Sporting Life & Games

Students’ Club & Student Leadership Positions

STUDENTS’ CLUB

All residents of the undergraduate community at St Paul’s College are members of the Students’ Club. The Club provides and organises many events and services for residents; your Students’ Club subscription goes towards covering these costs. Three General Meetings are held throughout the year, with the Warden presiding, and all members should make every effort to attend. Ordinary General Meetings are held at the start of each semester and the Annual General Meeting is held in the second half of the second semester.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Student leaders are vital to the success of the St Paul’s College community. Serving in a student leadership position is an excellent way to serve the College community (and to develop further your leadership skills). The principal role of student leaders is to foster and champion a culture of inclusion, respect and safety where all students, irrespective of background, are included and have the opportunity to thrive. The values of respect and dignity for all includes equality of respect regardless of gender, and being leaders in fighting sexism and all that flows from it. Successful and sustainable cultural renewal depends on strong, inclusive, responsible, and courageous leadership.

All student leaders have crucial responsibilities as ambassadors of the College and representatives of its values, and have an obligation to uphold and model these values at all times: the responsibility of ambassadorship of College values is fundamental to all student leadership positions. Our student leaders play a vital role in articulating the importance of cultural renewal, and its benefit to individual students and the College more broadly, and in helping to lead that renewal.

All candidates for student leadership positions must take part in the leadership training programmes offered by the College prior to nomination, and in the Leadership Week prior to Welcome Week. Training of student leaders includes strong focus on ethical leadership and decision-making, respectful relationships, leading diverse and inclusive teams, prevention of and response to sexual misconduct, bystander interventions, the prevention of hazing and initiations, first aid, and responsible consumption of alcohol, among other topics.

All candidates for student leadership positions must have the express support of the Warden in relation to their demonstrated ability to foster and champion a culture of inclusion, respect and safety. For this reason, nominations for the Students’ Club Committee are reviewed by the Warden and Dean of Undergraduates.

Calls for nominations or applications for Welcome Week Leaders, Peer Support Leaders, and the Salisbury Syndicate are made after the election of the Students’ Club Committee in the second half of second semester.

THE STUDENTS’ CLUB COMMITTEE (‘S CLUB’ COMMITTEE)

The Students’ Club Committee leads the Students’ Club, the body which unites all members of the undergraduate community at St Paul’s. The Committee leads many aspects of the day-to-day life of the student body, and runs the convenorship programme, which entrusts to members of the College various voluntary tasks which are fair, appropriate and contribute meaningfully to the life of the College.

The Executive is comprised of the Senior Student, who liaises with the Warden and Dean of Undergraduates and leads the student body, an Honorary Secretary, who leads logistics, administration and planning, and an Honorary Treasurer, who manages finances. They are assisted by the four remaining committee members, two of whom are known as the House Committee, and oversee convenorships and general life at the College, while the other two oversee Rawson Cup sport and the Palladian Cup cultural competition respectively. The ‘S Club’ Committee are expected to be among the most outstanding students in College, and must maintain the highest ethical standards at all times.

The Students’ Club Committee of seven resident members of the College is elected each year at the Annual General Meeting. A list of the Student’s Club Committee members for 2022 appears early in this Handbook.

JUNIOR DEANS

Junior Deans are in 4th year or above and, along with Peer Support Leaders and members of the Students’ Club Committee, they are instrumental in setting the tone of the College.

The Junior Dean role was introduced in 2021 to provide support to students and staff in the afterhours supervision of the College as well as being a presence and influence for good around the College.

Along with the Peer Support Leaders, Junior Deans will also have a Peer Support Group and will provide valuable mentoring to Freshers as they make their transition from school to university.

Junior Deans play an important part in upholding a culture of inclusion, decency, and safety throughout the College. They are expected to typify the College’s values including commitment to respect and dignity for all. Junior Deans are proactive, present, and positive leaders, possessing a friendly and outgoing personality. Junior Deans must be able to gain student and staff trust and similarly, they will be supportive of the College’s administration. The ability to give clear directions, demonstrating initiative with a “can do” attitude as well as undertaking and completing tasks with limited supervision and/or direction are core expectations.