Tutorial

If you have any questions about room leases or term dates, feel free to contact the JCR Secretary or any member of the Room Ballot team.

Leases

There are two types of room lease available at Corpus. These are the 30–week lease, which on average runs for 10 weeks spanning each term and the extended lease, which runs from the beginning of Michaelmas term right through to the end of Graduation Week, following the end of Easter term. More information about the two leases is available here.

Every year, when you come up at the beginning of Michaelmas term, you will have to sign your tenancy agreement in the Porters’ Lodge, prior to you being given your room keys. However, as there’s often not much time to look through the lease between receiving it and having to sign it, you’re advised to read the generic tenancy agreement before arriving in Cambridge.

Lease dates 2011–2012

Each lease period begins at 4pm on the stated day and ends at 10am, other than the beginning of the lease for freshers, who should arrive by noon. On the last day of your lease, please vacate your room promptly by 10am, otherwise you will receive a fine.

30–week lease

Lease Duration Years
Michaelmas Term Sunday 25th September–Sunday 4th December 2nd to 4th years
Sunday 2nd October–Sunday 11th December 1st years
Lent Term Saturday 14th January–Sunday 1st April All years
Easter Term Saturday 21st April–Saturday 23rd June 1st and 2nd years
Saturday 21st April–Friday 29th June 3rd and 4th years

Extended lease

Lease Duration
Bene’t, Botolph
and T-Street		 Sunday 25th September–Friday 29th June
Old Court Sunday 25th September–Friday 29th June
Excluding Christmas College closure (Friday 23rd December 2010–Tuesday 3rdJanuary 2011)

Term dates

Term Begins Full Term Begins Full Term Ends Term Ends
Michaelmas Term Sat 1st Oct Tues 4th Oct Fri 2nd Dec Mon 19th Dec
Lent Term Thurs 5th Jan Tues 17th Jan Fri 16th Mar Sat 24th Mar
Easter Term Tues 17th Apr Tues 24th Apr Fri 15th Jun Mon 25th Jun
  • Matriculation Day: Sunday 2nd October 2011.
  • Graduation Day: Thursday 28th June 2012.

Keeping term and exeats

To meet the University’s requirements for graduation, you must be in residence for three–quarters of each term and have been a member of the University for nine terms. You are expected to be in residence during the whole of Full Term, as this is when lectures, supervisions and other teaching will take place. If you come up after the beginning of Full Term, or sign out at the Porters’ Lodge during Full Term, you must remain in residence for an equal number of nights following the end of Full Term so that the term is counted.

Because the College has to keep an accurate record of how many nights you have been in residence, if you wish to leave Cambridge overnight during term time you will need to obtain an exeat from the Porters’ Lodge:

  • For one or two successive nights, an exeat is obtained simply by signing out in the exeat book.
  • For three or more nights, an exeat must be signed by either the Dean or your Tutor and then handed in at the Porters’ Lodge before you leave. You can get an exeat form for this from the Porters.

When you get back, it’s important to report your return to the Porters so that the correct number of nights away is recorded.

If you don’t follow these requirements you can get a £10 fine.

Vacation arrangements

Towards the end of each term (or just at the end of the year if you are on the extended lease), Tutorial will leave a form in your pigeonhole asking when you will be signing down at the end of term and when you will be coming up again at the start of the next term. Please fill this form in accurately and complete it by the deadline. If you change your plans, please let Tutorial know as soon as possible.

You may incur a fine if you fail to pack away your possessions as detailed below, or fail to vacate your room by 10.00am.

Please remember to sign down in the Porters’ Lodge when you leave, and sign up when you return, so that College has an accurate record of the number of nights you have been in Cambridge to ensure they can state that you have kept the term.

Storage facilities

Please bear in mind that many of the College’s guests during the vacation periods will be under–age and/or from a very different cultural background, belief system or faith. College would like their stay to be memorable for all the right reasons, so if you are leaving belongings in your room over the Christmas or Easter vacation:

  • Clear all surfaces of personal items (i.e. removed from desks, windowsills and around basins),
  • Take down all posters and pictures,
  • All books, files and folders should be packed away,
  • If the wardrobe is split into two separate compartments, one compartment should be completely emptied. If the wardrobe does not have separate compartments, it should be left half empty. Please leave clothes hangers in the wardrobe,
  • One large drawer, in either the wardrobe or chest of drawers should be left completely empty (preferably the top drawer). The bedside table drawer should also be emptied of all personal belongings,
  • Pack away all personal items in a box or a suitcase and leave it out of the way (i.e. in the bottom of the wardrobe, on top of it, or under the bed),
  • Don’t leave any alcohol in your room, please take it away with you,
  • Remaining items such as crockery, clothing or ornaments should be packed away in boxes or drawers,
  • Strip the bed, leaving the sheets inside the pillowcase.

