A Warm Welcome
MCR Committee
The MCR Committee is here to help and ensure that you make the most of your time at Hatfield. The President, Treasurer and Chair will be there to welcome you when you arrive at the end of September with a full programme of social activities during Induction week to help you get to know everyone and settle in, and they continue to organise social and academic events throughout the year. The President, Treasurer and Chair are elected before the summer, but you will have the opportunity to join the committee by running for one of the other Exec positions of Secretary, Events Officer, Academic Officer or Welfare Officer, or to join in a Non-Exec role as part of the assistant events team early on in the Michaelmas Term. Being part of the committee is both an important and rewarding part of College life, and we would encourage as many of you as possible to consider standing for a position!
If you will already be joining us this September then we look forward to meeting you and hope that you will have a great time at Hatfield, or if you are a prospective student interested in potentially joining us please use this website to find out more about us!
Lots of Hatfield Love!
MCR Committee 2020-21
MCR President
Message from the MCR President
Welcome to all our new members! I hope that you have had a great summer and that your friends and family have been safe. You will be starting the academic year at an unprecedented time of uncertainty, but the MCR and College will be working tirelessly to ensure your safety during the coming year.
Durham is an amazing place to live and study – and being part of your College is one of the defining aspects of the Durham experience.
The Middle Common Room (MCR) is the postgraduate student body of our College. It brings in a diverse range of people from all ages and backgrounds ranging from Masters to PhD students from a broad range of subjects, International Students from all over the world, full-time, part-time, and distance learning students.
The College (and the MCR) will be the social centre of your Durham experience. The MCR is run by the Executive Committee (Exec) who organise a wide range of academic and social activities throughout the year. Elections for the Exec are held annually and getting involved is a fantastic way to bring out the best of student life.
Our events include academic ones such as research symposia, guest speakers, research highlights etc. and social events such as formal dinners, nights out, BBQs, wine and cheese nights, day trips and much more!
I hope that you will have a fantastic year and make sure to make the most of the friendship, networking and developmental opportunities that College life can offer.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch. I look forward to meeting you all very soon!
Amila Wijesinghe
Hatfield College MCR President 2020-21,
(email: [email protected])
Hatfield College Master
Welcome to Hatfield College!
I am delighted that you are joining (or considering joining) Hatfield College. I hope your time here as a member of our postgraduate community will be fruitful and enjoyable.
Members of our postgraduate community usually join our Middle Common Room. Run by elected postgraduate student representatives, the MCR organises many events and provides support for its members, as well as representing the interests of Hatfield postgraduates within the College and beyond. Full-time students become Full Members of the MCR. A significant recent development has been to welcome part-time postgraduate members (most of whom are part-time distance learners) as Affiliated Members.
Whether you are a resident or non-resident member of the Hatfield MCR, a Full Member or an Affiliated Member, you will find a lively community which both does its own thing, as well as joining in more widely with general College events and activities, sports teams, other clubs and societies, and so on. There are good links with the Junior Common Room (undergraduates) and Senior Common Room (College officers, mentors, other staff from the university and members from the external community) and I hope you will meet many of these people. Hatfield is a very active and lively College and I encourage you to join in, meet people from many different backgrounds, with different experiences and interests, and make the most of your time here.
Inevitably, there is a lot to learn about a new place, but you can be assured of a very warm welcome. As well as the MCR officers, our College staff are kind and ever helpful. I look forward to meeting you very soon, and I know you will enjoy Hatfield.
Prof. Ann MacLarnon
Master, Hatfield College
Hatfield Vice-Master and Assistant Master
We would like to extend to you a very warm welcome to Hatfield. We are all looking forward to meeting you when you arrive in Durham to begin an exciting new venture in your life. Our aim, as our college motto says, is to help you to be ‘the best you can be’.
Our focus at Hatfield is to provide a safe, supportive, motivating and enjoyable collegiate environment that enables all of its members to grow intellectually and socially. Our College is recognised as friendly and welcoming which applauds leadership, creativity, innovation, teamwork and excellence. The College has a lively programme of sport, music, drama, volunteering and art – along with a range of opportunities designed to support your personal development, intellectual curiosity and future employability. During your time at Hatfield, we trust that you will have a truly unique experience that will lay the basis for a life-long, mutually rewarding relationship with your College, Durham University and the people and communities of North East England.
The main part of our roles as Vice-Master and Assistant Master is to help you to make the most of your time in Durham. We want you to develop as a person whilst you seek to attain the best degree you are capable of. We also work to offer support to those who face pastoral or personal issues during their time at Hatfield. Our doors are always open so please do pop in and say hello!
Gareth Weaver-Tyler, Vice-Master and Katie Stobbs, Assistant Master