The term Junior Combination Room or Junior Common Room (JCR) is used in many British universities (as well as at Harvard College in the United States) to refer to the collective of students (similar to a students' union) at a constituent part of a university, typically a college or a Hall of Residence; the term is also used to refer to a physical room set aside for the students' use; colloquially it is often also used as 'shorthand' for the JCR Committee (e.g. "He sits on the JCR"). A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, having been founded in 1636. ... The largest Students Union building at Oklahoma State University, which doubles as a student activity center (student union in the USA) A students union, student government, or student council is a student organization present at many colleges and universities, often with its own building on the campus, dedicated to social... The term college (Latin collegium) is most often used today to denote an educational institution. ...

The Junior Common Room stands in contrast to the Middle Common Room, referring to postgraduates doing masters, PGCEs and PhDs, and the Senior Common Room, which refers to the collection of faculty, instructors, and advisors at the college. The term Middle Common Room (MCR) is used in some British universities, especially Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, to refer to the body of postgraduate students (similar to a students union) at a constituent college. ... The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a one-year course in the UK for existing bachelors degree holders leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is needed to become a teacher in maintained (state or local authority) schools. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Within an undergraduate college, the Senior Common Room consists of the academic officers who hold a degree above the undergraduate degree. ...

The term is also used at some universities outside of the UK, primarily to refer to common rooms. Like many traditions borrowed from the United Kingdom, the term is also used in the undergraduate House system at Harvard University, to refer both to the set of undergraduates resident at or affiliated with the House and to a common recreation room set aside for the undergraduates' use. Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, having been founded in 1636. ... Harvard redirects here. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ...

Form and function

The word "Junior" in JCR refers to the fact that under University statutes, students are deemed to be "junior members" of the university, in contrast to dons (fellow, professors, etc.) who are deemed "senior members".

Most Oxbridge JCRs confer honorary JCR membership on distinguished individuals who are not students at their college, though naming frivolous honorary members is also common. In a far rarer practice, some JCRs can vote to bestow collegiate accolades upon individuals who have rendered distinguished service to students or to the college. Oxbridge is a portmanteau name for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest in the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world. ...

In colleges admitting graduates as well as undergraduates, there are often separate associations that represent the unique interests of graduate students. These graduate associations are often called Middle Common Rooms (MCRs). At Oxford, this term is a misnomer: by the university's statutes, graduate students are also junior members, and the term "middle member" is theoretically without meaning. Three Oxford colleges term their MCRs Graduate Common Rooms (GCR), whilst Brasenose has the Hulme Common Room (HCR) and Univ the Weir Common Room (WCR). In some other universities postgraduates are considered "junior" such as Kent where postgraduates have been represented on the Junior College Committees. College name The Kings Hall and College of Brasenose aula regia et collegium aenei nasi Named after Bronze door knocker Established 1509 Sister College Gonville and Caius College Principal Prof. ... University College (in full, the College of the Great Hall of the University, commonly known as University College in the University of Oxford, usually known by its derivative, Univ), is a contender for the claim to be the oldest of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the...

The function of JCRs varies from university to university, but they typically get involved in social and welfare aspects of the college or hall of residence. They may also have a representational element, either to the university/college and/or to the students' union of the university. They are also often a unit for inter-mural competition within the university, such as sports competitions or quizzes.

JCR Committees

Typically, students at a college will elect a governing body for their JCR, referred to simply as the "JCR Committee" (JCRC), "JCR Bench" or "JCR Exec" (short for "Executive Committee").

The roles included on a JCR Committee will depend on the function of the JCR, but some typical positions include:

• President or Chair,
• Vice President or Vice Chair,
• Secretary or General Secretary,
• Treasurer,
• Welfare Rep(s),
• Social Secretaries (aka Entertainments or Ents Reps),
• Sports Secretaries.
• Merchandise Rep(s)
• Sponsorship Rep(s)
• Food rep (s)
• Web Officer

The JCR's office-holders may also sit on University-wide committees and have a say on issues affecting the whole student population, not just those from their college.

JCRs at different universities

Although all JCRs share common features, there is variation between their roles and structures at various institutions. Below are summaries of the feature of some of these.

Bristol

Halls of the University of Bristol cater mostly for first year undergraduate students, though there is a sizeable undergraduate and postgraduate community in most who choose to stay on, either in the capacity as Tutors or simple as full paying borders. The term JCR refers to the entire undergraduate population, but more specifically and commonly to the elected body of students who run the JCR for one academic year. Though most Bristol Hall JCRs are made up of first years, it is custom in Wills Hall to elect returning students to the majority of positions, including JCR President. There is no MCR, but SCR includes Warden, Vice Warden, Tutors and honourable guests at Formal Hall. Hall Bars physically house the JCR, with a separate and publicly inaccessible SCR room reserved elsewhere in Hall. The University of Bristol is a university in Bristol, England. ... The Old Quad as seen from the Cedar Lawn Wills Hall is one of the nine halls of residence in the University of Bristol. ... St Johns College, Cambridge hall during a formal meal Churchill College, Cambridge dining hall prepared for a formal Formal Hall is the name given to a formal evening meal at any college in the universities of Oxford, Cambridge or Durham open to all members of the college and their guests. ...

