MCR Freshers Week 2018 Timetable (Sunday 23 September Sunday 07 October 2018) Sunday 23 September Thursday 27 September Megaron, Holywell Manor From 9pm, every night If you are arriving in the week before Freshers Week, come down to the Megaron to hang out with members of the MCR committee and to get to know the other early-birds. Thursday 27 September European and International Student Orientation (Social Sciences ONLY) 9.30am, Exam Schools (TBC) A series of talks on issues specific to the needs of non-uk students like the Oxford academic framework, visa requirements and advice on working and more. There is also an information fair to get advice on UK banks, wifi set up, visas, careers, libraries, sport and more. Register at: www.ox.ac.uk/students/new/orientation. Friday 28 September European and International Student Orientation (Humanities, MPLS and Medical Sciences ONLY) 9.30am, Exam Schools (TBC) A series of talks on issues specific to the needs of non-uk students like the Oxford academic framework, visa requirements and advice on working and more. There is also an information fair to get advice on UK banks, wifi set up, visas, careers, libraries, sport and more. Register at: www.ox.ac.uk/students/new/orientation. President s Welcome 8pm, MCR, Holywell Manor Here s when you meet your MCR Committee, the Graduate Officers, and Peer Supporters, as well as all your fellow Freshers! There will be refreshments, so make sure you come down to meet your year and kick off Freshers Week in style! Saturday 29 September Mentor/Mentee Meet and Greet 11.30am, MCR, Holywell Manor Mentors and mentees meet to chat and get to know each other. Your mentors will be able to answer many of the questions you have about life in Balliol, and in Oxford more generally. There will be some sweet things for your delectation. *Denotes a mandatory event 1
Picnic Lunch 12.30pm, meet in the Megaron, Holywell Manor Cross your fingers for sunshine, as - weather permitting - we ll head off to University Parks for a picnic! Mentors and mentees are particularly encouraged to come along after the morning event, but everyone is welcome. There will be a bunch of snacks, but feel free to bring your own additions. Meet-your-floor dinners 7pm, your nearest kitchen in your accommodation Free pizza! Meet in your nearest kitchen, get your pizza from the cockpit (in Holywell Manor) and get to know the people you ll be cooking beside this year. After dinner, come for dessert in the Cockpit, and following dinner with some social entertainment. Livers-Out are also invited - your pizza will be waiting in the Cockpit! Sunday 30 September Garden Tour 11am, Holywell Manor Garden We are lucky to have a beautiful garden adjacent to the Holywell Manor complex. Come along and learn about the various trees, flowers and much more that you ll come to treasure as a place of relaxation! Manorlympics 3pm, Master s Field Fun and games on the Master s Field, with no skill or athletic ability necessary. Try your luck with egg and spoon races, sack races, cracker eating contests, and other light-hearted games. There will be Freshers vs Stalers events, so stalers come and represent the old people too! Barbecue 6pm, Garden, Holywell Manor We ll be putting the Manor s BBQ to good use and providing a feast fit for freshers! There will be plenty of yummy vegetarian/vegan food served too, and everyone is welcome! Please note, there is no Hall on Sunday night. Game Show Night 9pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor Come down and get to know each other better with some light-hearted games. Freshers and Stalers are all welcome. Don t worry - participation is not mandatory, so let the committee be the object of your entertainment! *Denotes a mandatory event 2
Monday 01 October Breakfast 9am, Cockpit, Holywell Manor We ll be providing breakfast Monday Friday all week. What better way can there be to start your day than some free food? Collect Balliol Freshers Packs 10am 4pm, Old Common Room, Balliol Main Site If you haven t already, your welcome packs, including your Bod cards, can be collected all day today. In addition, make sure you fill out and return your medical registration form if you haven t already. Welfare Tea 3pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor Still stiff from those crazy feats at the Manorlympics or tired from exploring Oxford? Come and enjoy an afternoon break with your welfare officers in the Cockpit where tea and a range of sweet and savoury snacks will be waiting for you! We will move to the garden to enjoy some autumnal sunshine if the