The MCR Committee
Details of previous MCR committes are available as well.
President - Brett Kennedy
Students in Cambridge colleges fall into two categories (generally!): the JCR which is made up of undergraduates, and the MCR which is made up of graduates. The Downing MCR Committee serves to represent the continually increasing graduate population, making sure your Cambridge life is as rewarding and FUN as possible. The Committee is made up of graduate students elected by their peers in December and hold office for the following calendar year.
The role of the President includes organising and co-ordinating the activities of the Committee and representing the MCR at important meetings that govern the college to ensure graduate interests are taken into account (such as keeping down the rent, ensuring the budget allows for Sky Sports and free coffee!).
The bottom line is: we are here for YOU to ensure your life at Downing is not just academically fruitful but enjoyable. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me or one of the other members of the Committee - we won't bite (promise!).
Vice-president - Robert Sparkes
As you can probably tell from the job title, I help the President if some of their numerous commitments start to overlap; I'll also take the reigns if they can't run the show for any reason... 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 - Davy Kurniawan
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 - Sreekumar Balan
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 - Laura Snowdon
The bar, sports and amenities officer has a number of responsibilities that don't fall under the direct purview of other committee members. He opens the bar out of term as well as for the events put on by the social secretaries. Downing has excellent sports facilities, so feel free to contact him if you want help getting involved with one of the existing sports clubs or want to know how to found your own (see the Sports page).
Environment - Marcos Pelenur
The Environmental Officer's primary role is to champion College green issues for the MCR and address concerns, such as recycling. You can see the College's current facilities on the green pages, or contact the Environmental Officer directly for any help.
The Environmental Officer sits on the College Carbon Reduction Task Force Committee, expressing the MCR's views on carbon reduction issues. The Environmental Officer is also a part of the CUSU Ethical Affairs Team, and meets regularly with other Colleges' Green/Environmental Officers.
You can see our current facilities on the Green pages.
Social Secretaries - Erika Oberg and Andy Chen
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 -
As the MCR Communications Officer, your main responsibility lies with the MCR Website. Do feel free to email us at downingmcr[at] gmail.com 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, the communications officer is also responsible for the MCR Newsletter - meaning that all the different bits of information that keeps flooding in is collated and compiled, and that the activities agreed on during our Committee meetings are reported to the MCR students!
International - Rebecca Yanhui Zhang
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 -
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
Sign up here to join the opt-in MCR mailing list:
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Please email comments and corrections to the MCR Communications Officer, Rob.