MCR- for those that are as yet unaware- stands for Middle Common Room. This refers both to a physical room (our common room), and the body of graduate students of the College who inhabit it on a regular basis. LMH is lucky enough to have an exceptionally friendly and sociable MCR, presided over by the Executive Committee. It is our job to help both prospective and current students with any issues or queries that they may have, organise your social life (our social secretaries are somewhat renowned within the Oxford college system, for good reason!) and represent your views fairly and effectively to the College as a whole.

Membership of LMH MCR, should you wish to make the most of it, is an exciting and unique experience. Such affiliation transcends the boundary of giving an insight into the way in which the Oxford collegiate system works, whilst also providing a close-knit, friendly and supportive community in one of the most cosmopolitan and beautiful colleges.

Members of the MCR Executive Committee are involved in activities as diverse as sports organisation, science outreach programmes, student politics (we are proud to have a good relationship with the Oxford University Students Union, another important port of call for many student issues) among numerous other social and academic pursuits. Diverse in our interests and characters, we strive to contribute all of these qualities to the MCR as a whole, aiming to enhance the already excellent nature of membership of Lady Margaret Hall.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries- of any description.”

Yours,

Megan Edwards and Julia Shanks.

MCR Presidents.

contact: megan.edwards@lmh.ox.ac.uk and julia.shanks@lmh.ox.ac.uk

Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again

Here we are, at the end of eighth week of Michaelmas.  Not only does it mean that Christmas holiday is nearly upon us, it also means that a new MCR Committee has been elected.  Your new Presidents, Megan Edwards and Julia Shanks, will be taking over, effective Saturday, 4 December, at Midnight.  Therefore, this will be my final entry as your President.  It has been an honour serving with Sylvestre as your President, and I am proud to say that I think the outgoing Executive Committee has done an exemplary job of improving the MCR over the past twelve months.  I would like to thank all of the MCR for their support throughout the 2010 calendar year.

There is little news.  The MCR has made a contribution, in the form of the Beer Fridge profits, to the New Graduate Center that the college is in the process of planning.  A further contribution will be made, in the form of MCR Coffee Mug profits, which will go out next week with the closing of accounts for this calendar year.

I do wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.  Please do enjoy yourself over the break and return ready for the excitement of spring in Oxford.

Good bye and many thanks!

Also, do enjoy the great amount of events offered by the MCR.  We brunches and parties coming up, so please do get involved and enjoy yourself.  As my usual plug goes, if you don’t plan adequate fun, I am convinced that your brain will rebel and you will not do yourself justice in your academic achievements.  So do come out and enjoy each other while you are here, which includes going to formal halls.  There are only a few left in term, so do sign up for them and do come to the MCR before hand for drinks.  Drinks are served in the MCR from 6:30pm, where you can also buy from our excellent selection of subsidized wine!  Definitely take advantage of the wine, as it is only £4.00 per bottle, and most of these bottles would cost you around £12.00 in a store in town.  To buy wine, or to give your opinion on our selection, please contact James Reeve, our wine rep.

MCR mugs are selling quickly.  If you want one, then please get in touch with me as soon as possible!  Once they are gone, unless there is some seriously large demand for more, they will be gone, and as these were a one-off commission they will be impossible to get.  So, buy yours ASAP.  They look great, and ten years from now you can wow your colleagues around the break room, who at most will possibly be able to produce some ugly Cambridge mug that pails in comparison to these mid-night blue beauties.  To get yours, get in touch with me, either in my office in LMH library, or send me an email.  They are £5.00 each and profits (about £2.00 per mug) go directly into the development and building of the New MCR, which hopefully will break ground in mid 2011!  For more information on this do contact Carrie Fehr, the LMH development officer and an Honorary Member of the MCR.

Also note that we are having the final General Meeting this term on Tuesday night, 16^th November, at 7:30pm in the MCR.  This will be your opportunity to speak up and be heard in how the MCR runs, and our opportunity to get approval from you on our plans.  Do show up, as there will be snacks and I will also bring along some mugs for anyone who has yet to get theirs.  Also immediately following the general meeting will be a Question and Answer session about running and serving on the MCR Executive Committee.  Elections will be held during seventh week and candidates have to make themselves known in sixth week.  To run for office, you will need to sign up, with the signatures of two full members in support, on a sheet of paper posted in the MCR (from Sunday the 14^th to Saturday the 20^th).  For more information on this see your weekly mailings or contact Sylvestre or myself.

Finally, make sure you are being safe and having fun!  Half of term is gone, and before you know it we will all be looking back over 2010 wondering where it all went.  I do hope that each of you are taking the oppertunites afforded to you to experience Oxford and its surroundings.  Have fun and be safe!

