EverythingYOUneed

toKNOW

www.bigfishents.com

in association with

Foot – There’s nothing like a walk through Cambridge on a sunny day! Town is about 35 minutes away on foot.Bike – If you have to go into town often, a bike is ideal. It’s only a 15 minute cycle to most places, and it’s good exercise! Get a decent lock and register your bike with the porters to deter thieves.Bus – The Uni4 goes to most of the uni sites and is only 60p if you show your uni card. The number 1 and 7 buses go to town (get a Day Rider if you’re getting the bus both ways).Taxi – Don’t use for daily transport un-less you have money to burn – it’s about £8 to get into town! When heading out, grab 7 friends and it’s reasonable.Car/motorbike – Nope, sorry, students are strictly forbidden from driving!

Maps and Travel

Dear Freshers,

First of all: congratulations! Getting into a Cambridge college is one of the most difficult things you’ll encounter in your academic life, and hopefully you’ll find Homerton to be every bit as brilliant as our current students do. We’re variously known as Cambridge’s friendli-est college, its largest college and even its most promiscuous college, but don’t worry, as it’s not just all smiles and no trousers! There are so many people to meet and so many clubs to join that whether you’re into ultimate frisbee, foreign cinema, ballroom dancing or just chill-ing with a few beers, there’ll be something for you to enjoy. And if there isn’t, well... you can always set up your own society!

My job is to make sure you settle in and have the best possible time at Homerton. I’m sort of a middle man between the college staff and you, the students. I’ll be working in the HUS office five days a week and living in college, so whether you’re having a crisis with student finance in the first week or just aren’t sure how to go about setting up that toga society you’ve been dreaming of, I’m the guy to come to first. If I can help, I will, and if I can’t, I’ll certainly know whose direc-tion to point you in!

Anyway, this guide will hopefully answer some of your most burning questions, so what are you waiting for? Get stuck in, and on behalf of the HUS, we look forward to seeing you in October!

Ben WheawellHUS President 2011-12

Hi!

Congratulations on your amazing exam results and for getting into Cambridge! I’m James, your Communications Officer, and it’s my job to make sure that you get all the information you need, whether it’s how to set up your internet connection or when the next bop is. I hope this guide will help you feel a little less nervous and a little less scared when you arrive at Homerton (we’ve all been there!) - we’ve packed it full of all the important stuff as well as all the fun stuff you might want to know about. So welcome to Homerton, the greatest col-lege of the lot!

James CroninCommunications Officer 2011-12

Welcome

MEET THE HUSThe HUS, or Homerton Union of Students, is here to work for you! We represent you within college and the university, organise student events, and make sure you’re get-ting on okay. So, hello from us, this year’s HUS Exec!

President: Ben Wheawell

Course: Politics, Psychology

and Sociology (graduated)

I work full time for the HUS,

leading the executive team.

Feel free to ask me anything,

and I’ll do my best to help!

Vice-President Internal: Asmita Singh

Course: Economics

My job is to manage the rest the fabulous HUS Exec, as well as the Homerton societies, the co-opted team and HUS meetings. In short, Ben’s right hand (wo)man.

Vice-President External: Greg Hill

Course: History

I represent the HUS to CUSU, and handle relation-ships with the Alumni Association and Mansfield College, Oxford – our sister college.

Services: Rujuta Khanolkar

Course: Economics

I am in charge of liaising

with the college to make

sure your views about food,

accommodation and other

services are heard.

Treasurer: Ollie Rubens

Course: Archaeology &

Anthropology

I keep track of the HUS’s

money and give advice

about managing your

finance in case you ever get

in a muddle.

Ents: Kathy Kennedy

Course: Education with Biological Sciences

I’m in charge of organising college events throughout the year for you to enjoy, proving it’s not just about hard work!

Welfare: Catherine Trinder &

Martin Kent

Course: Education with

Drama and English, and

Physical Natural Sciences

We work to be your friendly

face, non-judgemental ear

and giver-out of condoms.

Griffins President:George Deeks

Course: Theology andReligious studies

My job is to organise and promote all college sports, helping everyone get in-volved and setting up new sports teams.

