College bulletin: 2 February
The College’s new Buttery, Bar and Café have just turned one. It turns out that we are a hungry and thirsty bunch at St John's as we've eaten 123,188 main courses, 9,841 slices of cake, and 48,134 pieces of fruit over the past 12 months.
We marked the occasion with yet more cake, pictured is the President attempting to make off with a tray of them until we caught him on camera.
This week we learned why being a traitor is worse, in English law at least, than being a murderer and we investigated the puzzle of an unusual plug socket…
College news
Gunpowder, treason and plot: the 1,000-year history of traitors and faithfuls
From the Bible to smash-hit BBC television show The Traitors, being accused of betrayal is a sure-fire way to become notorious.
Now a new book written by Dr Mark Nicholls, Fellow of St John’s, traces the history of the English law of treason and it spans more than 1,000 years from English treason’s biblical, Roman and Anglo-Saxon roots to the present day.
Student vocalist makes it to Battle of the Bands final
A singer from St John’s could win the chance to perform on the main stage at Cambridge Club Festival after making it through to the University’s Battle of the Bands competition final.
Alice Markham, a second-year English undergraduate and Choral Scholar in The Choir of St John’s College, sings in soul and funk band Soft Crunchy Landing, which is among four student bands gearing up for the musical showdown at Cambridge Junction on Friday 1 March.
CU Boat Club member Gemma King keen to realise her Blue boat ‘goal’ in 2024
Rower Gemma King, a PhD stem cell biology student at St John’s, tells Cambridge Independent of her dream to earn a place in the Blue boat in the historic Boat Race.
Opportunity to name a College punt
The St John’s Punt Society is offering the College community a chance to name four newly refurbished vessels to raise money to support the popular group.
Punting is a quintessential Cambridge pastime and Fellows, students, staff and alumni of St John’s clocked up nearly 2,000 hours on the river in the College crafts last year.
The money raised will ensure the society can keep prices low and entitle the winning donor(s) to name a punt for the entirety of the next punting season.
Anyone who would like to nominate a name for a punt is invited to contact the society via email detailing a financial pledge and an outline of the reason for the suggested name. Sealed bids should be received no later than 5pm on Sunday 18 February 2024.
It is hoped the new names will adorn the craft in time for the new punting season to begin in March.
College marks LGBT History Month
A variety of events are being held to celebrate LGBT History Month in February, from the Rainbow Superhall to ‘Drageoke’, a panel discussion and an open mic poetry night.
The Progress Pride flag was flown over the Great Gate yesterday and it will be flown on Saturdays throughout the month. The SBR has organised a colourful timetable of events, many open to the whole College community. There will be a display stand of LGBTQIA literature in the foyer of the Library, and the undergraduates’ Short Book Club will be reading Jeanette Winterton’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit with Writer-in-Residence Vona Groarke. See the What’s On listings below for full details of the events.
College sport fixtures and results now online
This week’s sport fixtures and last week’s results have been published on the College intranet.
Compiled by The Eagles’ and Flamingos’ Clubs, this weekend’s fixtures include rowing (Newnham Head), and netball and hockey league games.
Keep track online at College sport – fixtures and results 2024 (login required) – and head out into the fresh air to cheer on the sportsmen and women of St John’s.
What’s on
Chapel
Student Communion – Sunday 4 February, 8.30am
Gather in the Ante-Chapel as Andrew Hammond, College Chaplain, explains the various elements of the rich and meaningful service of Holy Communion. Stick around after this half-hour service for a subsidised cooked breakfast in Hall.
Organ recital – Sunday 4 February, 6pm
Jeffrey Makinson, organist and Assistant Director of Music at Lincoln Cathedral, plays JS Bach, Vierne, Wagner, Byrd and Farrington. Open to all, admission free.
Evensong with Sermon – Sunday 4 February, 6.30pm
In the second of this term’s sermon series, Three Epiphanies and Four Laments, Professor Morna D Hooker, Life Fellow at Robinson College, will be preaching on ‘The Transfiguration’.
For all other regular services, see the Chapel webpage.
The Chapel team is always keen to hear from more volunteers to read in services or assist in other ways: please contact the Chaplain, Andrew.
Other events
The Eras hour – Friday 2 February, 9.45pm
Bar.
The Bar team, in partnership with the Cambridge University Taylor Swift Appreciation Society (CUTSAS), will be dedicating an hour to the music of Taylor Swift tonight.
