JCR Report The Junior Common Room (JCR) at Somerville College has experienced an exhilarating and productive year, marked by academic excellence, community engagement, and a variety of extracurricular activities. Our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment has driven numerous initiatives and events that have enriched the college experience for all our members. We began the academic year by warmly welcoming our new students with a Freshers' Week packed with induction activities and social events designed to help them settle in, make friends, and become acquainted with college life. Since then, the JCR community has organised and participated in a wide variety of social events and activities – including BAME and LGTBQ+ formals, our JCR Pride week, termly welfare weeks, and bops, garden parties and pub quizzes organised by our JCR entertainment team. Excitingly, plans for the Somerville-Jesus College Ball are underway, with the ball committee already hard at work and planning to announce the ball theme in Michaelmas 2024. The JCR also launched several impactful charity and environmental initiatives. During Green Awareness Week, we introduced a new recycling scheme, promoted water-saving MADDIE GORDON, JCR PRESIDENT practices, encouraged sustainable eating, and supported the Somerville-wide carbon survey that gathered information on the consumption of carbon by individual members in our completion of our gym renovation. Our JCR and Terrace have community. During our JCR Arts week, we hosted our first Arts also received updates, all with the aim of enhancing the already concert raising funds for Crisis in Oxford, and our JCR Charities warm and welcoming environment for socialising. Ballot has supported a wide variety of charities this year including the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, Oxford Mutual Finaly, as the President of the JCR, I am filled with immense Aid and Kenyan women’s rights charity Usikimye. gratitude and pride as I reflect on the incredible achievements and experiences of the 2023/24 academic year and therefore Our annual JCR Access Roadshow was a success, and am deeply appreciative of the wonderful committee of alongside our BAME open day, and the work of JCR access officers, whose hard work, dedication, and creativity have been ambassadors throughout the year reflect our unwavering instrumental in realising our collective vision this past year. commitment to improving access at Somerville and Oxford. In Equally, I want to express my sincere thanks to the college particular, we have introduced new suspended students and staff whose support and guidance have been invaluable, class JCR officers, who have worked to build their respective ensuring that we could achieve our goals and create a nurturing communities in College. environment for all students. In the face of challenges which have threatened to polarise our community, the strength of the On the sporting field, hockey, football, rounders, netball, rowing bonds within our JCR has been displayed. This year has been a and cricket teams have had an active year. With highlights testament to the vibrancy of our community, and our shared including Cuppers wins, Summer VIIIs, and annual sports commitment to making Somerville a place where everyone day held at Girton College, Cambridge, there has been great feels valued and inspired. enthusiasm amongst students in repping the black and red for the Ville. Sporting endeavours have been supplemented by the MADDIE GORDON, JCR President 18