Common Common Room Disgrace

Common Knowledge?

It is possible that there are many students—and not all of them Freshers—who are unaware of the existence of a Common Common Room in the Gymnasium. Those that are aware of the fact probably consider it a rather gloomy (not to say dirty) place. This is not so much due to the fact that the scheme was not well thought out by those who began it; we fear that the blame must rest with those people who were responsible for completing the Job.

Before I elaborate on this accusation I feel that a few of the events leading up to the establishment of this Common Room should be mentioned. At first, it was thought that the Women's Common Room could be made bi-sexual; this was not agreed to by the Women students. It was also felt, although not verified, that Sir Thomas would not approve of this in any case. So in 1949 a committee was formed to look into the question of setting up a Common Room in the Gym. The Committee decided that this was possible and a letter was sent to the College Council informing them of this step, telling them that the approximate cost would be £400 and suggesting that they subsidise the Association to the extent of £300, as £100 was all the Executive felt it could afford; the executive were gratified to receive a reply from the Council telling them that the Council was prepared to pay the total cost of renovating the lower gymnasium and buying furniture. Miss Barbara Holm and Messrs. Neil Mountier, Christopher Pottinger then went ahead with ordering furniture and arranging for the partition to be built

The cost of the partition and the reading rack was £130; the reason for the rather high cost for the partition was the fact that it takes the form of screens which can be moved if the whole of the Lower Gym. is used The other large item of expenditure was the furniture, which consisted of a dozen small arm chairs, six divans and four small tables. The heaters (gas) cost in the region of £60 and other such small matters as paint brushes and so on came to £10. The painting was done by voluntary labour with the controlling geniuses as foremen (two men and a woman but still).

That was how matter stood at the end of the 1949-50 Executive's term of office. The point that should interest all students is the events since 1950. If anybody cares to, and I have just done so (7 p.m., 14/3/51), they will find that there are now three divans, nine chairs, four tables and two heaters; the only reason they are still there is because they are fixtures. One of the chairs incidentally has only three legs—dangerous and uncomfortable. One of these divans is in the Exec. Room: a room not open to more than 14 or so of the Association. Nothing has been done to complete the preparation of the room; Mr. Pottinger had thought of flax matting as being comparatively inexpensive and very endurable as a possible floor covering.

If those who control the Association's affairs had realised that a room which is properly and attractively furnished (as this one would have been if the original plans had been completed) is not abused to the extent that a cold echoing draughty room with a little (not as much as was originally purchased) furniture dotted about it. It seems to me entirely possible that the Executive should have set up a Committee which was prepared to function under a Convener who was prepared to do something about it. At the present moment there is no [unclear: carpel], and, although I am open to correction, there does not seem to be going to be one. What furniture there is left would have appeared to have been in use for years instead of some months.

If nobody on the Executive is prepared to carry out the commitments of the previous Executive, surely there are people in the College who would be prepared to act on such a committee.

—M.N.P.