Ex-Officio
Ordered alphabetically by position name
Assistant Bar Steward: Hannah Tunnicliffe, Liberal Arts, 3rd year
I’m Hannah, a third year liberal arts student and I’m the assistant bar steward this year. I’ve worked at the bar since just after I started in Mary’s and it’s a great way to earn some money without having to miss out on college life. From behind the bar, you’re still right in the middle of all the events. My job is to help the bar steward Alex with the general running of the bar. I will be keeping the rest of the bar staff happy and helping new starters learn everything they need to know. I’ll also be aiming to hold more events in the bar and make sure that everything runs smoothly when socials come in. We have a unique reputation as a college bar and I’m keen to build on this and make it as positive as possible. I’m always happy to take suggestions about what we can do with the bar and pass them on to the committee. Don’t hesitate to email me or ask me when you see me at the bar!
Assistant Toastie Bar and Shop Manager: Vacant
Assistant WAM Officers: Niamh Williams, Saachi Bajaj and Emily Hopper
You’ll meet them in the Welfare section of the website!
Communities Officer: Ella-Rose Vella, Psychology, 3rd year
Hi! I’m Ella and I’m so excited to be your Communities Officer for the 2023/24 academic year. This is a fairly new title to the exec this year, so many of you might not know exactly what my role entails.
Essentially, I communicate both within the college and outside of it to organis
e volunteering and outreach opportunities for Mary’s students. I bring more awareness to volunteering opportunities both within the university and outside of it, and also advise students on how to best approach such opportunities. Throughout the year I will be holding workshops and will make myself available to any student who has questions about how to get more involved in volunteering with our community. I will also be organising events throughout the year to raise money for various charities, likely working with other societies at Mary’s to make this is a possibility. Outside of my role within the JCR, I am a passionate Psychology student who often volunteers with children and in prisons. I am an avid theatre fan, acting as Vice-President to Mary’s theatre company; Foot of the Hill, and I really enjoy producing shows when I have free time (which is rare)! Outside of Mary’s and my degree, I enjoy singing and reading and can often be found baking something new for my friends to try. Please feel free to drop me a message whenever you’d like! I’m so excited to meet you all in September!
Development Officer: Charlie Carpenter, Computer Science, 3rd year
Hello everyone! I am a third-year computer science student, and I will be your development officer for the next year. This role includes lots of different aspects, the first being charities; working alongside other members of the exec to introduce more fundraising in Marys.
Secondly, I will be working with Marys alumni to help create a support which all students will be able to access. Finally, I will be introducing events to help further student careers such as head shot sessions for LinkedIn profiles. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas you might have! (Charles.carpenter@durham.ac.uk)
Disabilities Representative: Dom Johnson, Biosciences, 4th year
Hi everyone, I’m Dom, a fourth year bioscience student. This year I will be your Disabilities Rep! I’m in charge of identifying and fixing pain points reported by our disabled community.
I do this through:
– talking directly to you
– liaising with Disabled Students Association here at Mary’s
So please, join the Disabled Students Association at https://www.facebook.com/groups/497521292339378/ and reach out to me at any point (nqdq67@durham.ac.uk)
Environment Officer: Vacant
Ethnic Minorities Representative: Alvi Lindborg-Koh
Hey guys! My name is Alvi and I’m a finalist studying Classical Civilisations, and I’m so honoured to be the Ethnic Minorities Representative at Mary’s this year! Being a mixed kid and growing up with influences from wildly different cultures (Chinese-Singaporean and Swedish- rogue pairing, I know), I’ve come to truly value the different perspectives that my cultural experiences bring to the table. My role in the exec is to be a frame of support to any and all students who could be struggling, particularly with pressures they feel are associated with their ethnicity, so please feel free to come and have a chat or rant about whatever is on your mind! If you have any questions, or simply want to get in touch, please do not hesitate to drop me a message on Instagram or via email (alvi.w.lindborg-koh@durham.ac.uk)!
Lots of love, Alvi xx
I.T. Representative: Michal Pluta, Computer Science, 2nd year
Hey everyone! My name is Michal and I am a second year studying Computer Science from Surrey. This year I am your IT representative at Mary‘s and I am very excited to have this role. My main responsibilities will be maintaining the computers within college and also communicating regularly with the other JCR execs to ensure our college website is up-to-date, has plenty of useful information and is in general fantastic. Of course, if any of you ever have any suggestions/concerns in regards to either of these, then feel free to let me know if you see me around college or drop me a message on social media or at michal.pluta@durham.ac.uk. Looking forward to a great year with all of you!
