you are encouraged to scribble all over each other (hence the white t-shirts). We will have a bungee run in the garden and a film screening in the dining hall alongside the event so there is plenty going on to give you a chance to meet lots of new people. FANCY DRESS – WHITE T-SHIRT.

Sunday, September 29th – For most of you this will be your first full day in Durham! So, to help you get settled in we’ll be organising tours every hour from Midday to 3pm. We’re going to have an British and International themed day, with a British fete at Brooks starting at midday and running until 4pm, complete with BBQ, picnic food, Pimms and fairground games, and if it’s raining, well that will just make it feel more authentic won’t it! Straight after that you can show off your general knowledge in our Brooks Bar Pub Quiz (which will be a weekly event every Sunday during term time). In the evening we will turn International with props, costumes and food from around the globe beginning at 8pm in the Bailey bar. You’ve got an early start on the Monday (and will

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probably be recovering from travelling/Saturday’s excitement) so an early night is recommended. FANCY DRESS – BRITISH/INTERNATIONAL.

Monday, September 30th – This is the day when you will be officially welcomed to Cuth’s by Serge and Elizabeth, and be given some important talks about life in Durham, all of which starts at 9am, so our wonderful team of reps will be your alarm calls, waking you up so that you are ready to leave from Parson’s Field and the Bailey at 8.40am. Welcome to Uni life…we did recommend an early night on Sunday! There will be some departmental activities during the afternoon from 1pm-5pm but what you have to do depends on your department, so they should let you know where to be and when. This is basically a chance for your department to tell you all the admin stuff you’ll need to know before starting your course, and will make your lives considerably easier! Today’s theme will be Zoo/Jungle, so we’ll be getting in a mobile zoo at Brooks from 2pm-6pm, then from 8pm in the Bailey we will have various animal related things going on, including some more bouncy inflatables for you to rumble in the jungle! You will also get your first chance to sample Durham’s nightlife on Monday with a trip to Studio nightclub (but only after Cuth’s has closed at 11pm). FANCY DRESS – JUNGLE/ANIMAL.

Tuesday, October 1st – The serious stuff continues during the day with your departments from 9am-12:30pm. Tuesday is also the day of the Experience Durham Fair from 12:30pm in Elvet Riverside. This bizarre name is Durham’s convenient way of referring to all of the University run sports teams, music groups and theatre groups, so if you are interested in that sort of thing, sign up on Tuesday afternoon! However, if you don’t fancy dedicating too much time to a sports team or don’t feel that you’re quite up to University standard as a musician, then fret not! Cuth’s has our own Sports and Societies Fair on Saturday, so you can sign up for things there too. In most cases we offer exactly the same teams as the University do, though there

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are a few sports you can only do at University level (like American Football). Importantly you will have to do your medical registration today at Brooks from 2.30pm till 5.30pm. This allows the university medical team to get you on the system here in Durham and saves you a lot of grief and waiting time when you can ill afford it (pun unintentional). While you wait, the reps will show you around the Parson’s Field site and make sure you are acquainted with all the facilities Cuth’s has to offer! In the early evening we will have a meeting for all mature students in college with speakers from the Mature Student Association at the Bailey. We hope we can discuss what more we can do for you here at Cuths and also just give you a chance to meet up and chat. Later on in the evening at 8pm, we will take you back in time to Ancient Rome, transforming the Bailey bar into an arena with gladiator jousting and chariot racing. After that we will take you to another of Durham’s nightspots, Jimmy Allen’s. FANCY DRESS – TOGA (we’ll make a video to show you how to make a toga from bed sheets, or you can youtube it).

Wednesday, October 2nd– Wednesday is traditionally a formal day as it is the day when you will be matriculated. This is a formal ceremony, held in Durham cathedral, to mark your official entrance in to the University. It’s very similar to graduation, but at the other end of your time at Uni. You all get to dress up in smart business wear (and gowns if you want) and sit in the beautiful cathedral feeling special. All of the Freps will be hanging around outside when you come out armed with pots and pans to make a ridiculous din to celebrate you guys officially becoming part of Durham University. This year you will be matriculating at 4pm (which means you avoid

getting up early) however at 2pm we will get everyone together in the garden of House 12 to take the Freshers’ Photo. This is a nice souvenir of one of the rare occasions everyone will be all together looking vaguely presentable.

