Sources of Support and Advice
for Undergraduates
The College has designated Officers to advise on specific
issues: Directors of Studies
for your academic work, for
example, or the Tutorial Bursar on financial matters. But
sometimes the specific issues are interconnected, or related to
problems or strains in your personal life. Broader support of a
'pastoral' kind is available from Tutors, the Dean,and
the College Nurse/Health Adviser.
All students have a Tutor. Tutors have both a formal
role and an informal role. Their formal role is as the main
designated intermediary between you and the University, or the
College, or in some cases outside authorities. University
regulations require that every student must have a
Tutor, and any dealings between yourself and the University will
normally be through your Tutor. For example, if you need to take
your examinations under special conditions, or if ill health
forces you to take a year out from your studies, you make the
relevant applications through your Tutor. If you find yourself in
conflict with a section or Department of the College, or with a
Fellow (such as your Director of Studies), or if you are the
subject of disciplinary action, your Tutor is there to advise you
and, if necessary, to represent you. If you are taken to
hospital, or detained by the police, your Tutor would expect to
be informed and to assist if necessary. During Full Term the
Tutors operate a night-time rota, so that a Duty Tutor is always
on call in an emergency.
More informally, your Tutor is available to advise and support
you if you come up against personal difficulties of any
kind. Worries about work, health, personal and sexual
relationships, family strains or financial problems are a common
part of student experience. You can discuss such matters with
your Tutor. The Senior Tutor and Tutors hold regular weekly meetings, together
with the College Nurse and the Dean, and from time to time the Dean of Students,
to discuss welfare issues. Although the roles of these College officers is
different and distinct, sometimes they may consult one another about
individual cases. All discussion of individuals is kept strictly
confidential to the circle of Tutors in College (ie not
communicated to Directors of Studies, parents etc without your
specific consent). It will normally be assumed that you are happy
for your Tutor to consult the other Tutors if they judge it to be
in your interests, unless you request otherwise, in which case
the matter will be entirely confidential to your Tutor and
yourself. UCS representatives are invited to the Tutors' meetings
once a Term to discuss welfare items of general interest (but not
individual cases). Your Tutor will also keep an eye on your
academic progress, and will see your termly supervision reports.
If you feel you would rather discuss a personal problem with a
Tutor other than your own personal Tutor (for example, if a woman
student particularly wishes to discuss something with a woman
Tutor), then you are free to do so.
When should you see your Tutor? All undergraduates must
see their Tutors at the start of the academic year (times for
first-years are arranged by the Tutorial Office; students in
subsequent years sign up for a time on the sheets posted outside
their Tutor's room). At the beginning of Lent and Easter terms
you are strongly encouraged to see your Tutor, although you are
not obliged to do so. In addition, all Tutors have regular
'Tutorial Hours' during Full Term, when you can go and see them
without an appointment. In an emergency you may of course
approach your Tutor at any time. Don't feel you must have
problems before you go to your Tutor. On the contrary: the more
regular your 'normal' contact with your Tutor, the more helpful
he or she is likely to be if problems arise. Your Tutor may also
e-mail you in the middle of each Term to see whether there is
anything you would like to discuss. You are encouraged to
reply, even if only to say that you are fine!
Besides overseeing the Chapel life of the College, the Dean-
the Rev Gregory Seach- is also an approachable source of
sympathetic advice for all members of the College, whatever their
faith or convictions. You can talk to him independently and
confidentially, although he will liaise closely with the Tutors
where appropriate
The College Nurse/Health Adviser, Mrs Helen James, has
counselling skills and considerable experience in helping with
personal as well as medical aspects of student welfare. Along
with the Tutors and the Dean, she is available to discuss
personal, emotional or sexual problems. At the Health Centre she
also keeps full information about the many other sources of
welfare support outside the College. Like the Dean, she
participates in the weekly Tutors' meeting on welfare issues. For
surgery times see the 'Health' section of this Handbook.
Cambridge students have access to a great diversity of sources
of support and advice: through the Colleges, through the
University, through CUSU and student-run volunteer
organisations,and through the local resources available to all
residents of Cambridge. In this section we outline only what is
available in the College. Information on the wider network of
resources can be found in the University's Student Handbook
and in the various CUSU welfare booklets. See also the list of
addresses in the 'Health' section of this Handbook.
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