Living in College:
Rules and Conditions 1

The conditions of occupancy for graduate accommodation are set out in formal Tenancy Agreements.   This section relates to rooms in College and at the Colony.

The list of rules may appear long and intimidating, but most of them amount to little more than codified common sense. The rules exist mainly in the interests of safety and security, to ensure that rooms can be reasonably maintained, and to avoid disruption to others who live and work in the College.

'Residence'

(a) A student is deemed to have 'kept' a Term by residence if he/she has resided within the University Precincts during not less than three-fourths of that Term.

The University's Statutes require that you keep nine such Terms by residence before being allowed to graduate. In practice, this means that you have to be resident during the whole of Full Term, or that unavoidable absences during Full Term need to be compensated by residence for an equivalent number of days of Term.

(b) If you intend to go away from the College for any period during Full Term, you must inform the Porters' Lodge and your Tutor, in case of emergencies such as fire or break-ins, and your Director of Studies, if your work arrangements are affected.

Full Term and Term

Full Term is shorter than Term, and students are expected to be in residence during Full Term.  Lectures and supervisions take place in Full Term, but students use the days at either end for catching up and consolidating their work.  Full Term always begins on a Tuesday; lectures start on the Thursday and run for eight weeks (four in the Easter Term), ending therefore on a Wednesday; Full Term itself ends on a Friday. Second- and third-year students may stay in their rooms for these days between Term and Full Term, but first-year students are more restricted.

For First -year students only (2007-08):

Your room rent will cover the 8 weeks of "Full Term" and any part of "Term" (10 weeks) for which you may be given permission to stay.  However, at the end of Michaelmas Full Term, all rooms in Memorial, Ashby and Thirkill Courts are required for the December admissions interviewees.  All first-years will therefore need to vacate their rooms by midday on Saturday 1 December 2007.  At the end of Lent Full-term, all en-suite and shared en-suite rooms are required for conferences.  First-year students in en-suite and shared en-suite rooms will be asked to vacate their rooms by midday on Saturday 15 March 2008, and those in standard rooms by midday on Saturday 22 March 2008.

Leases

You have the option to have a Standard Lease (for Term only) or a 9 Month Lease (including the Michaelmas and Lent vacations). It should be noted, however, that NO rooms in Memorial, Ashby or Thirkill Courts are available on a 9 Month Lease.

Standard Lease

The normal Standard Lease allows you to reside for the duration of each of the three terms:

As mentioned above, the first-years (who are all housed in Memorial, Thirkill and Ashby Courts) are required to vacate their rooms shortly after the end of the Michaelmas Full Term (2/12/06) for interviewee, and occupants of the en-suite rooms in the Memorial Court complex will usually be required to vacate their rooms by the Saturday immediately following the end of the Lent Full Term, to accommodate conference delegates.

All students not graduating, not required to re-sit an examination, and not required to finish a course, must vacate their rooms at the end of the Easter Term. This includes those students who are due to be housed in Old Court during the Long Vacation. Students who are staying on for a 4th year and who wish to remain in College to watch their friends graduate should find a "floor to bunk down on!"   Each year the turn around from College to Conference becomes ever tighter, hence the need for any student not graduating to leave his or her room as early as possible.

You must hand in your room key to the Porters' Lodge, to signify that you are no longer in residence.  You will be charged rent until your room key is handed in

During the vacations, rooms are used for other purposes, such as housing visitors for conferences or Open Days, and parents attending graduation from a long distance. We will always find rooms for students who are required to be resident for University or College purposes (eg obligatory vacation courses), but otherwise permission to stay in a College room during the vacation will depend on need and availability. Applications are handled by the Rooms Coordinator.. There is currently a charge of £15.85 per night, (2007-08 will be £16.30) with a 50% discount for all students entitled to the maximum Student Loan. Overnight guests are not normally allowed Out of Term, unless permission has been obtained in advance.

9-Month Leases

9 Month Leases are available for rooms in the Colony and most rooms in Old Court. (The following Old Court rooms are not eligible for the 9 Month Lease: B1, B2, C1, F7, F8, and G6.  You have continuous access to your room during the Christmas and Easter vacations.

