GARDEN HALLS INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS 2007/2008 1
Description There are three Cartwright Garden Halls: Hughes Parry Hall, named after the distinguished lawyer and Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir David Hughes Parry, opened in 1969 and provides accommodation on 14 floors for 300 male and female students. There are 295 single study bedrooms and 5 shared double study bedrooms. The Hall is centrally heated throughout and each floor has ample shared bathroom, toilet and shower facilities. Canterbury Hall, built in 1938 by the Church of England, was acquired by the University in 1946 and provides accommodation for 229 male and female students. There are 202 single study bedrooms. The majority of students share a bathroom with one other student only, and 27 rooms have an en-suite bathroom. These are normally offered to postgraduate or final year students. Commonwealth Hall provides accommodation for 431 male and female students in 398 single study bedrooms, 11 large study bedrooms and 11 double sets (each of two bedrooms with a common sitting-study room). Most floors are mixed but if you would prefer a single sex floor this should be noted on your acceptance form. All requests will be considered but cannot be guaranteed because of limited availability..each floor has ample shared bathroom, toilet and shower facilities. Location The Halls are located in the Central University precinct within easy walking distance of many of the Colleges and administrative buildings of the University. They are also ideally located for London s West End theatres, cinemas and shopping attractions. There are excellent public transport links with King s Cross and Euston mainline and underground stations and Russell Square, Goodge Street and Euston Square underground stations are all close by. There is also good access to the major bus routes through and around central London. Contact Details Postal Address es: Hughes Parry Hall Canterbury Hall Commonwealth Hall 19 26 Cartwright Gdns 12 18 Cartwright Gdns 1 11 Cartwright Gdns London London London WC1H 9EF WC1H 9EE WC1H 9EB Telephone Numbers: 020 7121 7500 020 7121 7600 0207 121 7000 Fax Number 020 7383 4328 E-mail address hughesparry@lon.ac.uk 2
Hall Staff Bursar s Office The Bursar, Ms Fiona Elder, and her staff has overall management responsibility for Hughes Parry, Canterbury and Commonwealth Halls. This includes all financial matters, including student invoices, accommodation enquiries, catering, housekeeping and maintenance. All queries on these matters should be referred to the Bursar s Office at the top of the steps on the ground floor of Hughes Parry Hall. The Office Hours are 8.00 am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Wardens Each Hall has a Warden with responsibility for student welfare and discipline: Hughes Parry Martyn Rady; Canterbury Lynn Cairns; Commonwealth Gabriella Elgenius (the Halls of Residence Student discipline code and rights of appeal are available upon request). Please feel free to contact your Hall Warden if you are having any difficulties, such as problems with your room-mate, homesickness or studying. The Wardens are part time and not normally available during office hours so you should leave a written request (with your contact details) at Reception if you wish to arrange an appointment. In addition each Hall has a Vice Warden and Senior Members who act as Duty Officer (contactable via Reception) when the Bursar s office is closed. Hall Facilities Please note that to maximise revenue and fully utilised the facilities, the Halls let out meeting rooms during the day. At times, the presence of outsiders using your facilities may seem irksome. Please bear in mind that the alternative would be a substantial increase in your fees. TV Rooms: Hughes Parry - three TV rooms, one on the ground floor, one on the 3 rd floor and one on the 8 th floor. Canterbury - two TV rooms in the basement. Video/dvd players, and a selection of dvd s, may be borrowed from the student s specific Hall Reception. Commonwealth Hall three TV rooms, two in the basement and one on the ground floor. All residents are responsible for obtaining their own TV Licence for use in their own study bedroom. Music Rooms: There are music rooms in all three Halls which may be booked at Reception. Musical instruments should not be played in your room or any other room in the Hall. Common Rooms: Hughes Parry Hall has two common rooms, one on the ground floor and one on the 11 th floor which is for quiet study. In Canterbury Hall the common room is located in the basement and it contains a pool table and a table tennis table. Commonwealth Hall has two common rooms and one quiet study room in the basement, a small common room on the ground floor and a Library for quiet study on the first floor. Squash Courts: Hughes Parry and Commonwealth Hall have 2 squash courts. Courts are booked at reception. The meters outside each court operate the lights; 40 minutes of play costs 1.50. 3
