The Margery Fry Building: A Pioneering Step for Somerville
Somerville is incredibly proud to have one of the most vibrant graduate communities in Oxford with an exceptional number of scholarships available to our students.
Indeed the postgraduate community has been an integral part of Somerville since the early 20th century and Janet Vaughan's principalship was marked by the growth of the MCR community and the international makeup of the postgraduate student body. In 1943, the creation of Margery Fry was a pioneering and innovative step to ensure these graduate students could be accommodated on site with lodgings and a community in which they could flourish.
A Place to Flourish
Today, the MCR, housed in Margery Fry, is the beating heart of our graduate community but unfortunately remains inaccessible to wheelchair users and other students with a physical disability.
Your support will help us create a more inclusive environment for all our graduate students , providing them with the opportunity to flourish at Somerville and ensuring that every member of the MCR can benefit fully from the vibrant graduate community in College.
'Life doesn't stop' - Medha Mukherjee, DPhil 2022
DPhil student, Medha, had just started her studies at Somerville when an injury meant she had to use a wheelchair for more than a month. Sadly, this meant she could not access the MCR at a critical time as she began her PhD at Somerville.
Medha is just one of several students who, despite being members of the MCR at Somerville, have not been able to access the common room in recent years whether because of a chronic condition or a temporary injury. Please join us in making our MCR a space for everyone.
How can you help?
Somerville has such a strong history of successfully improving the opportunities and experiences for our students through community efforts such as this. Any contribution you can make, no matter the size, will make a real difference to the MCR today.
Please also share the project with fellow Somervillians and friends who you think will be interested in making our MCR as inclusive as possible. Thank you!