The Quays student accommodation
Accommodation The range of University-provided accommodation at our Colchester Campus is all within walking distance of academic departments and campus facilities. Living areas are shared with students from all over the world, giving you the opportunity to make new friends from many backgrounds. To see where accommodation is located, view our map in the centre of this guide.
In your accommodation All single study rooms are centrally heated and fully furnished. They contain standard bedroom furniture, together with a desk and bookshelves. You need to supply your own bedding and towels. Each kitchen contains a cooker, refrigerator, freezer, microwave oven, kettle, iron, vacuum cleaner, ironing board and storage units. You will need to bring your own cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery, saucepans and frying pans.
Your Essentials – eat, play, live To make moving in to your new home as stressfree as possible, we have grouped together some of our most popular products and services in one place so you can purchase them in advance of your arrival. Visit: www.everythingessex.co.uk/your-essentials, to purchase your meal plan, Passport to Sport membership, Students' Union entertainment pass, bedding, kitchen and food packs.
Internet and telephone The IT network in all University-provided accommodation is provided by CableCom. You can connect to the internet using the cable in your room, which opens a web browser, and a Studentcom welcome screen appears. If you have already registered for Studentcom you can now log-in using your username and password. If you have not already registered for StudentCom, you can select ‘sign up’ and 6 Your campus guide
complete the instructions to get connected. Internet access is free of charge, and access to any University PC in our labs is free. T 0844 943 1170 T 01275 793412 E support@studentcom.co.uk Voice over IP (VoIP) is available in your room for telephone calls, so you can make telephone calls from your PC. When you register for internet access you can register for the telephone service and download a softphone to make free phone calls to University departments and support services. For a small deposit you can request a digital handset from Accommodation and receive your personal telephone number. (If you require technical assistance please call or e-mail Studentcom, contact details above).
TV licence Studentcom provides a television service through the portal, and a selection of free-to-view channels are available. You will also have the option of paying for additional channels. If you use this service, have a TV in your room, or if you watch TV on your laptop, you must buy a TV licence. Some accommodation has aerial points, but others require a free-standing TV aerial which you will need to buy. www.tvlicensing.co.uk T 0844 800 6734
Collecting and sending mail Details of the full postal address for your accommodation can be found on your letter of allocation, or in the accommodation welcome book which was available in your room when you arrived, or at www.essex.ac.uk/accommodation. Post is delivered to the residences during the week. Some larger items or items requiring a signature may need to be collected from the University Post Room, on floor two below our Campus Shop. You can send mail to the UK, Europe or the rest of the world from our Post Office on Square 4.
Residential support Our Residents’ Support Network is here to help you settle in and support you during your time living in University-provided accommodation. Each Residents’ Assistant (RA) is assigned an area and will aim to get to know you, and organise a range of social activities. Plus they can help if you have concerns and complaints and they operate an on-call rota, from 5pm to 9am.
The Towers The four towers located to the north side of campus are William Morris, Tawney, Keynes and Rayleigh and the two towers located to the south side of campus are Bertrand Russell and Eddington. The Houses Anne Knight, Isaac Rebow, Josephine Butler, Richard Wood, Swaynes and Thomas Hopper. South Courts Alresford, Brightlingsea, Frinton, Harwich, Manningtree, Rowhedge, Thaxted and Walton. University Quays Situated on the northern edge of the campus close to the Colne Estuary. The Meadows New student accommodation opening autumn 2013, between the central campus and University Quays.
Wivenhoe House If you have family or friends coming to stay, Wivenhoe House is our luxury hotel on campus, which has been extensively refurbished and re-opened in 2012. www.wivenhoehouse.co.uk Your campus guide 7