Welcome Speech 1. Room allocation - Room number

Welcome Speech
   Good morning, everyone, it’s good to see you all here. Welcome to Smith House. Smith House as you may or may not know is one of the oldest residential colleges of the university. As you can see, the building you’re in now which contains this main lounge, the dining room, the recreation room, the kitchen and the offices was part of the original old house, built in the 1840s to be used by the family of George Smith. That’s of course how the house and college got their names. The original house was converted into a residential college for the university in 1940 and since then has continued to be added on to and modernized.
   You’ll notice when you receive your room allocation in a few minutes that your room number either begins with the letter N, S, or W like this one here. The first letter refers to the three wings of the college which come away from this main building. Of course the letters represent the three directions—in this case—north, south and west. Each wing has two floors, and so the next number you see is either one, or in this case two, and this indicates which floor your room is on. The number after that is your individual room number. So it’s quite simple to find any room by going to the right wing, then floor, and then room number.
   You’ll also notice, when you receive your orientation pack shortly, that there are two keys. One is the key to your room and only you have that key—and the other is a key to the front door which you’ve just come through here from the street. This door is closed and locked at 8 pm every night and opened again at 7 am. You’ll need your key if you’re coming back to the college between those times. We ask all students to always enter and leave the college through the front door. You will notice at the end of each corridor that there is another door but these are fire doors and are kept locked from the outside. They should only be opened from the inside in case of emergency.
   In your fees you’ve paid a laundry fee which covers the cleaning of bed linen and towels. All bed linen and towels are clearly embossed with the name Smith House so it’s easily identifiable. If you want your other laundry to be done by the college this can be arranged for a small extra fee.
   There are only a few rules here at Smith House and we have these rules so that we can all live comfortably together. The most important rule is that there must be no noise after 9 pm. There is also no smoking in the rooms or anywhere inside the college but smoking is permitted on the balconies.
   All meals are served in the dining room. Meal times are listed in your orientation pack. Please read these carefully as meal times cannot be changed and if you arrive late I’m sorry to say you’ll just go hungry.
   If you’re unsure about things, please contact the students’ office. Thanks.