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Wednesday is also the first day of the Durham Student’s Union Freshers’ Fair held in the DSU, which is your chance to sign up to the University Societies. These are different to the Cuth’s Societies (though some of them might overlap), so please go along in the morning to check it out, if only because Dominos & Krispy Kreme have been known to give away loads of free stuff! Again, you might have some departmental stuff during the day but it all depends on what you are studying, so make sure you know if you’re meant to be somewhere as we don’t get told what the departments are doing, so won’t be taking you (though we can direct you if you’re lost). After making you feel grown-up during the day, we will then take you back to the 90s featuring cheesy music, dungarees, double denim, and the like. However it all begins by showing some classic TVs shows like the Fresh Prince and Friends in Brooks JCR from 6pm, then heading up to the Bailey at 8pm, though if you’re in need of a night off (or really like Friends) the film night will carry on at Brooks until 10pm. Wednesday nights in Durham are traditionally associated with the nightclub Loveshack, so we will be taking you there to round out the night. FANCY DRESS – 90s.

Thursday, October 3rd – Day 2 of the DSU Freshers’ Fair, when a different round of Societies will try to persuade you to join them. Most Societies will only be there for one day, so if you couldn’t find the one you want on Wednesday, don’t despair as they will be there on Thursday. Also, more people will be giving away free stuff (if you go to both days you will never have to buy another pen as long as you live...). There will also be more academic welcomes on Thursday as everyone starts to gear up for the start of term on Monday. Some of the Uni sports teams or music/theatre groups will be holding trials on Thursday afternoon but you should hear about that if you signed up to them on Tuesday. From 2:30pm we will be organising some tie dying in the Brooks courtyard so you’ll have a memento of the week and to help you prepare for Friday’s UV night. On Thursday evening you will get another chance to show off your finery (lounge suits and cocktail dresses) at the Freshers Formals. We will build on that by having an evening themed around James Bond, complete with a Casino in our chill out area (disclaimer – we definitely don’t endorse or encourage gambling, since you’re already losing enough money to the University with tuition fees, you won’t be playing for real money!). We will then end the evening in appropriate style by going to Durham’s most famous nightclub Klute, famous for

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being the worst nightclub in Europe! FANCY DRESS – LOUNGE SUITS/COCKTAIL DRESSES/JAMES BOND.

Friday, October 4th – Friday involves more academic welcomes (there’s a lot of admin to get through!). With the academic welcomes you won’t all necessarily have something on every day, it will depend on your course and department when they want to see you so some of the luckier ones may get a day off at some point. In the afternoon we have organised a mini-golf tournament at Brooks from 2pm, which will also be your chance to collect the tie dyes you made on Thursday. In the evening we will roll out our silent disco and UV paint for a UV night in Cuth’s, complete with glowsticks, lights and all sorts of other cool stuff. If you haven’t been to a silent disco before they are great fun! We give you a set of headphones with three channels and three Cuth’s students will be DJ-ing, so you can flick between each one, which means that if you have a particular aversion to a type of music, you’ve still got two other channels to listen to. Also, you’re free to sing along, regardless of musical ability or knowing the words, as no-one else can hear you! Cuth’s will be turning into a nightclub itself on Friday, with the bar and silent disco both running until late, so you don’t have to leave at all (until you get kicked out...)! FANCY DRESS – UV RAVE.

Saturday, October 5th – Now that you’ve had a chance to look round the DSU Fair and the Team Durham fair, we will try to dazzle you with our own Sports and Societies Fair beginning at 2pm and giving you the chance to join some of the most successful sports teams and societies in the University, so come along and sign up to as many things as possible! Saturday is also your chance to celebrate everything that is great about Cuth’s as we will be hosting a Cuth’s themed party at the Bailey from 8pm. This is your chance to dress up as St Cuthbert, a tiger, a penguin or simply cover yourself in green or get inventive and come up with something else to represent Cuth’s. Afterwards we will take you back to Studio at 11pm, although, since it is a Saturday, both of the Cuth’s bars will be open until midnight, so if you’ve had

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enough of clubbing for one week you can hang around in the bars for a bit longer! FANCY DRESS – CUTH’S.

