St  Antony's  GCR

GCR formally accepted the revised proposal from the College for Formal Dinners in Academic Year 2025/2026. This new proposal has met most of the GCR's original requests, including lowering the cost of formal attendance for St. Antony's students from £23 to £19. The new price also includes higher-quality food (High Table Menu) and complementary wine services. New formal dinner will run weekly alongside high tables, with an overall increase in capacity now accommodating 100 head/weekly formal, from originally 180 head/fortnightly formal.

For the incoming class of academic year 2025/2026, the GCR has introduced the College "Parent/Children" scheme, where new students are invited to sign up to match with returning students for a mentorship/buddy system during the Michaelmas term. This new system aims to support new students navigating the brand-new Oxford life and keep returning students connected with the college life.

During the Week 9 Management Executive Team (MET) Meeting, the GCR formally accepted the proposal by the College Operations Team to formally turn over the bar operation to the college. The GCR retains the responsibility of working with the steward team to advise bar operation hours and manning. This decision is made after month-long negotiation with the college amid financial losses incurred from bar revenue. The bar turnover will also shift the financial responsibility of the bar from the GCR to the college, ensuring long-term financial well-being of the GCR.

During the Week 9 Management Executive Team (MET) Meeting, the GCR formally requested the College to reconsider the pricing of formal dinners. The GCR presented evidence that St. Antony's College is currently among the steepest formal pricing among Oxford colleges, with data collected from all 40 Oxford colleges and halls. The MET agreed to turn this request over to the Bursary team for further investigation and reconsider pricing for formals.

During the GCR General Body Meeting, the Student Body of St. Antony's College formally passed the revised GCR By-Laws following the ratification of the revised Constitution by the Governing Body. 

During TT Week 8's Governing Body (GB) Meeting, the trustees of the college unanimously ratified the revised GCR Constitution, concluding a 2-year-long revision effort spearheaded by two GCR administrations. The new GCR Constitution outlines the relationship between the GCR and the Oxford Student Union (SU), and revises the GCR associate membership. The revision also shifts the governing criteria for adding/removing positions within the GCR Committee from the Constitution to the Bylaws, effectively providing the committee more flexibility for structuring its organization. The new Constitution also extended the revision period from every 3 years to every 5 years.

The GCR EDI Committee, led by our amazing VPs Patricia and Leah, hosted the 2025 Queer Formal at St. Antony's College. The Queer formal is one of our long-traditioned and biggest celebrations of the year. This year's theme, "CAMP, OR DIE", unleashed a fashion showdown among the attendees. With drag performances and banger afterparty, it is sufficient to say our students are now ready for the weekend-long queer celebration at Oxford Pride! Check out highlights of the event on our Formal Dinner page. 

Stepping into the enchanted forest, this year's ball theme is "Tassemarken". Planned and executed by our amazing ball committee, led by Issac, this year's ball took over the college ground with student-painted lanterns and forages. Members of the GCR and guests enjoyed a night of unforgettable performances with multiple dance floors and an exclusive dinner. Check out the highlights on the Ball page.

In collaboration with the College Welfare Lead, the GCR Welfare Committee, led by our amazing Yancine and Jan, hosted a week-long mental health awareness campaign with multiple events each day. The goal of this week is to support our busy students during the busy exam and dissertation season. 

Along with other common room presidents, our GCR President, Davey, attended an engaging meeting with the newly appointed Chancellor of the university, Lord William Hague of Richmond. During the meeting, Lord Hague answered many questions from the common room presidents, including the rising international student fee, the decline of European students at the university, and ethical investment strategies. Lord Hague is now an honorary fellow of St. Antony's College.

During his first official attendance of the College Governing Body (GB) Meeting, the newly elected GCR President, Davey, addressed the college trustees and introduced the new GCR committee. In the address, Davey also announced the agenda for the 2025/2025 GCR, including re-examining the cost for student life, comprehensive college survey assessment, and plans for the upcoming ball.

In an email sent to the GCR Student Body, the Returning Officer and Chair of the GCR announced the results of the 2025 Hilary Term election, beginning the week of GCR transition period. Check out the newly elected committee here!