AM: Why do you want to be President of Trevs JCR?

BS: Let me set the scene. I remember arriving in Trevs for a post-offer open day when I was ranking the colleges. I looked at Trevs and immediately felt a sense of belonging and being accepted for who I am. There is such a culture of community and friendliness.

I got involved with the JCR early on; I sat on events committee and then I was the Assistant Welfare Officer. But it was during Freshers’ Week 2024 that I thought: I want to be President. I love Trevs, and I want to lead that for the next cohort of freshers. People say that uni is the best years of peoples’ lives, and I want to make sure that happens.

I want to give back to the community that has helped me settle in and have such a good time at uni.  

AM: Why should people vote for you? What can you bring to Trevs as JCR President?

BS: I believe my leadership will be very similar to that of Harry’s. I am open to collaboration, I don’t think it should just be my voice being heard because it’s not representative of the whole of Trevs. The JCR Exec will take the lead, but every JCR member should feel their voice is heard.

I can do that; I will continue Harry’s open-door policy. I feel like I’m a friendly face and I’m compassionate. I care about loads of different parts of the JCR, which I feel is evidenced in the different societies I have been a part of and where I undertook leadership roles.

AM: What would you want to achieve during your time in office? 

BS: I would want to continue the open community that Harry has accelerated this year. Engagement has been low; we need to boost that otherwise the JCR will be on its last legs. It’s a snowball effect: if we get a few people involved and they are seen to be having fun and making it accessible, it creates a positive feedback loop. I think involvement will get us to have better events which have already been massively improved this year. The more engagement we have, the more opinions we have on offer.

Every JCR member should feel their voice is heard

I don’t want the JCR to be an exclusive, political thing in Trevs. At the end of the day, it is essentially just what we call our student body and our student experience, and I would want to make people as enthusiastic about it as I have been.

AM: Would you change anything about the JCR and/or College if elected? Where can things be improved in these areas? 

BS: I want the JCR to be more communicative with the college officers because there has been some conflict over recent years. As VP, if Harry’s been absent, I have stepped in and gone to meetings and made good relations with college officers. There is absolutely scope for doing more collaboratively with the MCR and the SCR, and having a better relationship with the college officers in general. That’s the only thing I would change.

I genuinely think the DSO (Durham Student Organization) framework works for Trevs. I believe it would be a waste of time to go independent. I do not want to throw away my whole year, which would also be the 60^th anniversary year of Trevelyan College, by going through logistics.

People have paid the JCR levy, and I want them to get the most out of it. If I am President, I will use these relationships to fight for the JCR’s feedback and ideas. For example, if people want cheese on their lunch! This could create conflict with college, but if there is no reason not to implement something, it is better to open a dialogue with them.

AM: How would you describe the role of the JCR in college life?

BS: The role of the JCR within college is about student experience and about giving people a wide range of experiences they might not have at other unis. As a collegiate university we are so lucky to have JCRs because it’s a smaller, less intimidating environment where people can get involved. They can try a new sport; you don’t have to go for the university sport teams and get rejected. I was on the netball B team in my first year – it felt so much more welcoming.

The role of the JCR is about student experience

It’s all about trying new things, and I think the JCR opens new doors for people. Roles within the JCR are helpful for CVs and work experience too, such as developing leadership and teamwork skills.

AM: Trevs has suffered from low engagement across college life over recent years. How can this be rectified? 

BS: Again, this would not just fall to me. This would fall to transparency and collaboration. What I have done this year as Vice President is open anonymous feedback with the online form and suggestions box in college. The JCR committee doesn’t exist anymore because I thought this would be a more accessible way of doing things. Instead of being daunted by a committee, they can submit something anonymously and they are already engaging.

I feel like if people raise something and we’re transparent, they are more likely to get involved in the future and encourage their friends. We’ve had a decent number of freshers putting in suggestions this year and we’ve seen slightly more fresher engagement than last year.

Fun is going to be my key word. What is the point of a JCR that’s not fun?

AM: What would you say to students who believe the JCR does not affect them?

BS: The first point is, you’ve paid £155. People should try and make the most out of it. If people think the JCR doesn’t affect them; my question back to them is: what are your hobbies? If we don’t have a society that encourages those hobbies; come to meetings and suggest it as a society.

Basically, if you have interests outside of your academic studies; the JCR affects you. 

AM: If elected, how will you find out the needs and wants of the student body and effectively address them?

BS: This has already been started in my role as VP, and I would enhance it in my role as President. It would be the anonymous suggestions box. Currently it is monitored weekly. If I was President, I would make checking the feedback part of my daily routine.

The JCR President is the link between the student body and staff body. Therefore, I would publicise the anonymous form even more, in the freshers’ pack, in emails at the start and end of every term, after major events.

I know that people sometimes believe there’s a culture of exclusivity in the exec; but with positions in the JCR, people are elected for a reason. In response to complaints about exclusivity, I would say: get involved.

The JCR President is the link between the student and the staff body

At the end of the day, if people are having issues, such as the washing machines being too expensive, it is currently quite difficult to have that changed. I just want to keep the dialogue open between staff and students; people live here, it’s not a summer camp.

AM: Finally, what does Trevs mean to you?

BS: I love Trevs. From the moment I walked in, it has been supportive and inclusive and that comes from being a small college. I love how relaxed the vibe is. No one is competitive, and this many people supporting each other wouldn’t happen in many other places. Since joining I have grown and grown, and now I want to be President.

There is a reason I have lived in for three years. I love seeing Andrea in the morning and having the support staff here when you need them. It has a very homely vibe, I wear pyjamas to breakfast as I do at home, and no-one judges you.

So yeah, Trevs means a hell of a lot to me. There’s a reason I get involved.

Whichever way the vote goes, it is going to be a good choice. Dan and I wish we were in different years; there’s two good candidates. But I back myself with my compassion, enthusiasm, and sense of fun.

Voting for JCR President opens on Monday 26th January.

Image: Bex Smith