by Beary McBearface

Beary McBearface, treasured Oriel mascot and JCR staple, is here to help you with your troubles. In this column,  Beary will attempt to find solutions to your little college worries; trust him, he’s seen it all. All you need to do is email thepoorprint@oriel.ox.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Dear Beary’, and if you’re lucky your problem will be solved in our next issue.

Of course, if you’d like to remain anonymous – and Beary encourages naming no names, we don’t want any beef here – just drop a note with your Beary concern to one of the editors’ pidges. And please do, Beary needs a hobby in his twilight years.

[If you’re really struggling, or if your problem contains sensitive information, be aware that Beary has received no formal Welfare training; please message Lewis Knight and Abigail Phillips, our beloved Welfare Officers, or the peer supporters, for more information, or get in touch with the Welfare Deans or the College Nurse.]

1) Dear Beary, term has barely started and we’ve got beef in our household already. What do I do?

I mean, you’ve got lots of choices. The world is so big, it wouldn’t hurt if a few people decided to loath each other forever. But of course, since you guys are stuck together for the foreseeable future, it might be worth having honest chats to try to sort things out.

2) Dear Beary, my household mates are complaining about me bringing friends over. What do I do?

Some people are more fearless than others, and it’s reasonable for them to be worried about their own health. Risks aside, you might want to think about whether you value these friends more than those in your household. If you want to think one step ahead, refer to the previous answer.

3) Dear Beary, does College running a fire drill mean social distancing doesn’t actually matter?

Of course not! Safety from coronavirus is important, but so is fire safety. You’ve got brains, you can work this one out.