Common room (university)

They represent their members within the hall or college, operate certain services within these institutions such as laundry or recreation, and provide opportunities for socialising.There are variations based on institutional tradition and needs, but classically the following common rooms will exist:[1] Common rooms are particularly found at collegiate universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, York and Lancaster, but can also be found (often only the JCR) at non-collegiate universities, where they are normally associated with halls of residence.When post-graduate numbers increased dramatically in the 1960s, similar arrangements, modelled on the JCRs, were put in place for them in the shape of middle common rooms.SCRs typically have a president, an academic member of the body who deals with higher-level administrative matters pertaining to the SCR, such as inviting proposed visiting fellows to the body and identifying invited lecturers to any particular college event.SCRs are typically characterised by a copious provision of coffee, newspapers, and moderately informal space for academics to think and discuss ideas.At Christ Church, St Antony's and Templeton the representative bodies for postgraduate students are called "graduate common rooms" or "GCRs".the OUSU council meetings take place in odd-numbered weeks of the university term.[15] JCRs and MCRs have elected committees to represent their interests within their colleges and in the central students' union.The committees are almost universally led by a president and a range of other elected positions to cover specific areas or interest or functions (e.g. secretary, treasurer, entertainment).[23] Similar to many university-level students' unions, all but two of the seventeen colleges at Durham have at least one paid sabbatical officer for their JCR (or equivalent), and some have more.[25] Durham Students' Union's Assembly includes a representative from each college as well as the chairs of the JCR and MCR presidents' committees.Each undergraduate college is a quasi-autonomous body within the university, and each divides its members into junior and senior common rooms.Senior members are less fortunate due to a current policy by the university's estates department of removing senior common room space from college control – refurbishing these as teaching rooms or putting them on the central booking system, so SCR members cannot just "drop in".Each JCR Executive organises a range of social and sporting activities for its college while also offering welfare support for its junior members.[29] Halls at the University of Bristol have student-run junior common rooms to organise social events and represent students in the residence.[44] At Harvard College, each house has a senior common room, composed of academics, alumni and others from the local area.
The senior common room at Keble College , University of Oxford , England
Senior Common Room, University College, Durham
Junior Common Room at Vanbrugh College, York
common roomKeble CollegeUniversity of Oxfordcollegehall of residencestudents' unionundergraduatepost-graduatecollegiate universitiesOxfordCambridgeDurhamLancasterstudents' unionsEducation Act 1994Charities Act 2006Charities Act 2011Charity Commissioncolleges of Durham Universitysabbatical officersCorpus ChristiNew CollegeOxford University Student UnionMagdalenSt Catherine'sSt Benet's HallNuffield CollegeWadham CollegeBrasenose CollegeUniversity CollegealumniChrist ChurchSt Antony'sTempletonWolfsonSt. CrossLinacre CollegeMagdalen CollegeSt John's CollegeUniversity of CambridgeMagdaleneFitzwilliamundergraduatespostgraduate studentsSt John'sSamuel Butler RoomPembrokeJesus College, CambridgeTrinity CollegeSidney Sussex College, CambridgeHomerton CollegeCambridge Students' UnionDurham UniversityCollege of St Hild and St BedeStudents' Representative CouncilSt Aidan's CollegeSt Cuthbert's SocietySt. John's CollegeCranmer HallUstinov Collegesabbatical officerDurham Students' UnionVanbrugh College, YorkDerwentWentworthLancaster University Students' UnionUniversity of BristolBodington HallUniversity of NottinghamUniversity of ReadingUniversity of New EnglandUniversity of GhanaTrinity Hall, DublinTrinity College Dublin Students' UnionNational University of SingaporeHarvard CollegeQueens' CollegeThe Oxford StudentCherwellPalatinate