Queens' College JCR

📢Donations Needed!!

We’re collecting donations for It Takes a City in collaboration with the student-led charity Embrace, to support those in need this winter. Drop off your items in the Porter’s Lodge before the end of term!

Needed Items:
🧥 Blankets, sleeping bags, waterproof clothing, fleeces, jumpers, socks, trainers, thermal leggings, t-shirts, sports bras, new underwear, jogging bottoms, dressing gowns, bike locks.

🍫 Biscuits, cereals, pot noodles, instant rice/pasta, chocolate bars, crisps, snacks, cakes, rice pudding, frozen food (air fryer-friendly).

✨ Please ensure all food is in-date and unopened.

Your kindness goes a long way! 🫶

Presidential Foreword:

Hiyah everyone,

I trust spirits are still high as we move into Week 3. Sadly, it seems I can’t continue putting off my dissertation research for too much longer. The mirage was fun whilst it lasted...

There’s not much new from the JCR side this week, but I do want to give a big thank you to everyone who filled out the QJCR survey over the past few months. Ewan has started combing through all the data, and we’ll be using it to bring your voices to the many committees we attend.

One exciting bit of news: we’re kicking off elections for Freshers’ Reps soon! More details will follow in the next few weeks, but if you’re thinking of applying, I really encourage you to go for it. We’ll be sending out information from the current officers to help you get clued in. (For those new to Queens’, elections for the other JCR roles happen in Weeks 1 and 2 of Lent. Keep an eye out towards the end of term if you’re thinking about getting involved.)

Lastly, a quick reminder: we’re still looking for an Owlstone Rep! If you’re interested, feel free to drop Michael or me an email.

Best wishes,
Noah

Presidential Foreword:

Hiyah everyone,

Welcome to Week 2! I hope Week 1 treated you well and that you’re feeling ready for what’s ahead (or at least not too overwhelmed!). As term kicks into gear, don’t hesitate to reach out to our wonderful welfare team if you need any support – they’re always here to help.

For the JCR, Week 2 marks start of committee season, so we’ll be busy tackling any issues and improvements you raise. If you have something on your mind, feel free to use the feedback form and let us know. Or, better yet, tell us in person!

Walking back from rugby training this afternoon felt ridiculously cinematic, with an orange glow of the setting sun over the Backs and the leaves just starting to turn. Enjoy the autumnal warmth whilst it’s here.

Best wishes,
Noah

Presidential Foreword:

Hiya everyone,

Well, the dust has just about settled, and I hope our Freshers are feeling nicely settled now that they’ve been officially matriculated! I hope you all had fun last night at your first (of many!) formals. A massive thank you to our brilliant Freps, Abi and Julia, for all their hard work in making Freshers’ Week such a success.

With lectures soon to begin, the blissful days of carefree wandering around Cambridge are soon to make way for timetables, essays, and deadlines.

But the fun isn’t over just yet – there are plenty more events lined up (QCRFC’s Welcome Drinks in Old Hall, for example!) and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone out and about!


As always, my inbox is open, and I’m more than happy to grab a coffee or have a chat if you fancy it.


Ciao for now,

Noah

MEET THE JCR GENERAL COMMITTEE #18

Meet your new Sports and Societies Officer: Emily Waters (she/her)
[email protected]

Presidential Foreword:

Hiya everyone,

Well, here we are – some of us returned, others starting fresh, and some still frolicking at home or in foreign fields delaying the inevitable. Michaelmas has arrived — well, Week 0, at least.

We’re in the midst of Freshers’ Week, with new faces, festivities, and (almost) enough excitement to make up for any dissertation topic you told your DoS you had sorted in July (but, uh, maybe didn’t…).

For all the Freshers, a great week lies in store. The JCR have planned lots of activities, from picnics and tours of town, to club nights and the Societies Fair. Feel free to reach out to any of us anytime. You can’t miss us in our “jade” sweatshirts milling about Queens’. My inbox is always open, and I’m just as happy to catch up over a chat or a coffee. Don’t be a stranger!

We are also all looking forward to welcoming back the rest of the Queens’ community over the next week or so. If someone could bring some sun with them, that’d be grand. Or, failing that, my gown or suit which seem to have gone walkabouts 🙏.

Either way, a week of discovery no doubt awaits: the sights of Cambridge, for some; the library, for others; and, for select others, the bittersweet realisation that your final year at Queens’ is just about to begin.

What fun! Cherish it.

It doesn’t always rain here, I promise,

Noah

🚨SAVE THE DATE!!🚨

Come along on Sunday 6th October to meet some of the Queens’ College Societies.

We are so excited to meet you all😁

On Wednesday 5th June, the JCR membership of Queens’ College passed a non-binding referendum to express public solidarity with Palestine. 215 votes were cast out of 542 eligible JCR members, with 182 in favour, 29 in opposition and 4 in abstention. This was the first such referendum held by QJCR in accordance with the constitution and reached double the quorum required.

Please see the full statement attached. For the original motion in its entire form, see the most recent JCR email.
-
-
-
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
[2]https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-sum-01-00-en.pdf
[3] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114702
[4] https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150196
[5] https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
[6] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/
[7] https://www.btselem.org/topic/apartheid

Presidential Foreword:

Hiyah everyone,

We’ve (almost!) all made it! Well done to everyone for finishing their exams; by tomorrow, we’ll all be in the throes of May Week festivities!

The Freps have been hard at work organising tomorrow’s (14th June) Owlstone Pizza Party! Do come along to Owlstone Croft from 1-4pm tomorrow for free pizza. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of term and also to take a closer look around Owlstone.

On the referendum front, the JCR established a working group made up of members from the original petitioners and the JCR committee, as well as from Queens’ JSoc and ISoc, to work on a statement. This statement will soon be released and will contain the details of the original motion, the results of the vote, and the next steps.

Have a lovely May Week and a great summer thereafter!

Ciao for now,

Noah

Come along to Owlstone Croft for free pizza and fun this Friday 1-4pm!!!

💚💚💚🍕🍕🍕

Presidential Foreword:

Hiya everyone,
Well done to everyone who has finished their exams, and good luck to everyone still going! One final push, and we’ll all be over the line and into the festivities of May Week :)

Thanks to everyone who engaged with the referendum this week — 40% turnout is pretty good going! A big thanks to the returning officers, Erin and Lucas, for so diligently overseeing the whole process. The JCR will soon begin discussions of next steps in light of the results, so more on this soon.

Balloting information was sent out to all JCR members this week, so please have a readthrough of all that it entails; if nothing else, do take note of the timeline of the balloting processes.

Have a lovely week, enjoy the weather, and good luck!

Best wishes,

Noah