Open to all University members, admission free, no ticket required.
St John’s Picturehouse: Taare Zameen Par (‘Stars on Earth’) – Sunday 4 February, 7.15pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
Join St John’s Picturehouse and Mastana for this Bollywood movie night. The screening will be shown with English subtitles and profits will go to charity.
All films are shown with a cinema-grade DCP projector and events are open to all University members and staff.
Exhibition, St John's College Old Library 1624-2024: A Celebration of 400 Years – Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm
Library Exhibition Area.
View rare archives on display to mark four centuries since the Old Library was built.
Runs until 19 April.
Drop-in dissertation support group – Monday 5 February, 2.30-4pm
Library Seminar Room.
Weekly group run during term by Harriet Edwards, Library Graduate Trainee, offering an informal setting for students to work on their dissertations and coursework alongside fellow students going through the same thing.
There is support, encouragement and the opportunity to ask questions about study skills such as researching, referencing and time management. The group is mostly for undergraduate students but postgraduates are also welcome if they think it would be helpful.
Email Harriet if you have any questions.
Talk: Are thick concepts admissible in science? – Monday 5 February, 5pm
Arthur Quiller Couch Room, Old Divinity School.
St John’s Philosophical Society is hosting Anna Alexandrova, Professor in Philosophy of Science. Professor Alexandrova will be discussing how some concepts – wellbeing, sustainability, resilience, inequality, mental health, even infrastructure – presuppose a value judgement. Philosophers call them thick for that reason. There is a lot of important knowledge to be had about phenomena denoted by thick concepts. But how should researchers handle the value judgements? Professor Alexandrova aims to delineate the options and articulate the underlying principles. This talk is based on joint work with Mark Fabian and Alessandra Basso.
Open to all College members, admission free, no booking required. Email Gerard with any queries.
Queer Quiz – Monday 5 February, 8.30pm
Bar.
Organised by the SBR in collaboration with the Bar to mark LGBT History Month, it’s the classic free-entry College Bar quiz with a queer twist. Brush up on your LGBTQIA+ trivia to be in with a chance to win prizes.
Open to all, admission free.
Aquila rehearsal – Tuesday 6 February, 5.15-6.45pm
New Music Room.
Aquila is a friendly a cappella singing group for female students, Fellows and staff, led by Music Director Dr Chloe Allison. It welcomes new members – no audition is necessary, simply drop in to one of its weekly Tuesday evening rehearsals to try before joining.
For more information and events, visit Aquila’s Facebook or Instagram @johnsaquila
Lecture: The Life and Work of Paul Dirac – Tuesday 6 February, 6pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With Dr Peter Goddard, Emeritus Professor, IAS, Princeton, and Fellow of St John’s. In his PhD thesis, alumnus Paul Dirac established the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Soon after he predicted the existence of antimatter, winning a Nobel Prize when he was just 31. Although famously taciturn, he was a life-long friend of Kapitsa, Heisenberg and Oppenheimer. The talk will give a non-technical account of the life and work of the man whom Niels Bohr described as having the greatest scientific mind since Newton. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in Central Hall.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free, no booking required.
Legal Careers Panel event – Tuesday 6 February, 7.30pm
Castlereagh Room, Fisher Building.
Hosted by the Winfield Society, the law society of St John’s, this event is an opportunity to network and hear what a career in this sector could look like from five Cambridge alumni who have gone on to pursue various legal career paths. There will also be a Q&A followed followed by networking with drinks and snacks.
Open to students from all subjects and Colleges, free to attend but please register your interest.
St John’s Picturehouse: Do The Right Thing – Sunday 4 February, 9.15pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
St John’s Picturehouse screens Do The Right Thing.
All films are shown with a cinema-grade DCP projector and events are open to all University members and staff.
Old Library opening – Wednesday 7 February, 2-4pm
Enter via E staircase, Second Court.
Open every Wednesday afternoon in term time, view manuscripts and rare printed books from the collections in the Upper Library. Requests for material to be exhibited can be emailed to Special Collections and they will do their best to accommodate these during the term.
Open to College members and their guests. Admission free, no booking required.
The chemistry of wine and wine tasting – Wednesday 7 February, 6pm
Wordsworth Room, First Court.
A 45-minute talk by Dr Paul Wood, College and University Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, Director of Studies in Natural Sciences (Physical), and Fellow of St John’s.
