JJCR Structure

The JJCR stands for the Joint Junior Common Room. This is an overarching group, which includes all students affiliated with St John’s College, and is itself made up of three separate Common Rooms. These are: the John’s Hall Junior Common Room (JHJCR), for John’s Hall undergraduates; the Middle Common Room (MCR), for John’s Hall postgraduates; and Cranmer Common Room (CCR), for Cranmer Hall students. You can only be a member of one subsidiary common room at a time, and you do not join a subsidary common room - you are automatically made a member of the appropriate one when you join the JJCR. The subsidiary common rooms each have their own Constitutional Documents, but these largely mirror the JJCR's, and are published together with the JJCR copy for convenience.

There are a number of elected positions, which can be either open to any member of the JJCR, or only to a single subsidiary common room. Each subsidiary common room holds annual elections for a president and executive committee. The President of the JHJCR is automatically made President of the JJCR, while the presidents of the CCR and JHMCR are automatically made Vice-Presidents of the JJCR. Various other members of JHJCR and CCR execs are also on the JJCR exec. Otherwise, the bulk of non-executive positions across all three subsidiary common rooms are JJCR positions, and members of all three subsidiary common rooms are encouraged to get involved in the JJCR.

Each Hall in John’s has its own separate Exec, which is in charge within its own Common Room. However, there also exists the JJCR Exec, which is made up of representatives from each Hall. The JJCR Exec works mostly behind the scenes, and liases with college officers. From John’s Hall Exec, the President, Vice-President, Welfare officer, Treasurer and Estates officer all sit on JJCR Exec.

Why should I care about the JJCR?

You ask a valid question. Well, basically, the JHJCR is you. But on a slightly bigger scale. John’s Hall is a democracy, and you can be as involved as you like. It exists to function as a whole and to work collectively for certain aims. Together we vote on certain policies, elect people to positions and represent our views back to college.

This is mostly achieved through JJCR meetings, which are held three times a term. These meetings can be attended by everyone and are split into two parts – the first half being issues that are relevant to the whole JJCR, and the second half being relevant just to the JHJCR. These meetings are held in Leech Hall and can be exciting, inspiring, controversial and often downright hilarious (especially the fancy-dress ones). They tend to be quite casual – although you will need your gown if you want to speak, you could be wearing your PJs under it, or sitting at the back eating sweets, and no-one will care. If you’re at the meeting, then you can give your opinion and make sure that things are going as you would like them. They’re a bit like school assemblies (only more fun), in that they’re one of the only times when the whole college is together. We make important decisions, from ethical policies about what we stock in the JJCR shop, to how and what and when we give to charity, to rules about snogging and petting in the college bar...

JJCR meetings are your main chance to have your say in the running of the JJCR. They exist to hold JJCR officers (both exec and non-exec) to account, to debate and make decisions regarding the JJCR's policies and money, and to elect people to positions in the JJCR. In short, they are the democratic decision making body of the JJCR. Any JJCR member is entitled to attend, speak, and vote at any JJCR meeting, and at any meeting of their subsidiary common room.

JJCR members also all have the right to propose motions and stand for election to any JJCR position, as well as positions in their own subsidiary common room. Guides for writing motions and manifestos are available here.

Constitutionally, at least three meetings of each of the four common rooms (JJCR, JHJCR, JHMCR, CCR) must be held each term. When they are held is the decision of the President of each common room, and additional meetings can be held at their discretion. The minutes of all meetings are made available, with JJCR and JHJCR minutes held on this website.

The members of the JCR can petition the President for a meeting to be held, and a fifth of the membership of a common room are required to force a meeting. There are lots of other rules and regulations for different types of meetings - for more details, take a look at the Constitution.