College
address (Mail can be sent to your name/George Mason Program at the following):
Mansfield College
Mansfield Rd.
Oxford
OX1 3TF
College number
is 0 1865 270999 (to dial from the USA the number is 011 44 1865 270999)
ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN
Participants should arrive at Mansfield College from 10.00am onwards on Sunday
27 July. All participants are asked to report to the Porter's Lodge (located at
College entrance) to register where they will receive room keys and program information.
There is only one entrance to the College and the Porter’s Lodge is located
there with a large sign (you can’t miss it). There will be an orientation
in the Seminary Room West at 6.00pm.
CHECK-OUT
All Participants are required to have their luggage and return their room keys
to the Porters' Lodge by 9.00 am on Friday, August 8.
Oxford is situated 57
miles (c91 km) north-west of London and is served by a regular fast train service
and frequent coach services. Oxford is 45 miles (c72 km) from London Heathrow
Airport and 65 miles (c104 km) from London Gatwick Airport and is best reached
from either airport by the airport bus service. It is unwise to take a taxi from
London or either of the airports to Oxford without first having ascertained the
cost. Please remember that in the UK they drive on the left, so take care when
crossing roads.
TRAVEL
TO AND FROM THE AIRPORTS
The cheapest, easiest, and fastest way
to get to Oxford is by bus. Buses depart from both Gatwick and Heathrow and run
directly to Oxford. You can by your bus ticket the day of departure with the bus
driver. If you plan to return by bus at the end of the program, you can purchase
a “return ticket” which will save you some money. Train service to
Oxford is also available via London Paddington Station. Please review links below
for more details.
Bus: http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/airline1.html
Train:
http://www.oxford.co.uk/express.html
TRAVELING
TO AND FROM OXFORD
By Bus:
Two companies operate
bus services from London to Oxford. Both of them provide a 24-hour service. The
journey time is 90 minutes. At the time of preparing these notes, the prices for
either company are £9.00 single and £ 11.00 period return.
The
"Oxford Tube" picks up close to Victoria Railway Station on Grosvenor
Gardens; it then picks up at Marble Arch (Stop X). It runs daily every 15 minutes.
http://www.stagecoach-oxford.co.uk/oxfordtube/
By Train:
Train services to Oxford operate from London Paddington Railway Station (which
is linked by the Underground "Circle" line to railway stations such
as Victoria, King's Cross and Liverpool Street and by the Bakerloo line to Waterloo
Station).
ROOM AND MEALS
For the period
of the study program, the Program fees include room as well as breakfast and lunch
on weekdays at Mansfield College, Oxford. (On an individual basis, students may
be able to arrive before or stay after the study program for an additional charge.
Students interested in such arrangements should contact Michal McElwain Malur
at mmcelwai@gmu.edu)
At Mansfield College students enjoy individual rooms
with their own bathrooms. Towels and bed linens are provided. Face washing cloths
are not provided and you may want to bring an extra towel, as Mansfield charges
for make-up on their towels. There are irons and ironing boards on each floor
in the dorm. There are no hair dryers.
Coin-operated laundry is also available.
Partial maid service is included. All meals are served. There are two formal,
sit-down dinners. Students generally congregate together for meals, but there
is no such requirement should students, for example, want to eat one of the many
restaurants or pubs in Oxford. Any meals outside the College, however, are at
the students' expense and there are no refunds for missed College meals. Anything
students would want in terms of additional food, drinks, personal items, souvenirs,
etc. is available within easy walking distance of the College.
Most students
will be in the 'Hand's Building' dorm. If someone calls you via the Mansfield
Lodge Mansfield's direct number (011 44 1865 270999), you can simply have them
reference the GMU program and give your name. Messages can be taken by the Porter
and a note will be pinned up for you in the Porter's lodge or passed to a member
of staff. Each room has a private telephone with a direct line. Once at Oxford,
you can give this number to your family and friends to call you directly. Phone
calling cards can be purchased at the Porter's Lodge and used from your rooms.
If you need to be in constant communication with home or work, I would suggest
seeing if your US mobile phone will work in the UK (need to arrange this with
your service provider before travel). Phones can also be rented upon your
arrival at the airport. Pay phones are available within the College within E block.
COMPUTERS
AND COMPUTING FACILITIES
Participants can use the internet connection
via their own personal laptops in their dorm rooms. There is a computer in the
Porter’s lodge that students can use to print papers for a small fee. Unfortunately
there is no access to College computing facilities at Mansfield.
DRESS
AND WEATHER
English weather is always unpredictable. Even in summer,
a raincoat of some kind is often necessary and you are advised to bring some warm
clothing as well as summer clothes. The best arrangement is to have clothes which
can be worn in layers. Between May and September the weather can be cold (55°F/13°C)
and rainy; it can also be mild (65°F/18°C) with grey skies, or it can
be hot (75°F/24°C- 85°F/29°C) and dry. It can change from one
day to the next. Please also be aware that the nights can get chilly.
Classroom
attire at Oxford is casual (shorts and sneakers are fine). Coat-and-tie
attire is required for the two dinners, the London trip, and the class photo.
LINEN
& LAUNDRY
A washing machine and tumble dryer are available to
participants, and they are situated in the main building. Cards for the washing
machine and coins for the machine dryer can be obtained from the Porter's lodge.
