The Exec
The JCR is run by a team that is elected from the whole undergraduate body, collectively known as the Executive Committee. The JCR Exec are led by the JCR President who is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the JCR for the year and ensuring that the good ship Aidan's is running as it should be. Each Executive member leads their own committee, and they are then responsible for organising and carrying out the many aspects of their respective roles throughout the course of the year. You will have the chance to join any of these committees during JCR Meetings which are held several times each term.
Below is a list of the current Exec and their contact details, along with information about the committee that they chair:
JCR President: Joe Kelly
The JCR President, a full-time sabbatical job, is the primary representative of Aidan's students. When the University and College staff want to know what Aidan's thinks, they come to the JCR President. The President is the first point of contact for freshers each year, welcoming them into our community and encouraging them to get involved. On a more day-to-day level, the President spends most of their time answering student queries; attending meetings with College and University staff; fighting for the interests of Aidan's along with the presidents of other JCRs; leading and supporting the Exec; organising Old Boys, the Housing Ballot and Freshers' Week; and giving tours to applicants. As well as this, the president is the face of all facets of college life such as welfare, the bar and events (and sits on all JCR committees). They deal with all the admin required to run the JCR, and they seek to shape the strategic direction of the College and JCR with their own ideas. The President will know the answer to any JCR queries you may have and if not he'll know who to direct you to. They live at the end of C Straight (C63).
JCR Treasurer: Ben Rouse
The Treasurer is in charge of the JCR finances and chairs Finance Committee. Wherever there is a bill to pay for an event in college, there is the JCR Treasurer to be found paying the invoice for it, when sports teams and societies wish to have extra funding from the JCR for their activities, there is the Treasurer deciding how much they should get and when. Day to day, the Treasurer is responsible for paying invoices, submitting the yearly accounts to business assurance, paying the JCR's taxes, and producing annual budgets. This is probably the most time consuming job on the exec, but a very useful thing to have on your CV at the end of the day.
JCR Chair: Emma Mercer
The JCR Chair is responsible for ensuring that Aidan's JCR is democratically run. Not only does the Chair oversee and convene JCR meetings but they also conduct interviews for JCR positions and ensure that every election is fair and within the rules stipulated in our Constitution. They are also responsible for comprehensively reviewing the standing orders each term to ensure that they are not only kept up to date but that the democratic procedure is being adhered to by all of the Aidan's officers and committees.
Senior Welfare Officer:
The Senior Welfare Officer provides a confidential and non-judgemental listening service for students by holding regular contact hours (along with the 3 other Welfare Officers) to which anyone can come along to if they are experiencing any difficulties personally, academically, medically or at home. There is nothing too big or too small to come and chat to them about. They are trained in active listening and signposting and therefore have a lot of information, as well as helpful resources, that they can pass onto you. They also have a selection of sexual health supplies outside of their Welfare Office (which are also available outside of the President's room C63 on C-Straight) for you to use in case of an emergency. The Senior Welfare Officer also heads the Welfare Committee which, in conjunction with Campaigns Committee, puts on a number of campaigns throughout the year to raise awareness about issues that particularly affect students at Aidan's. They even put on a few events, including a 'Stress Less' pamper evening, to help students relax before exams!
Outreach Chair: Maria Giles
The Outreach Chair is the JCR's 'Keeper of College Spirit' - they facilitate student involvement with local volunteering, fundraising and campaigning opportunities, represent Aidan's to Durham SU, and support students around university-wide issues, such as housing. They also organise the ordering and distribution of the iconic 'stash' - Aidan's branded clothing range.
Compliance Officer: Martha Deyermond
Compliance Officer is a new position, and was added to the exec after members of the JCR voted for the JCR to become an independent charity and no longer be a 'Durham Student Organisation'. It consists of two main roles, the first being to aid the President with independent charity related matters, such as by liaising with the trustee board and ensuring our compliance with charity law. The second role is to encourage and enable a strong relationship between current JCR members and since graduated Aidan's Alumni. This includes graduates returning for sport reunions and 'Old Boys'/Recent Graduates dinners, as well as current students being able to reach out to Aidan's Alumni for opportunities.
Sports & Societies Officer: Leonie Rowe
The Sports and Societies Officer has a number of important jobs within the JCR and wider college. They chair our Sports & Societies Committee, and are in constant contact with sports captains and society presidents. They also organise and help to decide the recipients of sought after college colours at the end of the year, as well as keeping the JCR informed of just how well our sports teams are doing over the course of their seasons. Finally, they help organise the Sports and Societies fair in Freshers' Week so that new members can join anything they are interested in and the sports, societies and committees photos at the end of the year to document everyone's involvement and achievements.
Shop Chair: Oliver Hutley
The Shop Chair is in charge of running our college shop. They are the person to talk to if you want to work a shift in the shop, if there is anything that the shop does not stock that you would like it to, or if you have a new and interesting event for the Shop Committee to host in the JCR. The Shop Chair is always looking for fresh ideas. They also help put on "Aidan's Live Lounge", the shop" chilled musical evening in, which is a hugely successful every term. The Shop is run as a non-profit organisation by the students for the students; working for the shop is a great way to get to know people.
Social Chair: Elys Walker
The Social Chair convenes Social Committee, Aidan's premier events organisation committee. The Social Chair is in charge of overseeing all the events put on by Social Committee, including but not limited to, Winter Ball, JCR Live lounges (typically alongside The Shop), and Summer Ball. The Social Chair generally gives these events a direction, and calls the shots when it comes to what events should be included alongside them.
Tech Chair: Harvey Balaam
The Tech Chair heads and convenes the Tech Committee. They are responsible for ensuring our tech equipment is up to date, as well as permitting it to be rented out to other colleges for a small fee. They also make ensure that there is always a team of volunteers available to plan, setup, and run the technical aspects of college events, both big and small. This includes staging, lighting, audio and anything else that might be required to ensure the smooth running of an event. Tech committee also works closely with the other committees of the JCR to help run any events that they might want to hold.
Senior Frep: Lottie Aulton
Frep is short for "Freshers' Representative". Every year, the Head Frep, alongside the President organise you an amazing Freshers' Week including nights out, movie nights in college and more. They're responsible for making sure you settle into college smoothly and have the best possible start.