Tennis Courts: All Halls have the use of the tennis courts in Cartwright Gardens. These can be booked at Hughes Parry Reception. Current charges are 2.50 per hour for residents. Cartwright Gardens: Cartwright Gardens are private Gardens facing the Hall. Hall residents and their accompanied guests are permitted to use these Gardens. Access is permitted during daylight hours only, and no ball games, except tennis, are permitted. Alcohol is strictly forbidden as is any type of music. Residents are reminded to close the gates behind them and not to admit strangers. Excessive noise resulting in complaints may lead to the Gardens being closed. Laundry Rooms: In Hughes Parry and Canterbury the laundry rooms are situated in the basement, in Commonwealth it is on the ground floor. Ironing boards are also provided. Irons may not be used in students rooms. Trunk Rooms: In all Halls the trunk rooms are in the basement and may be used for storage. They may not be used once the student has permanently left Hall. All residents have access to the trunk room and the Hall cannot accept responsibility for items stored there. All items should be securely packaged and clearly marked. Loose items should not be stored. Kitchens: Hughes Parry, Canterbury and Commonwealth Halls have small kitchens on most floors equipped with a microwave oven, hob, kettle, refrigerator and sink. No utensils are provided. In Canterbury Hall students occupying the Ground Floor and 1 st Floor York rooms should use the Ground Floor kitchen, York side. Commonwealth Hall has a pantry on each floor Library: In Canterbury Hall a small Library and Reading Room is located on the First Floor, York side. The Library in Commonwealth Hall is also on the First Floor. Laptops: Canterbury Hall has three laptops which may be borrowed from Reception in exchange for a 200.00 deposit. Recycling The Hall is keen to encourage recycling of paper, glass, cans and cardboard. Bins are available for these items and are situated in the basement at Hughes Parry and in the car park in Canterbury Hall. The venue at Commonwealth Hall has yet to be decided. Please ask Reception for directions. We also have recycling bags which you can keep in your room and when they are full please dispose in recycling containers. The Hall waste - minimisation policy also extends reducing volume of water and energy so please be aware and switch off when not required. 4
Catering Hall fees include dinner 7 days a week, breakfast Monday to Friday and brunch at weekends. Meal times These times may vary per Hall. Weekends Mon Fri Saturday Sunday Breakfast 8.00 9.00 - Brunch - 11.00 12.30 11.00 12.30 Dinner 6.00 7.00 6.00 7.00 6.00 7.00 A vegetarian option is included in all meals. If you have any special dietary requirements, you should discuss them with the Bursar s Office. It is not possible to offer accommodation without meals, and no deduction can be made for meals not taken. You must show your meal/hall card when entering the Dining room. If you lose your card a replacement can be obtained from the Bursar s Office. A charge of 6.00 will be made for replacement cards. Students with College commitments who are unable to return to Hall by 7.00pm are able to book a late meal by signing the packed meal book at Reception in the morning. The late meal will usually consist of a sandwich, piece of fruit, yoghurt and crisps. Please note the late supper arrangements are not suitable for students regularly not being able to get back for meals. These students should consider whether a catered Hall is appropriate for them. Meal Rebates Meal rebates for absence are given in the following circumstances only Students required by College to be away from Hall for a period for academic reasons, i.e. a field trip, may apply for a meal rebate ( 2.80 per night), if the period is for five (5) nights or more (This does not include reading weeks). A rebate is not normally given for absences of less than a week. All requests must be made to the Bursar in advance and be supported by a letter from your College. Rebates are never given retrospectively. Students away from hall during their College vacations for five (5) nights or more (vacation dates are those issued to us by Colleges and do not take account of departmental variations) may apply for a meal rebate ( 2.80 per night). A form is issued before each vacation asking students who wish to claim a meal refund to complete and return it at least two weeks before the intended departure. You should then sign out on departure and sign in on returning to Hall. A credit will then be issued which should be deducted from following terms instalment before paying. No rebates are ever given retrospectively. Students wishing to observe Ramadan are asked to sign up to a sheet in the dining room. There are no self-catering facilities and students are not permitted to bring any cooking equipment, including toasters, into their rooms. Refrigerators are not permitted in student rooms unless required to store medicines. If you require a refrigerator for medical reasons, you should write to the Bursar providing a letter from a doctor. 5
Housekeeping Room Cleaning Rooms are cleaned once, on the same day, per week. The day that your room is cleaned is posted in the corridors. Rooms must be left tidy on this day. You should expect surfaces to be cleaned, the floor to be vacuumed and the rubbish bin emptied. Cleaners will not move personal possessions and if the room is excessively dirty or untidy an extra charge will be made. Cleaners will ignore any do not disturb sign placed on the door and will not be able to accommodate requests for rooms not to be cleaned. If you wish to change the day that your room is cleaned you must discuss the matter with the housekeeper in advance. Cleaners will enter rooms each day to remove rubbish bins. Rubbish bins should not be placed outside the room as this constitutes a fire hazard and leaves the corridor untidy. Residents will be charged if bins go missing. If when