JCR Meeting Minutes – Epiphany 3

JCR Meeting Minutes for the Third JCR Meeting of Epiphany Term 2025

Monday 17th March, 7:30pm, Dining Hall

*For accessibility requirements for the agenda, please contact the JCR Chair ([email protected]) to arrange documents and whatever may be necessary.

Lots of Snacks

Sign in via QR code

Raffle with prizes

1. The minutes of the last meeting

These are available on the JCR Website.

2. Matters Arising

1. None

3. Questions of Officers

Questions should be submitted before the meeting.

4. JCR Announcements

1. An Update on JCR Finances for Treasurer James Cutler

5. Motions

1. Motion to Create a Mary’s Movies Society (See Appendix A)

6. Elections, Hustings and Interviews

1. Senior Welfare Officers

Eleanor Betts and Maya Vigil

Proposed by: Max Tonge

Seconded by: Saachi Bajaj

2. Senior Environment Officer

Izzy Jaques

Proposed by: Tabs Lanyon

Seconded by: Aniko Gyopos

3. Arts President

Lauren Edwards

Proposed by: Dulcie Sweeting

Seconded by: Samar Ahmed

4. Senior International Officers

Jasmine Kan and Natasha Ranawake

Proposed by: Asante Gantsho

Seconded by: Ned Sanderson

5. JCR Treasurer

Harry Hutchingson

Proposed by: Kate Broekman

Seconded by: Sam Parker

Will Roberts

Proposed by: Lachlan Muir

Seconded by: Kate Sherry

Tarryn Stanhope

Proposed by: Joe Amos

Seconded by: Annika Borrow

Max Booth Tonge

Proposed by: Sophie Chapman

Seconded by: Henry Sutcliffe

7. AOB

1. Raffle
2. Vote Opens

Minutes of the Third JCR Meeting of Epiphany Term 2025

Monday 17th March, 7:30pm, Dining Hall

*For accessibility requirements for the agenda, please contact the JCR Chair ([email protected]) to arrange documents and whatever may be necessary.

Lots of Snacks

Sign in via QR code

Raffle with prizes

1. The minutes of the last meeting

These are available on the JCR Website.

2. Matters Arising

2. None

3. Questions of Officers

Questions should be submitted before the meeting.

4. JCR Announcements

2. An Update on JCR Finances for Treasurer James Cutler
3. JCR in healthy position
4. In line with historical trend
5. Successful ball this term with profit that helps us run Mary’s Day and Midsummer Ball next term, which can then be subsidies for members
6. Toastie bar update: operating at a much smaller loss now following some changes
   1. JCR is no longer involved in toastie bar, rather college are in charge of this now
7. Additional funding has been given to game soc and journalism soc and guidance has been given to other societies
8. Next term
   1. Mary’s Day and Midsummer Ball
   1. Extra post-exam events
   1. Reviewing current sports and socs tier system
9. Full report will be sent out on email

5. Motions

2. Motion to Create a Mary’s Movies Society (See Appendix A)

6. Elections, Hustings and Interviews

6. Senior Welfare Officers

Eleanor Betts and Maya Vigil

• Video hust has been sent round on email
• Love the friendly and welcoming community at Mary’s
• Experience as JCR Chair (Eleanor) and assistant WAM officer (Maya)
• Passionate about making Mary’s and inclusive environment
• Prioritising wellbeing and making sure your voice is heard on the exec
• Want to continue these from last year
  • Welfare Wednesdays and Selfcare Sundays
  • Meeting with Reps to make sure that out diverse community stays safe and included
  • Easy to give back feedback and suggestions so everyone’s voice is heard
  • Campaigns
    • Both have experience in Canva
    • Making sure everyone can be involved if they want to in different capacities
  • Collaborations with sports and socs, making sure to have a good welfare presence
  • Stocking up sexual health supplies and snack drops during exam season
• New ideas
  • Sessions centred around learning practical skills such as setting up Notion, crocheting, meditating
  • Study sessions maybe with a coffee and cake break afterwards
  • Anonymous suggestions box for feedback and suggestions for WAM and the Exec
  • Freshers’ goodie bags with leaflets with signposting and explaining WAM
  • Second hand book swap with textbooks
• Feel free to ask any questions online

