What are Senior Residents?

Senior Residents (usually referred to as SRs) play an important role in promoting the well-being and good order of students in residences by striving to create a positive living environment.  Senior Residents are experienced students; they all have life experience and most already have a first undergraduate degree.  They live in individual flats or houses on campus.

On campus and in the Village the Senior Residents work in teams of six and together have oversight of an area of the residences.  The areas are:

• Norfolk, Suffolk and Constable Terraces.
• Nelson Court, Colman House, Orwell and Wolfson Closes.
• Britten, Victory, Paston, Kett and Browne Houses.
• The Village.

Mary Chapman Court is overseen by two Senior Residents.

Within their area each Senior Resident has what is called a ‘parish’ – a collection of flats, or perhaps a building or block, for which they have particular oversight.

What do Senior Residents do?

Senior Residents should be your first point of contact for matters related to life in residences (however, matters of safety and security should be reported to Security at the Lodge, and maintenance jobs should be reported to maintenance).  When you contact a Senior Resident you can expect that they will:

• Listen.  Sometimes that is all that is necessary.
• Advise.  They will point you in the right direction, and/or give practical advice on where to go now, or what to do next.
• Respond.  They will actively deal with problems where they can.
• Keep their cool.  SRs will always know what to do when things have gone wrong.

All Senior Residents have received comprehensive training from the Dean of Students’ Office and are a good source of information and advice.  You can contact your Senior Resident for a whole range of reasons, for example:

• You are lonely, homesick or finding it difficult to settle in.
• You are worried about work or how the university works.
• You are feeling down and don’t know what the do.
• You are concerned about one of the students in your flat and don’t know what to do or how to help.
• You are worried that you drink too much.
• There are problems with sharing the kitchen or bathroom.
• You are being disrupted by your flatmate.
• The behaviour of other people towards you is upsetting you.
• Something has happened and you don’t know what to do.

How can I contact my Senior Resident?

You can find the contact details for the Senior Residents in the SR Details section on the left.

Senior Residents and maintaining ‘Good Order’.

Senior Residents are expected to use their influence and persuasion to promote good order.  If you are having a problem with a noisy neighbour, or your kitchen always looks like a battlefield, then you should contact your SR.  Your complaint will be taken seriously and SRs will do their best to try to resolve the problem.  Students will sometimes respond better to a request from an SR than from another student.

It is part of the Senior Resident’s job to report problems to the Senior Resident Tutor in the Dean of Students' Office.  Sometimes a student’s behaviour has an adverse affect on another student, or the residential community as a whole.  The Senior Resident Tutor has the option of referring individual students to the University Disciplinary Officer, who can fine offenders if he finds their behaviour has breached the standards of behaviour expected in the University Regulations or Accommodation Licence.  In the most extreme cases, a student could be thrown out of residences for persistent offences. Most students referred to the Disciplinary Officer don't cause trouble again.

If you have an immediate worry or concern you should call the Duty Senior Resident for your area.  The Duty SR is available from 6pm to 7am weekdays, and over the entire weekend.  Different arrangements apply at Mary Chapman Court.

Thinking about being a Senior Resident?

Applications for the 2013-2014 academic year have now closed.  Information about the application process can be found here.

You can read the profiles of some of the current Senior Residents, along with their thoughts on being an SR.