FRESHERSwelcome’ GUIDE 2020 Download the FREE app Discounts Legal ID Campus Life Join today TOTUM.COM @WEARETOTUM contents 4 Welcome 5 Your Cambridge SU 6 Your Sabbatical Team 10 Find us 11 Services 12 Checklist 13 Michaelmas Term Card 14 Advice Service 15 Guide to Cambridge 16 Getting around 17 Getting the most from your degree 19 Access 21 Portfolio Officers 22 Student Democracy 24 Sources of Support 26 COVID-19 Guidance 27 What we are working on this year 28 Get Involved 30 Cambridge SU Campaigns 35 JCR’s/MCR’s 36 Sports Clubs and Societies 38 Jargon Buster WELCOME! Hello, We hope you are excited to begin your undergraduate or postgraduate journey at Cambridge! Our Presidents: Ben and Aastha The SU is here to support you entirely remotely. We are here to make the most of your time to support and represent all here. of you, and we will endeavour to make everyone feel a part With a global pandemic of the Cambridge community affecting many aspects of wherever you are in the world. our lives, we know that the nervousness that might come This guide will give you all the anyway with moving to a new information you need to know city is mixed in with questions as a new student, from what the and concerns about university SU does, to clubs and societies, life. We are here to listen to to places to go, to a guide to all you, represent your voices to the jargon you might hear. We the university and advocate for hope this will help you get the your best interests. most out of your new university. This academic year is set We wish you a rewarding year apart as one where people ahead and look forward to will experience Cambridge in representing you. different ways; some learning in person, some learning online in the city, and some studying & your cambridge su Cambridge SU is the representative body for all students at the university, which you are automatically made a member of when you join the university. We are a new organisation, resulting from the merging of the old SU and Graduate Union, so now represent all undergraduate and postgraduate students under one banner. Officers are elected from within the student body in Lent Term of every year and begin working full-time in July. We are committed to representing student interests, whether that be on university committees, through our campaigns representing different constituencies, or through our Advice Service. Getting involved in the SU is easy, and this guide contains information about what we do, the events we run, and how our democracy works. YOUR SABBATICAL OFFICERS your sabbatical Team siyang (they/them) access, education & participation officer (PG) My job is to represent and organise students on the issues of access to postgraduate study at the University, postgraduates' educational experiences here, and their ability to participate fully in student life. My top priorities for the year are increasing targeted funding for disadvantaged postgraduates, improving postgraduate supervision and pastoral support, and building networks of postgraduate student power through the academic representative and other systems. /SUAEPPG @SU_AEPPG esme (she/her) access, education & participation officer (UG) My role is to tackle barriers to representation and participation at Cambridge, whilst also working to reflect on and improve students’ educational experience here. My interactions are generally triangulated between the university (management & staff), prospective and current students. My top priority this year will be protecting both current and prospective students against the uncertainty created by the pandemic, democratising the university’s outreach, and investigating/addressing pre- existing inequalities such as attainment gaps. /AEPUGSU @SU_AEPUG 6 Howard (he/him) black & minority ethnic officer My job is to advocate for BME students on university committees and build a welcoming community for BME students through the BME Campaign. The campaign meets in fortnightly Forums to democratically make decisions about anti-racist organising and is open to anyone who self-identifies as BME. My main priorities for this year are to strengthen the BME student voice by supporting J/ MCR BME reps & community-wide groups that campaign for racial justice and improve support services & reporting procedures for students who experience racist harassment. /CAMBRIDGESUBME @ SU_BME rensa (she/they) disabled students’ officer There are two parts to my role: working with disabled students to build a welcoming community within the Disabled Students' Campaign on an individual level, and also representing disabled students at university meetings, to secure long-term change as decided democratically by our members. I'll be pushing for a more disability-friendly education such as introducing coursework and recording lectures by default, training individual officers and interested students on disability rights so we all know what we're entitled to, and making sure that the support needed is properly funded by the university. /SUDISABLED @SU_DISABLED 7 Aastha (she/her) president (PG) My role is to represent and lobby for student interests at the University level decision making bodies. This year my priorities are ensuring fair treatment for students as University research teaching and learning are re-imagined amidst the COVID pandemic. I will work to strengthen the SU’s relationship with J/MCRs, Department and Faculty Representatives to achieve better support for student mental health which is affected by structural factors such as: relationships with supervisors and college tutors, access to mental health services and funding. /SUPRESIDENTPG @SU_PRESIDENTPG ben (he/him) president (UG) My job is to represent students on university committees, provide support to student campaigns, and liaise with college representatives on their projects. I also chair the SU Exec, which is made up of representatives from different constituencies. My top priorities for this year are making sure the university puts student and staff safety first during the pandemic, making workloads more sustainable, and ensuring that the university interacts ethically with the world around it. /SUPRESIDENTUG @SU_PRESIDENTUG 8 alice (she/her) welfare & community officer My role is to support the work of all students campaigning for social justice and welfare rights in Cambridge. As this role newly draws in the work of different communities, I’m hoping to link up more with local community campaigns as well as workers’ unions across the University such as UCU, Unite and UNISON. I hope my work will join up student and staff issues, such as rents and housing justice, working and learning conditions, and of course full provision for staff and students during the pandemic. /ALICE.SU.WELFARE @ALICE_WELFARE chloe (she/they) women’s officer My job is to represent and advocate for the needs of women and non-binary students at a University level through the work of the Women’s Campaign. The campaign acts as a space for feminist political organising through our weekly forums but more importantly as a community space for students at the University. This year I aim to make the campaign an engaging and inclusive space that can establish meaningful networks of solidarity amongst all women and non-binary students. /SUWOMENS @ SU_WOMENS 9 find us Due to the pandemic, our offices are unlikey to Our address is: be open to students for at least Michaelmas Term. Once our building reopens, you can find our reception, where you can access our services, and The Students’ Advice Service, on the first floor. The SU Offices, where your Sabbatical Officers work, can be found on the lower ground floor. This 17 Mill Lane is also where you’ll find RAG (Raising & Giving), Cambridge TCS (The Cambridge Student Publication), and CB2 1RX SCA (Student Community Action). There is step, lift, and ramp access to the building and gender neutral toilets. Follow us We will be moving Facebook pages, for now you can find us here: /cambridgesuonline But soon we will be here: /yourcambridgesu @yourcambsu @yourcambridgesu www. www.cambridgesu.co.uk services The SU lounge on 17 Mill Lane is also home to a wealth of services to support you in your studies. SU Print shop The SU Print Shop provides low cost, quality printing for thesis, dissertations, posters, flyers and zines. Our one stop shop offers printing, binding, laminating, scanning and copying and our friendly team are here to assist and advise on University standards and submission processes. The Print Shop is located just off the SU Lounge and is open 9:30-5:30 every weekday. Gown Hire & sales A competitively priced range of BA & MA gowns are available for hire or purchase from the SU. All of our gowns are made from recycled plastic bottles making them the perfect sustainable alternative to traditional robes whilst still meeting University standards for those all important occassions! Room and Equipment hire The SU lounge and meeting rooms are available to societies for hire. Whether you are looking for a comfortable space to host committee meetings, interviews or even a party, get in touch for more info! E-shop To keep our services accessible during the pandemic, the SU will be launching an online shop to help minimise waiting times. Your SU e-shop will provide a range of essential products to students including stationery, bike accessories, merch and more - all with click and collect for contactless sales. For more information on the range of services your SU provides, and when we’re back open, visit www.cambridgesu.co.uk/yourunion/