Selwyn College, Otago facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Selwyn College |
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| University of Otago Residential College | ||||||||||||
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Selwyn College Coat of Arms
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| University | University of Otago | |||||||||||
| Location | Castle St | |||||||||||
| Motto | Vitai Lampada Tradunt (Latin) | |||||||||||
| Motto in English | They Hand on the Torch of Life | |||||||||||
| Founder | Bishop Nevill | |||||||||||
| Established | 1893 | |||||||||||
| Status | Affiliated | |||||||||||
| Warden | Luke McClelland | |||||||||||
| Undergraduates | 188 (approx) | |||||||||||
| Postgraduates | <10 | |||||||||||
| Website | selwyn.ac.nz | |||||||||||
Selwyn College is a special home for students at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It's called a residential college. This means students live there while they study at the university.
Bishop Samuel Tarratt Nevill started Selwyn College in 1893. He wanted it to be a place where future Anglican Church leaders could train. It was also a place for all university students to live. The college is named after George Augustus Selwyn, who was the first Bishop of New Zealand. The Anglican Diocese of Dunedin owns the college.
Selwyn College was the first residential college at the University of Otago. It was set up like colleges in older English universities. Students studying all kinds of subjects lived there. Girls were first allowed to live at Selwyn College in 1983. The main building is a special historic place. Selwyn is very popular, and many students want to live there each year.
Contents
College Life: Fun and Friends
Competitions and Events
Since 1930, Selwyn College has had a yearly sports and cultural exchange with College House. College House is another student hall at the University of Canterbury. They compete for the Principal's and Warden's Cup. This exchange ends with a Boat Race between the two colleges. Selwyn won the boat race in 2015.
Selwyn College often has its own events instead of joining bigger university ones. For example, they have their own Ori Ball for new students. Some old traditions include the Homage Run and the Leith Run. The Lindskii Battle and the 21sters Ball are also popular yearly events.
Selwyn College also competes against Knox College. They battle for the Nevill Cup in cultural events. They also compete for the Cameron Shield in sports. These competitions are very exciting each year. As of 2015, Selwyn College held both the Cameron Shield and the Nevill Cup.
Selwyn College Students' Association (SCSA)
The Selwyn College Students' Association (SCSA) is a group for all students living at the college. When you join the college, you automatically become a member. The SCSA helps make student life fun at Selwyn. They organize the Cameron Shield and Nevill Cup competitions with Knox College. They also manage the exchange with College House.
The SCSA plans many social events for students. This includes special welcome weeks for new and returning students. The SCSA also works to keep the college's long history and traditions alive. The General Committee of the SCSA is a group of second-year students. They are elected to help run student life at the college. Each member has different jobs and responsibilities.
Building History: Old and New
All Saints' Church: The College Chapel
Selwyn College is located behind All Saints' Church, Dunedin. This church is on Cumberland Street. It serves as the college's chapel. The church and college buildings together form an Anglican area. The main part of the church was finished in 1865. It was designed by Mason & Clayton. The church's red brick look might have inspired the college buildings.
All Saints' Church is an important building. It shows how ideas about church design came to New Zealand. The church's roof was changed from slate to tiles. Some walls were also covered in cement. There are plans to fix some of these changes.
Early Buildings: The Castle Street Range
Work on the first college building started in 1891. It faces Castle Street and was designed by J.A. Burnside. This building was finished by October 1892. It was officially opened in January 1893. Burnside also designed other important buildings in Dunedin.
His design for the college was the part north of the archway. It included one of the towers. It was made of red brick in a style called Domestic Tudor Gothic. This style was also used at Selwyn College, Cambridge in England. Bishop Nevill had actually wanted the Cambridge college to be built in New Zealand.
In 1929 and 1930, Burnside's building was made bigger. A third floor was added. It also got the central archway with its two towers. This work was supervised by H. McDowell Smith. The building now has a dining room with a bay window. The whole building, with its archway, looks a bit like Hampton Court Palace in England.
Later Additions: Sargood Hall and More
In the 1950s, McDowell Smith added another large building. This was Sargood Hall. It was named after a generous helper. Sargood Hall is made of red brick in the same Tudor style. It forms the south side of the college's inner quadrangle. This building was quite expensive to build after World War II.
In 1966, the college wanted to add another wing. They wanted it to be in the traditional style. But they couldn't raise enough money. Instead, they built three separate residential blocks. Only one was built, called Nevill House. It opened in 1973. This building is a small tower. It has a modern design with concrete and red brick.
A library building was added in 1976. It was called the Northcroft Library, after another donor. It was designed by John Harrison. The library's books were moved out in 1988. This building is also modern but looks different from the others.
In 1988, the college added buildings with self-contained flats. These were Irvine House, Millar House, and Newcombe House. Roger Dodd designed them. Millar and Newcombe Houses face Dundas Street. They are linked to form an archway. This archway gives access to the quadrangle from the north. These buildings are two stories tall.
In 1993, the archway of the Castle Street building was closed off for safety. A large glass wall and door were added. Later, a solid wall was built through the archway. This connected the ground floors of each wing.
Summary: A Special Place
Selwyn College has many buildings. The Castle Street range and Sargood Hall are important. They are built around All Saints' Church. They show a strong effort to create a university hall in the old Tudor style. Selwyn College is a beautiful and welcoming place for students.
Famous Selwynites
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Selwyn College in Media
The comedian and travel show host Michael Palin visited Selwyn College. This happened in his 1996 documentary called Full Circle with Michael Palin. He visited the college during his trip through New Zealand.
