University Representation

University Council

The University Council is the Trustee Board of the University, and along with the General Board (which looks after academic issues), governs Cambridge on behalf of the Regent House. It has its own elected student representatives (from next year, this will automatically be the CUSU President, Graduate Union President and one other elected student) who are full trustees of the University. The Council meets monthly, takes major strategic and financial decisions and is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.

Planning and Resources Committee (PRC)

The PRC is the principal financial committee in the University, and takes strategic financial planning decisions for the Council. The tuition fee level and the amount of spend on bursaries are decided on this body. Its membership are the relevant pro-Vice-Chancellors, the heads of the six Schools (e.g. Clinical Medicine, Arts & Humanities etc.), and some members of University Council. This year, like most, the CUSU President is the student on this Committee.

Resource Management Committee (RMC)

The RMC has the same membership as the PRC, and takes lower-level University-related financial decisions. This includes approving funding for CUSU and the GU, the Societies Syndicate, and overseeing space allocation and building projects across the University's estate (like the Sports Centre). It is here that CUSU's campaigns for a central University grant, and a Students' Union building, will eventually be resolved.

Executive Committee

This is a small subcommittee of the University Council and meets infrequently, dealing mainly with approving large donations to the University. It has one student chosen from among the students on the University Council on its membership, and often deals with ethical issues when deciding who the University should accept funds from.

General Board

The Board is the most senior academic committee in the University, on a par with the University Council, and is attended by specially elected student representatives (in future years, these will be the CUSU Education Officer and the Graduate Union President). It's overall remit is the academic operation of the Schools, Faculties and Departments in Cambridge. It is at this level the establishment or removal of Triposes would be decided, or major changes to the way examinations work.

General Board's Education Committee

The Board's standing committee on Education deals in more depth with all issues relating to the education of Cambridge students in Faculties and Departments. The CUSU Education Officer always attends.

The Senior Tutors' Committee

Senior Tutors' Committee is a large and extremely influential body, made up of the 31 College Senior Tutors, the CUSU President and the Graduate Union President, and the Vice-Chancellor as chair. It ensures that all Colleges adopt and follow best practice and guidelines on a wide range of issues from student supervision arrangements, undergrad and graduate admissions policy, student welfare provisions and financial support. All of these policies, which are in effect binding on all the Colleges, are compiled into the Tutors Guide.

Senior Tutors' Education Committee

The CUSU Education Officer sits on this sub-committee which deals with all collegiate education issues. This includes anything to do with supervisions, Directors of Studies, modes of assessment, special educational provisions and many other issues.

Senior Tutors' Welfare and Finance Committee

The CUSU-GU Welfare & Rights Officer sits on this sub-committee, which deals with everything related to collegiate welfare issues like sexual health, Dignity@Study, equality and diversity issues and other areas. It also has an important remit on finance, looking at how colleges financially support students experiencing hardship or needing extra tuition or financial academic support.

Graduate Tutors' Committee

This committee comprises the Graduate Tutors of each of the 31 Colleges and considers all matters relating to the graduate student experience in College, from graduate admissions, to teaching and financial support. The Graduate Union President and other CUSU Officers attend this body.

Formally sub-committees of the Senior Tutors' Committee, which exercises ultimate oversight, the various Access and admissions committees are a huge component of CUSU's representational work in their own right.

Undergraduate Admissions Committee

This is the principal body for overseeing the admissions policy of the University and Colleges. It considers undergraduate admissions policy and practice, including spending on widening participation, and makes recommendations on student intake numbers to the Colleges and the University. The Access Officer and/or the CUSU President attend this committee regularly.

Admissions Forum

This is a grouping of all 31 College Admissions Tutors, and is attended by the CUSU Access Officer. It's a forum where the admissions practices of Cambridge are scrutinised, like the setting of offers and the operation of the interview system and the admissions pool. It never considers individual cases, but has a remit to propose changes to the admissions system to the Senior Tutors and other Uiversity bodies.

Graduate Admissions Committee

This holds the same remit as the Undergraduate Admissions Committee, except deals with the postgraduate community. Again, the CUSU Access Officer and/or the Graduate Union President will attend this committee.

Outreach Steering Group

The committee overseeing the University's spending on widening participation, and controls the funding of most University access projects, including the CUSU Shadowing Scheme.