Target & Access:Emma Bowell

Course: Education with English

I aim to encourage people to apply to Homerton/Cam-bridge, no matter what their background!

Sponsorship & Fundraising:

Zak Snowling

Course: Arabic and Russian

I raise money from our

sponsors, order stash for the

HUS and other societies, and

generally to help fund the

HUS throughout the year.

RAG: Pete Teverson

Course: Arabic and SpanishRAG (Raising and Giving) is a new position on the HUS, and I’ll be responsible for all ethical work and charity events in College.

Communications:James Cronin

Course: Politics, Psychology and Sociology

I’m the guy who sends you all the emails full of impor-tant stuff! I’m also in charge of the website.

Liaison & Academic Affairs:

Johann ‘Bob’ Kamper

Course: Chinese Studies

I’m in charge of making sure

you settle into Homerton

as comfortably as possible -

any problems, I’m here!

Environmental:

Heather Plumpton

Course: Biological Natural

Sciences

I try to ensure that college

is environmentally friendly,

from the recycling in your

kitchens to the Allotment

society!

Cambridge-speak

One of the most confusing aspects of Cambridge life is the lingo – you'll have to get used to plenty of new words and abbreviations! Here's a select few:

Bop – like a school disco with alcohol. You have six of them throughout the year and they’re a whole heap of fun.

Buttery – a fancy way of saying “café”. The Griffin is the buttery at Homerton, selling sandwiches and snacks in the day. In the evening it magically transforms into the college bar.

Cindies – known to non-students (and plenty of cab-drivers!) as Ballare, this is a Cambridge clubbing institution.

DoS – Director of Studies, they can help you out with academic issues.

Ents – short for entertainment.

Formal – a posh meal in college with a formal dress code! We have one every Tuesday (but they're not compulsory).

Mathmo – someone who studies maths.

Natsci – a natural scientist (pronounced ‘nat-ski’).

Plodge – short for Porters' Lodge, or the reception area of a college.

Stash – the kit you get for being asso-ciated with a society. Essential for the promotion of a play or team spirit in a college sport!

University & College

About Homerton

When you tell people you go to Homer-ton, you'll probably hear a few very com-mon reactions...

“Oh, isn't that a teacher training college?”“Oh, isn't that an all-female college?”“Oh, isn't it miles away?”

You'll just have to get used to it I'm afraid! Homerton hasn't been an all-female teacher training college since 1976, but people still get it wrong. We are miles away though, that one is true. I recom-mend getting a bike, unless you're an education student of course – then your faculty is right next door. Handy!We're also the biggest college in terms of students, but don't be overwhelmed – we're also the official friendliest college in Cambridge (if Friends Reunited is to be believed)! Forget about the posh Cam-bridge stereotype – you'll meet plenty of people throughout your time here in Homerton, and we really are a lovely, down-to-earth bunch.

About Cambridge

Cambridge University is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world behind Oxford – our main rivals...In 2010, Cambridge was ranked number one out of more than 600 worldwide institutions, knocking Harvard off the top spot (Oxford didn't even make the top five!). So congratulations – you've made it into the world's best university!

TravelDAYS

Getting readyto arrive

Stationery and paperCoins for laundry – washing is £2 and drying is £1, and the machines only ac-cept £1 or 20p coins. Bring some laundry tablets too!KitchenwarePrinter – there are printers in the library and the computer room, but you have to

buy credit, so you might find it easier to bring your own.Alarm clockChequebookDoor stopPhoto IDPassport photosA suit or smart clothes– you’ll need them atsome point, even if it’sonly for theMatriculation Dinner.

Toilet roll, towels or bed linen – all three are provided, but it can be nice to bring your own. Just be warned that it means more washing to do!Mirrors - there are three in your room! Desk lamp - there’s a strip lamp above the desk in your room.Furniture - there are chairs and a bed-side table provided, and there isn’t room for anything else!

Candles or anything that might set things on fire.Anything big and bulky that you might find it hard to store/get back home again at the end of term - though the HUS does offer a paid storage service for the vacation periods.

