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Blackfriars Hall > Our Community > Blackfriars Hall Student Information > Events and Activities

Events and Activities

Blackfriars Hall students participate in, and run, a number of activities both at the Hall and the University. The local community at Oxford, being so vibrant, also provides many opportunities for you to enrich your time at Blackfriars.

The Middle Common Room (The MCR)

The Middle Common Room is the hub of student life at Blackfriars Hall. Located in the Priory building, the MCR provides a comfortable and intimate atmosphere to sit, chat, and unwind when you want to get away from your studies. Every year the MCR elects a committee of students with a budget to organise events for the benefit of Hall students.

In previous years, MCR events included,

  • Welfare Events: a weekly welfare tea; peer support sessions;
  • Games: a board games’ night; a chess tournament; a D&D campaign;
  • Arts: a knitting and crochet evening; a tote-bag painting session, with refreshments; a bring your own crafts nights; a book club; movie nights;
  • Nightlife: a pub quiz trip; formal exchanges and bops with other colleges; karaoke nights; a mead and ale tasting session; wine and cheese;
  • And many more events…: check out the MCR Instagram Page to get an idea of the vibrant life at the hall.

The Blackfriars Ball

In previous years, the MCR has organised an end-of-year Ball cooperating with other colleges and Permanent Private Halls, hosted at the Natural History Museum. These are the kinds of large events the MCR can achieve while you’re at Blackfriars, so be sure to contribute your time to make them happen.

 

Women’s and Inclusive Events

The MCR elects a Women’s and Gender Officer and an Equality and Diversity Officer at the beginning of the academic year to hear the concerns of these communities at Blackfriars, to hold the Hall and committee accountable to their interests, but also to organise specific events. Past events included self-care evenings with movies and snacks, LGBTQI+ pub crawls, an end-of-year cream tea, and salon visits. These events help foster a diverse and inclusive community at the Hall and can enrich the wellbeing of these student groups during their academic studies.

Sport at Oxford and Blackfriars

Getting active at Oxford is one of the best things you can take advantage of during your studies. In fact, studies show that keeping sporty can do a great deal to improve your mental health and university academics. It’s also a great way of building a community of friends beyond your course and Hall.

The university has over 80 sports clubs to choose from, everything from archery to wheelchair basketball, at every level of interest: beginners up to the level of international athletes. More casual sport activities are available at the college or inter-college level. If organised sport isn’t to your liking, you can still keep active at the many athletic facilities available to Oxford students, including the Iffley Road Sport Centre and the University Parks Sport Grounds.

Blackfriars is keen to support students keeping active at the Hall, and we offer a grant to be used for the University gym or for the sporting activities of your choice.

Rowing at Blackfriars

Rowing at Oxford is an iconic sport activity. In the past, the MCR has even organised outings to see the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in London. Although Blackfriars does not have its own boat club, our students take to the river alongside Reuben College.

Clubs and Societies

There are over 400 student clubs and societies at the University of Oxford: a lot to choose from! Not to worry, at the start of every academic year the Hall and MCR organise a trip to the Fresher’s Fair so you can shop around and see the diverse activities available at Oxford. Your time at Blackfriars is the perfect opportunity to take up a new hobby or learn a new skill: previous Hall students have gotten involved in ancient languages, dramatic performances, and even agricultural societies.

The Oxford Union

Many Blackfriars students have chosen to get involved in the Oxford Union, another iconic activity at Oxford. Termly events at the union are forwarded to the MCR and interested students often go to debates and talks as a Blackfriars group, discussing them afterwards at the pub or the common room.

Arts and Culture

Oxford is an artistic city, and  Blackfriars Hall is perfectly placed to take advantage of the many cultural events happening at and around the University. One example, and a popular interest of Blackfriars students, is the music scene in Oxford. Many Hall students have joined the renowned choirs at other Oxford Colleges. Others have taken to DJing or open-Micing at student events and clubs in the city. The MCR has organised a number of trips to the orchestras who perform at beautiful venues like the Sheldonian Theatre.

Hall Events

On top of MCR activities, the Hall and its research institutes run a number of events throughout the academic year that students are encouraged to take part in. These are great opportunities to engage with the intellectual life at the Hall and get to know the fellows along with other students.

Formal Hall

Three formal halls are hosted at Blackfriars every term. It’s a lovely way to enjoy good food and refreshments, and to meet other students. Unlike almost all colleges, our formal halls are free for our students. If guest spots are available, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to introduce your friends to life at Blackfriars and the special community we have here.

The Pizza and Wine Seminar

At these seminars, running every week there isn’t a formal hall, students get to hear from Blackfriars Fellows, graduate students, or experts from around the University about cutting edge research. The atmosphere is intended to be supportive and informal, to help build up an academic community of students, fellows, and staff. Pizza is served hot, and there is wine and other refreshments to support conviviality. Contact the Regent to learn more about the schedule.

the Aquinas Institute

The Aquinas Institute has been promoting research into the philosophy and theology of Thomas Aquinas, and its contemporary value, since 2004. The Institute organises an annual programme of research seminars, colloquia and public lectures. As well as fostering a community of scholarship here in Oxford, we welcome visiting scholars from across the world. More information about the Institute is available here.

The Las Casas Institute

The Las Casas Institute for Social Justice is a vibrant centre for research, dialogue, and policymaking on the common good of humanity and nature in the world today, which welcomes discussion with all people of goodwill. Our work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and the example of Bartolomé de Las Casas who argued for the humanity and rights of all peoples in the Americas in the sixteenth century, and is one of the early pioneers of universal human rights. More information about the Institute is available here.

The Centre for Theology and the Arts

The newest research institute at Blackfriars Hall, the Centre for Theology and the Arts aims to have an intellectually rigorous conversation about the Arts as a key element of Theology, the creative person imaging the creator God, the God made visible in the incarnation, “both an encouragement and a challenge to Christians” (St John Paul II, Letter to Artists). Every event involves a real experience of art in every conceivable medium (visual, poetry, music, theatre) – embodied experience and scholarship together. More information about the Institute is available here.