All the best,

However, with all of this in mind, do take time to enjoy yourself.  If you simply work the entire time you are here, then you will burn out and your brain will begin to rebel against you.  From there everything will begin a slow downhill slide into oblivion, where stacks of books reach towering heights, returned essays look like a red pen exploded on them, and it seems like you have a year’s worth of work to do in six weeks.

However, all of this can be fixed by adding an adequately measured portion of fun!  And let’s face it, fun is one thing the MCR does very well.  Our wonderful social secretary has circulated a term card that is loaded with events, to include an amazing lineup of exchange dinners.  If you haven’t received one of these because you have only newly joined the mailing list then kindly email either her or myself.  These events are all guaranteed to be loads of fun, and help you to fill your jovial fuel tank, which will help you power through those essays and reading lists.

Also, remember formal halls!  Each full MCR member gets four free formals per term, and these are great opportunities to meet people or chat up old friends over a proper dinner.  Please to take advantage of this.  Drinks are served in the MCR from 6:30pm, where you can also buy from our excellent selection of subsidized wine!  Definitely take advantage of the wine, as it is only £4.00 per bottle, and most of these bottles would cost you around £12.00 in a store in town.  To buy wine, or to give your opinion on our selection, please contact James Reeve, our wine rep.

MCR mugs have arrived and are selling quickly.  If you want one, then please get in touch with me as soon as possible!  Once they are gone, unless there is some seriously large demand for more, they will be gone, and as these were a one-off commission they will be impossible to get.  So, buy yours ASAP.  They look great, and ten years from now you can wow your colleges around the break room, who at most will possibly be able to produce some ugly Cambridge mug that pails in comparison to these mid-night blue beauties.  To get yours, get in touch with me, either in my office in LMH library, or send me an email.  They are £5.00 each and profits (about £2.00 per mug) go directly into the development and building of the New MCR, which hopefully will break ground in mid 2011!  For more information on this do contact Carrie Fehr, the LMH development officer and an Honorary Member of the MCR.

Also note that we are having the first of two General Meetings this term on Wednesday night at 7:30pm in the MCR.  This will be your opportunity to speak up and be heard in how the MCR runs, and our opportunity to get approval from you on our plans.  Do show up, as there will be snacks and I will also bring along some mugs for anyone who has yet to get theirs.

Beyond all of this, make sure you are all having lots of fun and being safe!  Term is under way, and before long it will all be over!  Terms fly by here quickly, and before long you will be sitting in the park enjoying the sun and looking back over it all.  Make sure you can do so with the confidence of having made the most of your opportunities.  Also, be sure to let us know if you have problems or need help or guidance.  Outside of fun, we are also here to ensure that you make it successfully through your studies.  However, we cannot help if we don’t know there may be a problem.  Otherwise, I will say it one more time because it is so important!  HAVE FUN and BE SAFE!

All the best,

This week promises to be exceptionally good!  Tuesday night is the Pub Quiz in LMH Bar beginning at 8:00 pm.  Wednesday is the MCR’s launch of term party and will have the MCR Executive’s official introduction, and begins at 6:45 pm (not 7:30 as stated on the schedule).  Thursday is the Ceilidh, in Talbot hall at 8:00 pm.  This is always immensely fun so do make sure to attend this.  Finally, our Social secretary is currently organizing a group outing to a bop for Friday night, and more information will be sent around as time progresses.

For both new and returning members, this term promises to be amazing!  Term Cards from both the Social Secretary and the Welfare Officers will be going out in the next week, and the lineup looks great.  Four exchange dinners, brunches, tours, parties, and all types of general fun and well-being!  Please do get involved; it will greatly enrich your Oxford experience.  I cannot tell you how many students I have met who have never experienced any more of Oxford and Britain than the University, and frankly that is sad.  These events are your chance to experience your surroundings, make new friends, and do so without any great expense.

Our new MCR coffee mugs are on their way!  They look great and we should get the shipment at the end of this week!  They will be £5.00 each, the profit of which will go toward the New MCR, which will be incorporated in the new Graduate Building that is planned to be started this coming spring/summer.  Do note that Carrie Fehr, College Development Officer and Honorary member of the MCR, will we at Wednesday’s drinks to tell you a bit more about this project, and how graduates can get involved.   So if you want one mug or several then please do let me know.  If they prove popular, we may commission more and we may also do shirts and hoodies depending on interest.

Beyond all of this, I do ask that everyone, both new freshers and old salts, be sure to have fun this term!  There will be many amazing opportunities to enjoy yourself and get involved with our wonderfully diverse MCR.  I do that everyone be safe and responsible, and keep an eye on each other.  Sometimes the shock of a new environment, academic work loads, exams, etc. can be overwhelming.  We have excellent Welfare officers who will talk to you about anything under the sun and will keep it confidential.  Also, someone may be just looking for a friend to have a chat with, so do look out for your fellow MCR members.