a room is cleaned after final departure, it is found that additional cleaning is required (e.g. removing blue-tak from walls) then an additional charge will be made to cover the cost. This charge will be deducted from the resident s deposit. Linen The Hall provides a new bedding pack on arrival. This consists of a duvet, pillow, duvet cover, pillowcase and sheet. Residents are responsible for the laundering of these items. Provided residents stay for the full term of their contract they may take these items on departure at no charge. Those who do not complete the full contract for whatever reason will be charged 15.50 for them as they cannot be used for the replacement student. Please note the Hall does not provide nor launder towels. Furniture Your room will be furnished and students are not permitted to provide their own furniture or to move furniture from one room to another. If you wish to provide additional furniture you must discuss this in advance with the Bursar. Small removable items may be allowed provided they do not hinder the work of the cleaners or maintenance department. When you leave your room you must remove all items and the furniture must be left in the same position as when you originally occupied the room. Room Inventory A room inventory will be provided and you must complete this within twenty-one days of arrival and hand it to the Bursar s Office. This will be re-checked after your departure and any damage will be charged against your deposit. 6
Hall Services Telephone and Internet The University provides a telephone service in student rooms. You can receive calls, make internal calls to other rooms or speak to Reception (dial 0). If you wish to make external calls you will need to register with the Bursar s Office and pay a 10.00 deposit which will be returned to you at the end of the contract. Credits can be made via the Bursar s Office and the minimum is 20.00 in one transaction. An internet connection is provided to student rooms via a JANET link. Whilst every effort will be made to provide this service you should not rely on it being available. Fire Procedure Health, Safety and Security There is a fire notice in all rooms. It is your responsibility to make yourself familiar with the escape route from your room in case of fire. You should familiarise yourself with the location of all fire exits in case it is necessary to evacuate the building. The fire alarms are tested every Friday between 9.30am 10am. There is a fire drill at least once every academic year and you must co-operate with Hall staff in evacuating the building. If the Warden thinks it necessary, additional fire drills will be organised throughout the year. Should the fire alarms sound you must vacate the building immediately. You must not tamper with fire fighting or detection equipment in any way. Any resident who breaches these regulations will be subject to a disciplinary hearing that may lead to expulsion from Hall under the disciplinary code. Registration with a doctor Students must register with a local doctor. The Bursar s Office must be informed of the doctor s name and address within 21 days of taking up residence. A form will be provided for this purpose. Students at some Colleges may register at their College s own Health Service other students may register at the Central Institutions Health Service at 20 Gower Street. Whatever practice a student registers with they must ensure that a doctor will visit them in Hall in an emergency. Otherwise the Hall reserves the right to call upon a private doctor if the circumstances seem to warrant this, and to pass on the cost to the student. If you are concerned about the health of another resident you should contact the duty officer via Reception. 7
First Aid A number of duty officers are trained in first aid. A first aid box is kept in the Bursar s Office at Hughes Parry Hall and there is another first aid box kept at the main Reception in Canterbury and Commonwealth Hall. No member of staff is permitted, by law, to issue pain killers. The possession and use of controlled drugs including Class C drugs, is illegal and a serious disciplinary offence within Hall. The use or possession of illegal drugs in Hall, or allowing them to be used in your room is taken seriously as a disciplinary offence capable of immediate expulsion from Hall of the resident under the terms of the disciplinary code. In addition your College may be informed of the reason requiring you to leave Hall. The matter may also be referred to the police Finally The Information in this booklet is correct at the time of printing but some information is outside the Hall s control, such as parking restrictions. On account of work renewing London s drains, severe restrictions on parking will be imposed in 2007-08 in the vicinity of all the Cartwright Garden Halls. The Hall can accept no responsibility for any alterations in these areas. This agreement is personal to you and cannot be assigned or transferred. You are not entitled to allow anyone else to occupy the room allocated to you. This booklet should cover most things you will need to know about living in the Garden Halls although the fact that something is not mentioned does not mean that it is either permitted or forbidden. REMINDER This booklet contains valuable information with regard to hall life and you must bring it with you when you take up residence. Although the Bursar s Office holds a reference copy, an additional copy can be downloaded from www.london.ac.uk/halls. 8