Welfare Welcome
We hope your time at Oxford will be one of the most enriching periods of your life. There may be times, though, when for one reason or other things can get on top of you or you find yourself in trouble. The Oxford term is short, and the best way to stop minor problems becoming serious is to tackle them early. Support put in place to help you by fellow students, the College and the University can often help you deal with things if they arise.
At Brasenose, we have a range of ways you can share problems and find advice, help and support. These range from College Parents, Peer Supporters and Welfare Reps to having a conversation with your Academic Tutor to our own on-site Welfare Fellows and Officers including the College Nurse, Kinneret Milgrom, who deals with health issues (physical or mental) and who works closely with our College Doctors.
The most important thing is to talk to someone in the team as soon as a problem arises and they will support you or point you to other sources of assistance if needed.
Meet the Welfare Team
Here are the people in College to turn to for help and advice or if you find yourself in trouble of any kind. See also the further information and resources at the foot of this page as well as the pages entitled: Health Information and Welfare Guides and Policies.
The Dean - Simon Shogry
The Dean oversees and is in charge of all student welfare. He is also responsible for enforcing College rules relating to discipline and is able to offer advice and support, especially in matters relating to disturbance or disruption. He is a harassment officer and can be approached about any form of inappropriate behaviour for an informal chat or to receive a formal complaint. He also heads the welfare team in College, oversees the Junior Deans, convenes the Welfare Committee and is contactable about any welfare issue.
He may be contacted by email at [email protected] or via the porter's lodge.
Sub Dean - Dr Arnaud Petit
Arnaud is available to meet students to discuss any issues they may be having. He can offer welfare support and signpost students to health and wellbeing, as well as study skills resources within and outside college. With the dean, he can also receive and investigate complaints of misconduct (including harassment). He oversees the work of the junior deans, as well as that of the study skills advisors.
You can contact Arnaud by email ([email protected]). In case of emergency, he can be contacted via the lodge. His office is on the college’s main site: staircase XVIII, room 1.
Chaplain - Rev David Sheen
David offers pastoral support and confidential listening for any issue troubling you, regardless of religious faith. He provides a safe space for you to offload or talk things through and can signpost to wider health and wellbeing resources in Oxford. He is a college harassment officer, and can be approached about any form of inappropriate behaviour. He can also signpost you to sources of spiritual support across all faiths in Oxford if desired. David is the designated peer support lead in college and works closely with all members of the welfare team in the Junior, Hulme and Senior Common Rooms.
You can contact David by email to book a 1:1 slot with him: [email protected] or phone: 01865 277830. In an emergency he can be contacted via the lodge.
Main College: Heberden 1 (above the JCR). If you would like to meet in a ground floor accessible room please notify David as his office is on the first floor.
College Nurse – Kinneret Milgrom
Kinneret, the College Nurse can help with a wide variety of personal medical issues (physical and mental health) and signposts to wider health and wellbeing resources in Oxford. She can make medical referrals to the GP, often getting you an appointment on the same day. She’s available to discuss any problem, big or small. Kinneret can be contacted by email: [email protected] or by phone: 01865 277883 or via the lodge. Her surgery is in Main College at the bottom of Staircase XII.
For more information see the College Nurse page.
College Counsellor - Sebastian Petzolt
As College Counsellor, I offer a safe and non-judgemental space where you can talk about anything that you find stressful or upsetting. I’m here to listen to your thoughts, feelings, and worries, and help you reflect on your experiences, both present and past. Together, we will try to make sense of what you are going through, so you can feel more in control of your situation, and can begin to make changes in your life. The service I offer is confidential, free, and takes place in an informal one-to-one setting.
I’m a qualified psychotherapist, and you can approach me with any concerns you may have about your emotional and mental well-being. These could include feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or low in mood; experiencing intrusive thoughts; feeling lonely and isolation, or worried about a social situation; a recent break-up or conflict in your family or friendship group; concerns about your sexual and gender identity; a bereavement or other loss; a recent or past experience that’s left you feeling upset or shaken; coping with academic pressure; difficulties staying focussed or motivated; combatting exhaustion, fatigue, or restlessness; preparing to go abroad, or returning from your year abroad.
If you’d like to talk about these or any other issues, please use the following link to make an appointment: http://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/collegecounsellor
We will start with a 30-minute session and then discuss how many sessions you might need after that. If it feels that I am not the right person to help you, I will endeavour to refer to you a more suitable service. I am available weeks 0 to 10. My weekly contact hours are:
Monday: 11:30-12:00 and 13:00-16:30 Thursday: 13:00-15:00
Friday: 12:00-14:00 Main College: Staircase IX, room 5b Email: [email protected]
Safety & Security Manager - Andy Talbot
Andy has worked at Brasenose College for 13 years having been a police officer for 30 years, he oversees the Lodge function and line manages the Lodge Manager. Andy is also in charge of college security particularly focusing on keeping students safe and feeling safe.
