Applying to Corpus Christi > The Offical Corpus JCR Jargon Buster

Oxford, being Oxford, has developed what sometimes seems like a whole new language to describe life at Oxford. Some say this was developed by generations of Oxonians to prevent the Tabs spying on Oxford; others say we are just too lazy to say whole words and instead shorten absolutely everything. All we know is that it can be a little bit confusing and mind-boggling at first. So, this list is here to help you out with any unfamiliar words...not that they will be unfamiliar for long- you will have picked them up before you even know it- I promise.

Charlotte x x x

Corpus JCR Access and Admissions Officer

The Official Corpus JCR Jargon-Buster

 

Battels- Bills you get once a term from college to pay your rent and JCR levies.

Beer Cellar- All Corpus undergraduates will be very, very familiar with this place by the time they leave us. Our college bar is underground. It serves beer (amongst other things). I will leave you to put the two together... Cheap and cheerful this is where most Corpus Bops are held.

Bod- The Bodleian Library. This is one of six legal deposit libraries in the UK, all Oxford undergraduates have access to this library which is spread across Oxford.

Bod Card-Used for a myriad of things, this small blue and white card has your photo on it and gives you access to many libraries (including the Bod itself), has your borrower number for taking books out on it and is also the card you use to pay for dinner in Corpus Hall.

Bop-Bops are cheesy parties hosted by JCR’s across Oxford. Corpus usually has three a term, all of which are hosted in the Beer Cellar (apart from the Christmas Bop). Bops are FUN. Dressing up to fit in with the theme, be it Noah’s Ark, Halloween or otherwise, is mandatory.

Christ Church-Christ Church (ChCh) is the massive college the other side of Corpus but the reason it is in our glossary is for another reason entirely. During Michaelmas you may hear the rowers muttering about Christ Church. What they actually mean is Christ Church Regatta, a rowing regatta especially for novice rowers which is held in the first term of the year.

Collections-Confusingly the word Collections refers to two different things. The first kind of Collection is a meeting with your tutors at the end of each term where your progress is discussed. You don’t need to wear your gown unless it’s a Presidential Collection (a verbal Collection with the President and Senior Tutor as well as your subject Tutors). The second kind of Collection names the exams you take at the beginning of most terms on the previous terms work; the marks don’t count to your final degree but are more a way of checking how you are doing.

Cuppers-Any inter-collegiate competition is called Cuppers. Cuppers Drama, Skiing Cuppers and so on and so forth...we do our best to beat the bigger colleges at whatever we do :) 

Entz Team-Responsible for organising all activities in Freshers Week and all the Bops. Entz is short for entertainment.

Fifth Week Blues-Something undergraduates sometimes get in 5th week- a general gloominess/ homesickness due to the fact that you are more or less halfway through term. Successfully combated in Corpus with Welfare Tea in 5th week.

Finals-The formal exams you take which determine which class of degree you will graduate with from Oxford. Most Arts students take their finals at the end of their 3rd year; for Science students finals are usually spread over their 2nd and 3rd years. People taking finals are called Finalists.

Formal Hall- A three course meal which happens in Corpus every Friday. Very good and reasonably priced. You have to sign up to go to Formal Hall but take note, Corpuscles do NOT wear gowns to our Formal Hall. Other colleges may differ (if they aren’t as cool as us!)

Hall-The room we eat meals in college in and also the word you use to say you are eating breakfast/dinner/supper in college- ‘What did you do for lunch?’ ‘I went to Hall.’

JCR- The Junior Common Room-because we like to keep you on your toes the JCR is the name for the common room where we socialise and also the name of the student body which all undergraduates are members of. The JCR puts on events and represents students views to college. More importantly the JCR is the place to be at 4.00 every weekday afternoon for JCR tea aka free tea/coffee and biscuits. On a Sunday this is replaced by Men’s Tea and Women’s Tea run by our Welfare Officers.

Lodge-This is where the Porters hang out and where your pidge is. Corpus Porters are all lovely and friendly and will know you by name before long. The porters sort out the post, are in charge of the keys for all rooms (so if you lock yourself out, it’s them you need to see) and help people who are lost. If you have any general queries about where things are in Oxford/need a new light bulb/need to pick up a parcel, the lodge and the porters are your first port of call. They are also good to chat to and appreciate chocolates etc at Christmas ;-)

Matriculation-This happens in your first term and is where you officially become a member of the University. All the Freshers dress up in their Sub Fusc and the Vice-Chancellor says a few words in Latin and hey presto! You officially become one of us.

MCR-Middle Common Room- same as the JCR but for graduates.

Mods/Prelims-The exams at the end of your first year, these don’t contribute to your final degree but you do have to pass them.

Parents-Corpus is a small friendly college, so when you arrive at Corpus you become part of a Corpus family. Each Fresher gets a Subject Parent who will answer any questions about your degree and a Social Parent who looks after any other kind of questions. We are a small college and logistically it is hard to organise nuclear families, so our family trees are...messy.

Pidge-Located in the Lodge, this is where all your post goes to. We also have ‘pidge post’ where you can send post to anyone in Oxford through the internal post, just ask the porters.

Rad Cam-The Radcliffe Camera. A very pretty building which is part of the Bodleian.

Rustication-If you are rusticated you are asked to take some time out from your degree, usually for a year and usually for academic or disciplinary reasons. It’s like being suspended from school, it isn’t expulsion (being Sent Down) but it is not good.

Scouts-Scouts are lifesavers. They are the college staff who clean your room and empty your bin. Be nice to your scout. Be very nice. Buy them a present at Christmas. =D Getting on well with your Scout will make term much easier.

SCR- The Senior Common Room, the common room all tutors and dons belong to.

Sent Down-The Oxford term for being expelled from the university.

Sub Fusc-Traditional dress worn for formal exams, Matriculation and if you ever have to visit the Proctors. For men Sub Fusc is: dark suit, white shirt, white bow tie, black shoes and socks. For women: dark trousers or skirt, white blouse, black velvet ribbon, black shoes and socks or tights (if you wear a skirt you MUST wear black tights). Everyone also wears their gown and carries their mortarboards. Women can opt to have a cloth cap instead but they are usually deeply unflattering and barely anyone has them.

Summer Eights- The big inter-collegiate rowing regatta in Trinity term. It is a Bumps race and lots of fun to go and watch...ice cream and Pimms aplenty.

Tabs-What people from Oxford University call people from The Other Place aka Cambridge University. Wikipedia tells me it is ‘a term of affectionate derision’....

Terms- The Oxford Terms are eight weeks long and are numbered from 0-8 (yes I know that makes 9 weeks but that’s just the way it is). No one in Oxford uses dates, tutors will ask to see you on Monday 6th week not Monday 23rd.. (NB Oxford weeks start on Sundays). Oxford terms also have funny names. The first term in the year = Michaelmas; the second term= Hilary and the third term = Trinity.

Torpids-the inter-collegiate rowing regatta in Hilary.

Vacation-the holidays between terms. Also called Vac. The summer holidays are imaginatively named Long Vac.