LGBT+ Representatives: Jessica Banfield (She/Her, Liberal Arts, 2nd year) and Rowan Sutton (He/They, Psychology, 2nd year)
Hi!! I’m Jess and I am one of your LGBTQIA+ co-representatives this year! I lived in the Netherlands before coming to uni (though I now live in the Lake District) and am currently studying History and Geography as part of the Liberal Arts programme here in Durham. Between Rowan and I we represent the LGBT community on the JCR and we are also presidents of the LGBTQIA+ Society here at Mary’s. Our role is predominantly to foster and support the LGBT community here at Mary’s. I’m very much looking forward to holding all sorts of events this year (dry and alcohol-based), from bar crawls and Ozzies socials to film and crafts nights in the JCR. Additionally, it is very important to us that we make sure there is ample queer-specific welfare and safe spaces here at Mary’s so that everyone feels comfortable in being themselves in college. My advice to freshers would be to get involved in anything that catches your fancy because uni, particularly your first year, is a fantastic time to try new things and make loads of friends whilst doing so. In addition to being the LGBT co-representative this year, I am also very involved in various music groups in the uni, from the concert band to theatre bands which is always a great load of fun! Although I am not living in college I’m always happy to have a chat whenever if there is something you’d like to chat/rant about, so you can reach out to me on instagram at either @jess.ban.field or @smclgbt, or my email which is lfjh23@durham.ac.uk. I’m looking forward to a fantastic year, Jess xx
Hey everyone! I’m Rowan (he/they), and I’m a Second year studying Psychology. I’m really excited to be one of your LGBTQ+ Representatives for next year, alongside my friend Jess Banfield! The warm and welcoming community here at Mary’s has played an instrumental role in my journey towards embracing my queer identity, and I’m looking forward to fostering and developing this wonderful community in the coming year.
Our role is to represent the LGBTQ+ community at Mary’s, and we’re keen to build a strong sense of belonging in our community. To do this, we’ll be setting up an LGBTQ+ families programme, and running a range of socials, including in relaxed, non-alcoholic settings, and through holidays for those students whom may not be out or feel a sense of community at home. I’m also working to organise intercollegiate socials to help you meet and form friendships with queer students across Durham. I’m committed to fostering a strong sense of belonging within our community. I plan to establish a Mary’s LGBTQ+ families program and organise a variety of social events, with bar crawls, as well as relaxed, alcohol-free environments and during holiday periods. These events can provide a haven for students who may not have come out or found their community at home. Additionally, I’m actively working on arranging intercollegiate social events, creating opportunities to form connections and friendships with fellow queer students across Durham. In this role I also want to provide dedicated welfare support tailored to the queer community at Mary’s. Recognising the challenges that touch us all, and particularly resonate with queer students, I aim to ensure that every individual feels embraced during these times. My advice to freshers is to put yourself out there and get involved, no matter how intimidating it may feel.
There’s so many wonderful opportunities at Durham and and societies are a great way of meeting like-minded people whatever you get involved with. For example, last year I acted in 2 plays and a musical, and was also part of the welfare team for the LGBTQ+ Fashion Show, Expression, and the people I met through these events are now some of my closest friends. For this upcoming year, in addition to being LGBTQ+ Representative, I’m also the welfare officer for the ADHshe Society, and one of the public facing volunteers for the listening service, the Durham Nightline. There’s absolutely something for everyone out there.