Make a note of these! These are the dates that you’ll be arriving to/from college. If you need to arrive/leave earlier or later than these dates, let the Admissions Office know by emailing admissions@homerton.cam.ac.uk

Michaelmas: 2nd Oct - 3rd DecLent: 15th Jan - 17th MarEaster: 22nd Apr - 23rd Jun

West House

West House will be your new home! It might not be much to look at, especially not when compared with some other colleges’ grand old buildings, but at least is fairly new, so you can be sure that the heating works, the windows are double-glazed, and the showers are decent. And all the rooms are en-suite, what luxury!

Each room has a desk (with a light above it!), a bed, bedside table, two smallish ward-robes, bookshelves, plenty of drawers, and two big lockable drawers under the bed for storage out of term time. There are loads of power sockets so don't worry about bringing multi plug extension cables. There's also a TV antenna plug (you'll need a TV licence if you want to use this) and a room phone for making free calls to anyone else in college (it can also make external calls if you buy a voucher).

Rooms are cleaned once a week by the lovely cleaners, but you have to keep it tidy! The cleaners will also empty your bin and give you new toilet roll. Even better, if you leave your dirty towel outside your room on towel-change day, it will be magically exchanged for a clean one. Unfortunately, you can't stick posters and pictures all over your walls. You can hang them from the picture rail or pin them to the notice board, but if you damage the walls with blu-tac or tape you might be charged.

As the rooms are used by conference guests in the holidays, you'll have to empty your room at the end of each term. You can leave some stuff in the two lockable drawers under your bed and the lockable drawer under the desk, and if you can't take everything home then the HUS offer holiday storage, but we do charge for it It's worth bearing this in mind before you bring your entire sound system, plasma TV, collection of antique furniture or anything else that you might struggle to get home or fit into a drawer at the end of term.

Internet Access

The IT Department have a helpful guide for you to check out before you arrive, with instructions for Windows, Mac and Linux users. It’s highly recommended that you follow these steps now in order to smooth out the connection process at the start of term! http://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/pre-arrival/

High-speed internet is provided to your room for about £60 each year, both wired and wireless (though wired is faster and more reliable!) This year sees the college moving away from the Resnet system and the introduction of Eduroam. This may not mean much to you, but lots of Homertonians will be jumping for joy, and it should make internet use across the whole university easier for you.

Usage is capped at 20GB a month, which is more than enough unless you watch loads of videos on iPlayer.

Accommodation

when you have to rush to a lecture and haven’t got time to make lunch!

How to pay

You pay for food at both the Buttery and the Great Hall with your university card. At the start of each term, you pay a compulsory Minimum Meal Contribution (MMC) which goes onto your uni card, and when you buy food you simply touch your card against a sensor to pay. You can pay with cash, but you get a discount when you use your card, and if you run out you can top it up online, too.

Cooking for yourself

There is a small kitchenette for each 10 or so people in West House with a fridge, microwave, electric hob and toaster. There’s no freezer or oven which is pretty limiting, but the facilities are fine for things like pasta, curry, omelettes, sand-wiches – be creative!

You get your own lockable cupboard to keep pesky food thieves off your snacks – it’s rare, but it can happen, so keep your cupboard locked!

Annoyingly, there’s nowhere to sit in the kitchen, so you’ll either have to stand, go back to your room or go sit in the cor-ridor. Eating in the corridor can become pretty social! There are no utensils for you to use, so you’ll have to bring your own pots, pans, cutlery, plates, bowls, etc.

The nearest shop is Tesco, which is only a five minute walk away. It’s a small one though, so if you’re desperate for all the spices to make garam masala it might be worth popping to one of the bigger shops in town, like Sainsbury’s.

FoodFeeling hungry? There are plenty of op-tions!

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is an apt title – it’s a big Victorian hall! Everyone just calls it “hall”, as in “are you going to hall tonight?”On weekdays it’s open for lunch from 12pm - 1:30pm, and serves dinner from 5pm - 7:30pm. On weekends it’s only open at lunch time, serving brunch on Saturdays if you’re in need of bacon, and roast dinner on Sundays.

