The MCR Committee
Details of previous MCR committes are available as well.
President - Madeleine Ross
The MCR Committee exists to represent Downing's 200-plus Graduate students and to ensure that
Graduate life here is as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. Each Committee holds office for
a year from 1st January, following elections in December.
The duties of President fall roughly into two categories, organising and co-ordinating the smooth running of the Committee and the MCR as a whole, particularly for MCR events. Secondly, representing the MCR at the various committees which govern college to ensure that Graduate interests in matters such as rent and accommodation are taken into account.
Please contact me or any other member of the committee if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.
Vice-president - Karen Beaumont
As you can probably tell from the job title, I help the President if some of the numerous commitments start to overlap. I
might even get to be in charge should something unexpectedly befall our
illustrious leaders... I also take the minutes at our committee
meetings, go to General Purposes Committee and Governing Body meetings
and do other general administrative/organisational bits and pieces.
If any members of the MCR (past, present or prospective) have any questions about anything and you're not sure who to ask, then please email me and with a bit of luck I'll either know the answer or know someone who does!
Treasurer - Johannes Arning
The role of the MCR treasurer is primarily to keep the MCR accounts. The
treasurer is responsible for paying all MCR bills as well as the taking of
money from MCR events and having the final say on how much can be spent on
these. The treasurer is also responsible for the purchasing of
various thing for the MCR - anything from food and drink to drawing pins!
The Treasurer sits on the College Finance Committee, expressing the views of the MCR relating to the financial management of the College; this includes such things as giving an opinion on property acquisition and the state of the Colleges shares/equities portfolio.
Welfare and Education - Yaron Berkowitz
The welfare and education officer is here to ensure the welfare of graduate students, both academically and
personally. He is happy to help with any issues, whether personal,
educational or more general, and will make sure that college supports its
graduate students by liasing with college officers, the MCR committee and
the College Nurse and Chaplain. His aim is to help make your time at Downing
both enjoyable and fruitful by providing guidance and information on any
difficulties you encounter.
Bar, Sports and Amenities - Helen Lightfoot
My role is to deal with those those things that don't come under anyone
else's umbrella but probably do a lot for your quality of life here
when you are out of the lab or the library.
I open the bar out of term for the MCR, which is always a fun get together at an otherwise quiet time in College, and I do the same with the various events the Social secretaries put on. Sports wise, Downing is well supplied for sports facilities on site, notably the paddock, the tennis courts and the gym. I can help you find out how to make use of Downing's sporting facilities, put you in touch with the existing sports clubs or tell you how to found your own. Check out the Sports pages. I attend meetings of the college Gym, Buildings, and Bar & Amenities committees, so If you have questions or suggestions about any aspect of Downing's amenities, please get in touch if you wish to have them discussed.
Environment - Bradon Smith
You can see our current facilities on the Green pages
which includes plenty of other information.
Social Secretaries - Anwen Hills and Joe Stanta
The social secs dream up and organise social events. These vary in size from small regular
pub nights and Formal Hall exchanges to much larger events, including Ceilidhs, Balls and trips.
See the events calendar here...
After deciding on an event, we suggest it to the rest of the committee and determine how financially viable our idea is. Then we plan the event and rope in "volunteers". We are open to helpful suggestions and if you have anything to contribute to an event we'd love to hear from you.
As part of our job, we aim to make you feel included in all events and we hope to ensure that as a Downing graduate you feel a welcome member of the Downing College social life. If you have any queries regarding any event or Formal Hall, don't hesitate to get in touch.
Communications - Dong Fang
As the MCR Communications Officer, my main responsibility lies with the MCR Website - following in the footsteps of the great Tom White, "Creator of The Website". Do feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions for the site, but keep in mind that anyone can post articles on the front page of the website, or post events on our events calendar.
Usually, I am also responsible for the MCR Newsletter - meaning that I have to collect and compile all the different bits of information that keep flooding in, or write about the activities that are agreed on during our Committee meetings. If I do my job right, you won't have to miss out on any of our events!
International - Ruth Cumming
The International Officer is responsible for providing information to and
helping overseas students adapt to life in the UK. As part of their role, they
liaise with international organsations within the University and work with
the Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officers. They also maintain the
International Pages, which include lots of useful information for
international students living in the UK for the first time. So if you are a
new international student in Downing, or if you thinking about becoming
one, feel free to e-mail them about any questions you have!
Equal Opportunities - Katarzyna Hejczyk (Kaska)
Their job is to represent minorities in the MCR. This includes promoting
women's and LBG viewpoints and providing a confidential contact to anyone
facing discrimination because of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation,
ethnicity or religion. The committee works to ensure that all students feel
welcome in college regardless of their background. So if you have any
problems, questions, issues you think we should take up, or suggestions for
future events, feel free to drop them a line.
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Useful Links
Graduate Union Website
Official College Website
Downing JCR Website
Central University Website
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Please email comments and corrections to the MCR Communications Officer, Dong.