Common Room (university)
In some universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland — particularly collegiate universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin and Durham — students and the academic body are organised into common rooms. These groups exist to provide representation in the organisation of college or residential hall life, to operate certain services within these institutions such as laundry or recreation, and to provide opportunities for socialising. Typically, though there are variations based on institutional tradition and needs, the following common rooms will exist in the a college or hall:
- A Junior Common Room (JCR) - for the undergraduate population
- A Middle Common Room (MCR) - for the postgraduate population
- A Senior Common Room (SCR) - for academics
In addition to this, each of the above phrases may also refer to an actual room designated for the use of these groups. At the University of Cambridge, the term combination room (e.g., "Junior Combination Room") is also used, with the same acronyms. As a generalisation, JCRs are associations of undergraduates and SCRs an association of tutors and academics associated with a college. Postgraduates are sometimes given their own MCR, or placed in with either of the other groups. This terminology has, in addition, been taken up in some universities in other English speaking nations.
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