Tabassum Rasheed, PPE, St John’s
‘The JCR has more resources at its disposal’
Yes. Obvious as this may seem, and hard as it may be to take from a St John’s student, there’s no denying that, all other things equal, having a rich JCR makes a huge difference to my life. There’s a difference here of course, between college and JCR. Whether it’s the annual book grant available for all students, or the £3.50 formal halls, having a rich college definitely makes a big impact upon my life. I don’t have to deal with the real world for that little bit longer – the security net provided by the college’s coffers is in general a weight off my shoulders. Having a rich JCR, though, makes every day that little bit brighter, because it’s spent on the members who make it up.
The annual budget covers subsidies for punting, finances a 200+ DVD collections for JCR members, and even provides for a college tv station, complete with broadcasting camera and studio lights. Every term in fifth week, the JCR get together to have cake and desserts to get over those blues; we’re in the process of buying a college tortoise; there was a subsidised trip to Amsterdam last summer and plans for Prague in the coming year. Of course the freebies are welcomed gifts, but, more importantly, it brings the members of the JCR together. The JCR budget isn’t spent on one or two people, it’s there to ensure we have fun as a college, have access to a strong welfare team, and, provide us with opportunities to try new and exciting things, from film-editing to tortoise-keeping. There’s also a lifesize cardboard cutout of Sarah Michelle Gellar, which I’m sure will add value to any student’s life.
What makes a real difference though, is having that money when it comes to financial motions regarding charities. Each year, the JCR donate thousands of pounds to charity, all motions put forward and debated by the members of the JCR, who set it aside from the budget. We may not have as big an Entz budget as other colleges, but we can make sizeable donations to worthwhile causes, and, yes, have fun whilst doing so.
It may be true that there are JCRs who manage to be happy and self-sufficient without these goodies. And it may be true that money isn’t necessary to having a JCR that’s close-knit. But if you’re really sitting there thinking it makes no difference, then I’m sorry you go to such an impoverished college. Money doesn’t define a JCR, by any means, but it certainly makes it a damn sight better.
James Pickering, ex-JCR treasurer, Oriel
‘It’s not how much the JCR budget is but how you spend it which counts’
Reading the Cherwell’s article on JCR wealth last week, one might be forgiven for being shocked to see the huge discrepancies that exist across colleges. Certainly at Oriel, where we have often considered ourselves rather well-off as a JCR, many students expressed vocal surprise that our JCR budget was so small in comparison to others’ that Hertford’s entz budget alone dwarfed it. But with that shock came a recurring comment: “What on earth do they spend it all on?!” And this is quite understandable, given that it seems many JCRs are operating in accordance with a policy which just isn’t true, namely that ‘money buys happiness’.
Every college will have certain crucial needs which need to be tackled by college and JCR budgets before anything else – welfare being a key one. So once these have been tackled, we are left to assess what is done with any surplus left over from the essentials. The great problem faced by a JCR with any amount of money going spare is that interest groups within their open meetings will want to glean off substantial portions of this wealth for what are often very specific pursuits which affect only a small number of the student body. Such pork-barrelling essentially detracts from the remit of a JCR – that it is meant to represent and support all of its students – and tends to indentify the JCR as capable of fulfilling this remit only in so far as it has the money to do so.
However, a JCR is not just some pseudo-governmental gravy train. Considering that JCRs comprise some of the most dedicated, passionate, and downright friendly students in a college, if you take away the distraction of money then you have a team of individuals who, bending to the democratic will of a college’s students, can be put to surprisingly creative use. Given the variety of tastes and interests of students (not everyone recognises the delights of a night at Park End), the financial muscle of a college or JCR will almost certainly have no correlation to how much fun individuals actually have in college. Bearing this in mind, huge budgets that throw thousands of pounds at club tickets, shop discounts, charities and subscriptions will often fail to have a lasting effect on students’ enjoyment. Think about what we, as students, really remember about our time at Oxford: be it punting, formal dinners, garden parties, crew dates, inter-college exchanges, sporting endeavours, or even setting up a club to celebrate your favourite all-singing American television programme. In the end, the willingness of individuals to participate and use the intelligence we are supposedly blessed with is what makes the Oxford experience truly worth having. This doesn’t need huge financial resources to achieve, just a little college spirit.
