Sports & Societies

Sports:

Rugby
Contact: 

Athletics
Contact:  Emily Craven (efc26)

Badminton
Contact: Leonie Vogt (lov20) and Yuen-Man Law (ymkl2)

Basketball
Contact:  Maya Beano (mb758)

New Hall Boat Club
Contact: Wing Ying Chow (boatclub-captain@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk)
NHBC's website: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/mecbc

Football
Contact: Helen Kirby (hjk40)

College Croquet Club
Natalie (ns498) or Calantha (crc48)

Gym
Contact: Charlotte Lamnea (cl494)

Hockey
Contact: Sophie Jenns (sj368)

Newhall and Peterhouse Mixed Lacrosse
Contact: Pei-Wen Yen (pwy26)

Netball
Contact: Molly Tucker (mgt34)

Pool
Contact: Lauren Ashby (la282)

Ultimate Frisbee 'New Thundercatz'
Contact: Olly Croft (oc253)

So you have never heard of "Ultimate Frisbee".... Well it is a fast-moving team game that is a sort of cross between netball and American football (non-contact) played with a round piece of plastic. It's one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and also one of the few that men and women play together at every level. Cambridge has loads of Ultimate going on with a healthy, fun and casual college league that plays throughout the year. Your college team, The New Thundercatz represent six colleges (St Catharine's, Trinity Hall, Murray Edwards, Fitzwilliam, Girton and Magdalene) so it's a great chance to meet players from other colleges and play a competitive sport in a highly spirited manner.
So if you'd like to give it a go, even if you've never picked up a Frisbee before, please come along and join in. For more information feel free to drop an e-mail to oc253@cam.ac.uk.

The Murray Edwards and Fitzwilliam Table Tennis Club
MEFTTC is the brand new club in town! We're low commitment, relaxing and very much enjoyable club eager to spread the TT love! We welcome everyone of all playing standards and all levels of interest. There will be some coaching; bats and balls are provided so feel free to pop by even if you haven't done table tennis before! If you ever have a bad day, I can say from first hand experience, it is extremely satisfying to be smashing that little round orange ball around. It is in all honesty the perfect outlet.
Training sessions are very conveniantly located at Fitz every Saturday 5pm - 6pm. You don't have to stay for the entire hour either, just whatever suits you. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for our mailing list at mefttc@lists.cam.ac.uk, and we look forward to seeing you!

Societies

Subject
Drama
Music
Photography
Art
Others
FAQs

Murray Edwards Societies:

Subjects

Politics Society
Contact: Rebecca McAuley (rlm53)

The Franklin Society (Natural Sciences)
Website: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/nhfs/
Contact: Jenny Oates (jo322)

Modern Linguists' Society
This society is open to all college members, and organises activities such as cinema trips, talks and formal halls. They are also planning a day trip to France some time in the near future.
Contact: Mary Parmenter (mhp22), for information.

Drama

"Madhouse"
The New Hall Drama Society. For more details, contact Caroline Flux (clf45).
 

Music

Murray Edwards Music Society:
The music society aims to keep members informed and involved in the college's musical life. It organises recitals and concerts of all styles, both by college members and professional musicians, weekly during term. More information can be found on the website at http://www.srcf.ucam.org/memusic/

Orchestra on the Hill:
OOTH is a collaboration of all the 'hill' colleges (and some not quite so hilly) to form a friendly orchestra playing a variety of repertoire. There are usually two concerts in Michaelmas (a Freshers' Concert and an End-of-term Concert) and one in Lent. Anyone interested in joining should contact the society president Miriam Henson (mh496) or visit www.orchestraonthehill.co.uk. Student conductors are also welcome!

Murray Edwards Choir:
The Murray Edwards Choir is small, fun, friendly, informal and student-run. We sing a variety of music, from choral classics to the Beatles, and perform in college at concerts and formal halls. Rehearsals are twice a week, and last for about an hour. New members are welcome! Email Tory Sawyer (vbs21@cam.ac.uk).

