Improved Communication

Background

Cambridge’s collegiate system is in many ways brilliant, but it does mean we have quite a different relationship with students than other SUs might. We want to make sure that we are supporting your JCR reps the best we can so that they in turn can deliver for you!

What have we done?

We’ve spent the Long Vac and Michaelmas meeting with your J/MCR reps - primarily Presidents and Access Officers, but hoping to meet more as we go. We were consulting them on the future direction of the SU and some of our key projects.

• The consultation with J/MCR Presidents ultimately led to the passing of the governance review at the first student council of Michaelmas. The changes made by this review hope to reinvigorate student activism with the SU as an effective and supportive change-making force in Cambridge.
• We ran a college forum on the 30th October with 12 JCR reps attending where they were able to discuss cross collegiate issues.
• Sarah ran rent negotiation training for J/MCR reps in the first week of Lent term
• Katie has created an "Access Officer Tracker" summarizing the activities, challenges, and goals of access officers in their colleges. This tool aims to improve communication and collaboration across college access officers.

What do we want to achieve?

We want all JCRs to feel comfortable coming to the SU for support when they run into issues in college. We want to be seen as an organisation that facilitates cross-collegiate collaboration through platforms like student council and college forum.

Background

Cambridge’s collegiate system offers unique opportunities for representation and community, but it also presents challenges in ensuring effective communication and support for MCRs. As the Students’ Union, we aim to strengthen our relationship with MCRs to empower their representatives and enhance the postgraduate student experience across colleges.

What have we done?

• Engaged consistently with MCR reps throughout the Long Vacation and Michaelmas, focusing on Presidents and Welfare Officers, while remaining open to broader participation.
• Consulted with MCR Presidents on the SU’s strategic priorities, which contributed to key governance reforms passed at the first Michaelmas Student Council. These changes aim to enhance the SU’s role as a hub for postgraduate advocacy and collaboration.
• Supported MCRs in their events by providing representation during busy periods, ensuring they had the capacity to deliver for their members.
• Participated in MCR induction events, creating a welcoming environment for freshers, addressing queries, and helping students feel at ease as they navigated their college communities.
• Maintained regular communication with MCRs, contributing to improved engagement and turnout rates at Michaelmas Student Council compared to the previous academic year.

What do we want to achieve?

• Build a supportive and approachable relationship with MCRs, ensuring they feel confident reaching out to the SU for guidance and assistance.
• Foster stronger connections between MCRs across colleges by facilitating collaboration and dialogue through platforms like Student Council and other cross-collegiate initiatives.
• Launch the Liberation & Welfare Officers Forum, led by Elleni, to provide a dedicated platform for MCR officers to discuss welfare and liberation challenges, share best practices, and collaborate on impactful initiatives.
• Enhance the visibility and effectiveness of the SU as a partner for MCRs in addressing challenges and improving the postgraduate experience at Cambridge.

Update coming soon.

Update coming soon.

Background: Historically, CUSU ran an annual Big Cambridge Survey to understand the problems facing Cambridge Students. We want to bring this back so we can best understand what you want us to campaign on!

What have we done? I’ve been looking at other SU’s student surveys, as well as the past Big Cambridge Surveys, to work out what kinds of questions we should be asking.

What do we want to achieve? I am aiming to run a trail of the Big Cambridge Survey in Lent. It would be for first and second year undergraduate students, and ask questions which are specific to the Cambridge experience. If I can’t get this to happen, I want to set it up for whoever takes over from me to be able to easily run it in Lent 2026.

Background: The Collegiate University’s Admissions office runs a survey every three years to gauge the cost of living as a student in Cambridge. The next survey–in early 2026–will take a more granular approach to capture the different levels of expense that disabled students face. Additionally, Cambridge SU is looking to bring back its Big Cambridge Survey this year. A just-released Disabled Students UK survey showed that disabled students in Cambridge are the most disaffected of those surveyed at several UK universities. We are looking to carry out a localised survey of disabled students in Cambridge to capture more detailed qualitative and quantitative data about their quality of life to better inform inclusive practice in Cambridge.

What have we done? Chalo reiterated to the external consultants and members of the Working Group the view expressed by many disabled students that the scope of the just-concluded Disability Review held and adopted by the Collegiate University and the Colleges did not go far enough. Chalo has been lobbying for a disability review that this time would focus on student experience beyond academics, which was the focus of the just-concluded Disability Review.

What do we want to achieve? We want to produce data for the ends of truly evidence-based decision-making on disability issues at Collegiate University and College level through a survey of disabled students designed and carried out by disabled students with the technical support of Cambridge SU.