The food is decent, there’s always a veg-etarian option and the menu is available on the website at http://www.husjcr.co.uk/hall

Formal Hall

Every Tuesday at 7:30pm after regular Hall closes, there is a formal meal in the Great Hall. As you might have guessed, dress code is suits and dresses! Tickets are around £14 for three courses and wine, while “superformals” (e.g. at Christmas) cost more and are strictly black tie. You’ll get a free formal at the start of the year for all Freshers. The food is generally pretty good, and eating by candlelight in the grandeur of the Great Hall is a wonderful “Cambridge” experience!

The Griffin

The Griffin is Homerton’s buttery, serving sandwiches, baguettes, cakes, fruit, snacks, drinks etc. It’s open all day and is a life-saver

round the corner is a student favourite for a half price Indian on Mondays. Phew!

Pubs and Clubs

There are lots of pubs to visit! Our nearest are the Earl of Derby, the Flying Pig, and the Rock, but venture into town and you’ll find loads more, including the Eagle, where Watson and Crick announced their discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953! There’s also Nusha just over the road for cocktails, and clubbing-wise there are plenty of evening venues to choose from for such a small city. Check out our favourites below.

Cindies – The home of cheese, but the kind of cheese everyone loves. Perfect for sipping VKs and listening to a playlist you’ve heard a thousand times before!

The Place – Also called Life by lots of students, this is a surprisingly enjoyable sweatbox, with some great drinks deals

Fez – The home of incense sticks! A really good atmosphere with areas for dancing as well as areas for lounging. Their shark buckets are a fan favourite.

Kambar – Alternative Cantabs love it here. A bit rustic and completely different in atmosphere from everywhere else.

Lola Lo – This is a newly-opened, luau-themed club, and it’s proved a big hit. Why not find out what all the fuss is about...

Revolution – A bar on the ground floor, club in the middle, and mezzanine up at the top. Oh, and lots of flavoured vodka.

The Social Side

What to do in Homerton

The Griffin – A great place to hang out at the end of the day! There are often TGI Friday events too, so come relax with a pint and take part in a pub quiz, or Wii games on the big screen. We’ve even got a pool table and a quiz machine!

The JCR – Undergrads have their own common room located in Queens Wing. It’s got a big TV, table football, comfy so-fas and even an almost-in-tune piano!

The Lawn – Unlike many colleges, we can walk on our grass! There’s plenty of room for sports (even dedicated tennis courts set up in summer), chilling out, or having a barbecue in the designated area.

The Orchard – Hidden behind West House is a relaxing spot full of apple trees – our very own orchard. Lovely in sum-mer, especially when you’re sick of revis-ing indoors. Oops, I said the R-word...

The Library – our library is open 24/7 for whenever you need that book for your essay, or just somewhere to work. Okay, so the library isn’t that social, but we couldn’t find anywhere else to mention it.

Around Homerton

Five minutes’ walk up the road is a great Leisure Park with loads to do. There’s a cinema, bowling alley, Nusha cocktail bar and The Junction. There are also loads of places to eat – Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Bella Italia (who do half-price Mondays), Frankie & Benny’s, Subway, Chiquito and Lucky Star Chinese Buffet. To top it all off, there’s also a Tesco Express, and the Taj

There are loads of sports to get involved with at Homerton. All sports are effec-tively run through the HUS’ central sports society, Griffins. If you want any more information, get in touch with this year’s Griffins President, George Deeks, at hus-griffins@homerton.cam.ac.uk

Here are just a few examples of our Homerton sports teams:

Boat Club - Homerton has its own Boat Club that anyone is welcome to join, regardless of whether you have rowed for years, or never set foot in a boat! We had one of our most successful terms last summer and we are keen to maintain this winning streak. Visit our website at www.hcbc.org.uk

Ultimate Frisbee – Yes, it really is a sport! The game itself consists of two teams playing on a rectangular pitch with two ‘endzones’. No previous experience re-quired! Contact Ruth at rt362@cam.ac.uk, or visit our website at homulti.blogs-pot.com

Badminton Club – We’re a really friendly club for men and women from be-ginners to experienced players! Whether you want to play for fun or represent the college in matches is up to you. We practice weekly, have socials through-out the year and there is also Cuppers at the end of Lent term. Contact Fiona at fes37@cam.ac.uk, or Hannes at hjg33@cam.ac.uk

Pool Club - Calling all cueists! After a successful year, we hope that you can join us in keeping Homerton the place to be for pool. Both teams compete in the university-wide league, and it’s the only sport that offers you the chance to sample the many delights of Cambridge’s college boozers. See you in the bar! Contact Drew at dm544@cam.ac.uk

Other Homerton teams include football, rugby, hockey, badminton, tennis, cricket, netball, basketball, croquet, darts and squash, and if none of those take your fancy, you can always contact George to set up your own team!

