Oriel currently has two alumni committees. These both provide invaluable help in supporting the college to deliver a programme of events and other activities that appeal to alumni.
The Oriel Alumni Advisory Committee (OAAC) represents the interests of all alumni and help foster relations between the College and its former students, former staff and friends.
OAAC has at least one representative matriculation decade from the 1950s to 2020s. View the committee members.
The Oriel North American Alumni Committee (ONAAC) helps represent the interests of alumni based in North America and deepen relations between the College and its former students.
If you’re looking for a way to connect with other Orielenses, consider joining one of our alumni groups, or even starting one of your own.
The Oriel Women’s Network is open to all those who identify as women in any way, as well as allies.
The goals of the Oriel Women’s Network are to foster a global community for the College’s alumnae, students, academics, and staff to:
The Network was launched in late 2019, and hosted its first event in February 2020.
Those who identify as women in any way are encouraged to join the Oriel Women’s Network Facebook and LinkedIn communities, as are all Orielenses who support the Oriel Women’s Network. If you are interested in getting involved with the network, whether this be volunteering to host or speak at an event, or to contribute ideas, your input would be very welcome. Please email development.office@oriel.ox.ac.uk.
Future events will be shared on the alumni Events pages and invitations emailed to all alumnae.
Steering Group
The Oriel Women’s Network is supported by a steering group of alumnae, who help with planning for the future.
You can find out more about the Oriel Women’s Network Steering Group here.
The Tortoise Club recognises and celebrates outstanding Oriel rowing and is the Boat Club’s principal sponsor. Members, who are elected, are invited to dinners and other events in Oriel, London & Henley and are entitled to Tortoise regalia.
If you would like to find out more about the Tortoise Club, please contact Robert Boswall, club president, or visit the Oriel College Boat Club website.
Support from Tortoises plays an important part in helping maintain the Boat Club’s continued success on the river; as seen in Oriel crews being head of the river in every year since 2014. Those Tortoises who choose to support the Boat Club with an annual gift of £200 or more are invited to become Blades; in recognition of their gift donors will receive additional sponsors’ regalia to denote their support of the Boat Club.
If you would like to make a gift to support the Boat Club, please contact the Development and Alumni Relations office and they will supply you with a direct debit form or click here to donate online.
The Hare Club exists to connect alumni and current students in celebrating and continuing the excellent accomplishment and tradition of men’s and women’s rugby at Oriel College.
Membership is by annual subscription of £25, which is used to supplement the existing support from college available to students playing rugby at Oriel, and to help remove barriers to involvement in the game that students may face. Current students playing rugby at Oriel are entitled to free-of-charge membership.
Members are invited to attend biannual club lunches in London (one in summer, one in winter) and many co-ordinate to support Oxford at The Varsity Match as well as attend or participate in the annual Old Boys vs. Current Boys match at the beautiful Oriel College sports ground at Bartlemas. Other events such as tournaments, dinners, and pub trips in London and Oxford are organised throughout the year.
If you would like to find out more about The Hare Club, please contact the committee at orielrugbyalumni@gmail.com.
The Oriel Law Society is open to any Orielensis who read Law or who now practices law in any capacity (irrespective of their degree subject). Membership costs a mere £20 per year, payable by standing order. The Society is run by a committee which includes both Orielenses and current undergraduate representatives. The current President of the Society is Mr Justice Lavender (a High Court Judge) and the Chairman is Hamish Lal (a solicitor and formerly a Partner at Jones Day and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld).
The Oriel Law Society runs a number of events every year for the benefits of its members and current undergraduates. These include an annual lecture (held in College) by a distinguished speaker on a legal topic, and an black-tie annual dinner (generally held in College, although occasionally in London) in the autumn attended by both current undergraduates and Orielenses. As well as social/networking drinks events, the Society also runs a popular ‘Legal London Day’ for undergraduates reading law (and for any other undergraduate interested in a career in the law), which involves a visit to both a leading law firm and barristers’ chambers, and is intended to provide guidance and assistance for those deciding how to pursue a career in law, as well as a careers day aimed specifically at undergraduates reading degrees other than law.
Society events are also excellent networking opportunities for society members (who come from all parts of the legal profession, including solicitors in private practice, the Bar and in-house) as well as a great way to keep in touch with people from Oriel. The money from subscriptions is very important to us in organising those events, which subsidise the cost for undergraduates.
To join the Law Society please contact Hamish Lal at hamish.lal@hamishlalpartners.com or our Membership Secretary, Benedict Morillo at Crown Office Chambers bmorillo@crownofficechambers.com
To sign up to the Law Society Newsletter please contact our Membership Secretary bmorillo@crownofficechambers.com. If you wish to make a contribution to the Newsletter (which are always welcome), please contact Hamish Lal at hamish.lal@hamishlalpartners.com.
The Medical Society is open to all Orielenses who studied medicine, or who are working in the medical profession, and aims to aid Oriel student medics as they take their degree. The Society holds an annual meeting to discuss developments in the medical world and to socialise with other Oriel medics.
There is an annual subscription of £12 a year for alumni members which helps to subsidise junior members’ costs.
To learn more about the Medical Society or to join, please contact Professor Chris Conlon.
Any Orielensis educated or living in the Midlands is most welcome to join in with the Midlands Group social events and promote its bursary objectives – continuing to endow a fund in perpetuity to assist deserving undergraduates from the Midlands at Oriel.
Please contact Chris Wright at cdrh.wright@btinternet.com for further details and to be added to the mailing list.
Any Orielensis who plays golf is invited to take part in our golfing events, organised by alumni, which are open to men and women.
There are two main events every year.
In September each year an Oriel Golf Day is held, typically at Woking Golf Club, for alumni of all golfing standards. There is a stableford competition in the morning with the highest points scorer winning the Oriel Challenge Cup, which is awarded over a lunch in the clubhouse. 2022 was the 29th consecutive running of the annual Oriel Golf Day.
In April Oriel also enters a team for a large competition with alumni of other colleges, which has historically been at Frilford Heath Golf Club near Oxford. The competition is played over one round, and after lunch we have courtesy of the club’s three courses. There is an optional dinner in the evening, hosted by the previous year’s winning college.
Those involved in organising these two events are happy to look at suggestions for events in the North of England for alumni who find the Woking and Frilford events too far to travel to.
If you wish to be kept notified of golfing events for Oriel alumni, or want more information, please let the Development Office know and we will ensure you are added to the distribution.