Andy has an office within the Lodge and is available to speak to students about any welfare or safety issue they are concerned about.
He can be contacted via email [email protected] or via the Lodge 01865- 277830.
Senior Tutor – Simon Smith
As Senior Tutor, Simon oversees the academic progress of all undergraduates in College. He is able to offer advice and support, especially in matters relating to academic work and progress.
The Senior Tutor is also the academic disability lead and with the Academic Administrator can help put in place study adjustments set out in Student Support Plans prepared by the Disability Advisory Service.
He presents applications to suspend study to the College’s Executive Council and can advise students on these procedures. He is also a College Harassment Officer and can be approached about any form of inappropriate behaviour.
College Office in main college - Staircase XXII – appointments via MS Teams this term. [email protected]
To request an appointment to meet with the Senior Tutor, email [email protected]
Diversity & Equality Harassment Officer- Dr Anne Edwards
Anne is one of our medical fellows and offers support & confidential listening for any issue of concern and can advise on matters of diversity and equality. She is a college harassment officer and can be contacted about any form of inappropriate behaviour. She is also the designated Fitness to Study Lead and oversees those students who are suspending studies on the ground of ill health.
Dr Anne Edwards: [email protected]
Junior Deans
The junior deans are available as a first port of call outside of business hours for any welfare issue students may face. They also enforce reasonable behaviour regarding noise in college. They operate a on-call rota on evenings and nights, as well as over the weekend.
The Junior Deans for the academic year 2023/24 are: Arthur Disegna, Dana Vuckovic, and Faojia Sultana. For any issue that requires a time-sensitive response, the junior deans should be contacted via the lodge. They can also be contacted by email for non-urgent queries ([email protected]).
Tutor for Graduates – Eamonn Gaffney
Eamonn oversees the academic progress of all graduate students and offers advice on all graduate-related welfare issues.
Email the graduate administrator and / or Eamonn to arrange an appointment: [email protected]
https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/academic-staff/397-professor-eamonn-a-gaffney
Academic Tutors
Each student has academic tutors who will be tutoring or supervising their academic work. You can approach any of your academic tutors with concerns, particularly with your academic work or other aspects of life that impede upon that academic work. You can also choose to talk to the Senior Tutor (undergraduates) or Tutor for Graduates (Graduates) or any other member of the welfare network. The list of college tutors is here: https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/academic-staff
College Doctors
Dr Leaver & Partners, Jericho Health Centre, New Radcliffe House, Walton Street, OX2 6NW, (01865) 311234. The members of the practice most likely to see you are Dr Joanna Lambert, Dr Laurence Leaver or Dr Mark O'Shea
JCR and HCR Welfare Team
Both the Junior and Hulme Common Rooms have a range of welfare officers who are trained to offer support and advice.
JCR Welfare Reps
The JCR Welfare Reps can be contacted by email at [email protected] and the HCR Welfare Reps can be contacted by email at [email protected]
Peer Supporters
The Peer Support Programme is coordinated by our link counsellor at the University Counselling Service alongside the Brasenose College Chaplain as Designated Peer Support Lead in College. A peer supporter is not a counsellor but is a student (graduate or undergraduate) trained to offer confidential listening and to know when referral to another source of help would be appropriate (e.g. college nurse, dean, chaplain, student support advisor or counselling). The peer supporters receive regular confidential supervision from the Counselling Service.
Details of all current JCR reps and Peer Supporters can be found here: https://brasenosejcr.org/about-the-jcr/committee/
Details of all current HCR reps (HCR Welfare Reps are also Peer Supporters) can be found here: https://brasenosecollegehcr.wixsite.com/brasenosehcr/copy-of-the-committee
The Health and Welfare section of the University's Student Gateway provides students with University information on:
- Care leavers, estranged students and student parents
- Childcare Services - Useful links to services and support available for student parents.
- Disability Advisory Service - Guidance on study support including funding, special examination arrangements and fact sheets on specific disabilities;
- Equality & Diversity - Introduction and links to the Equality and Diversity Unit website and an outline of the role it plays in ensuring no student will be treated less favourably on the grounds of age, gender, race, religion & belief and sexual orientation;
- Harassment and Conflict – support and advice
- Health - Details on registering with health professionals, medical emergencies, occupational health and an A-Z of health advice pages on common topics;
- Mental Health and the Counselling Service - Comprehensive new range of pages outlining the support available to students in the form of individual and group counselling, workshops and self-help resources plus additional pages offering advice for those supporting students such as University & college staff, parents, other students and GPs & health professionals;
- Sexual Violence and Harassment Support Service
- Student-led support - Information on the Peer Support scheme, OUSU Student Advice Service and Nightline;