Morningsiders gathered on the night of Wednesday, 20 September, for their first Formal Hall dinner of the academic year. A few of our newest students were joined by their parents at the four-course meal. College Master Nick Rawlins welcomed everybody and wished them success for the coming year, highlighting that the community now consists of students “from 33 different places and Fellows from at least 10”, representing “more than 60 academic disciplines”. He encouraged students to take advantage of this cosmopolitan environment to learn from and support each other and make friends they will treasure for the rest of their lives. The Master of Ceremonies for this event was Lorraine Chiang, a Year 2 student majoring in Global Communications.

On Thursday, 30 November, students and Fellows gathered for another Formal Hall dinner to mark the end of the term. In a short welcoming speech, Professor Nick Rawlins encouraged students to submit very long and robust term papers in December, as comeuppance to the instructors who assigned these papers and have to grade them. The Master of Ceremonies was Pearl Phutanate Pisutsin, a Year 3 Computer Science student. Following the dinner, students Hou Yuan Tan and Ryan Lo performed musical pieces on the piano. Communal dining and Formal Hall dinners will resume in the new year, once students return from their well-earned holidays.