There are many ways to get involved with the JCR:
Committees
If you are interested in JCR politics, joining a JCR committee is a great way of getting to know things about what’s going on. And don’t just get turned off by the word politics – you can make a real difference to college life by getting involved; whether it’s Social Committee or Steering Committee, we want YOUR input. Most committees are elected at the start of Michaelmas term and you submit a 50 word manifesto. Some, like DUCK Comm, are more open and you can always sign up and go to meetings. Joining a committee or two is great experience if you might be interested in standing for one of the bigger elected positions, though of course it’s not necessary to do so. You can find information about all committees here.
Sports Teams
In Trevs, we have a whole load of sports teams, all you need to do to join a sports team is sign up in freshers’ week or contact the team captain directly. You can find information on the Trevs sports team here.
Societies
To match the sports teams, we have a whole load of other societies catering for nearly everything from music, drama, arts and much much more. You join societies in the same way as sports teams: you simply need to contact the head of the society to get involved or sign up in freshers’ week. A list of Trevs societies can be found here.
Elected Positions
From Epiphany Term onwards, there are loads of elected JCR positions if you want to get more involved the running of college life. You can stand for things like Music Rep., IT Chair, Sports Rep and many more. You can even be a student trustee of the JCR. These are all listed in the Constitution and an outline of each role is provided in the Job Descriptions. With each elected position you’ll usually have to hust and submit a manifesto so that everyone can decide how to vote. There are also twelve people who sit on the Executive Committee (Exec) who are responsible for most things going on around college and usually live in college. These positions typically go to people entering their final year, but that hasn’t stopped first years going for them sometimes too! The Exec have to submit a manifesto and hust as well, but they also will come round and canvass you before the voting opens to both tell you why you should vote for them and to hear your opinions.
Voting and going to JCR meetings
Of course holding elections, the JCR needs you to participate and vote! Even if you don’t want to stand for something, you’ll often find you know the people standing for elections so it’s always worth taking a few minutes to read the manifestos and vote – it makes a big difference to the running of college. We also hold JCR meetings roughly every 3 weeks at which we discuss important issues and you can make sure all the people you’ve elected are doing the job properly! See FAQs for more information.
Nothing here you like?
Perhaps the best part about the JCR system is that any member of the JCR can create a new sports team or society if it doesn’t already exist! For instance, if you are a particularly big fan of Tiddlywinks, and the JCR doesn’t have a Tiddlywinks sports team (or society?) any JCR member can set it up, and even receive funding from the JCR to purchase the required materials. The JCR is all about facilitating you!