SPORTS @HOMERTON

Societies

HATSHomerton is famed for its drama, and anyone can get involved on or off stage! We fund a variety of shows and run HATStands, an open audition variety show. Contact Laurie-Lee at llm30 or Chris at csmh2 or visit www.husjcr.co.uk/hats

Little HATSWe’re looking for generous students willing to give up a small amount of time to enliven the lives of local children by giving drama lessons. No previous drama experience necessary! Con-tact Rebecca at rbi23

Casual Science ClubIf you’ve ever wanted to try a crazy experiment without fear of lab-books and writ-ing up reports, the Casual Science Club is here for you! Contact us at casuals-cienceclub@gmail.com, or check out www.youtube.com/CasualScienceClub

Homerton College ChoirWe’re a non-audition choir based in Homerton. We rehearse weekly and perform in college concerts and events. Contact Leah at lskm2, or visit www.srcf.ucam.org/hcc

AbsolutePandemoniumWe’re the university’s steel pan band! We have weekly rehearsals and write our own arrangements. No ex-perience required! Contact Marisa at mk580, or visit www.srcf.ucam.org/pande-monium

Homerton College Music SocietyWe promote music at all levels within college. Our ensembles perform at two annual college concerts and other events. Our recital series enables individuals to perform music to their peers. Contact Tom at tj265

Homerton JazzOrchestraWe’re a non-audition jazz band who perform simply for the fun of it! Weekly rehearsals with drinks in Homerton bar afterwards. If you play a jazz instrument we’d love to hear from you. Contact Graeme at grs39

Allotment SocietyFancy growing your own tomatoes, or maybe a cour-gette or two? Then join the allotment society! Whether an experienced grower or an intrigued novice, eve-ryone’s welcome. Contact Heather at hjp33

HomertonFilmmaking SocietyAre you a budding actor, di-rector, screenwriter, editor, camera operator, costume designer, make-up artist or special effects guru? Join the Homerton Filmmaking Society! Contact James at jpc75

G.O.D.S.Homerton’s very own Latin and ballroom dancing class! Come join us each week for an hour or more of jiving, waltzing and quickstep-ping. Dance competitively or just for fun - no experi-ence required. Contact Paul Jarvis at paj35

All email addresses are @cam.ac.uk unless specified, eg. csmh2 is csmh2@cam.ac.uk

Welfare

Academic Affairs

Hi! We’re Martin and Catherine, your welfare team. Our priority is to make sure that all of you are enjoying your time at uni, and are keeping yourselves happy and healthy at the same time. Assisted by the peer-support team, we are available to talk to you 24 hours a day through the confidential welfare phone and have open ears for any problem, no matter how big or small. We’ll also run campaigns on some of the big issues you may encounter. We can help with the following:

Sexual health - We provide condoms, pregnancy tests and chlamydia tests. We also have info relating to sexual health and contact details which you can use.Mental health - We’re here to help, whatever the problem. Whether academic stress, homesickness or mid-term blues, we will do our best to provide support. The university also has a counselling service (UCS) with trained counsellors.Physical health - If you have any queries relating to your physical health we will do our best to advise you. We also have a nurse that is employed by college and on arrival, you will sign up with a local GP.

Please please please ring us if you have a problem and feel like you want to talk to someone, we’re happy to listen and we never want anyone to feel embarrassed! You can also email us at hus-male or hus-female@homerton.cam.ac.uk. If you see us around college, come over and say hi! We’re looking forward to meeting you all.

