Undergraduate Student Guide 2012-2013 - Selwyn College ...

good idea to take your family into your confidence, or to allow him or her to inform your DoS, the
Chaplain, or the Senior Tutor, but the decision will be yours alone.
You might decide it would be useful to let your parents know who your Tutor is, so they have a College
contact in the event of an emergency, but, once again, you need not worry about your Tutor talking out
of turn. Tutors are good at reassuring anxious parents without divulging any information of significance!
At the same time, they are always ready to raise matters with parents, if a pupil so requests.
Another common worry concerns the provision of confidential references when the time comes to look
for a career. There is evidence to suggest that undergraduates are reluctant to discuss certain matters
(e.g. depression) with their Tutor, for fear of it being mentioned in a tutorial job reference. In fact, Tutors,
in their references to employers, will nearly always feel able not to mention such difficulties. The only
major exception occurs when they are specifically asked (e.g. by HM Government or by the Law Society)
whether the applicant has a criminal record. Any Tutor who feels it would be necessary to mention a
pupil’s physical or mental health in a reference will always make this clear at the time of agreeing to act
as a referee.
Many of the problems brought to Tutors relate to finance. The College is able to alleviate genuine
financial hardship through aid from a number of different sources. Details are given in Section 8.3, but
the important thing to note is that you should tell your Tutor at the first possible opportunity if you are
experiencing, or expect to experience, financial difficulties. The sooner he or she is alerted to the
problem, the easier it is to provide an effective solution. If you suffer hardship, it is your Tutor who will
have to submit the necessary application form on your behalf to the College or University.
4.2 ADVISER TO WOMEN STUDENTS
Selwyn does not have Tutors specifically for women students. More often than not, there is at least one
woman Fellow amongst the Tutors, in which case no separate Adviser to Women Students is appointed.
If there is a matter which you would prefer to raise with a woman and your Tutor is not a woman, you
should contact Mrs Haruko Laurie (hul1@cam.ac.uk) or Dr Charlotte Woodford (cw268@cam.ac.uk). The
College Nurse is also a frequent source of support to women students on matters that go beyond the
strictly medical.
4.3 THE CHAPLAIN
The Chaplain is the Reverend Canon Hugh Shilson-Thomas. His pastoral care extends to the whole
community, Fellows, students and members of the College staff alike. As Dean of Chapel, he is
responsible for all aspects of College Chapel life – including the variety of services which take place each
week, study groups for those interested in exploring issues of faith and life, and the musical life of the
Chapel.
The Chaplain has rooms on D staircase and is available to all member of College, irrespective of religious
belief or denomination. Chaplains can lend a listening ear, provide support at difficult times, or simply
be available to engage with those exploring their spiritual lives. If ever you need to contact the Chaplain
urgently, the Porters will endeavour to contact him on your behalf. The Revd Brett Gray is Assistant
Chaplain; he also serves as Chaplain at Newnham College.
Although the Chaplain works in close collaboration with the Tutors, the College Nurse and other
colleagues, you may be assured that appropriate boundaries of confidentiality will be observed, so feel
free to speak with him in confidence.
28 Selwyn College Undergraduate Student Guide 2013-14