7. Senior Environment Officer

Izzy Jaques

• Third year, studying biology
• Current senior environment officer
• Real passion for combating climate change
• Love to continue in her role with lots of new ideas
• Done in role this past year
  • Declared a climate emergency on behalf of JCR
  • Meeting regularly with other environments officers
  • Running events like documentary viewings, nature walks and volunteering with a primary school
• New ideas
  • Continue those
  • More regular volunteering days
  • Help to improve Durham Wildlife Trust
  • Run more events with the society to ensure a termly report
• Questions
  • None

8. Arts President

Lauren Edwards

• Second year, combined honours student with politics and sociology
• Current arts president and enjoyed it
• Love the opportunity to take on the role again next year
• Aim this year has been to make art more accessible to everyone
  • Weekly workshops with our resident artist, Jane
  • Successful arts week with lots of events
  • Will continue to host events with accessibility in mind
  • Co-chaired masquerade ball
  • Worked to make Insta more engaging
  • Helped build a community where everyone no matter experience level can be a part
• Next year ideas
  • Continue this work and take it further
  • Making creativity more accessible as well as decorating communal spaces
  • Sewing machines available in studio
  • Termly live art lounge
  • Expand arts committee to ensure bigger and better events
• Bring experience, passion and a genuine love for Mary’s and arts
• Experience running own arts business, A level in arts and worked as arts assistant teacher and tutor
• Been head of marketing at the Bubble
• More than comfortable running events
• Creativity is what makes our community so brilliant
• Will make next year even more exciting
• Questions
  • None

9. Senior International Officers

Jasmine Kan and Natasha Ranawake

• First years studying psychology and law from Hong Kong and Sri Lanka
• Want to take up the responsibility to give back
• Moving to a new country may be difficult for international students
• Want to build a strong support system where everyone can be heard and supported
• Different and therefore a lot to bring to the table as a team
  • Experience (Jasmine): member of international committee, school ambassador, nightline trained
  • Experience (Natasha): POVD rep, contributor to Palatinate, exec of a DU society
• Plans
  • Weekly drop ins
  • Collaborate with other colleges such as doing a food exchange
  • Int freshers’ week
    • Excursions to Newcastle and city centre
    • Treasure hunt
    • Movie and games night
    • Confident in being in Durham and participate in things
• Questions
  • How do you plan to work with the Head Freps, JCR President and rest of the Freps
    • Be well prepared
    • Talk through things at a meeting, getting advice
  • What are your favourite events from this year
    • International snack exchange day from int week

10. JCR Treasurer

Harry Hutchingson

• First year biosciences
• Occasionally felt out of the loop with aspects of JCR meetings and terminology and therefore pledge to have enhance communication
• Monthly or bimonthly statement for transparency
• Made many friends and memories through the JCR which means through the carefully managed finances and exec
• After speaking to members of smaller societies and sports and wants to try and increase funding where possible
• Approachable
• Handling sensitive financial information
  • Is honest and has integrity in financial matters
• Ensure that he will listen to any issues

Will Roberts

• Third year biosciences student
• Been very involved in Mary’s throughout time here
• Having sat on a few execs, has seen how important good finances is to delivering experiences and that treasurer is committed
• Currently treasurer of Men’s Football club
  • First profitable year in a while through new system from the JCR
  • Genuine love this role
  • Learned a lot by projecting, compromising and increasing accessibility in financial context
• Next year
  • Transparency
    • Pull your views à how do you want to receive this information
    • Building more engaging platform
    • Allows us to signpost information such as additional funds more easily
  • Success of Call them out campaign
    • Would benefit from having more access to funds so they can reach more
  • Volunteering at primary schools à buying them equipment
  • Finances should never be a barrier to participate in events
    • Would like to work with Durham grant more closely to make events more affordable
    • Keep money in mind while planning events