During Freshers’ week, I’ll be hosting some relaxed LGBTQ+ drop-in sessions, and for updates on upcoming social events, be sure to follow @smclgbt on Instagram. If you’ve got any questions or just want to chat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on Instagram @rowansutto.n or @smclgbt or my email rowan.sutton@durham.ac.uk. I look forward to meeting you all! Rowan 
Music Representative: Luke Mallon, Music, 2nd year
Hi Mary’s! My name is Luke (he/him) and I am a second year Music student from Durham itself. I love the North East and everything it offers, and can’t wait to serve as your Music Representative this year. The role of Music Rep is new to the JCR exec this year. Previously just part of St Mary’s College Arts Society, my experience in the role last year showed me how the music scene in Mary’s could be so much more exciting and offer so much more to Marians. So I set about putting a motion in to the JCR to make it a JCR role, and here we are! The role is wide ranging, from planning and running events, managing the music rooms, sitting on the Music Durham college music committee, and supporting our music groups. This year I’ll be working on streamlining the events calendar into high quality, regular events, expanding our music groups, and working with relevant JCR on a hires system for music equipment and a booking system for the msuic rooms, amongst any other things. Make sure to get stuck into the music scene at Mary’s! We’ve got Basement Jazz, Mary’s resident function band, Chapel Choir, recently awarded society of the year, Mary’s Mixed Voices, our casual choir singing a variety of genres, Eurovision Society, for all things Eurovision, and new this year, I’m hoping to set up Mary’s Orchestral Society. To keep up with everything going on make sure to follow @stmarysmusic and @stmarys.arts on Instagram, and join their Facebook groups! Any questions, just drop me a message on @stmarysmusic, or at luke.j.mallon@durham.ac.uk.
Publicity and Communications Officer: Emma Clarke, Accounting and Finance, 3rd year
Hi everyone, congratulations on your results and welcome to Mary’s! I am so excited to be your Publicity and Communications Officer for 2023-24. As Publicity and Communications Officer, my role is to run the Mary’s JCR instagram account (@stmarysjcr), as well as making logos for freshers week and post-offer visit days. I also help Mary’s events with publicity if they would like. Essentially my role is to help with all things social media and advertising for the JCR, so it’s useful that I like graphic design! If you have any questions or want to get involved with publicity at Mary’s, please feel free to email me (emma.j.clarke2@durham.ac.uk).
A bit about me: I’m going into my third year studying Accounting and Finance, a degree which I have loved so far (which may sound surprising!) and am looking forward to completing at the end of this year. I am very involved with college life, which has included me holding 2 exec positions this year – Head Frep and Publicity & Communications Officer. Alongside this I am a very involved member of SMCNC (Mary’s Netball Club), Mary’s Dance and Foot of the Hill (Mary’s Theatre). As well as this, I have also been involved in lots of other Durham Student Theatre productions as cast and part of the creative team (my favourite role at the moment being choreographer!). By now you have probably realised that I’m quite a keen bean! I can’t wait for you to see what Mary’s has to offer and hope all of you enjoy not only freshers week, but all of your time at Mary’s. See you soon!
Senior DUCK Representative: Vacant
Senior Freshers’ Representatives: Jacob Vellucci and Emma Clarke
You’ve probably met them in the Fresher Reps section of the website!
Senior Post-Offer Visit Day Representative: Vacant
Senior Tech Officer: Jacob Marshall, Physics, 4th year
Hi everyone! I’m Jacob, a 4th year physics student and the Senior Tech Officer for this academic year! As tech officer I’ll be organising and overseeing most of the tech for any events that happen in Mary’s whilst supporting other societies that require all things from lighting to sound equipment. I’m also introducing a group of technicians for Mary’s so events can run more smoothly and people have the opportunity to learn how to safely set up and use all the equipment Mary’s has to offer! Tech might sound like you need loads of experince and need to know exactly what to do, but that’s not the case; you can absolutely learn as you go! Most technicians are always learning how to use new tech and some, like me, didn’t really do much tech before coming to uni. Keep an eye out each term for applications to join (don’t worry you don’t need any experience at all), workshops/training sessions, or you can send me any tech queries you might have at mbfj86@durham.ac.uk
Toastie Bar and Shop Manager: Victoria Harvey, Law, 2nd year
Hey everyone, my name is Victoria and I’m a second year Law student from Bristol. I’m the Toastie Bar Manager for this year so I’m sure I’ll see a lot of you in freshers week! The toastie bar is a great place to catch up with friends, play darts and eat insanely good (and cheap) toasties. Mary’s basement will soon be refurbished but in the meantime you can find the toastie bar just down the corridor from the Bar. We’re hoping to have some great deals on during freshers week and going forward into the term so we hope to see you all sometime soon. Whether it be that you missed supper, or it wasn’t to your liking, Marys Toastie Bar has something for everyone, no matter your preferences or dietary requirements. The Toastie Bar is also a great way to make some money throughout the year, so look out for job advertisements in Michaelmas term!
