6. Rules and Disciplinary Matters

The Dean (Prof Charlotte Summers) and Assistant Dean (Prof Grant Stewart) are responsible, together with the Master, Senior Tutor and Tutors, for disciplinary matters. She also deals with certain routine matters, such as authorizing parties and booking public rooms. The Deans also deal with certain routine matters, such as authorizing parties/gatherings of 10 or more people and booking public rooms. The Deans are available for consultation by appointment. An email to dean@sel.cam.ac.uk is the best way to arrange a convenient time. 

Selwyn’s rules and regulations are essential to managing the life of a community in which hundreds of people live and work in close proximity to one another. The College is also responsible for upholding University regulations to which students are subject, the law of the land and other obligations. Our rules help ensure that members of Selwyn enjoy good working conditions, do not interfere with each others’ lives and work, and enjoy responsibly the facilities provided by the College. A summary of these University regulations, which are enforced by the Proctors, can be found in University publications.

Disciplinary matters are handled under a number of different policies and procedures that cover different aspects of College life. The demarcation across the various areas is pretty intuitive. There are core rules on student discipline, academic and tutorial matters, and on the regulation of clubs and societies. These can be found in Section 10 of the guide alongside other policy documents (not all of which are primarily disciplinary). Those include the College’s Respect and Dignity at Study Policy (covering student to student relations), Harassment and Sexual Misconduct, Fitness to Study and Complaints. All of these policies have particular application in specific circumstances and all look, where that is appropriate, to informal means to resolve any issues that may arise. All are also subject to the detailed provisions that are contained in the Rules for Student Conduct, those for Clubs and Societies and the Academic and Tutorial regulations. As is made clear in the various policies, the mention of any given example does not necessarily suggest that only those specific acts mentioned in them are covered. If you have any questions about the interpretation or application of the policies, do not hesitate to consult the Deans or the Senior Tutor. You will also see that the various rules all stipulate processes of appeal and guarantee students a fair process.

Two of the most basic of Cambridge University’s rules are:

6.0.1 Matriculation

When you join Selwyn College and University of Cambridge, you become part of our community and of the wider community in which we are proud to be located. Members are expected to uphold the values of our institution and as part of joining the community we ask our students to agree to be good citizens by signing up to the University’s and the College’s regulations. Matriculation marks the formal admission of a student to membership of the University, and a College may not normally allow an unmatriculated student to be a resident member of the College ('in statu pupillari') beyond the Division (that is, the mid-point) of their first term of residence. A person is deemed to be matriculated from the beginning of the term in which a completed Matriculation Registration Form and satisfactory evidence of their qualification to matriculate is known by the College. The College holds a dinner for all first-year undergraduates and postgraduates to mark this event.

Every candidate for matriculation must subscribe to the following declaration by signing the Matriculation Registration Form which includes the first sentence of the text below.  From 2022-23 new students recite together the following text:

I promise to observe the Statutes and Ordinances of the University as far as they concern me, and to pay due respect and obedience to the Chancellor and other officers of the University.

I undertake to hold myself to the highest possible standards of personal conduct and to act with probity, avoid actions that would bring the College into disrepute, and abide by the rules and regulations of the College and the University at all times.

I shall engage with my academic studies to the very best of my ability; conduct myself with integrity and honesty; respect freedom of expression; and behave towards others with dignity and tolerance.

6.0.2 Residence (‘Keeping Term’)

In order to obtain a BA Honours degree at Cambridge, it is necessary not only to pass examinations but also to have completed nine Terms of residence (six Terms for Affiliated students). There are three Terms: Michaelmas, Lent and Easter; the first two are of 80 days each, the third 70 days. Within each Term there is a period called Full Term. For 2022-23 the dates are:

For future years, see: https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars

In most subjects, all formal lectures and supervisions are given during Full Term. In order to ‘keep Term’ for purposes of a degree, an undergraduate must reside in Cambridge for a period equivalent to the length of Full Term, i.e. 60 days (59 nights) in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms and 53 days (52 nights) in the Easter Term. If any nights are spent away from Cambridge during Full Term, they must be offset by residence during the period of Term, either before or after Full Term. Days kept in excess of those required in any Term cannot be transferred to a subsequent Term. At the end of each Term, you will be required to sign a list to indicate that you have kept that Term. (See the Student Accommodation Handbook for more information.)

Full Term always begins on a Tuesday. Lectures normally start on the Thursday and run for eight weeks (four in the Easter Term), ending therefore on a Wednesday. Full Term itself ends on a Friday.

Postgraduate students have different residence requirements, details of which can be found online.