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What does the DCSA actually do????

• We are your elected representatives.
• We represent the concerns, interests, and thoughts of the student population of Darwin to the fellows and staff of college.
• We are there if you are having any problems to come and talk to, to try and help you sort them out.
• We represent you on the College Council (the decision-making body of Darwin College), Cambridge University Student Union (CUSU), the Graduate Union (GU), the University Green Committee, the University Women's Council, the University International Committee and the University Entertainments Committee.
• We pay the subscription of each student to CUSU and GU every year, to maintain your links with the National Union of Students (NUS).
• We run the Welcome desk during Freshers’ week to give out keys, bedding, maps, information, reassurance, etc.
• We organise the Freshers’ contact scheme to put new students in touch with old.
• We allocate the funding to all the sports clubs and societies within Darwin, everything from the Boat Club and Football, to photography and chess, and deal with their requests and problems throughout the year.
• We run the college Freshers’ Fair to give everyone the chance to join all Darwin’s clubs.
• We think up and run loads of themed Bops, with various DJ's and Bands playing.
• We advertise Ents on the online calendar and on the Whatsup message board.
• We organise theme nights in college, such as 'Burns Night', 'Chocolate Night', or 'Brazillian Night'.
• We run a computer loan scheme for those who can't buy a computer of their own.
• We run one-off events, such as Darwin 'International Women's Week', as well as more long-standing arrangements, like the Yoga evenings every Monday.
• We pay for the college to be affiliated to the Sports Association and Societies Syndicate of the University, to allow Darwin students to take part in University level sports.
• We pay a subscription to the Sports Injuries Clinic at Addenbrookes to allow all Darwin students to be treated there.
• We organise many, many exchange formal halls to give Darwin students a chance to experience other colleges socially.
• We buy and give out, confidentially and for free, condoms, pregnancy tests, and attack alarms.
• We insure the boats for the Boat Club.
• We buy, insure, and maintain the punts, get them serviced once a year, get them put into storage over winter, pay the Conservators of the Cam to be allowed on the river, and run the Punt Club during the summer months for all Darwin members.
• We arrange for other colleges to moor their punts along Darwin's bank.
• We design, commission, and sell 'Darwin Ware' T-shirts, sweatshirts etc.
• We buy and maintain equipment for the College, including the TV and the Ents microphones and instruments used by the bands that practise in college.
• We help to partially fund larger purchases for the college, such as the ergo machine in the gym.
• We acquire the subscription to SKY television.
• We pay for half of the newspapers delivered daily to the Reading Room, and are responsible for the subscriptions to the various magazines kept there as well.
• We organise the Blues Dinner for all the sports-blues in Darwin, and allocate the Varsity fund (along with the associate Dean) for grants for blues players.
• We put up all the posters that arrive in college to keep everyone informed of University/city wide events.
• We help fund the May Ball if it gets into difficulties to keep it going for Darwin.
• We run the annual Sports Day in conjunction with our sister college at Oxford, Wolfson.
• We attend the following College committees to report back to the students: Buildings and Grounds, Education and Research, Meals, Computer, and Library Committees.
• We organise, write, and print the college Yearbook, and the biannual 'RiverRat' magazine.
• We organise and personally empty the recycling bins within college.
• We run the mandatory elections in college for CUSU, GU and the University Council.
• We pick the room allocation ballot names out of a hat, and agree the average room rent increases each year with the Bursar.
• We buy new equipment for the college such as the digital and manual cameras or the gym equipment.
• We put important information on the Web, such as the on-line Green Guide, the list of all Welfare numbers and contacts, and the Darwin College constitution.
• And, of course, we let you know about everything that arrives in our inboxes, answer phones and pigeon holes in two emails every week: DarwIn&Out for entertainment news, and Whatsup for everything else.
• All this, as well as any individual matters that come up during the year unexpectedly, and our own studies as well! It’s a very busy year, though great fun, and we appreciate all your support in everything that we do.

The DCSA committee