Catherine Trinder and Martin KentWelfare Officers 2011-12

Hi there! I’m Johann/Bob/Shadowfax (it varies), the Liaison & Academic Affairs Of-ficer. My first job is to organise college families - to find you parents, brothers and sisters who will look out for you when you arrive here. So it’s me you have to thank for those horrendous puns! But I do a lot more than cheesy wordplay - I organise college open days throughout the year, sit on the Library Committee and the Aca-demic Affairs Committee, and I’m in charge of organising the Homerton University Challenge team! I also organise volunteers for the December interview process. So, to summarise, I’m generally here to make sure you feel at Home-rton.

Johann KamperLiaison and Academic Affairs Officer 2011-12

DATE TIME EVENT LOCATION

Sun 2nd 10am-6pm Registration &administration

Porters’ Lodge and Auditorium

7pm-10.30pm Mix & mingle The Griffin

Mon 3rd 9am-11.45am College Welcome Boulind Room

12.15pm-1pm Director of Studies Meetings

See welcome lists

1.40pm Fire Drill Walkthrough West House Lawn

2pm HUS Welcome Boulind Room

3pm Matriculation Photo Principal’s Lawn

4.30pm-5.30pm Tutor Meetings See welcome lists

7.30pm Film Night Horobin Room

7.30pm Rubik’s Cube Pub Crawl (for drinkers and non-drinkers!)

Meet atThe Griffin

Tues 4th All day Library and Faculty Inductions

Homerton Lib. and Faculties

12.30pm Walking Tour to CUSU Freshers’ Fayre

Meet at Plodge

1pm CUSU Freshers’ Fayre Kelsey Kerridge

7.45pm ADC Mainshow:Macbeth

Meet at the Plodge at 6.45pm

We have arranged a week of fun to help you meet fellow Freshers and settle into your Homerton away from home! Freshers’ Week is a great start to your time here at Cambridge and will run from Sunday 2nd - Sunday 9th October. Please check out as many events as possible, whether you feel like going to a club, pub or the theatre. You can meet others with the same interests, too!

To get involved make sure you buy a Freshers’ Pack when you arrive at Homerton; this will contain tickets for our Freshers’ Week events, club entries and a limited edition Freshers’ T-shirt. More information will be available on the website www.husjcr.co.uk

Kathy KennedyEnts Officer 2011-12

Freshers’ Week

DATE TIME EVENT LOCATION

Tues 4th

cont.11pm ADC Lateshow:

FootlightsMeet at the Plodge at 10pm

10pm Club night to Cindies Meet at theGriffin at 9pm

Wed 5th 12pm-2pm Subject Picnics West House Lawn

1.45pm-3pm Cycling Tour Meet at Plodge

3pm-5.30pm Homerton Freshers’ Fayre

Conference Suite (there’ll be signs!)

6.30pm Fire Warden Training TBC

7.30pm Pub Quiz The Griffin

Thur 6th 9am Lectures begin Faculties

7pm Matriculation Dinner and Drinks

Great Hall

9.30pm Cinema Trip Meet at Plodge

9.30pm Cocktails at Nusha Meet at Plodge

10.30pm Club night to The Place

Meet at Nusha at 10.15pm

Fri 7th 7pm Bowling Night Meet at Plodge

7.30pm Pub Golf (for drinkers and non-drinkers!)

Meet at theGriffin

Sat 8th 2pm Punting Meet at Plodge (or outside Anchor pub at 2.30pm)

9pm-1am Bop! Heroes & Villains Great Hall

Sun 9th 2pm-6pm Sunday Funday West House Lawn

7pm Pizza Night & games The Griffin

10pm Club night to Fez Meet at theGriffin at 9pm

The Great Hall is open for dinner 5.30pm-7pm on the first Sunday, and eve-ry weekday after that. It’s open 12pm-1.30pm every day of the week, serving lunch on a weekday, brunch on a Saturday, and roast dinner on a Sunday.

DID YOUKNOW?

Your college

parents have

been asked to

organise a

family dinner

for this day, too!

NUSHAclifton way | cambridge leisure park | cb1 7dy

Drink o�ersSelected cocktailsSelected shotsSelected bottles

£3£2from £1.50

valid only with HUS card | available every night

sunDAY

KARAOKE NIGHT

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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