Murray Edwards MCR
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Murray Edwards MCR Information for New Graduate Students 2014 - 2015 Welcome to Murray Edwards MCR! Introduction to Murray Edwards MCR 3 - What is the MCR? - Committee Members - MCR Facilities College Life 4 - Useful People in College - College in General 5 - Graduate Gateway 5 - Recycling and Composting 6 - Extra-curricular activities 6 - Academic Terms 7-8 Living in Cambridge 8 - Financial Matters - Food – in College and in Town 9-11 - Transport 11 - Healthcare 12 - Entertainment 12-13 Bits and Bobs 14 - Academic Gowns Useful Websites 14 The aim of this handbook is to make your introduction to college life that little bit easier, with useful information on getting settled in Cambridge and tips previous generations of students wanted to pass on. Your first few weeks will invariably be busy, so we hope to help by removing some of the stress! This guide is in no way exhaustive, so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask, or check out our MCR website: www.srcf.ucam.org/memcr/ MCR Handbook 2014-15 Page 2 So what exactly is the MCR? MCR stands for Middle Combination Room. It represents both an organisation of people and also a physical room. The MCR is the student union for the graduate student body of the College, as well as affiliated final-year undergraduates. Within College there is a similar JCR (Junior Combination Room) for undergraduates and SCR (Senior Combination Room) for Fellows. You automatically become a member of the MCR when you begin a graduate level course at the university. Yes, we agree it is a little confusing that “the MCR” refers to the student body, the MCR room and also sometimes the MCR Committee, but that is one of those quirks of Cambridge you will get used to! The MCR Committee is an elected group of students who represent you in College and across the university. We also organise activities for the graduate community. Basically we exist to look after your welfare while you are here, so don’t hesitate to come up and introduce yourselves, or suggest events you’d like to see happening! You can always contact any member of the committee for help and advice and be sure to come out to our daily events during Freshers’ Week. Committee positions come up for election twice a year on a rolling basis. The next election will be partway through Michaelmas term, so please think about joining the committee yourself! It’s a great opportunity to get involved in college life, make new friends and help change the MCR for the better. We are always looking for new people, so if you don’t fancy a huge commitment you can join as a general member. The following is a list of the current committee members and contact details: MCR Committee President: Maryam Serajiantehrani Social Secretaries (x4: 2 internal, 2 external): [email protected] [email protected] Vice President: Welfare Officer: [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Fatima Baldo Green Officer: [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer: Karishma Patel Computing Officer: Desi Hristova [email protected] [email protected] MCR Facilities MCR Common Room The MCR room is on the ground floor of Canning and Eliza Fok House. It’s open to all graduates 24/7, even if you don’t live in the house, with access using your university card. If you have problems accessing the room, please talk to the porters to check your card has been activated. The MCR is the hub of graduate life in College, and should be thought of as your living room! The MCR has a television with DVD player and Playstation, a selection of board games, pool table and sofas. There is also a kitchenette with facilities for making tea and coffee, plus biscuits too! The MCR can be booked for social occasions if the committee is not using it for an event. Please see the MCR Handbook 2014-15 Page 3 MCR website for more information and details on how to book the room and schedule of existing events. https://memcr.soc.srcf.net/facilities/the-combination-room/ MCR Office The MCR office is the area next to the common room, which contains two PWF computers and a printer for graduate use. The printer is maintained by the College so the ink and paper will be regularly monitored and replaced. If you require assistance or would like to report a malfunction please feel free to contact the IT Manager Andy at [email protected]. College Life People in College Executive Graduate Tutor The Executive Graduate Tutor oversees the totality of the graduate experience at the College. Dr Robin Hiley, our current EGT, will be retiring in December after which Mrs Nicola Cavaleri will take over in this role which oversees the Graduate Tutors and is responsible for, among other things, making Admissions decisions. Dr Hiley can be reached on crh1 and Mrs Cavaleri on nch23. Tutorial Office The Graduate Administrator is located in the Administration Corridor (hallway across from corridor that leads up to the Dome). Rosann Smith is happy to help you with just about any query you might have. Email her at [email protected]. You will also get a plethora of emails from the Tutorial Office Manager, Wendy Klein ([email protected]), that you should not ignore as they contain a lot of information regarding funding opportunities, invitations to college events and other general items of interest. Your Tutor When you arrive you will be assigned a Graduate Tutor - a senior member of College (Fellow) who is there to oversee your welfare (both non-academic and academic) while you are in Cambridge. They can be a valuable ally in times of need, ready to help with any problems with accommodation, finance, well-being and your course/supervisor/College. Please utilise this invaluable resource if you ever have the need. If in doubt, just set up a meeting; you’d be surprised how helpful a chat can be sometimes. www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/students/tutors/graduatetutors/ The Porters The Porters provide security for the College. They are extremely helpful and nice and are also a goldmine of information about College matters, how things are done, where things are, etc. They are on duty 24 hours a day in the Porters’ Lodge (or “Plodge” as you will very quickly come to call it). Introduce yourself to them when you arrive, they like to see friendly faces! You will also notice the pigeonholes, one of which you have been assigned, next to the plodge. This is where all your mail and packages will be sent. There is also a free-to-use phone that calls Panther Taxi next to the mailbox at the plodge. MCR Handbook 2014-15 Page 4 The College President Dame Barbara Stocking is very approachable and will make arrangements throughout the year to meet with all graduates to get to know you in groups or individually. You are also welcome to make an appointment to see her by emailing her PA, Louise Ovens (ljo30). College Nurse The College has its own nurse who is available during Full Term. Her surgery times are pinned to her office door at the bottom of the staircase next to the entrance to the IT Suite. She is available to discuss any physical or mental health issues. Email [email protected] if you would like her direct attention. College in General Graduate Gateway New in 2014 is a programme of Academic Development sessions put on by the College exclusively for our graduate students. There will be two separate streams – one for Arts/Humanities and one for Science and Technology. A detailed programme will be available in your arrival package. An “Introduction to UK Study” will be held on Wednesday 1 October (see the Freshers’ Programme for details). Everyone is encouraged to participate. Computing Facilities The IT Centre, downstairs next to the library, is open to all students 24 hours a day and has 20 computers with a range of software. There are facilities for printing, scanning and copying. Please note printing and copying in college will be charged to your next College bill at 5p/sheet and requires the use of an activated student card to release items from the queue to the various devices. Graduate rooms have Ethernet sockets to connect your computer to the College network, for a charge per term (included in your rent). You may buy an Ethernet cable from the IT office and the charge will appear on your next college bill. Information on how to set up a connection, and how to use the College’s wifi network (murrayedwards and eduroam), is available on the College website and will be given to you on a USB key. The College IT Office is located at the end of the Administration Corridor and can be emailed on [email protected] with any questions about computing in College, or you may also email the MCR computing officer (mcr- [email protected]. Wireless is available in the MCR and in Canning and Eliza kitchens if you are not able to connect in your room upon your arrival. You should register for Eduroam as soon as possible as you can use the network all over campus and at several other universities and national libraries. Library The Rosemary Murray Library houses 60,000 books, videos and CD-ROMs related to a range of topics.