All the best,

First off I will give a big WELCOME to all of the fresher graduates.  I have met a handful of you already, but can’t wait to see you out in large numbers for Freshers Week events!  Don’t worry if you are completely confused, things will become clear in time.  However, do try to make it to as many fresher events as you can, they will help you get to know your fellow graduates, both new and old.  A list of events and times can be found via the below link.  Our Social Secretary and Welfare Officers also have excellent term cards, with lots of events for Michaelmas Term.  These will be sent out as soon as we get confirmation from the college that everyone is on the mailing list.  Please keep an eye on your email for news from your Executive Committee, as well as keeping an eye on this website.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1849577/Graduate-Induction-Programme-2010.pdf

Also, this past Friday was big degree day, and many of last year’s MCR members collected degrees.  Congratulations to all of them and we wish them the best of luck in their future careers or studies.

And everyone can look forward to LMH-MCR official coffee mugs!  The order goes out on Monday and hopefully they will arrive during freshers week.  So do keep an eye open for further advertisements about this.  Also, note that all profits will go toward the new Graduate building and the new MCR!  If you have questions about this then please look at the information on our board or ask Carrie Fehr, Development Officer at LMH, who will be at some of the upcoming events.

Otherwise, there is not much to note at the moment.  Just to welcome all of our new members and remind the entire MCR, new and old, to take plenty of time to enjoy yourself during the freshers week celebrations and throughout the year.

All the best,

It seems like LMH’s freshers pack’s webpage is experiencing problems right now.  Don’t worry, it should be back online very soon.

Here is the termcard for freshers’ week:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1849577/termcard.pdf

Make sure to write down these dates in your diary !

See you soon !

Sylvestre

On a different note, the MCR had a general meeting on Tuesday night and passed three amendments to the constitution!  These provided us with a well worded equality statement, a better explained section describing our relation with the College, and most importantly a new online voting system, which is already up and running for upcoming meetings as well as the elections that will take place in Michaelmas.

Also, for anyone who does not already know, we owe huge congratulations to the LMH boathouse, as all boats did very well in Summer VIIIs, and on Saturday, all LMH boats bumped, so congratulations to everyone involved, you have done the college and your respective common room proud!

So, with Sixth Week almost over, what do we do with ourselves?  Well, there are many events happening around Oxford and within the MCR, so please have a look at the Emails sent around the MCR mailing list, as well as the calendar on this lovely website!  Please do find time to celebrate your success!  Such fine moments of completion are fleeting, so enjoy them to the fullest, however do be safe and respective of those who have not yet finished.  Also ensure you get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather!  The weekend promises to be lovely, and Oxford will undoubtedly be outside to enjoy it!  The LMH gardens are exquisitely beautiful this time of year, and make one appreciate a college with such gloriously large spaces to enjoy the outdoors and avoid tourists!

With that all being said, be sure that you are studying hard and playing hard as well.  Balance in all things is the way to go, and rewarding oneself for a hard job that was well done is paramount to ensuring that you enjoy your course of study!  So, please do work hard, play hard, and be safe!

All the best,

However, nothing has to be all work and no play.  This is fifth week, and as I write this message, the Men and Women of Oxford Rowing are flexing their muscles, staring down their opponents, and preparing for a war upon the river.  That is right, it is May VIIIs in Oxford, and LMH is deep within the fight!  This event is all about bumps racing, as each boat is both predator and prey, hungry to catch the boat ahead, while desperately staying ahead of the boat behind!  Ultimately, this promises to be one of the biggest rowing events in the UK and everyone from new rowers to Olympic Athletes will be on the water, staring each other down as they line-up bow to stern, frozen on a hair-trigger of anticipation to begin each race, like a gun slinging showdown; Clint Eastwood eat your heart out!  So, be sure you make it down to the Boat Houses this week, especially on Saturday, which forms the final and most exciting day of racing!  You will find me there along with many of your fellow Common Roomers cheering our Women and Men on to victory!  Do come as the event will be a blast!

Otherwise, keep a watchful eye on the MCR Calendar to see what our Social Secretaries and Welfare Officers have cooking along the line of events, all of which are sure to be much more fun than stressing about that paper, exam, or pesky supervisory meeting.  Also note that there will be a general meeting complimented with nibbles on 04 June at 7:30 pm in the MCR, and we will finalize the constitutional amendments that will get our intranet voting system up and running!  Please do go onto your LMH Intranet account and vote on our highly important test motion, and we look forward to seeing you on 04 June.  So do enjoy your last weeks of the term and be sure to experience as much of Oxford and Life as you can while you are here!

All the best,