Cambridge

The University of Cambridge does not have common rooms, as in other universities, but combination rooms. The same abbreviation JCR is used for the Junior Combination Room. JCR Presidents in Cambridge are ex officio council members of the Cambridge University Students' Union (CUSU). Another difference in Cambridge colleges is that the JCR represents undergraduates only, with graduate students being members of the Middle Combination Room. In some Colleges, St. John's for example, graduates are members of the MCR (known as the Samuel Butler Room) as well as being members of the JCR. The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Durham

At Durham, honorary memberships are usually reserved for current members who are graduating but have been involved in college life. Durham University is a university in England. ...

Kent

At Kent each of the colleges was initially built with one or more "Junior Common Room" social spaces, however over the passage of time a number of the common rooms have been transformed into eateries and more formalised social areas. Each college has a "Junior College Committee" (formerly "Junior Common Room Committee") which acts to represent the students of each college to the College Master and organise social events. The University of Kent is a plate glass campus university in Kent, UK. // Disambiguation The original and main campus of the University is in Canterbury, and until 2003 the official title of the University was the University of Kent at Canterbury (or UKC). ...

The Rooms and Committees have traditionally been open to both undergraduates and postgraduates, with the Senior Common Rooms provided for staff.

Lancaster

At Lancaster, undergraduates are members of one of eight colleges (with a further college for postgraduate students). Each undergraduate college is a quasi-autonomous body within the university, and each divides its members into Junior and Senior Common Rooms. These terms are more indicative of the collective student/staff bodies, although each college has actual common rooms set aside for Junior and Senior members. The term "JCR", although intended to refer to all junior members of a college, is often misused to refer to elected members of each college's JCR Executive. Each JCR Executive organises a range of social and sporting activities for its college while also offering welfare support for its junior members. The President and Vice President represent their college at the Student Union Council and on a range of University Committees, and many JCR Executive members sit with SCR members on the College Syndicate – the governing body of each college. Within the Graduate College, the Graduate Students Association (GSA) Executive performs roughly the same function, and has the same status as JCR executives. As at York, Lancaster has a Students' Union which co-ordinates activities between the different colleges. Lancaster University is a campus university located about three miles south of Lancaster, England. ...

Nottingham

At Nottingham, the majority of the Halls of Residence predominantly house undergraduates, with a small number of postgraduates living in hall as part of the pastoral and disciplinary system; in this instance, the JCR refers to the undergraduate members of the hall, and the postgraduates, along with a Warden, comprise the SCR (Senior Common Room). The Hall Warden is an academic member of staff who usually lives either in a special residence within the hall, or in a nearby house. The University of Nottingham is a leading research and teaching university in the city of Nottingham, in the East Midlands of England. ...

JCR activities include organising social events and sports teams that compete in the Athletic Union's Inter-mural sports competitions. Since most students move out of halls after their first year, it is common for students to retain a sense of affiliation to their hall while living 'off-campus'. Many JCRs include former residents of the hall in their sports teams. The University of Nottingham Students Union is the students union at the University of Nottingham, England. ...

Prior to approximately 2000, most members of JCR Committees would live in the Hall. In recent years this has been somewhat eroded. The extent of this has varied from hall to hall, but is now very common for committee members such as Sports Secretaries to live off campus; there have even been JCR Presidents who have not lived in Hall during their year of office.

Most of the JCRs at Nottingham are not part of the Students' Union; however, Cavendish Hall, Nightingale Hall, Raleigh Park and St Peter's Court JCRs are. Cavendish successfully applied for this change of status in the academic year 2002-2003. St Peter's Court is a recently established residence that the Students' Union was involved in establishing the community of from the outset. The University of Nottingham Students Union is the students union at the University of Nottingham, England. ...

Melton Hall houses only postgraduates, and the student organisation there is called an MCR (Middle Common Room). Melton Hall is a mixed postgraduate hall of residence on the Jubilee Campus of the University of Nottingham, England. ...

Oxford

At Oxford, a typical college has a JCR for undergraduates, an MCR for graduates and an SCR for its fellows. JCRs and MCRs have a committee, with a president and so on, that represent their students to college authorities, Oxford University Student Union, etc, in addition to being an actual room for the use of members. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The term Middle Common Room (MCR) is used in some British universities, especially Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, to refer to the body of postgraduate students (similar to a students union) at a constituent college. ... Within an undergraduate college, the Senior Common Room consists of the academic officers who hold a degree above the undergraduate degree. ... The Oxford University Student Union is the official student union of the University of Oxford. ...