weather permits. Mentor/Mentee Normal Hall 6.30pm, Buttery, Balliol Main Site Hall Mentors and Mentees take a trip in to the main site to enjoy a dinner in the Hall. Meet in the Buttery, before heading up to Hall at 6pm. You can put money on your Bod card in advance at https://payments.balliol.ox.ac.uk/ or you can pay cash at the Hall. Remember your Bod cards anyway, as food prices are heavily discounted for college members. Pub Quiz 7.30pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor Come down to the Cockpit, grab yourself a team, and prepare to reveal your embarrassingly average-level knowledge on non-academia related matters to your fellow freshers. Stalers are encouraged to come show the new people who s boss. Tuesday 02 October (Faculty Day) There are no compulsory events today as most students will spend time involved with inductions at their department or faculty. Emotional Resilience (joint event with JCR) 10.30am 12.00pm, Hall, Balliol Main Site If you don t have faculty commitments, consider attending this special session, by the Positive Group, in association with the Oxford University Counselling Service. Biscuits and other refreshments will be provided. *Denotes a mandatory event 3
Rowing fresher s drinks 7pm, Massey Room, Balliol Main Site Balliol is one of the strongest Rowing Colleges in Oxford and is always very keen to get new novice rowers on board. Come along with your fellow freshers and our boat club members for drinks and information on rowing at Balliol. All levels of experience are welcome, and there is no commitment to joining if you come along! Wednesday 03 October (College Day) Introduction from GP and Counselling Service* 9.30am 10am, Hall, Balliol Main Site Come and find out how to get access to medical care and other support services you might need while on your course. Medical Registration and Immunisation* 10am 11am, Buttery and Old Archive Room, Balliol Main Site There will be tea and coffee available for those waiting; please make sure you ve completed your medical registration paperwork in advance of this session. Praefectus Welcome and Introduction to Manor Staff* 11.30am 12:30pm, MCR, Holywell Manor This is an important opportunity to meet the Praefectus and the other faces of the Manor who will become very familiar to you. LGBTQ+ Lunch (joint event with JCR) 1.00pm 2pm, JCR, Balliol Main Site This event is organised by the JCR at main site. Aaron, our LGBTQ+ officer, will have further details for you to arrange going together. Fire Awareness Session* 2pm 3pm, Hall, Balliol Main Site Sexual Consent Workshop* 3-4pm, Hall, Balliol Main Site Balliol College Library Induction for Graduates 4.15-5pm, Library, Balliol Main Site Mandatory Balliol Graduate Induction (Introduction to College Officers)* 5-6pm, Lecture Room 23, Balliol Main Site *Denotes a mandatory event 4
Pub Crawl 8pm, Megaron, Holywell Manor A chance to socialise and to see some of the best of the (many) local pubs Oxford has to offer. We ll meet in the Megaron and then head off in groups before all meeting up back at the Manor. or Movie Night 9pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor Pub crawl doesn t take your fancy? Come down to the Cockpit for movies and popcorn instead! Thursday 04 October Gym Inductions (joint event with JCR) 2pm, 2.30pm and 3pm, Gym, Balliol Main Site If you want to use the gym, either at the Manor or Main Site, you ll need to do a gym induction. Doesn t take long and slots run regularly, but make sure you go otherwise you ll not be able to use the facilities! OUSU Freshers Fair 11am-12pm (TBC), Exam Schools Find the society or club to suit you: there s something for everyone! Make sure to take your Bod card. Guided Tour of Oxford 2pm, meet the Lodge, Holywell Manor We ll go for a wander round town and be tourists for a while, taking in the sights with a specialised tour for Balliolites by a veteran MCR member. Women s Welcome (joint event with JCR) 6.30pm, MCR, Holywell Manor Balliol College has a long history of remarkable women starting with the co-founder of the college, Lady Dervorguilla, a Scottish princess and the wife of John Balliol. Come and meet some of the more recent remarkable women of the college over a glass of wine. All genders welcome! Pick and Mix: G&D s, Cinema, Turf Tavern 8pm, meet in the Lodge, Holywell Manor We ll split in to three different groups depending on differing desires and either head off to a nearby historic pub, ice cream, or to go and see a film at a local cinema. Choose whatever you re in the mood for! *Denotes a mandatory event 5
