Dear Clare MCR  members,

I am pleased to announce the following nominations for outstanding MCR committee positions.

Please note voting will open on Sunday 5 November for 72 hours. You will soon be emailed the link to the voting page.

Wishing all the candidates the best of luck!

MCR Love
Cloé
Clare College MCR President

Candidates

Green Officer

• Amarynth Sichel

First Year Officer

• Sam Cabot
• Lydia Parkinson
• Connor Daughton

Manifestos

First Year Officer

Sam Cabot

Dear Clare MCR,

My name is Sam Cabot, and I am a Masters student at the Institute of Astronomy. My research involves studying planets outside of our Solar System, and like many of you, I am a fresher—new to Clare, Cambridge (and the UK too).

My past month getting acclimated has made me aware of how important a good channel of communications is for first-year students with the MCR community to ensure success, fun and a good balance during their time at Cambridge; and I think we are lucky to have so many resources through our active MCR, and devoted committee members.

I would very much appreciate your consideration of selecting me to represent you by electing me to the position of First-Year (fresher) Officer. If elected, I would assist fellow first-year students in adapting to Clare and Cambridge, both socially and academically. I would address your queries, provide support for any issues regarding college life, and work tirelessly with the other MCR committee members to continuously improve your experiences within Clare and hopefully allow you to fondly recall your time at Cambridge as a great experience.  I would also welcome the opportunity to assist in presenting your ideas and/or concerns regarding the coming months (or years), to adapt and improve, both existing and exciting new programs being developed for our community.

I think Cambridge’s academic programs and research opportunities are not only unique and quite rigorous; but it seems that the full scope extends well beyond our respective departments. We collaborate with each other when we exchange our ideas, discoveries and adventures; and we enjoy the times we have socializing at formals and partaking in organized events and activities.  Our time here is short so let’s work together to make it amazing.

Lydia Parkinson

I’m Lydia, a first year PhD student in the Department of Oncology. For those of you who don’t know me, I am the one who painted herself blue to be the Corpse Bride for the Halloween formal…

I would love to be your First Year Officer. Since the first MCR freshers event I have felt welcomed into the Clare community and have had the pleasure of meeting some truly wonderful people. My motivation for putting myself forward for this role is because I want to make sure everyone else feels as included, involved and welcome as I do.

I am good at listening and (I hope) an approachable, friendly and pro-active individual. I would love to get to know you better, to represent you and make sure all your concerns, issues and ideas are listened to, without judgement, and addressed.

The work that the MCR committee currently do is amazing, and I think we are very lucky to have such a great group of people to represent us. I would really like to work with them to build on this so we can continue to develop the MCR community and ensure there is opportunity for everyone. I am very organised and enjoy planning events which I think will be a great quality for the role.

As I am doing a PhD I will be here for at least three years (probably four!) so it would be great to get to know you all and be more involved early on… And if none of the above appeals to you, I really like baking. 🙂

Lydia

Connor Daughton

Hi everyone, my name is Connor Daughton, and I’m an MPhil student hailing from Florida in the United States. Like many Floridians, I enjoy taking long walks on the beach, but since that’s difficult to do in Cambridge, I compensate by taking long walks to the UL Manuscripts Room, where I explore the interplay between Arabic and Romance literatures in 11th-century Iberia. I can also be found tending our MCR bar, running along the Cam, and attempting to write better-than-mediocre short fiction.

I’m interested in being your First Year Officer because I’ve found something I might just enjoy more than taking long walks on the beach: spending time with and within Clare’s postgraduate community. What excited me about first joining our MCR was the sheer variety of events during Freshers Week; the people I’ve met, though, are what have kept me coming back. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter whether you’re caught up in the din of a post-Formal soirée or the still of the Fellows’ Garden in the morning; whether you’ve spent the day immersed in research or on board a punt; or even whether it’s been hours, days, or weeks since you’ve last set foot in our MCR. Regardless, you’re going to find a friendly face, have an interesting conversation, and, above all, feel welcome. I’ve felt welcome, at least, and I want to spread that sentiment among first-year postgrads, present and future.

How might I do that? Well, first off, I’d like to engage a wider variety of first-year interests through informal, low-commitment activities. Examples might include hitting a pub to watch a sports match or spending a few hours volunteering around Cambridge. My objective here is to create opportunities for y’all to interact with other Freshers (and MCR members in general) outside of the typical MCR setting. Secondly, I’d like to hear from y’all—and not just as a neutral messenger to the College or MCR Committee. I would instead be a teammate and advocate: someone who would work with you to find solutions and transform your MCR dreams into realities. On the governance side, I’d be psyched to be part of our MCR Committee—and with plenty of outreach, event management, liaising, and committee-work experience from my fraternity days, I think I’d be decent at it, too.

In conclusion: my name is Connor Daughton. I’m in love with Clare, and, with your vote, I’ll take our budding romance to the next level.