Wadham College is a notable exception: although it maintains an MCR, its entire student population is represented by a combined Students' Union (SU). Wadham College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ...

The JCR presidents of all Oxford colleges are automatically members of OUSU's governing Council, which meets fortnightly during term to decide on virtually all aspects of OUSU's policy. OUSU Council meetings take place in odd-numbered weeks of the University term but JCR Presidents also get together in even-numbered weeks for meetings of Presidents' Committee (popularly known as Prescom).

Reading

Reading JCRs are setup in a very similar way to their Oxford counterparts, as the University was founded as University College Reading, as part of Christ Church, Oxford. The JCRs at Reading are some of the oldest outside Oxbridge with some such as Wantage JCR founded in 1908 and Wessex JCR later in 1915. Today there are thirteen JCRs operating independently of each other, although they do work with the Students' Union. JCRs represent all Students in a particular Hall as well as having a large number of attached members living in houses. College name Christ Church Named after Jesus Christ Established 1546 Sister College Trinity College Dean The Very Revd Christopher Andrew Lewis JCR President William Dorsey Undergraduates 426 MCR or GCR President {{{MCR President}}} Graduates 154 Home page Boat Club Christ Church (Latin: Ædes Christi, the temple or house of Christ... The halls logo, with Astra Castra Numen Lumen inscribed Wantage Hall is the oldest hall of residence of the University of Reading, in the town of Reading in the UK. The hall is situated just off the Universitys Whiteknights Campus, twenty minutes walk from the town centre, ten... Wessex Hall is one of the 13 Halls of the University of Reading in Berkshire, England. ...

The University of Reading, is seen by many, as anti-JCRs and has been trying for the last few years to 'reel' them in. This policy though, true or not, is not legal under UK charity law that governs JCRs and Students' Unions.

York

Unlike most other British universities, where a central students' union provides social activities and welfare for University students, such activities at the University of York are organised by a JCRC, making the JCR more important than the Students' Union for such systems. Regardless, the Students' Union still exists, and co-ordinates activities between the different colleges. The largest Students Union building at Oklahoma State University, which doubles as a student activity center (student union in the USA) A students union, student government, or student council is a student organization present at many colleges and universities, often with its own building on the campus, dedicated to social... One of the leading universities in the UK, the University of York is a campus university in York, England. ...

Halifax College students are represented by a Students' Association, which represents both undergraduate and graduate students of the College. Halifax College, York Halifax College is a college of the University of York, a campus university in Yorkshire. ...

Yearly elections to each JCRC are held in November with people coming forward to stand for the various positions. Following a hustings night the other student members of each college then vote for who they want in each position. The successful candidates are then elected for a whole year. At York, the JCRCs are mainly involved in organising any major social events a college has, such as Christmas Balls, or events like Planet V in Vanbrugh College. They also offer welfare help to students in the form of welfare reps who can offer advice or give contact details of other groups to students through informal drop-in sessions. Husting (Old English: hiesting; Old Norwegian: hzesthing), the thing or ting, i. ... Planet V is an event run by the JCRC of Vanbrugh College at the University of York, UK. The event takes place in the college Bar, JCR and Dining Hall simultaneously. ... Vanbrugh College is a college of the University of York, a UK university. ...

Southampton

JCRs at Southampton University exist in each of the different halls of residences, such as Glen Eyre Halls, Chamberlain and Montefiore. The JCRs provide a welfare and support role to new students, and coordinate social and sports activities around the halls. Yearly elections are held, usually around Easter time, with members serving one or more yearly terms. The university has a [Students Union] that represents the students on a wider basis, and is generally separate from the JCRs. The University of Southampton is a British university, with a reputation for quality research. ... Glen Eyre is a hall of residence of the University of Southampton Glen Eyre is one of the largest halls of residence for the students of the University of Southampton. ...

Harvard

At Harvard College, the term "Junior Common Room" officially refers to the collection of undergraduates affiliated with one of Harvard's 13 houses. Every undergraduate is assigned to a house in the spring of his or her freshman year and thereafter is a member of that house's Junior Common Room, including students who have chosen to reside off campus. Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, having been founded in 1636. ... Harvard Yard Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, having been founded in 1636. ...

In everyday usage, however, "Junior Common Room" almost always refers to a large common room in an undergraduate house by the same name, or simply "JCR" for short. JCRs are generally available for undergraduates to study or watch television, and student groups often reserve the space for meetings. This is in contrast to a "Senior Common Room," or SCR, which is for exclusive use of members of the houses' Senior Common Room members. Within an undergraduate college, the Senior Common Room consists of the academic officers who hold a degree above the undergraduate degree. ...

See also

• House system - a related concept for schools.