Junior Common Room
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The term Junior Common Room (JCR) is used in many British universities to refer to the collective of students (similar to a students' union) at a constituent college of the university, as well as to a physical room set aside for the college students' use. In the University of Cambridge, the acronym JCR has the same meaning, but can also stand for Junior Combination Room. Other universities world-wide do use the term, primarily to refer to common rooms. The Junior Common Room stands in contrast to the Senior Common Room, which refers to the collection of faculty, instructors, and advisors at the college.
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. The concept of the JCR is hinted at also in the Harry Potter books and films as each of the four halls of the school has its own common room, modeled on the JCR.
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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".
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"). 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. At Durham, honorary memberships are usually reserved for current members who are graduating but have been involved in college life.
In most cases, a JCR represents all students at a college, but in Cambridge colleges, it typically represents only undergraduates.
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 statute, graduate students are also junior members, and the term "middle member" is theoretically without meaning.
Official JCR Web Sites
Cambridge
- Christ's College JCR (http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/ccsu/)
- Churchill College JCR (http://jcr.chu.cam.ac.uk/)
- Union of Clare Students (Clare College) (http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~ucs/)
- corpusJCR (Corpus Christi College) (http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Downing College JCR (http://www.downingjcr.co.uk/)
- Emmanuel College Students' Union (http://ecsu.org.uk/)
- Girton College JCR (http://www.srcf.ucam.org/girtonjcr/)
- Gonville and Caius JCR (http://www.caiusjcr.com/)
- Homerton Union of Students (http://www.hus.org.uk/)
- Jesus College Students' Union (http://www-jcsu.jesus.cam.ac.uk/)
- King's College Students' Union (http://www.kcsu.org.uk/)
- Magdelene College JCR (http://jcr.magd.cam.ac.uk/)
- New Hall JCR (http://www.newhall.cam.ac.uk/studentlife/jcr/default.htm)
- Newnham JCR (http://www.newnhamjcr.co.uk/)
- Pembroke College Junior Parlour (http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/jp/)
- Peterhouse JCR (http://www.thesexclub.org.uk/)
- Queens' College JCR (http://jcrwww.quns.cam.ac.uk/)
- Robinson College Students' Association (http://www-stud.robinson.cam.ac.uk/rcsa/)
- St. Catharine's College JCR (http://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Selwyn College JCR (http://www-jcr.sel.cam.ac.uk/)
- Sidney Sussex College JCR (http://www.srcf.ucam.org/sidneyjcr/)
- Trinity Students' Union (http://www.tcsu.net/)
- Trinity Hall JCR (http://hal.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/jcr/)
Oxford
- Balliol College JCR (http://students.balliol.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Brasenose College JCR (http://www.bnc-jcr.co.uk/)
- Christ Church JCR (http://www.chchjcr.org/)
- Corpus Christi College JCR (http://www.corpusjcr.org)
- Green College MCR (http://www.green.ox.ac.uk/mcr/index.htm)
- Greyfriars JCR (http://www.greyfriars.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Harris Manchester College JCR (http://www.hmc.ox.ac.uk/societies/jcr/)
- Hertford College JCR (http://jcrweb.hertford.ox.ac.uk/main/)
- Jesus College JCR (http://jcr.jesus.ox.ac.uk/)
- Keble College JCR (http://jcr.keble.ox.ac.uk/)
- Kellogg College JCR (http://www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/)
- Lady Margaret Hall JCR (http://www.lmh-jcr.co.uk/)
- Linacre College CR (http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/soc_pages/common/default.asp)
- Lincoln College JCR (http://www.lincolnjcr.com/)
- Magdalen College JCR (http://jcr.magd.ox.ac.uk/)
- Merton College JCR (http://jcr.merton.ox.ac.uk/)
- New College JCR (http://jcr.new.ox.ac.uk/)
- Nuffield College JCR (http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Oriel College JCR (http://www.orieljcr.org/)
- Pembroke College JCR (http://www.pembrokejcr.com/)
- The Queen's College JCR (http://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Regent's Park College JCR (http://www.rpc.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- St Anne's College JCR (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~jcrweb/)
- St Antony's College JCR (http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- St Catherine's College JCR (http://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/jcrweb/)
- St Edmund Hall JCR (http://jcr.seh.ox.ac.uk/)
- St Hugh's College JCR (http://www.hughsjcr.com/)
- St John's College JCR (http://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/jcrpages/)
- St Peter's College JCR (http://www.spcjcr.co.uk/)
- Somerville College JCR (http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/life/cl_frame.html)
- Trinity College JCR (http://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/jcr/)
- Wadham College SU (http://su.wadham.ox.ac.uk/)
- Worcester College JCR (http://www.worcester.ox.ac.uk/admissions/ugrad/jcr.html)
Durham
- Collingwood College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/collingwood.jcr/)
- Grey College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/grey.jcr/)
- Hatfield College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/hatfield.jcr/)
- St Aidan's College JCR (http://www.st-aidans.com/)
- St Chad's College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/st-chads.jcr/)
- St Cuthbert's College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.jcr/)
- George Stephenson College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/stephenson.jcr/)
- College St Hild & St Bede SRC (http://www.dur.ac.uk/HildBedeSRC/)
- St John's College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/st-johns.jcr/)
- John Snow College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/snow.jcr/)
- St Mary's College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/st-marys.jcr/)
- Trevelyan College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/trevelyan.jcr/)
- University College ('Castle') JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/castle.jcr/)
- Van Mildert College JCR (http://www.dur.ac.uk/vm.jcr/)
York
- Alcuin College JCR (http://www.alcuincollege.com)
- Derwent College JCR (http://www.derwentcollege.co.uk)
- Halifax College JCR (http://www.halifaxcollege.com)
- James College JCR (http://www.jamescollege.com)
- Goodricke College JCR (http://www.yusu.org/goodricke/)
- Langwith College JCR (http://www.langwith.org)
- Vanbrugh College JCR (http://www.vanbrughcollege.org)
Dublin
- Trinity Hall JCR (http://www.trinity-hall.com)