There are irons and ironing boards on each floor in the dorm.
SPORTS
FACILITIES
Punts and rowing boats can be hired for use on the Thames
and Cherwell Rivers. There are a couple of public tennis courts around the City,
however you must supply your own equipment. There is a public gym in town that
costs 10 pounds a day to use. A nice run is in the university park located beside
Linacre College (near Mansfield).
MONEY
The program fee includes the academic program, accommodation and some meals.
Please note that all other expenses are the responsibility of the individual,
e.g. telephone calls, extra food, drink, newspapers, etc.
Banks and Bureaux
de Change in Oxford are not open on Sundays and, if you are arriving in Britain
on a Sunday with a limited amount of sterling, you may wish to exchange some more
at the airport. Alternatively, there are ATM machines in various places in town,
most of which have a Cirrus connection.
The British Pound is divided into
100 pence. Notes are issued for £5, £10, £20 and £50 though
small businesses are extremely reluctant to accept £50 notes. The coins
are: £2, £1, 50p, 20p 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p; please note that the larger
50 pence coins in circulation before the autumn of 1997 are no longer legal tender.
CITY
OF OXFORD
Oxford is a city of about 142,000 people approximately
one hour west of London. The town developed at the point where the River Cherwell
joins the River Thames. The legendary beginning of Oxford is attributed to Frideswide,
a Saxon noblewoman, who is said to have founded a religious house in AD 727. The
town thrived through the Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods because of the natural
defense provided by the rivers. However, beginning in the Middle Ages, the town
suffered a prolonged economic decline as it became increasingly under the domination
of the University. It was not until the growth of motor car factories after World
War II that Oxford was able to free itself from economic dependence on the University
and become an industrial and commercial centre. In the later part of the Twentieth
Century, the motor industry was replaced by high-tech companies and service industries.
However, education remains an important part of life in Oxford. General information
about the city and its activities can be obtained from the City of Oxford Tourist
Information Centre, Broad Street, Oxford ((01865) 726871. You can also find information
on the web at www.oxfordcity.co.uk.
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY
The University has no formal date of foundation, but
it is known that by 1100, individual teachers were lecturing to large audiences
in the town. Oxford is thus believed to be the oldest English speaking University
in the world. Oxford received a great boost in 1167 when upheavals in Paris led
to a mass return of British students. By 1200, Oxford had developed into a full
university with faculties, doctors, masters, and scholars. With the support of
church and state, the University grew to about 1,500 scholars by 1300. The fortune
of the University was closely tied to the Church of England, and it expanded or
declined depending on the king's support for the Church. This continued to the
19th century when reform - both internal and imposed by Parliament - transformed
Oxford into a modern institution devoted to teaching and scholarship. In 1878,
women were admitted to the University, but it was not until 1920 that they were
allowed to earn degrees. Today, there are 39 colleges (all but one is co-educational)
and approximately 12,000 undergraduates and 5,000 postgraduate students. In 2002
Oxford University claimed first place in annual (London) Times good University
guide which ranks universities according to the quality of teaching and research.
COLLEGE
ENVIORNMENT
The University of Oxford is composed of several dozen
individual colleges. This study program will be at Mansfield College. Mansfield
College occupies one of the most attractive sites in Oxford. The 1886 buildings
which house all the College's public rooms, are regarded as amongst the finest
work of the important Victorian architect, Basil Champneys. The youngest and smallest
of the Oxford Colleges (Mansfield's students membership comprises 200 undergraduate,
70 graduate and 35 visiting students), Mansfield is renowned for successfully
combining the best of traditional Oxford with the College's own innovative personality.
The College is also committed to making the scholarship of Oxford available to
students from all over the world. The college has its own dormitories, dining
hall, classrooms, chapel, computer room, library, etc. Most of the group academic
activities will be at or near Mansfield College. Additional information on these
facilities is available at the Mansfield College web site.
SHOPS
Throughout Britain only a few shops are open after 5:30pm, and a six-day
week is in general operation. However, most of the major shops in Oxford are open
on Sundays till about 4.00pm.
ILLNESS
& MEDICAL ATTENTION
Participants are recommended to bring an
adequate supply of any medication they use with them rather than rely on obtaining
further supplies in Britain. Many forms of medication available over the counter
in other countries are only available on prescription from a doctor in the UK.
Free National Health Service treatment cannot be provided for persons from
countries which do not have a reciprocal health agreement with the UK. Participants
coming from such countries, of which the USA is one, are strongly recommended
to arrange their own private health insurance prior to departure and must expect
to be treated as a private patient and pay (with cash only) on the day for any
treatment received. It should also be noted that treatment is given on an appointment
only basis. Participants who need to consult a doctor in Oxford during their visit
are recommended to contact the porters.
PERSONAL
PROPERTY AND VALUABLES
Mansfield College buildings are open to visitors
and the observance of reasonable security precautions is strongly advised. Participants
are recommended to keep the doors of their rooms locked at all times when they
are absent, and care must be taken that money and articles of value are not left
casually in participants' rooms or elsewhere.
Contact:
Michal McElwain Malur
Phone: 703 993 1577
Fax: 703-993-8215
mmcelwai@gmu.edu