Tarryn Stanhope

• Second year, economics student
• Will do the job and do it well
• Lots of experience both within degree and outside of it in managing financing, auditing and speaking to people
• Aim to manage finances smoothly and efficiently and in organised way
• Currently student co-chair of economics at Durham and treasurer of journalism at Mary’s
• Ideas
  • Revamping Money at Mary’s Instagram
    • Make the information clear
    • Work with sports and socs treasurers to hear them and make info clear
    • Remind of funding application deadlines
  • Transparency for events
    • So everyone knows exactly where the money is going
    • Increasing subsidies for events and clubs
    • So everyone has a place
  • Wants to make sure that everyone can attend things
  • Clubs requiring funding can receive this
  • Improving efficiency of extra funds
• Friendly face to be contacted with questions about money
• Well prepared and equipped to take on this role

Max Booth Tonge

• Second year, maths
• Thrown himself into live at Mary’s and knows how much the community means to him and everyone else
• Wants to make finances efficient to give back
• Experience and commitment to take on the role
• Ideas
  • Take funding further, for societies to be able to carry funding through over the years
    • More financial flexibility
  • Make information on JCR finances clearer à keeping insta active
  • Collaborate with WAM and other representatives to provide guidance on personal finances
  • Introduce feedback forms to be discussed at meeting if anonymous or by email
  • Wants to invest in long term sustainability plan to eliminate reappearing costs such as renting silent disco headphones over and over again
• Role is about countability, organisation and ensure every student benefits from the JCR
• Bring experience, reliability and commitment
• Through college involvement has experienced the direct impacts
• Structured, accessible, efficient
• Pledge to be a treasurer who listens and takes actions

Questions

• What are your views on how transparent we should be with our funding?
  • Will: yes there is a balance, there is some confidentiality which ultimately comes down to finance committee. As it’s the people’s money, transparency should be applied as much as possible
  • Max: massive call for increase in transparency. Any changes should be decided by an exec, but we could do breakdowns of ball prices
  • Harry: people will want to know where they’re money are going. You have to maintain certain confidentiality as well. People should have a say in what information they want to know
  • Tarryn: Mary’s is already very transparent and should continue. Necessary to be transparent unless there is a legal requirement for confidentiality
• To what extent should JCR events make a profit?
  • Tarryn: certain events they should make a profit to subsidise larger events. Events where a margin can be made and it’s not going to make to of impact on the students
  • Harry: advantage in making a marginal profit on some events that other clubs fx can be subsidised by
  • Max: need to make profit at every ball, we can always use extra profit to subsidise costs especially for low-income, working-class students, but also we should try to push what we can make the costs
  • Will: subsidise bigger things such as Mary’s Day. There should be a balance as it is student money. Ongoing discussion in football fx. Considerate into who’s money is going into the budget
• Where do you think we should cut more losses and how should we manage the jcr finances more effeciantly
  • Will: running of the toastie bar has been handed over. Looking where there is scope to make some more money to make it more viable
  • Max: making larger purchases now to cut down costs in the future, lots of time in the year with many events
  • Harry: important being transparent from the start of the year and see where students want to put their money
  • Tarryn: where you allocate should maximise student wellbeing, students should have a say, where benefits are maximized for students overall, should be most important
• Are you able to guarantee that you will be able to commit
  • Tarryn: existence of dissertation removes two modules a week to be more flexible, willing to commit and put time into
  • Harry: have many contact hours, but will be able to manage just as he has been able to manage things this year, it’s less of a job and more of a problem to work out and maintaining the JCRs  
  • Max: experienced what can do, contact hours are going down a lot
  • Will: master’s project with own scheduling, this year there has been a lot to do as treasurer of football and has enjoyed it and looked forward to it, so have no doubt that he will be able to put in the work required

7. AOB

3. Reminder of ranking votes
   1. Important that everyone ranks their votes as we use single-transferable vote
4. Raffle
5. Vote is open!

Appendix A

Motion to create ‘Mary’s Movies Society’

Proposer: Caitlin Wright

Seconder: Gilly Thorne

This JCR notes that Mary’s currently has many film enthusiasts and there are always a lot of interesting discussions about films. This motion notes that there is now a need for this society to bring these people together to discuss cinema as well as showing others many great films that are often talked about.

This JCR believes this society would allow others greater access to the wide world of cinema. It would also function as a wellbeing society where members could relax.

This JCR resolves to create the Mary’s Movies society. This society will have fortnightly film viewings, watching films such as Shrek, Pirates of the Carribean, and Back to the Future along with many others, as well as members voting for films that they want to watch. There would also be quizzes celebrating cinema and the history of it.