Chapel Choir Singing:
Many New Hallers sing in the Fitz and Robinson chapel choirs. Fitzwilliam and Robinson each meet two times weekly to provide music for the choral services in chapel. You don't have to be religious or know much choral musicto join. A chapel choir is a good way to make friends out of college and you usually get the opportunity to tour abroad as well.

Photography

Contact Louise Thomson (lmt26).

Also, enter our College Photography competition!
 

Art

Life Drawing Society
Contact: Fay Robinson
Fran, our JCR Art rep has many wonderful things planned including many workshops. Keep an eye out for announcements in the blog space! Weekly life drawing classes also take place on a Monday.. Get in contact with Fran on jcr-arts@newhall.cam.ac.uk

Origami Society
Contact: Irina Stefan

Others

Christian Union:
Contact: Rebecca McCausland (rlfm2)

Fusion:
Contact: Clare Taylor (cht36)

Roman Catholic Group:
Contact: Cathy Flavelle

Fairtrade Society
Contact: Jazmin Glassborow jg487
Fairtrade Society Fairtrade is a tool for development that ensures disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing counries get a better deal through the use of the international FAIRTRADE Mark.  As ME Fairtrade Soc our ongoing goal is to raise awareness and availability of products with the FAIRTRADE Mark within ME. We are currently working towards Fairtrade status for the college. For info about how to get involved, or if you want a progress update, don't hesitate to contact us!
For further info.:
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns/fairtrade_universities/default.aspx

Pool club
No experience required, just enthusiasm! Love of pubs a plus.
Contact: Eve Mullen (edmm2)


LBGT (lesbian, bi, gay, transexual) group
We have the occasional relaxed gathering/ formal swap/ film night.
Contact: Sophie Kneller - sark2

RAG
Contact the RAG reps Sophie Bennet and Jade Fearns (jcr-rag@newhall.cam.ac.uk).
The University RAG Website is here.

Student Community Action
Contact Jazmin Glassborow (jg487)
SCA Student Community Action is an independent charity, which recruits and
places student volunteers from the University of Cambridge and from Anglia
Ruskin University, in any one of dozens of projects in Cambridge. We run 10
projects of our own and recruit for nearly 60 other organisations. To find
out about opportunities available contact your college rep!
For further info.:
http://www.cambridgesca.org.uk/

SCA (Student-run volunteering organisation)
Contact: Vithushia Nithiananthan (vn233)

FAQs

What are societies?

The University and the Colleges provide student-run societies to suit everyone's needs and interests.

The full list of registered University Societies can be found here:
University societies


How do I join a society?

The best place to join University societies for the first time is the Societies Fair in October: Freshers receive information about this in their Welcome Pack.

But don't despair if you happen to miss your favourite society then: just go along to one of their events - most societies are very welcoming of new members at any time.


How do I start a society at Murray Edwards?

Follow this Societies Charter, kindly written out by the jcr treasurer:

Who has to abide by the Societies’ Charter?

• All New Hall/Murray Edwards clubs and socs which receive funding from the JCR.
• All joint socs between NH/ME and other college(s) which receive funding from the JCR. Funding is only given to joint clubs if the NH/ME side has it own bank account.
• It is the responsibility of each soc’s treasurer (or president or captain if there is no ‘treasurer’) to ensure that the charter is adhered to. The JCR treasurer will keep records of all soc treasurers’ and presidents’ names and details.
• Failure to abide by it may lead to JCR funding being refused or cut in future years.

What is it for?

• To help you keep track of your current funds (without crises every time you change captains or someone loses the chequebook or the bank mysteriously swallows your money in unexplained ‘charges’).
• To set out an effective way of keeping your account records, so that future members can refer to them when necessary (eg. to find out when equipment was bought and from whom). If you know it all already, please don’t feel patronised- I knew NOTHING when I became JCR treasurer and I needed detailed instructions like these.
• To ensure that no JCR funds are lost or used incorrectly. The rules about ‘correct’ use are explained below.


