As another academic year comes towards its conclusion, and a new JCR Executive Committee takes over the reins of power, it is a pertinent time to ask why we, as your average Trevs student, should be getting involved with the JCR. Students, and student participation, are the lifeblood of Trevs, and frankly what makes our college so special. However, the JCR is often left behind by swathes of student participation.

So why should you care, why should you participate, and how can you?

Put simply, The JCR is student life in Trevs. From overseeing all of Trevs’ societies to running the vast majority of events, the JCR is involved with many more things than a lot of people would initially believe. Without the JCR, Trevs events simply wouldn’t happen. There would be no Summer Ball, no Trevs Day, and the Summer calendar would be looking rather empty. Without a broad scope of people in the JCR, it is difficult for everyone’s voices in college to be heard, but it is a two-way street. Greater participation from Trevelyanites will equal a better JCR. It is easy to think that the only way to get involved with the JCR is to run for an Exec position, but this is not at all the case. The JCR is by its very essence the Trevs student community, and anyone who plays any role in Trevs, be it in a society or merely through voting in an election, is making a positive contribution to the JCR. The beauty of Durham is its collegiate system, and we are lucky to have a JCR. We each get the opportunity to do far more things through the JCR than we would if we attended any other university, from the sporting to the musical to the theatrical.

Getting involved with the JCR can be a really enriching experience. There is a huge number of things to get involved with, from being a voice for certain communities, representing sport and music in the college, or getting involved with the financial side of the JCR. On the Events side, you can have the power to make events what you want them to be, from deciding venues, to picking musical acts, to scouting out various inflatables and food vans. On the more administrative side, being part of the JCR helps you to gain valuable skills in public speaking, conflict resolution and teamwork, all of which can be really useful for the future. Above all, the JCR should be fun, and it is at its most enjoyable when a variety of people are involved, each offering their ten cents and contributing to a thriving student atmosphere.

By getting involved with the JCR, you’re getting to decide how everyone’s £140 gets spent.

There is a financial benefit to getting involved as well. By getting involved with the JCR, you’re getting to decide how everyone’s £140 gets spent.

We’ve all paid our £140 for the JCR levy, and that is clearly a big investment. If you had invested £140 into the stock market, chances are that you would be tracking the FTSE to understand how your investment is going.

If you had put £140 on Man United to win the Europa League (have a word with yourself), then you’d probably be taking a keen interest in all of United’s Europa League games. Getting the most out of the JCR works the same way. Your money keeps the JCR going, and it is by getting involved with the JCR, whether that be through running for positions and committees, voting, attending formals and being part of societies, that you get value for your money, and get to decide how the money gets spent..

Trevs will be a better place the more people that are involved, and more importantly, invested, in making a positive difference, and this is something we as a college community can clearly achieve. The best Trevs events are powered by the efforts of students, and the JCR will be at its best by people engaging with it, not leaving it

The more people get involved on any level, the more representative the JCR will be of what the wider college wants, and the better it will be.

Put simply, that is how you can make the JCR great again.

Image: Dan Wattis