Sunday, October 6th – Last day of Freshers’ Week and a slightly gentler day, since by this point a week of partying will have taken its toll (trust me on this!). During the day we’ll be showing various feel good movies down at Brooks and in the evening we will have our first Postgraduate Research Event of the year, followed by port and cheese, just to remind you all that you will have to do some studying at some point while you’re at University! Everyone is welcome to come to these, they are designed to give Cuth’s Postgrads a chance to talk about what they are doing in front of an audience, but they are also great to listen to as you can either hear about something you’re studying or learn about something totally new!

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Do’s and Don’ts of Freshers’ Week

DO get involved in ALL you can. There's no telling where you can find a great new hobby, not to mention get to know people and make new friends. From trying new team sports and building friendships to getting involved in drama (don't be afraid to audition, as previous experience isn't required!), to even taking up a new job in college, the BEST advice is to get involved. NOW is the time to make memories - so why not make the most of it? DO be friendly! Remember, everyone is in your very situation, so feeling lonely is only natural - open your door, invite people in for snacks!

DO get down to both sites! There is plenty going on during Fresher’s Week at both Parson’s Field and the Bailey and you’d miss out on half the stuff your wristband lets you go to if you only stuck to the one venue. Plus a hell of a lot of potential friends and Cuth’s facilities!

DO sleep for a week solidly before you get here;; you’re going to need it! Also attempt to get some napping done during Freshers’ Week because you’ll be up all night every night, and will probably be woken up early most mornings (especially the dreaded Monday morning alarm call!).

DO get an agenda and keep track of all your future academic commitments. Everything will seem a bit overwhelming at the beginning, but once you get to meet your tutors and attend your first lectures/tutorials, you'll find it will all slowly fall into place. Be sure to find out where your seminars are held well before having to show up there!

DO go out and have a good time, but DON'T come back to college at night alone - stick to your group. Durham is just as nice and peaceful as it seems - but there is no need for anyone to take chances.

DO actually go to your academic commitments; after all you are here to get a degree. Those dreaded 9 o’clocks on a Thursday morning (after Loveshack Wednesday) are understandably often missed, but don’t make a habit of it, or you may end up getting over your head (and therefore having a mental breakdown in the run up to exams!) Just attempt to balance play with a little bit of work.

DO take pictures and decorate your room to make it feel nice and homely. This is the place you'll be spending the whole year in and quickly settling in very much depends on you! Returning to a fun, warm and inviting room will make you feel right at home and even make work seem a lot easier!

DO attempt to stay on the good side of the College staff, especially the porters, cleaners and catering staff. Stay on their good side and they will help make life easier (my cleaner always let me stay in bed as she cleaned around me). However if you get on their bad side, they can be sweet-talked with a bag of crisps and a friendly note. Just remember that the porters are nowhere near as scary as they look. The cleaners can be very chatty, but if you’re not in a rush then spend 5 minutes chatting to them

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and they’re much more likely to be understanding when you haven’t done the washing up!

DON'T be afraid to ask questions. There will pretty much always be someone around you can get your answers from. Whether it be something about doing your laundry (or even finding the laundry room!), where to get that toothpaste you forgot to bring with you, don't hesitate to ask around! If your new friend/floor mate can't answer, then try one of the fresher reps or male/female welfare officers! There is no point in you suffering in silence, since help is always close at hand!

DON’T leave your room unlocked. You will receive warnings in Freshers’ Week about the dangers of external thieves, but the real threats come from those who lie within college. Take it from someone who knows, finding your mattress, pillows and entire bedding in the bath is definitely not as funny as it sounds, especially when you’re tired and desperate for bed. DON’T get so drunk that you vomit everywhere. It’s not fun and it will stink out your room for weeks and make your floormates and your cleaner hate you. If the porter finds out (which he probably will because you will need something to clean it up with!) you will be charged £50. DON’T trophy (or steal as everyone from outside Durham would call it) from other colleges. It will seem like the best idea in the world when you are drunk, but when you wake up the next morning with some form of college service, or police warning, it will seem like a much worse idea. Other colleges do not take lightly to you using paintings of their staff to decorate your room!

Please find out more about the stash order going on before you get here on page 61 and above all DO READ THE REST OF THIS HANDBOOK!

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