SOCIETIES I Jesus College Annual Report 2022
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Societies Student Union The Jesus College Student Union (JCSU) has been working incredibly hard since their election. My Committee and I were elected in November 2021 and hit the ground running with several immediate improvements and points of action around College. The 2022 JCSU were born into an unusual environment. In the beginning we worked hard to reinstall a sense of College spirit, attempting to rebuild a true social experience at Jesus as we transitioned out of COVID-19 restrictions. To this end, Friday Night Jesus (FNJ) returned in full force with weekly events arranged between the JCSU and the MCR. These included a creatively attended ‘Anything but Clothes’ bop, a Pink Week quiz to arrange money for breast-cancer charities, an ‘Où est le poulet?’ event with King’s and Robinson Colleges, and a farewell ‘Friday Night John’ for the retiring Deputy Head Porter, John Morris. The ENTS Officers also organised a highly competitive darts tournament followed by a 5-aside football tournament later that term. The Freshers’ Officers organised an amazing ‘Refresher’s Week’ that saw students engaging in many activities from paintballing to pizza and movie nights. Themed Formals also returned, dotted throughout the Lent calendar, including a superbly organised May Ball Launch Formal. Rohit Kale and his May Ball colleagues put together an outstanding event after two years’ painful absence. The JCSU also organised a more low-key event to bring a conclusive and celebratory end to the Term. The JCSU has been working hard to install a central hub for social life at Jesus by working to transform the Brewery Room (the room below the Roost) into a student bar with a more casual, student-aimed atmosphere. Student welfare has served as a top priority for the 2022 JCSU. The Welfare Officers ran a welfare week in Lent Term, which included a chocolate pidge drop, stress ball handouts, blue formals and cake decorating. In Easter Term the Welfare Officers planned a ‘Wel-fair’, which included fun races, activities, and a BBQ. They have also implemented and organised daily welfare drop-ins since the beginning of Lent in the new JCSU office, as well as welfare teas in the main JCR. The JCSU also worked hard to implement important changes around College. The Ethnic and Religious Minorities Officer has been instrumental in the plans for the introduction of a prayer room at Jesus soon. Initially sparked by the LGBTQ+ officer, a proposal was taken to College Council by the President to alter the Flag protocol to fly the transgender flag and increase the number of occasions that the Progress Pride Flag is flown. The President has worked with the Women’s Officer to have the ‘blue door’ onto Park Street improving access to the College by providing a faster and safer entrance. The JCSU was also successful in petitioning the College for a £150 reimbursement per student for the Cambridge University Language Programme, as well as for funding towards an anti-spiking provision. Other key wins include guaranteed vacation accommodation, a Green Week organised by our Green Officer, the introduction of Kosher food, cheaper gowns, and much more. It has been a pleasure working with the 2022 JCSU thus far and I look forward to all that is left to come. Each member of the JCSU has worked incredibly hard this year to ensure the changes students want to see around College and I am immensely proud of each committee member and their achievements this year Jezz Brown *
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