Friday 05 October Please note that Hall lunch will start at 12.45pm on Friday and Saturday, due to Collections taking place. Balliol Freshers Fair 11am-1pm, JCR, Balliol Main Site Balliol College has a large number of societies, from sports clubs to arts. The Fair offers you the opportunity to take a look and sign up for taster sessions. ReFreshers Fair 10am-3pm, Exam Schools Returning students are welcome to pop in to sign up for societies and sports clubs today. You ll need your Bod Card to get in. International Students Tea (joint event with JCR) Noon, Hall, Balliol Main Site Both JCR and MCR are very diverse communities this tea is an opportunity to meet up and exchange first impressions. And there s free food! Chapel Choir Rehearsal (joint event with JCR) 5.30pm-6.30pm, Chapel, Balliol Main Site The Balliol Chapel Choir sings, on average, once a week and is always looking for new voices to join, so pop in if you're interested! The choir is open to all no audition necessary! Graduate Freshers Pre-Dinner Drinks with College Advisors* 7.15-7.45pm, SCR, Balliol Main Site Meet your advisors and faculty members before the dinner with a reception in the SCR. Graduate Freshers Dinner* 7.45pm, Hall, Balliol Main Site Shine those shoes and dress smartly to meet faculty and fellow faculty freshers for a delicious three-course meal in our grand hall. One of the highlights of the week. N.B.: ALL Graduate Freshers are invited to attend Freshers Dinner for free. All staler attendees (i.e., those starting a new course who have already completed a graduate degree in Balliol) must inform the College Office IN ADVANCE if they intend to attend the dinner. Email college.office@balliol.ox.ac.uk. *Denotes a mandatory event 6
Graduate Stalers Dinner 7.45pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor Port and Chocolate 10pm, MCR, Holywell Manor After-dinner drinks and even more food is an Oxford tradition. There will be port, soft drinks, and other goodies on offer to round out the evening. Saturday 06 October Intersectional Awareness Event* 2pm, Balliol Main Site (TBC) We are proud to be a diverse and international community this session will help us to be respectful in the face of our differences. The training module, led by members of the MCR, will help you identify some of the unconscious biases all of us carry with us and teach practical ways of addressing them. Rowing BBQ 3-6pm, Balliol College Boat House, Boat House Island Balliol has some of the best College rowing teams and we are always keen on getting new members on board. Whether you've never exercised or actually seen a boat before, feel free to come along to our rowing taster day where you can try rowing on the machine and in a real boat as well as meet some of your fellow fresher novices during a BBQ at our boat house. All levels and genders very welcome! High Tea and Bop Costume Making 4pm, TV Room, Holywell Manor Need an idea for your costume? Need a hand to staple it all together? Come to the TV room and find others who are similarly stuck. There ll be scones and tea to feed the creative fires! We ll transform the Manor for the bop, and we need your helping hands! Freshers Week Bop 9pm until late, Holywell Manor We will throw open the doors of the Manor and have a big Superheroes vs Villains -themed party to celebrate your Freshers Week! Dress up a little or a lot, meet new people, and have the opportunity to dance your socks off. Sunday 07 October Welfare Brunch 11am, MCR, Holywell Manor It s been a long week. Come and take it easy and share your experiences of the week with each other over some brunch. Be on time if you want the choicest morsels! *Denotes a mandatory event 7
Sunday Movies 8pm, Cockpit, Holywell Manor End the week with a fun film in good company and with popcorn. Saturday 13 October Matriculation* 8.15am, Balliol Main Site, Hall Matriculation is the ceremony that marks your formal admission to the University. Come to College in your sub fusc for your official entry into the University. This event is mandatory for those new to Oxford. Graduates of Cambridge or Trinity College Dublin are permitted to incorporate and should contact the Graduate Administrator if they cannot attend the ceremony. The ceremony will take place at the Sheldonian and will be followed by the group Freshers photo and brunch. All graduate freshers, whether matriculating or not, should plan to be in the photo in sub fusc, which will be taken around 10am. If you are not matriculating but would like to be in the photo, please inform the Graduate Administrator. *Denotes a mandatory event 8