Univ Record 2018

Weir Common Room
As ever, the end of an academic year is bittersweet.
As I write this in the summer, we are in the midst of
saying goodbye to finishing graduates – it is always
sad to see friends go, especially those who have been
members of the WCR for just a single, short year. The
year has certainly been a busy one, with a focal point
of the UCU lecturer strike affecting all of us in Oxford
but in particular those graduates currently teaching or
planning to go on to teach. One particular delight was
of course the College Ball, which was a fantastic coda to
Trinity Term.
The WCR is always proud of its community spirit and this was underpinned by
an excellent selection of events organised by our Social Secretaries, Seb Birtles, Colm
Murphy, Tales Padilha, and James Parker. In addition to the usual suite of bops, Sunday
Socials, and exchange formals, we’ve also been treated to garden parties and barbecues up
at Stavs and karaoke in the College bar. Other events have included the Martlets talks,
expertly convened this year by Rob Scanes and Phoebe Oldach, and the WCR Christmas
Dinner which as usual formed one of the highlights of the year.
Tireless work from our Equality, Diversity and Welfare Officer, Miranda Gronow, our
Women’s Officer, Grace Mallon, our International Students Officer, Mitch Robertson,
and our LGBTQ+ Officer, Rob Scanes, have helped keep the WCR as diverse and
welcoming as ever. Their work has ranged from a movie night on International Women’s
Day and the weekly WCR yoga to Wellbeing Week taking place in 5th week of Hilary
Term. In addition to being a fantastic series of events in its own right, it was particularly
exciting to see it be jointly organised by both the JCR and WCR. We hope to continue
this cooperation in years to come. In addition, thanks are owed to the WCR Secretary and
Hall and Environment Officer, Alex Temple, our External Affairs Officer, Laura Stokes,
and especially the WCR Vice President Treasurer, Will Prescott. Their efforts have been
invaluable and too numerous to fully list here.
Finally, we cast our eyes forward to a whole new academic year and to the new cohort
of graduates joining us in the WCR. The past Welcome Week was, as always, a busy
but rewarding occasion, and I am thankful to the previous WCR committee for making
everything run so smoothly. This coming Welcome Week promises to be just as convivial.
I am proud to continue the tradition of the events for our incoming graduates being some
of the most comprehensive and varied of many of the colleges – with events taking place
over a total of 17 days the singular “Welcome Week” becomes ever more of a misnomer.
So while I am sad to say my goodbyes, the prospect of a brand new year is exciting and
invigorating. I look forward to the next year as part of the Univ WCR community.
Staszek Welsh
President, Weir Common Room
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