Social committee

The Butlers Wharf committee is a group of residents elected by everyone in the building to provide entertainments, to look after students' welfare and keep up a friendly atmosphere in the building. Each spring elections are held for the committee, we'll send you an email about that later in the year.

Every evening for the first week some of the committee will be in the common room to chat and answer any questions that you may have. Each night we'll be showing a film on the TV then probably wander to a local pub. An introductory meeting will take place in the common room - date to be advised.

Film nights

Every Sunday the committee runs a film night, which will be advertised in the week before.

The committee

Feel free to contact the committee members with any questions or ideas. We're here to help!

• President:                Joe Meadway (J.P.Meadway@lse.ac.uk)
• Social Sec:             Shing Ye Lee (S.Y.Lee@lse.ac.uk)
• Treasurer:               Cain Yee (C.C.Yee@lse.ac.uk)
• Communications:    Aleksandra (Ola) Olszewska (A.Olszewska@lse.ac.uk)
• Welfare:                 Mei Lien Chew (M.Chew@lse.ac.uk)
• Environment:          Valerie Khoo (V.S.Khoo@lse.ac.uk)
• International Rep:    Atanu Bhattacharjee (A.Bhattacharjee@lse.ac.uk)              

Who's here?

Butlers Wharf houses 275ish of the most brilliant students on earth. Most are on masters programmes, although there are quite a few general course students, PhD students and discerning undergraduates. There's also the warden, Carsten Sorensen and his team of 4 sub-wardens and the manager, Angela O'Rourke and her team at reception.

The building is divided into four blocks or courts. Each block is five stories high, with two flats on each floor. They're all linked by a corridor in the basement.

What's in the basement?

Quite a bit of useful stuff.

The common room

The heart of Butlers Wharf! Home of the free pool table, free foosball table, vending machines, big comfy leather sofas and TV. The TV currently has a digi-box setup and instructions are on the wall beside the TV. The committee provides a DVD player, if you would like to use it, the keys to the storage cabinet can be borrowed from reception or the subwarden on duty. The committee also provides a number of newspapers. Please don't remove these from the common room as they are for all residents. The common room is also where you collect your post.

Computer rooms

There is a computer room with a printer under block four. The computers are attached to the LSE network and you just need your LSE login to work them. The printer uses the 'account' print charging system, you need to put money on your account in the library at LSE before you can print anything.

Laundry room

There are four washing machines and six dryers for students to use. Prices:

• Normal Wash £1.60
• Supercycle £1.80
• Dryer £0.40 for 15 minutes.

Opening Times:

• Mon - Fri 8am - 11pm (last wash 10pm)
• Sat - Sun 10am - 11pm (last wash 10pm)

Two good things to know about the laundry room are:

• The washing machine only accepts £1 coins and 20p coins, while the dryers just accept 20p coins. 20p coins are, therefore, extremely precious and worth stocking up on.
• If you keep putting in 20p coins into the dryer before you set it going then you can make it go for over an hour, which means you aren't coming downstairs every 15 minutes to put more money in.

Bike shed

Anyone with a bike that doesn't want it stolen should put it in the shed under block four, keys are available from reception (You will need to complete a form for this service and also collect a number tag to put on your bike). Even with this precaution, this being London, it's worth extending your insurance from the hall.

Do we really not have a bar?

Nope, we're one of the few halls of residence that doesn't. But we're in a very exciting area and there is plenty to see and do.

Fresher's week activities

The committee has organized a fun filled week of events so everyone can meet their fellow Butlers Wharfers.

Walking

The walk to the LSE, despite the temperamental weather is gorgeous and you should walk whenever you can. There is a river path on both the North and South side of the Thames. Unfortunately, the path deviates slightly from the river bank in a few places but it only adds a few minutes to the walk. You should definitely explore the paths along the river. They are one of the best features of Butlers Wharf.

Taxis

London has two types of taxis: black cabs which you can hail in the street and minicabs which must be booked in advance. The best place to hail a black cab is on Tower Bridge Road but be aware that they are quite expensive.

Travelling home safely

You will hear from time to time about students who have been victims of crime on their way home. This is really rare so it is important to get the risk into perspective. Nevertheless, there are some precautions you can take to reduce the risk.

• Plan your journey home so that you know where you are going and how to get there. Look certain of your surroundings and walk like you know where you are going.
  
  
• Stick to busy areas. Don't cut through alleys where there are few people around.
  
  
• Don't do anything that might distract you from noticing a risk. Don't travel with personal stereos or mobile phones as you may not be aware of a risk.
  
  
• Hide valuable possessions. Don't travel with your phone or laptop on clear display.
  
  
• If you plan to take a taxi, check that it is from a licensed firm or is a black taxi. Never pick up a minicab in the street they are not licensed and many are dangerous.
  
  
• If anything does happen, report it to the sub-warden on duty.

^