The amount you pay for a 9-Month Lease (261 nights) covering the period 27/9/06 to 23/6/07 has been worked out at the same daily rate as the Standard Lease (227 nights). You pay for all nights of three Terms and two vacations, whether you choose to reside all of those nights or for fewer. The daily rate depends on the quality of the room, but is considerably less than the £15.85 charged for additional vacation nights in the Standard Leases. Thus, which is the better financial deal depends on how long you wish to stay in residence during vacations.

In setting the rate for the 9-Month Lease, we have factored out the 9 days covering Christmas and the New Year.  This is because we recognise that very few people actually want to stay over this period.  If you have a 9-Month Lease and want to stay right through Christmas, you are very welcome to do so, but will not be paying any rent!

All students entitled to the maximum Student Loan taking up the 9-Month Lease will benefit from a 7% discount on the total rent.

During vacations normal College rules apply; this includes no parties in College accommodation during the normal vacation periods. Except during times that the College is closed, normal portering, housekeeping and buttery catering facilities will be available. The Forbes-Mellon Library will be open exclusively for student use throughout the Easter vacation. Even though you will have access to your room throughout the two vacations, for health and safety reasons, you MUSTadvise the Porters whenever you leave and return. Tutors will be available during the vacation periods as they are at present, but it may take them longer to respond to telephone or email contact. The Porters, or the Tutorial Office during the day, are available for help if you need a very quick response.

Please note that your 9-Month Lease holds good only as long as you are in statu pupillari, ie in residence studying for Tripos in the normal way. If you go out of residence for any reason, your 9-Month Lease will terminate. The 9- Month Lease also does not affect the College's present right to ask a student remaining in statu pupillari to leave College accommodation, or to send a student out of residence altogether, for serious breaches of the College Statutes or other similar offences.

Room changes

All rooms are for single occupancy and room changes will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances, normally on medical or psychological grounds. If you wish to make a case, you should consult your Tutor and/or the College Nurse.

Guests

The following arrangements for guests in Term have been agreed with the UCS:

(a) Student rooms are intended for single occupation. It is recognised that a student may wish to have an occasional guest to stay overnight ("night" commences when the gates close at 2 am). You are asked to exercise this privilege with moderation. As a broad guideline, you should not have an overnight guest to stay for more than two nights in any week. Resident Clare students (those renting a room in College) will not normally count towards this total.

(b) Students in special circumstances, wishing to have guests for more than three nights in any week, must apply for their Tutor's permission and inform the Housekeeper in writing.

(c) The maximum total of guest nights (without a Tutor's special permission) during any one Full Term is sixteen.

(d) For the period between the boundaries of Full Term and Term, no more than three guest nights per week (without a Tutor's special permission).

(f) With the introduction of the 9-month lease, students may now have overnight guests during vacations - for up to 3 nights in any one week (ie what is allowed for the period of Term),

(g) All guests, whether from Clare or outside, must be signed in at the Porter's Lodge. This can be done at any of the three lodges, regardless of where your room is, and can be done in person or on the telephone. This is for reasons of safety: if there were a fire or other major incident, the College must be able to provide accurate information about numbers of students on the premises. Resident Clare students may be signed in anonymously as a "Clare Resident".

(h) Bedders, who in the course of their normal duties encounter a person unknown to them, may enquire as to their identity; students and their guests must comply with this request.

(i) Students must accept full responsibility for their guests. Since space is limited, guests may not park cars on College premises except to load and unload.

Access to rooms

While you are in residence, your room is your home. Everybody - Staff, Fellows and other Students - should respect your right to privacy. From time to time, however, it may be necessary for a College Officer or member of Staff to gain access to your room as a matter of urgency, whether or not you are present. For example, there might be a potential danger to people or to the fabric of the building; or people from outside the College, such as window cleaners or electrical contractors, may need to carry out approved work; or a College Officer or Staff member may need access in order to perform their duties. Whenever practicable and reasonable, an attempt will be made to arrange a mutually convenient time; but if the matter is urgent, access must be granted without undue delay.

The Housekeeper conducts a brief routine check on the state of each room once during the Michaelmas Term. Further checks will normally take place only when there is reason for concern that a room is not being properly looked after according to the guidelines.

Nobody should enter your room without knocking and giving you reasonable time to respond.

By informal convention, a bin left outside your door tends to be treated as the equivalent of a "do not disturb"sign. But the presence of a bin does not override all other considerations, and you must ensure that reasonable access is available when necessary. 'Bedders' must be allowed access to your room at least one morning per week, at times which are convenient to them as well as to yourself.

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