Our Priority Campaign this year is the ‘Cost of Cambridge’ – campaigning to reduce the cost of living and studying at Cambridge. We believe that financial barriers should not be an obstacle to students’ education and will be campaigning to eradicate the unfair and unequal costs faced by different groups of students.
GET INVOLVED
There are lots of different ways you can get involved with the Cost of Cambridge Campaign and help to reduce the cost of living and studying at Cambridge. You can run for positions on your JCR or MCR, get involved with existing CUSU Campaigns like the Disabled Students’ Campaign and the International Students’ Campaign, or set up your own campaigns within your colleges. If you’re unsure about how best to get involved, get in touch with one of the CUSU sabbatical officers.
Fair accommodation and college costs
Campaign goals
- Support college campaigns to cut the rent
- Oppose additional accommodation costs like the Kitchen Fixed Charge and unfair fines
- Ensure disabled students are not charged more for accessible accommodation
- Push the university to commit to tackling inequality between the colleges
Get involved
- Get involved in your college Cut the Rent campaign, or set one up!
- Encourage your JCR/MCR to lobby your college for rent cuts and a lower cost of living
Contact: Stella (welfare@cusu.cam.ac.uk) or Kate (womens@cusu.cam.ac.uk) about running a rent campaign at your college, and Edward (president@cusu.cam.ac.uk) about working on the cost of living through your JCR/MCR
No hidden course and education costs
Campaign goals
- Ensure faculties provide transparent information on extra course costs from before application
- Campaign to remove additional course costs
- Remove unnecessary barriers which increase costs for disabled students
- Push the university to create a central fund for medical evidence costs
Get involved
- Run to be an academic rep
- Get involved with the CUSU Disabled Students’ Campaign
- Run to be the Disabled Students rep on your JCR/MCR
Contact: Ali (education@cusu.cam.ac.uk) about faculty issues and Jess (disabled@cusu.cam.ac.uk) about extra costs for disabled students
Fair and transparent bursary provision
Campaign goals
- Ensuring bursaries are paid timely and not delayed
- Create Funding Guides for every college.
- Eradicate ‘Thank You Letter’ requests from colleges to students receiving bursaries.
- Increase staff and student awareness of the enhanced bursary for care leavers and estranged students and how to access it
Get involved
- Run to be the access officer on your JCR/MCR
- Get involved with Class Act
Contact: Lily-Rose, access@cusu.cam.ac.uk
No extra costs for international students
Campaign goals
- Publish information about storage and accommodation discrepancies between colleges
- Create a central Funding Guide for international students
- Push for a Central University fund to subsidise the cost of English Proficiency Tests and Language Centre courses
Get involved
- Get involved in the International Students Campaign
- Run to be the International Rep on your JCR/MCR
Contact: Edward, president@cusu.cam.ac.uk