Open to College postgraduate, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Maximum 30 people.
Cost £10pp. Booking required – postgraduates should register via Upay, Fellows and Visiting Fellows can email the Postgraduate Administrator.
Pink Week Superhall – Wednesday 7 February, 7pm
Hall.
In conjunction with the University Pink Week celebrations (breast cancer awareness).
Open to all St John’s College students and their guests. Cost £21.50 (£25.80 for guests), register via Upay.
St John's College Music Society lunchtime recital – Thursday 8 February, 1.15pm
New Music Room.
Matthew Monaghan (countertenor), Felix Blake (countertenor) and Alex Trigg (piano).
Open to all, admission free, booking not required.
Wellness walk – Thursday 8 February, 2pm
Meet at the Great Gate.
A weekly opportunity to get outside and appreciate nature, the city sights, and enjoy companionship. The walks will go to Stourbridge Common, along the Backs and around Lammas Land and will be at a steady pace for about one hour.
The day of the walk alternates between Tuesdays and Thursdays. If it is raining heavily, it will be cancelled. For queries email Karen, Health & Wellbeing Nurse.
Open to College members and their guests, free to attend, no booking required.
Fruity Films: Blue Jean – Thursday 8February, 7.30pm
SBR.
Postgraduates are invited to an evening of film and free snacks for LGBT History Month. The 2022 British drama Blue Jean tells the story of Jean – a lesbian physical education teacher navigating a double life due to the looming anti-LGBTQIA law (Section 28).
Open to postgraduates. Free admission, no need to book.
Paleography for beginners – Friday 9 February, 3pm
Via Zoom (link below).
Weekly sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting from c1500-c1700, using documents from the College’s institutional archives. Sessions are informal and aimed at beginners, or those with a little experience who wish to practice their skills.
Sessions take place online using photographs of the documents. To join, or to make an enquiry, email the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby. If you aren’t sure until the last minute, join anyway.
Open to all, admission free.
Save the date
Talk by Annabel Darlow KC – Saturday 10 February, 1pm
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
The Winfield Society, the College’s law society, is hosting this talk with guest speaker Annabel Darlow KC, the first woman from St John’s to become a KC (King’s Counsel). Her practice has an emphasis on fraud and multi-handed homicide and terrorism, and Annabel has dealt with high-profile cases in these areas.
This talk is a great opportunity to learn what a career at the Bar is like and hear about Annabel's journey and experiences to reach where she is today. Her talk will be followed by the chance to ask questions and network.
Open to students from all colleges, free to attend but please register your interest.
Pride in Poetry open mic – Tuesday 13 February, 8-10pm
Café.
Prose, pantoums and pronouns – an open mic evening with recitals of LGBTQIA-authored or themed poetry for LGBT History Month.
Sign-up if you would like to perform. Open to all members of St John’s. Free entry.
Tour of the Old Library – Wednesday 14 February, 2pm
With Dr Adam Crothers, Special Collections Assistant.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières events programme. Maximum 30 people, a second tour can be held at 3pm if visitors exceed the limit.
Admission free, no booking required.
Valentine’s Superhall – Wednesday 14 February, 7pm
Hall.
Open to all St John’s College students and their guests. Cost £25 (£30 for guests), register via Upay.
Linacre Lecture 2024 – Thursday 15 February, 5.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
This year’s Linacre Lecture, Air Pollution and Lung Cancer Promotion, will be given by Professor Charles Swanton, Deputy Clinical Director of The Francis Crick Institute. A drinks reception will follow.
Open to all University members. Register your place by Friday 9 February (early registration is advised). More details
Rainbow Rave (TBC) – Friday 16February, 8pm-1am
Fisher Building.
A night full of drag performances and a mixture of lip-syncs, comedy, campiness and tunes. This ticketed event is yet to be confirmed, details to follow.
Fruity Films: Disclosure – Sunday 18February, 7.30pm
SBR.
Head along to the SBR film night for free snacks and showing of the 2020 documentary Disclosure, an in-depth look at Hollywood's depiction of transgender people and the impact of those stories on transgender lives and American culture. Part of the SBR’s LGBT History Month events programme.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry, no need to book.
Short Book Club for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Monday 19 February, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
Join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, to discuss February’s book, My Name is Lucy Barton (2016) by Elizabeth Strout. It’s a nuanced, unsettling and surprisingly tender story about family, and about the lives and relationships that succeed in climbing clear of a troubled rural childhood.
