St Anne’s Freshers Handbook 2022 This version of the St Anne’s Freshers Handbook is written in plaintext; it has been created to assist those who have reading disabilities, access arrangements for text, or those who use screen readers. This document is in an editable format. If you have any further questions or would like this formatted more accessibly please contact Sheila Smith (Disability Coordinator) at sheila.smith@st- annes.ox.ac.uk. JCR PRESIDENTS LETTER Dear soon-to-be St Anne’s Students, Welcome everyone. I would like to congratulate you for making it to Oxford and on becoming part of the St Anne’s community. I know for many of you the idea of making the transition to university might seem daunting, but I can assure there’s no better place to begin this journey than at St Anne’s, which is without a doubt the best college in Oxford. The process of starting your university journey brings along a wide range of emotions. Some may feel excited and confident whilst others feel worried and nervous or there might be a mix of emotions. I’m here to assure you that the next 3,4 or 7 years will be some of the best years of your lives. As a Stanner you are now part of one of the most inclusive, progressive, and welcoming communities at Oxford. During your time here, you'll make the most amazing memories and meet the most amazing and interesting people, so I advise you to make the most of this opportunity. My name is Vivian (everyone calls me Viv) and I will be your JCR President this year. This guide was created by myself, the JCR committee and some of our amazing freshers helpers. It’s here to answer any questions you might have, introduce you to members of the JCR Committee, the Fresher’s week Helpers other important people. It also helps with understanding some of the Oxfordian lingo i.e. Stanners and its overall aim is to give you a feel for what being at St Anne’s is going to be like when you finally join us in Michaelmas! I hope as you read you look forward to arriving at St Anne’s and see that we stand by our unofficial motto ‘we take what we do seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously’. “So…what is this JCR you speak of?!” The JCR stands for Junior Common Room and has two meanings. Firstly, it refers to the entire undergraduate community at St Anne’s, which you will soon become a member off. Secondly the JCR is a physical room on our college site, called the ‘Danson Room’ - consider this the main social space for undergraduates with facilities like a foosball table, pool table, TV and Wii and a plethora of board games! Most of you will get acquainted with the Danson room during Freshers week as a lot of activities will take place there. The JCR Committee is tasked with representing St Anne’s across the university and catering for the aspirations and needs of the student community here. They are a lovely group of dedicated individuals willing to support you and provide for you through the stages of this year, including welfare, entz (Oxfordian for entertainment), access and outreach, environment and many more. You’ll get to meet them a few pages below and hopefully in person soon! Many of the Committee members are doubled up as Freshers Helpers so you will have the chance to interact and ask any JCR questions directly to us as soon as you arrive. If you have any questions before arriving, please do get in touch via email or Facebook or Instagram! Being a Stanner has been a very important part of my time at Oxford. I am extremely proud to be a member of a community which has remained at the forefront of ensuring progression and inclusivity at Oxford. As some of you may already know, St Anne’s was invented in 1879 and it was founded on the belief that women should be given the opportunity to study at Oxford. The progressive values that gave life to St Anne’s has remained entrenched in the college and can be seen in every aspect of college life. Although the pandemic has impacted aspects of college life, St Anne’s has still remained a strong close-knit community and for many students including myself, it is a home away from home. The familial atmosphere at college is one of the advantages of studying at a collegiate university, since you end up knowing most people at college rather well, making it much easier to make friends and find your group. In addition, to the strong sense of community found at Anne’s we are also home to some of the best facilities at Oxford. Not only do we have the biggest library collection at Oxford we also have the best food (seriously, no other college comes even close). One of the other great things about Anne’s is that we’re close enough to the centre of town to keep the traditions that make Oxford Oxford, but far enough to avoid the drama (and the tourists). St Anne’s will not only be your home, but also where most of your teaching will take place. Whereas the faculty sets the syllabus, provides lectures and co-ordinates examinations, your college tutors will organise and teach your tutorials (normally two-on-one) and classes. Your tutorials are an opportunity to learn from the best, as your tutors are often also doing world- class research, but don’t let that intimidate you. Oxford is all about the intellectual challenge of being pushed beyond your limits and even by the end of first term you will be amazed by how far you have come. You will also learn rather quickly how to effectively manage your time so that you can enjoy all that Oxford has to offer beyond essays. My tip; don’t forget to have a social life. My tip; don’t forget to have a social life, Oxford has range of clubs and societies that caters to everyones interest. Don't be afraid to try new things or ask for help because there is a strong network of people always willing to help! As we begin to transition into a state of normalcy, Freshers’ Week might return to what it has traditionally been in the past. However, there might be changes in regulations between now and October which may prevent this. Regardless of these changes, your Freshers week will provide you with the opportunities to socialise, make friends, discover Oxford, get comfortable, sleep in, stay up late and settle into university life! Remember everyone is in the same boat so don’t be afraid to say hello to someone new; you won’t regret it! Our Freshers’ Helpers will be on hand 24/7 to support you and help you navigate through the week! I wish you the best of luck on your arrival to Oxford and your first year here! Congratulations again on getting to Oxford and fingers-crossed this booklet will get you excited to be here, answer any questions, and give you reassurance that you’ll enjoy your first year as much as I have! I look forward to meeting you in October but If there are any questions you have that aren’t addressed in here or just want to say ‘Hello!’, please email me at [email protected] and I shall respond ASAP! I For any College related questions (academic or social) please feel free to ask me or use me as a contact and I can pass on to the relevant academic staff. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer and I look forward to welcoming you to St Anne’s soon! Viv :) JCR President VICE PRESIDENTS LETTER To our newest bright-eyed, fresh-faced Stanners – welcome to St. Anne’s and first of all congratulations! All of the hard work and stress that you have faced to get here, which will have only been exacerbated by the craziness of the pandemic, have finally paid off. Each and everyone of you should be beyond proud of yourselves and even if it doesn’t quite feel like it yet, you deserve to be here! After only my first year of Oxford, and a rather unusual one at that, I can already guarantee that you are going to have the best time during your time here and will find your place and people, just like everyone else.I hope that you have all had the most fantastic summer and have enjoyed yourselves, whether you’ve been taking the lifted restrictions by storm or chilling with friends, family etc. My name is Holly Boyle, and I will be your JCR Vice President this coming year. I am ecstatic to help make your transition from school/college to university as smooth as it can possibly be and make your first year at Oxford one to remember. One of the first things you’ll find to be a bit of a culture shock will be the alien Oxford jargon. What is Michaelmas? Who are the JCR? What is a bop? What is a college parent? The use of all of these words and more will become like second nature and it just takes a bit of time to adjust to the way things work around here. You will hear the phrase ‘JCR’ thrown around especially often – but what exactly is it? The JCR, or Junior Common Room, has several meanings within the college.