16th January 2019
Events Rundown
Volleyball Match: Sunday 20th January @ Maiden Castle, 11am
Football Match: Saturday 2nd February @ Sunderland, 3pm
Chinese New Year Formal: Tuesday 5th February @ Van Mildert College, 6pm
Clubs and Societies Fair Vol. 2: Sunday 10th February @ Sheraton Bar, 4pm
General Meeting: Sunday 10th February @ Sheraton Bar, 7pm
Greetings Ustinovians!
Good morning and a big hello to all of you Ustinovians! First of all, welcome back! I hope you all had a great and fantastic Christmas holiday and are now ready for the new Epiphany term! As we enter the middle stage of winter, the weather is getting cold and the days become longer, we hope you still keep a positive mind to continue your hard work and do well with your exams and upcoming deadlines! Apart from your hard work, don’t forget to stay tuned for a lot of fantastic events we have prepared for you:
Ustinov vs Grey Volleyball Match
This term we are planning to have more organised trips to go and watch Ustinov teams’ matches. Join us on Sunday to cheer for our brand new Volleyball team! Come down to Maiden Castle on Sunday to cheer for the Ustinov team! The match starts at 11am and we will meet in the Sheraton reception at 10.15am to walk down together. You can find more information at https://www.facebook.com/events/497475050777474/
Sunderland vs Wimbledon Football Match
We have an exciting offer to make to you, Ustinov. How would you like to experience a football match in Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for as cheap as £10? Well now you can! Kick off for the match is 3pm on Saturday 2nd February. Mentor and external trustee, Adam, has managed to get very cheap tickets for the match! Tickets will cost £10, which will include a coach there and back (picking up from Sheraton House and Keenan House). More information will be made available to you in the next day or two, so keep your eyes peeled! (Note, this is not a GCR event, but for any queries feel free to contact chair.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk)
Chinese New Year Formal Dinner
你好 Ustinov!
What is this, you ask – another formal? That’s right! Chinese New Year, the beginning of the lunar year, is coming up in early February and therefore we are hosting a Chinese New Year Formal Tuesday, 5th February from 6pm at Van Mildert College. Of course, traditional Chinese dress is encouraged for this event, but everyone is welcome to join the formal, whether you celebrate the lunar new year every year or are just coming for the cultural experience!
The formal will take place at Van Mildert College, which is just a short walk away from Ustinov. On the day of the formal, the Van Mildert Bar will be open from 6pm to 6.45pm for you to buy soft drinks and bottled wine for the formal there. Similar to our Christmas formal, a student ID check and wristband distribution will take place as you enter the venue, so please arrive early enough in advance! We will also be leading groups of students to walk over from Ustinov; more information on departure times to follow.
Tickets: £12 for GCR members, £17 for non-members
As with our previous formals, we have an online booking form through which you will need to reserve your tickets! Here’s how the process works:
On Saturday (19th January) we will send out an email that contains a link to the online ticket reservation form. The form is still closed at that time. At the same time, the link will also be posted on Facebook and Wechat.
The online form unlocks at 18:00 on Saturday the 19th January. Be quick to reserve your ticket! The form remains open until all tickets have been reserved. You can reserve a ticket for yourself and for one guest. You must complete the form for each person separately. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
Tickets cannot be reserved at the GCR office! The online form is the only way to reserve tickets. Once you have successfully reserved a ticket (via the form or at the event), you need to come to the GCR office in Sheraton House between 6-8pm on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday (19th-21st January) to pay for your ticket in cash. You must pay for your reserved ticket by 8pm on Monday the 21st January. Otherwise, you lose your reservation.
All leftover tickets will go on sale on Tuesday the 22nd January from 6pm! To buy these, you need to come straight to the GCR office.
If you have any questions about the formal or the ticket sales process, please do not hesitate to get in touch with anyone on the GCR exec.
MENU:
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STARTER:
Vegetable dim sum selection with shredded vegetable salad and soy and sesame dressing (V)
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MAIN:
Tso’s chicken with sticky rice and stir fry vegetables
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VEGETARIAN:
Kung po chicken style strips with sticky rice and stir fry vegetables (V)
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DESSERT:
Mango pudding with black coconut ice cream and five spice gingersnap cookie
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Specific dietary requirements can be accommodated for.
Ustinov Live
We’re back, Ustinov! The first Ustinov Live of the year will take place on Friday 8th February at 9pm. Come on down to Sheraton bar for a wonderful evening of live entertainment. We’re looking for as many people to participate as possible; if you can sing, dance, play an instrument, read poetry or any other hidden talent you would like to showcase, then contact Alastair Stewart at alastair.j.stewart@durham.ac.uk . Don’t be shy, the more the merrier!
Clubs & Societies Fair Vol. 2
Whether you’re new to Durham, have some new year’s resolutions, or just want to try something different this term – mark the 10th of February in your calendars and come along to Ustinov bar to meet representatives of all our clubs and societies! There’s something for everyone here!Mark your diaries & WATCH THIS SPACE for updates & more info.
General Meeting
Elections! Votes! Democracy! Pizza!
The next GCR General Meeting will be held on the 10th of February at 7pm (right after the Clubs and Societies Fair!). A couple of positions on the Executive Committee have now opened up and we would love for you to get involved. In particular, the roles of Social Secretary and Livers Out Representative are up for grabs. For more information on these roles and what they involve, check out the GCR website at https://ustinovgcr.com/ .
Come on down to Sheraton Park café at 7pm to vote on some important issues, hear about what your committee has been up to over the last little while and ask any burning questions you may have! If you have any queries about elections or the General Meeting, send them to chair.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk . SIDENOTE, THERE WILL BE PIZZA.
Still not satisfied?
This time I add a small interesting riddle for you to think about, why not have a quick look and try to get a smart answer? The answer will come with next newsletter, so don’t forget to check it out next week!
Weekly riddle
What question can someone ask all day long, always get totally different answers, and yet all the answers could be correct?
Photo of the Week
Thanks Yunglin for bringing good luck to all of our Ustinovians!
If you’re a budding part time photographer and would like to submit a photo for the ‘Photo of the week’ segment, please send your submission to:
That’s all for this week’s newsletter. Hope you will enjoy these events in next couple of days! Please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions about the newsletters or if you’d like to contribute in any way!
Best Wishes,
Xinxin Yan
GCR Press Secretary
press.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk
GRADUATE COMMON ROOM 