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Fruity Films: Moonlight – Tuesday 20February, 7.30pm
SBR.
The SBR is hosting a film night with free snacks and the chance to watch the multi award-winning Moonlight (2016), a story of a young African-American man who grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood. An LGBT History Month event.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry, no need to book.
Short Book Club for undergraduates – Wednesday 21 February, 7pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
In a break from the usual discussions of only books published since 2000, and to celebrate LGBT History Month, February’s Undergraduate Short Book Club will discuss Jeanette Winterson's groundbreaking and much-loved memoir, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, (originally published in 1991).
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Dramatisation: David and Absalom – Wednesday 21 February, 7.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With Professor Patrick Boyde, Emeritus Professor of Italian and Fellow of St John’s. Subtitles will be projected onto a screen to translate the Hebrew into English.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Free tickets, booking will be required – details to follow.
Drageoke – Thursday 22February, 9pm to midnight
Buttery.
In collaboration with the Bar during LGBT History Month, the SBR presents karaoke made queer with props, wigs and makeup if you fancy dressing up in drag before you hit the mic.
Open to all, free entry, no need to book.
Fruity Films: Paris is Burning – Monday 26February, 7.30pm
SBR.
Enjoy free snacks and the documentary film, Paris is Burning – a chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s. An LGBT History Month event.
Open to postgraduates. Free entry, no need to book.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 28 February, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Attendance at Postgraduates Dine with Fellows events is restricted to one event per academic year.
Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay.
LGBTQIA+ panel discussion – Wednesday 28 February, 7.30pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
To conclude LGBT History Month, the SBR is hosting a panel and discussion event to bring together College members to share experiences and ideas of ways to support further inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people.
For more information email Rhiannon, SBR Treasurer, and SBR Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer.
Final round of the annual Winfield Moot – Saturday 2 March, 1pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
Watch the final round of the St John's Winfield Society annual moot; a mock court hearing, where participants analyse a given legal problem, research the relevant law, prepare written submissions, and present an oral argument.
Open to all University members, admission free, no booking required.
Tour of the Chapel windows – Saturday 2 March, 2pm
Meet in the Ante-Chapel.
The story of St John in the College’s stained glass, presented by Professor Patrick Boyde, Emeritus Professor of Italian and Fellow of St John’s.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Admission free.
Talk: How Cambridge works – Tuesday 5 March, 6pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
A talk by Richard Partington, Senior Tutor at St John’s.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Admission free.
Graduate Research Symposium – Saturday 9 March, from 10.30am
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
This SBR’s all-day symposium will see presentations from 22 postgraduate students on a wide range of topics, from tiger conservation and solar energy to eating disorders in children. Research posters will be displayed in Central Hall and the event will be followed by a drinks reception in the SBR.
Email Ross Shepherd, SBR Academic Officer, for more details.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme.
Short Book Club for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Thursday 14 March, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage (behind the School of Pythagoras).
Join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, to discuss the 2020 debut novel by Elisa Shua Dusapin, Winter in Sokcho, originally written in French and set in a resort town on the border of North and South Korea.
Newcomers always welcome. If you are interested in attending, email Vona.
Master’s concert series – Saturday 16 March, 8.45pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With Annemarie Federle on the horn and Marie-Noelle Kendall on piano. To be followed by a drinks reception.
Open to College members and their friends, admission free, no booking required.
Tour of the University Botanic Garden and spring flowers – Sunday 17 March, 2pm
Botanic Garden.
Professor Tim Bayliss-Smith, St John’s Fellow and University Emeritus Professor of Pacific Geography, will lead a two-hour walking tour of the Botanic Garden.
Open to College postgraduates, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of the Sans Frontières programme. Students should bring their University cards for free entry. Maximum 25 people. Further details to be confirmed.
And finally
An ‘electric plug socket’ has caused a real buzz after being spotted on the outer wall of Third Court overlooking the River Cam.
The mysterious object was brought to the attention of Alison Cox, Domestic Bursar, by second-year undergraduate Bill Duling, who was ‘stumped’ by why it was there.
After being retrieved and inspected by equally puzzled Maintenance staff, the ‘plug socket’ turned out to be made of concrete and simply stuck to the wall..
“A joke? Art? I’ll let you draw your own conclusions…”, says Alison.
