Girton
Welcome to Girton College!
Congratulations on making it to the best College in Cambridge! Girton has a reputation for being very friendly, so you’ll feel right at home in no time. We were founded in 1869 as the first institution for the higher education of women and relocated to our current site in 1873.
Girton is the furthest college from town, but a bike/voi/bus solves that problem quite easily. The average cycle into town is about 15 minutes, so the distance never becomes an issue. We’re sure you’ll love it here.
My name is Hasan, and I am the ISoc representative for the college with Hafsa. We are both 2nd years and your first point of contact for any ISoc-related concerns, queries, or guidance for everyday Muslim life at Girton.
Muslim Provisions
Prayer Space
Girton has a multi-faith room located on the corner of D corridor, next to the welfare room (D11), with a sign attached to the door so you can recognise it. The room is open all day, but access to the room requires the key from the porter’s lodge. Do bear in mind however the use of the room is available to all students, and not just Muslim students so if you wish to have congregational prayers here, then do be aware of other students.
The college also has a chapel that primarily operates as a space for Christian services but can also be used by people of all faiths (or none) to simply sit in and reflect if they wish. There is never any obligation to use the chapel or attend any of its services, though you will likely receive emails from the chaplain informing you of these events.
Halal Food
Girton does provide a vegan alternative for all meals, whether at Hall (where a substantial lunch/dinner can be bought) as well as in the social hub (Schlub) but does not advertise a “halal” option ever. Of course, vegetarian and vegan food is usually halal; be cautious about alcohol in food (read further).
The catering department states that halal meat during formal halls can be provided for on some occasions (by picking the meat option when booking on Upay followed by putting “Halal” in the notes). However, a suitable vegetarian option will be provided if they cannot fulfil this.
In my personal experience, it is always worth noting if food may contain alcohol in it, by either asking the catering staff in hall or by putting “no alcohol in food” in the notes when booking formal halls on Upay.
Girton does claim its chicken breast is halal (though do not publicly advertise it as such so other Muslims do not treat any meat in Girton as halal) and so I (Hasan) in my capacity as the JCR Catering Officer am currently investigating this matter. Therefore, we recommend you do not consume any of the meat products at Girton until further clarity has been reached on this matter.
If you have any further queries about this matter, do contact the catering office via Catering@Girton.cam.ac.uk or the JCR Catering officer via JCR-Catering@girton.cam.ac.uk (do note, I will only be the catering officer until the middle of Lent term when a new officer shall be elected and replace me).
Also if you want to buy halal meat, the closest place to do so is Iqbros ( CB4 3JP, 184b Histon Rd). They also do a variety of south Asian and Afro-Caribbean food/seasonings so if you want flavour in your food, go here. Just opposite is also an Iceland and an Aldi’s if you didn’t want to go to Sainsbury’s in Eddington or the Co-op near College.
Fridge/freezer Provision
Accommodation at Girton usually has both a fridge and a freezer available. In my personal experience, if you request others to keep other meat products on a shelf different to yours in both the fridge/freezer, you should have no issues.
As not all people will self-cater there is not likely to be a space issue, unless you share a corridor with a substantial amount of people.
However, you can contact house services to see if a spare fridge can be provided for you specifically should you wish to have one. You can do this via house.services@girton.cam.ac.uk
Ensuite
Girton has 2 main sources of accommodation for ensuites/alternatives for the first years. Do note, ensuite rooms cost slightly more than non-ensuite accommodations.
The only wing of the college with 100% ensuite rooms is Ash court, of which the ground floor is available to freshers. If this option has not already been made available, do enquire via accomodation@girton.ac.ac.uk .
Also, Top Boots is offered to first-year students, which is a single-sex corridor (usually all female) in which facilities are shared.
Finally, in the second and subsequent years, Swirles Court becomes an available option for accommodation. It is located in Eddington, a 2-minute cycle and 5–10-minute walk away from the main college site. All accommodation there contains ensuite rooms.
Concluding Remarks
A few more emails that may be of note include.
Porters@girton.cam.ac.uk (though you can call the main site college porters at 01223 338999, which is the usual method of contact)
So, that concludes the Muslim guide to Girton College. We hope you enjoy your stay here and congratulations once again on making it in. May Allah make it a successful and enriching time in all your lives.
Signed,
Muhammed Hasan Lone (ml2014@cam.ac.uk) & Hafsa Sheraz (hs797@cam.ac.uk)