How is welfare support structured at St Anne’s College?
Within St Anne’s you will be able to find various sources of support, all of which are committed in fostering inclusivity, safety and kindness towards the wellbeing and welfare of all students.
Below are links to various welfare services that are offered by:
- your main St Anne’s College Welfare team (including your Dean of Welfare, College Nurse, and Disability Co-ordinator),
- Welfare Reps and Peer Supporters within your MCR at St Anne’s,
- the main University welfare and wellbeing services,
- universal or specialist services.
To access more information regarding welfare at St Anne’s College, please visit the following: Student Welfare Support – St Anne’s College, Oxford.
We welcome you to reach out to any of the above. Support and signposting will be provided for all related matters with welfare, health or disability. We are here for anything you may be going through, no matter whether big or small! The MCR Welfare reps also host various welfare activities to help you unwind and take a step back from the hectic term time.
Welfare support within the MCR
Welfare Reps
Our Welfare Reps are here to lend an ear to listen to anything you may want to talk about or some time to release all of the stress you have been carrying thus far. We gather together at relaxing events that aim to let us all unwind after a hectic week or particularity challenging day or term. If needed, we can point you towards any further welfare resources that you may be looking for, but if you are looking to have an informal chat with a fellow student, look no further!
Here are a few short words from our Welfare Reps:
Ala Rutkowska – DPhil Biology
alicja.rutkowska@st-annes.ox.ac.uk
Hi Stanners! I am Ala, a second year PhD student in Biology, and I love hanging around St Anne’s organising weflare events for all of us! My all time favourite is pebble painting, which I am sure some of you may know, but I do promise you that you will have a blast at all of them! We try to cater to a variety of interests and ways to let off some steam. Keep an eye out for events you may want to briefly pop by, whether that are ones more arty, more competitive, or a very chilled out cup-of-tea! Please feel free to reach out to me whenever you need someone to listen, big or small! We are here for you and remember that you are not alone!
Laura Lain Rodriguez – DPhil Material Sciences
laura.lainrodriguez@materials.ox.ac.uk
Hi everyone, I’m Laura, a 3rd year DPhil student in Materials. I’ve spent a couple of years in St. Anne’s now, and I can say it’s one of the most welcoming colleges with an amazing community of graduate students. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of it and organising welfare events for our MCR. Please reach out to any of us if you have any questions or concerns, and feel free to pop by our welfare events for a chat and/or tea!
Peer Supporters
Please do not hesitate to contact the peer supporters to talk with you informally, confidentially and impartially about anything that is concerning you, ranging from academic issues to homesickness. Peer supporters can also point you towards additional welfare resources if you want them. Peer supporters undergo 30 hours of training with the Oxford University Counselling Service and swear to abide by a Code of Practice. Please email the peer supporters to arrange a meeting!
We are continuously looking for more Peer Supporters, so if you would be interested, please reach out to the Welfare Reps or College Dean of Welfare!
Riddhi Jain – DPhil Experimental Psychology
Hi! I’m Riddhi Jain (aka Riddhi Pitliya), I am part of St Anne’s College MCR Student Peer Supporters. Please reach out to me if you would like to talk through any doubts or issues you may have, even if you just need an impartial, completely confidential ear to listen; I also have a range of resources to refer you to. I am an alternative to talking to college welfare staff, supporting you on a more casual, student level. Note that I underwent training with the Oxford University Counselling Service before taking up our post, and I swear to abide by the Code of Practice. You can email me at any time to set up a meeting for yourself or on behalf of friends that you are worried about.
Welfare Activities
Your welfare officers welcome you termly to a variety of events that are organised for you to participate in. Whether you stay for a quick cup-of-tea or several fun-filled hours of your afternoons, we are here for all ways to unwind and de-stress! Make sure to stay connected with us and check out our term card for upcoming welfare events.
Below are a couple examples of events you may want to look out for:
Welfare tea and snacks
Every other week, mostly held in the MCR (Eleanor Plumer House)
Swing by the MCR to have some tea, snacks and biscuits. It is a good opportunity to relax with friends, or meet your reps, should you have any welfare concern. On occasion welfare tea chats may be held online to ensure all means of participation are available, ensuring students who cannot make in person events or feel more comfortable to do so online may still have the opportunity to do so.
Massages and yoga
On occasion, MCR or main-site St Anne’s
We have explored various ways to reduce the stresses of studying a postgraduate degree. We have invited instructors that held yoga classes, or gave shoulder massages.
Arts and crafts
On occasion, MCR
Release those creative thoughts! We have held a variety of arts and crafts event options in the past. These have included clay molding, mug painting, pebble painting, and drawing classes. These meet ups are wonderful to release your creative juices and enter a entirely different world to the rainy UK weather which visits us so often. If you would like us to branch out to other art forms, feel free to let us know!
Special events
On occasion, St Anne’s mainsite
Special events occur around specific holidays, such as a ‘St Anne’s Secret Palentine’s’ that was previously organised for Valentines day to provide an opportunity to anonymously appreciate our fellow Stanners. Special movie nights, for instance on Valentine’s Day, may also take place where the movie that is chosen follows the theme of the occasion.
Board game/movie nights
On occasion, MCR
From time to time we pull out the board games or a movie in the MCR and see where the evening takes us. Everyone is also welcome to bring suggestions. Tea and snacks are usually simultaneously available, whilst our welfare mascot, Ron, diligently supervises!
Swag drops
On occasion, MCR
Last but not least, keep an eye out on some swag drops that may occur on occasion. We aim to ensure that we have the opportunity to pick up a few self care options, whether that be a chap-stick for winter, a face-mask for a Friday evening, or a stress-ball when writing your thesis just becomes that little too much! You are not alone in all that you are feeling!