Hello and welcome to the Castle JCR! The JCR (short for Junior Common Room) is the name for the undergraduate body within college, but is so much more than just that – it does a huge amount for its members and contributes a great deal to the unique Durham University experience. It’s sort of like a students’ union, but only for undergraduates at Castle!
The JCR is run by elected officers, is entirely self-governed and is in charge of its own finances and activities. The JCR has more than 30 sports and societies, a wildly successful outreach programme (CCA) that donated more than 1500 hours to the local community last year, an ever-supportive welfare team, an expanding careers service, consistently outstanding balls, regular gowned formals in the Great Hall, a bar (the Undercroft, or Undie) in the 1000 year-old Castle undercroft, the most moreish Café in Durham, and so so much more. The JCR also performs the crucial function of representing Castle’s undergraduates to the rest of college (the MCR, SCR and College Office), the Durham Students’ Union and the University.
Everyone who gets their grades to come to Durham for an undergraduate degree is welcomed and encouraged to become a member of the JCR at their college. All freshers are automatically ‘opted-in’ when they arrive in Durham and must actively ‘opt-out’ if they do not wish to use this service. More information on the JCR levy can be found here. We cannot emphasise enough the benefits of being in the JCR, and we are that sure soon you’ll love it as much as the second, third and fourth years all do! In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter (@castlejcr), Instagram (@castlejcr) and like our Facebook page (University College JCR, Durham) to stay updated.