Lucy Bayliss and Lucien Davies-Jones

Highly Commended, Academic / College Representative

The new History and Modern Languages Tripos has been running for three years and has yet to complete a full cycle of the four-year degree, which has meant having to negotiate various obstacles and unforeseen difficulties that present themselves when integrating two different Faculties. Both Lucien and Lucy, [as student reps], have been our eyes and ears and have not only been able to make substantial changes to the way the degree is assessed and structured but have been a constant source of support for students, and can be relied upon to have their best interests at heart at each committee meeting.

To give an example... [they] have given the Joint Tripos Management Committee an insightful steer as to the needs of students beginning a joint degree, something our Faculty had yet to experience. They have offered crucial and invaluable feedback and suggestions on how to run our introductory sessions in a way that will make students feel more connected to the rest of the student body of the two Faculties they are working within. This has allowed us to shape our upcoming introductory sessions in the hope of providing further benefits to the cohort as a whole.

Both students have been integral to the changes we have implemented and are continuing to communicate with students during the lockdown regarding alternative arrangements to examinations as well as liaising on issues around the year abroad which our students take in their third year. In what has been an unexpected few months within a very new Tripos, I feel their contribution deserves recognition: not only have they proactively sought out student feedback and opinions but they are able to present that feedback in a way that also offers solutions.

Lucy Bayliss and Lucien Davies-Jones are first- and second-year Undergraduates (2019-20), respectively, reading History and Modern Languages at Emmanual College.