Please remember that any items you leave in your room are left there entirely at your own risk.

For the Long Vacation, you cannot leave any belongings in your room, even if you are returning to the same room in the following year. If you do leave any belongings in your room, these may be disposed of at your own cost. There is some storage space available over the Long Vacation for international students. This is limited to:

  • A boxed computer and stereo (or equivalent).
  • No more than 3 good sized boxes or suitcases.

If you want to use international storage, please label your belongings clearly on all sides so they can easily be identified and arrange a time with the Porters for the store room to be opened. You should note that the College’s insurance does not cover items left in storage, so it is worth checking that you are covered for personal possessions in “secure storage designated by your College authority during a vacation”.

Vacation accommodation

If you have been given permission to remain in residence over a vacation, it is likely that you will have to move rooms. When doing so, you must vacate your normal room by 10am. If the room lease ends during a weekend, you may be asked to move rooms on a weekday in order to allow any problems with the temporary room to be reported to Housekeeping as they are discovered. You should take all your necessary belongings to the temporary room with you, as you will not have access to your normal room over the vacation.

When vacating your temporary room, you should do so before 10am, otherwise a fine will be imposed.

Examinations

Exam enrolment is carried out on–line during Michaelmas Term. Firstly, discuss your papers with your Director of Studies and ensure that what you propose to take has his or her approval. You can then register for your exams through your personal account on CamSIS (you’ll receive an email from the Tutorial Office, with some detailed instructions, when you have to do this). If you don’t have any paper options, please register for your exams as soon as possible. Your DoS will then go on–line and authorise your entry. In Lent Term you will be called to the Tutorial Office to check and sign your Entry Verification Form to make sure your entry is correct.

The College website has a useful Examinations FAQ page, which should answer any other questions you have regarding your tripos examinations.

University cards

Your University Card is very important as not only does it let you into the Taylor Library and the Computer Room and allow you to take out books from the library, you can also use it to purchase items in the Pelican Bar and in Hall… so don’t lose it! You will need to use your University Card as proof of your identity when you sit your Tripos examinations as well. Treat your University Card as you would a credit card. Please don’t keep it in your back pocket and sit on it as it will break.

If you have lost your University Card, please visit the Tutorial Office. Unless its been stolen, it will cost you £10 to replace, which will be added onto your College bill. If it has been stolen and has been reported to the police, the £10 fee is waived if you can give Tutorial a Crime Number.

If your University Card has stopped working for no visible reason (e.g. if it’s not bent or cracked), then you should visit the Computer Office to see if it can be fixed. If it can’t, you’ll then be referred to Tutorial, who will order you a replacement free of charge. It’s worth noting though that sometimes College will “stop” your card from working if you haven’t paid your College bill.

Getting a replacement card is normally very quick and easy. If you report your card broken before lunch, you should receive your new one the following day by UMS. If you report your card as lost or stolen, it takes a little longer as Tutorial have to wait three days before requesting your new card, just in case it turns up, which quite frequently they do!

Register of Electors

Each year, the College compiles a return for the Register of Electors held by Cambridgeshire City Council. All students eligible to vote and who live in College accommodation will be included. More information on the Register of Electors can be found here.

Graduation

Corpus students will graduate on the Thursday in Graduation Week (the week after May Week at the end of Easter Term). Tutorial will send you an e–mail when booking for graduation opens (this is towards the end of Lent Term), asking you to apply to graduate via your CamSIS self–service account. At the same time, you’ll be able to:

  • Reserve your place at the Graduation Dinner (on the Wednesday in Graduation Week),
  • Book tickets for the Graduation Garden Party (on the Thursday in Graduation Week),
  • Book seats for the Graduation Ceremony for your guests,
  • Sign up for an individual session with the photographer.

The College website has some useful information on the following things to do with graduation:

Tutorial queries

If you have any questions or queries regarding anything, please email the Tutorial Administrators. Alternatively, the Tutorial Office is located in A–staircase (room A8) and is open 9am–5pm (Monday–Thursday), 9am–4pm (Friday) during Michaelmas and Lent terms and 8.30am–5.15pm, Monday–Friday during Easter term. The Tutorial Office is closed for lunch 12–2pm. You can also contact Jan on 01223 7(64296) and Pam on 01223 3(38063).