Here are St. John’s, living in is an amazing experience. The community vibe is unique and incomparable to any other at Durham University, the food is fantastic, our sports and societies are in a league of their own and the list continues!
Handy tips for life at John’s
Here are a few things which may have been lost in all the other information which you have been given, and we think they’re useful to know! Check out the Freshers’ page for more handy tips, or feel free to get in contact with the Freshers’ Reps or the President for more information about living in college 🙂
Things you can’t do but might not have realised
Living in college is like living in a rented house. There are some things which you are not allowed to have, such as: candles or incense, mini fridges (unless you have a medical reason), nails in the walls (we recommend white tack or command strips), or wifi routers (the network will not allow them).
Something broken?
If it is urgent, head to reception an ask the porters for help. Alternatively, if the problem isn’t to urgent then a Blue Slip can be sent to the maintenance team – access the system here, using your university login details. The maintenance team will usually have it fixed within a couple of days, they’re ace!
Missing a college meal?
St. John’s is fully catered and so you’ve paid for your three meals a day, seven days a week. If you’re going to miss a meal, you can pick up a packed lunch form from Haughton Hall at any other college meal. Fill it out and post it through the catering letterbox (ask reception if you can’t find it) before 19:00 the day before you need it. Alternatively, and if you are going to need a regular packed lunch e.g. every lunchtime, every Monday evening etc. you can email johns.catering@durham.ac.uk to set up a standing order. Just let them know which days and meals you require a packed meal for, and what flavour sandwich/salad you would like, and then pick up your packed meals at the meal before the one you’ll be missing! Please note that use of hot plates/your own cooking equipment is strictly forbidden; each corridor is provided with a toaster, microwave, fridge and kettle. There are fully equipped kitchens in Cranmer and 28 North Bailey.
The heating is turned off for summer
A lot of people miss this and there is an inevitable stream of “my radiator’s broken” maintenance requests. However, don’t be afraid to fill out a blue slip if it really is unsurvivable – the weather can be oh-so unpredictable.
The hot water supply can be affected by the heating being turned off – again, fill out a blue slip if it’s not working properly.
Who do I talk to if… ?
Reception is your first port of call if you’re not sure who you need to talk to. At the very least they can point you towards somebody with a better guess.