The Junior Common Room is effectively a mini student’s union for Merton’s undergraduates. You can opt-out of membership by emailing the Vice President. It is run by a Committee who work to represent Undergraduates’ interests to the College, and other University bodies, such as the University’s Student Union (OUSU) or PresCom (a group made up of all the Common Room presidents across all the Oxford Colleges)
All Undergraduates at Merton have the right to have their say in JCR matters, by voting in elections, or submitting motions to the OGMs (Ordinary General Meetings) held fortnightly during term (they also have free pizza!)
OGMs
OGMs are held fortnightly, on Sunday evening of 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th weeks. They are a discussion forum open to all members of the JCR. Members of the JCR Committee give updates on the work they have been doing and their plans for the weeks ahead. Members can ask questions and start discussions about issues that are important to them. Each OGM, the JCR will pass a number of motions. Each motion will make resolutions for the JCR to carry out. These can be to organise something to happen, to change the way we run things, to allocate funds (the JCR has a special budget for OGM motions), or to advocate for something in conversations with the College.
Anyone can propose a motion to be discussed at the next OGM. You can submit your motion to the Vice President via this form, either directly or with a file upload. To look up old records or minutes, visit the JCR’s records (SSO required).
Democracy
The JCR makes most of its decisions through discussions at OGMs. These discussions are concluded by voting by a show of hands. By this point, members have used clarifying questions and amendments to move towards a proposal that most people in the meeting are happy with.
Once a year in Trinity term, the JCR holds elections for the members of the Executive Committee in which all members can cast their vote for the next year’s Exec.
Very occasionally, the JCR organises referenda to find the opinion of all of its members before a decision is made.
Affiliations
Our JCR is able to affiliate itself with any organisation that it wishes. If you want to discuss any of our current affiliations or ask about affiliating with somebody new, get in touch with our Affiliated Organisations Rep (jcr.affiliated@merton.ox.ac.uk).
The JCR is currently affiliated with
- The Oxford University Student Union (£0)
Charities
See the Charities page for more information on the JCR’s charitable activities and funds.
Complaints
The JCR has a formal complaints procedure, which is detailed in the Standing Orders (SO.10). If you have a complaint about the running of the JCR or the actions of those involved in its running, the person you should contact with your complaint will usually be the Vice President. Please familiarise yourself with the procedure found in the Standing Orders before making your complaint.