Working Class and Low Income Representative: Shannon Hill, Biosciences, 3rd year
Hi everyone! I’m Shannon, a third year biosciences student, and I’m your current Working Class and Low Income Representative at St. Mary’s college. First of all, congratulations on your place at Durham and welcome to the best college! Over the past three years Mary’s
really has become my home and is the centre of my life at Durham, which is why I was so passionate about becoming WCLIR for college. Moving to university can be daunting and come with unexpected culture shock that I’ve experienced first hand, so I’m more than happy to chat and offer a helping hand however I can! Class and finances are very personal topics and can be difficult to address, so this year I want to open up a safe and uplifting environment where people can confidently be who they are in Durham regardless of where they come from. Mary’s also has a brand new Working Class & Low Income Association which will be hosting events throughout the year (so exciting!) with an exec full of friendly faces for you to chat to. If you have any ideas or need anything from us please don’t hesitate to get in touch. University is often the first time that you fully manage your own finances which can definitely be challenging, so we will also be working closely with Student Support staff to run finance workshops and provide safe and confidential spaces to discuss finances. Mary’s is such a welcoming and friendly environment and we’re going to continue to make it the best that it can be!
To find out more you can follow our instagram @st.maryswclir (shameless plug) and there is also a private Facebook group for people to join if they would like to!
Mary’s love, Shan x
Meet your Junior Officers
Chapel Rep: Charles Bishop, Theology, 2nd year
Hello all, I’m Charles, your Chapel Rep for this year. I’m responsible for the running and organisation of the St Mary’s Chapel. The Chapel is, in my opinion, an under appreciated part of College, be it for Choral Evensong and Compline, or simply in its capacity as a place of quiet reflection and prayer. We have a fantastic chaplain in Fr Peter Kashouris, who is always available to talk to, as am I. Our excellent choir is integral to the running of the chapel, and their crowning glory is the 9 Lessons and Carols at Durham Cathedral, which is a wonderful occasion. Please do come and experience the chapel and make yourself known. There are many ways to get involved whether you are a practicing Anglican or not, and the Chapel team will do all we can to facilitate the full experience of College Chapel life!
Head Teikyo Representative: Kate Broekman, English and History, 2nd year
Hi! I’m Kate (she/her), a second year student studying History and English. This year I’ve taken the role of Head Teikyo Representative, which means I’ll help introduce and integrate the incoming Japanese students into Marys from the University of Teikyo in Durham scheme. St Marys College is endlessly welcoming and supportive of all its students, and I hope I can reflect that in linking the Teikyo community with Marys – this demonstrated in further establishing the pre-existing college families scheme, having socials, and just generally being a friendly face. Although I’m not Japanese, I am a third culture kid (half Dutch half American) who moved to England, so a part of me understands how scary it can be to move to a new place, and I hope I can offer an olive branch to incoming students: one of understanding and of friendship. I love Marys and hope to introduce and support incoming Teikyo students into what can be a scary, but eventually worthwhile, experience!
Contact me on email for any questions/suggestions: @catherine.van-mourik-broekman@durham.ac.uk
Mature Students’ Representative: Vacant
Year Abroad Representatives: Jess Ashurst and Zoe Kaye
Hi Everyone! We are Jess and Zoe and we are this year’s Year Abroad Representatives! We are both 4th Years and have spent the past year abroad in France, Spain and
Belgium. Zoe studies French and Spanish and did a teaching placement in France, and a work placement in Spain. Jess studies Philosophy and Theology and spent her study abroad at Leuven University in Belgium. If you have any questions about a Year Abroad at Durham, whether you are a languages student, or just considering a study abroad no matter the course, then get in touch with us! We will keep our Instagram page @marys.yearsout updated throughout the year with advice on planning a year out, as well as advice for when you are there. We will also continue featuring the ‘Day in the Life’ from current year abroad students, which gives you a great insight into what it is like to go on a year abroad. Durham offers so many options for a year abroad, but it can also be hard to know where to start, so we are here to help .
Feel free to contact us: jessica.e.ashurst@durham.ac.uk and Zoe.kaye@durham.ac.uk