Setting up Your Bank Account

The JCR cannot pay soc funds into a member’s private bank account. Nor can a member claim reimbursement directly from the JCR after spending her own money on the society’s behalf. You MUST have a society account.

1. Go to a bank in Cambridge to set up the account. If you ever have problems, it will be much more straightforward to deal with them at the branch where the account is held than at any other, so it needs to be a branch that future members have easy access to.

2. Insist on speaking to a Real Person (not a computer advisory service) before filling in any forms. Tell them that you want a Business Current Account and explain what it is for. All you want to do with it is pay in cheques and write out cheques, whenever you need to, but they will probably try to sell you a fancy version with extra facilities and extra charges attached- don’t be persuaded!

3. Every time you change treasurers, you will need a mandate to change signatory(ies) on the cheques. You need to inform the bank in advance when you want to do this, and ask the bank what paperwork to bring. The old and new treasurers will have to go to the branch, armed with ID and some recent statements from the society account.

Keeping records

Put all statements, letters and other paperwork from the bank in a ringbinder. If you correspond with the bank, put in copies of all the letters you write as well. DATE EVERYTHING.

Keep records of income in the same file. There may be no document recording the payment, in which case you need to write your own. Write who the payment is from, why it is being paid (if not obvious), the amount and the DATE.

Keep receipts in the same file. If a member has spent her own money on the society’s behalf, she MUST give in the receipt in order to claim reimbursement.
Stick the receipt on to A4 file paper and write next to it:
1. What the payment was for
2. The claimant’s name
3. The number of the cheque you write to reimburse her
4. The DATE on which the cheque was written.

If there is no receipt, the following are acceptable:

• prints of ‘order confirmation’ emails for online shopping.
• Signed affidavits from reliable people (eg Fellows and College staff) that the claim is truthful.
• Other possibilities. Use your common sense.

Get a CASH BOOK to fill in details of all income and expenditure. Rule columns in an exercise book, or buy a proper one if you prefer. We suggest that you set it out like this, on a double-page spread:



• ‘Balance carried forward’ means the balance in the account at the beginning/end of the year. ‘Ggg.gg’ would appear on the first line of ‘Income’ in the 2006/7 Cash Summary.

• Fill in the Cash Summary AT THE TIME whenever you get an interest statement, write a cheque etc. Don’t leave it until the end of the year.

• When you receive a bank statement, check that the cheques cashed from your account agree with your Cash Summary record, then tick them off in the Cash Summary. If a cheque has been lost or destroyed, cross it out and write a few words of explanation next to it.

Dealing with Problems

When unexplained things show up on a statement, write to the bank. Avoid phone calls if possible- it is useful to have a printed record of the whole correspondence. The same goes for any disputes over payments made to mail-order companies, ebay sellers etc. If it is urgent, go into the bank and talk to a Real Person rather than writing.

Do I really need to bother with all this stuff?

If your society makes very few transactions, your records will be quick and easy to understand without the need to summarise them in a cash book, so you can cut that out. You DO need to bother with the rest of the record-keeping, as described above. Sorry!

Rules about use of JCR funds

1. No spending on alcohol whatsoever.
2. No more than £2 per member per year to subsidise a members’ formal (or a barbecue, picnic etc). Food-and-drink costs for a Freshers’ Squash (for example) do not come under this ruling, because the food is intended for non-members.

Michaelmas Term: Budget Proposals

I will ask to see your past year’s accounting records. If they are incomplete, baffling or obviously fudged, I will hound you until you give an explanation! Save trouble by writing your explanations in the file before you hand it in. If you are having bank problems, say so.

Make a budget proposal. State how much money you hope to get from the JCR and give a breakdown of what you plan to spend it on. You may or may not be granted the full amount that you ask for- it depends on all the societies’ requests. The JCR treasurer may give additional instructions at the time.