Durham’s independent student newspaper
Palatinate
No. 757
Thursday 5th December 2013 | FREE
www.palatinate.org.uk
Students turn to crowdfunding to pay for degrees Amal Vaidya
Durham’s 1st Women’s Lacrosse Team beat the national side at Maiden Castle
Photograph: Caspian James
Durham dissuades disabled students Palatinate investigates whether the University is doing enough to encourage applications from students with mobility impairments Charlotte Bransgrove A recent investigation by Palatinate reveals the University appears to be failing to reach out and encourage students with physical disabilities to submit an application. Durham city, famous for its hills, cobbles, and listed buildings, might seem a location less than ideal for a student with a mobility or physi-
cal impairment; and because of this association, capable people with physical disabilities can be held back from applying to the University.
0.17%
Percentage of 2012/13 applicants with a physical disability
The 2010 Equality Act requires all institutions by law to make rea-
sonable adjustments to remove any substantial disadvantage to a person with a disability in comparison to a person who is not disabled. For the academic year 2012-2013, out of the 25,472 undergraduate applications made to Durham University, 45 were made by applicants with physical impairments or mobility issues, accounting for around 0.17%. Jamie Green, a second year German and Italian student who has
Cerebral Palsy and sits on Hatfield College JCR Executive as Welfare Officer, spoke to Palatinate about the issue, explaining: “When I first came to Durham I took one look at the cobbles and thought it was a terrible idea. “It was actually somebody from my school who went to Durham who later urged me to apply, but it was a bit of a last minute decision.
Continued on page 7
The best of our Comment Competition entries Has the coalition failed? Competition winner Jade Azim writes that the Coalition has not been a success due to a ‘stunningly salty lack of empathy.’
Read the full article on page 14
Is ‘feminism’ an outdated term?
Jennifer Horrocks, Sam Courtney-Guy, Ellen Orange and Cherise LopesBaker argue yes. Read more on page 16
Originally used by ambitious graduate start-ups and technology projects, students are beginning to use crowdfunding websites in order to fund their education. Crowdfunding websites, such as Kickstarter, allow developers to pitch concepts directly to their target audience, who can pledge to support them in return for some tangible return once the project is completed. In the wake of greater financial pressure, students have begun to use more creative ways to fund their degrees. A recent report by the 1994 Group, a collection of eleven UK universities, detailed how changes in the funding of postgraduate degrees have led to a decrease in the number of domestic students studying at a postgraduate level. The report, entitled The Postgraduate Crisis, says that due to higher fees and fewer funding options, coupled with greater undergraduate debt, postgraduate study is becoming less accessible. While it began as an American phenomenon, there has been a growing interest in crowdfunding within the UK. Websites like Studentfunder consider themselves a service for students who have tried and failed to secure scholarships and bursaries, they have attracted attention from postgraduate and international students. Unlike generic crowdfunding sites, they help verify the student’s claims and help ensure that the donations are used as intended. They also encourage students to pledge something in return for a donation, like a professional service or a piece of bespoke artwork; related to what they’re studying. Usually students attempt to raise money by branching out to the social groups of their family and friends, but some campaigns can get the attention of organisations or individuals who are willing to fund a particular kind of student. Continued on page 3
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Editorial
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Generation Y: we’re not unhappy, just critical After the last edition of Palatinate, a member of University staff asked me: “Is sexual assault really a problem in Durham? I never heard of anything like this while I was at university.” As the article showed, this social problem does indeed exist at Durham, just like it does in other universities across the UK. But why had this person, from an earlier generation than current university students, never realised it before? A viral Huffington Post article by ‘Wait But Why’ posited that ‘Generation Y yuppies’ (those of us born between the late 1970s and mid 1990s) are unhappy because our expectations of life exceed the reality of our job-crunched, technologically upheaved world. As the children of successful baby boomers, we’ve always been told to follow our passion, which doesn’t always translate into secure employment. What’s more, social networking allows those who have thriving relationships and jobs to broadcast their happiness, often in an exaggerated manner, to everyone they know, leaving anyone who has been less
lucky with a deflated sense of success. The article’s point about social media is an excellent one, but I would take it even further and say that in Generation Y, we have become more critical of each other and ourselves. The Internet means it is impossible for even the darkest issues not to appear in the spotlight. Perhaps this, then, is one reason why sexual assault was never so seriously raised as an issue on university campuses until now. The ‘It Happens Here’ campaign, after all, uses tumblr for the reporting of crimes and requires a significant amount of self-evaluation from its readers and creators. This edition of Palatinate explores issues through the critical eye of our contributors. Careers and News look at some key questions raised by the notion of an ‘unhappy’ Generation Y: is having a successful creative career still possible? Has online privacy disappeared with the introduction of ratemash? The News section also uncovers more overlooked student issues, such as Durham’s
lack of services for disabled students and the social politics surrounding alcohol consumption in our university. Pages fourteen to sixteen, meanwhile, showcase the best and brightest submissions to our Comment competition. With articles on whether the Coalition has failed, feminism and the potential for banning the burqa, the competition’s winning writers exhibit an undeniable flair for critical observation. Perhaps, then, today’s twenty-somethings are unhappy not because of our circumstances but because of what we are able and willing to expose. However, critical dialogue can only help us progress, so maybe we won’t be labeled the ‘unhappy’ generation after all. Jillian Ward
Lucy Woodhead, Aidan’s College Theatre’s Drama Coordinator, explains the process of writing their Christmas pantomime.
Politics: Sex and the citadel Lucy Kingsland reports on El Feki’s address on her new sensational book ‘Sex and the citadel.’ Controversial? Yes. Boring? Definitely not.
Science and Technology: Robot Exhibition comes to Palace Green Library An exhibition of famous robots has opened at Durham University’s Palace Green library. The collection, named “Robot!”, features robots, props, robot parts and toys from the TV and film industry. A collection of books and comics also forms part of the exhibition, tracing the history of robots from the seventeenth century to the present day.
News pages 3-6
News Features pages 7-9 Careers page 10
Business & Economics page 11
Politics page 12
SciTech page 13
Comment pages 14-16 Sport pages 17-20
indigo
Editorial page 2 Stage page 3
Music page 4-5
Visual Arts page 6 Features page 7
Fashion pages 8-9 Film & TV pages 10-11
Books page 13
Join the Palatinate team: no experience is neccessary! We’re on the lookout for the following types of contributors:
Writers To write for us, email the editor of the section you’re interested in and ask to be placed on their mailing list. You will then receive regular content calls from them. Alternately, you can contact editors with your own story ideas.
Stage: On writing a panto!
Inside 757
Food & Drink page 12
The best of Palatinate Online Get involved! www.palatinate.org.uk
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
Photographers Palatinate’s photography team needs new contributors. To learn how you can take photos for us, email Emma at photography@ palatinate.org.uk.
Illustrators If you have an idea for a comic strip or want to illustrate for our articles, contact Harriet at illustration@ palatinate.org.uk.
Letters to the editor Want to see your name in print on the editorial page? We’d love to hear your opinion on our stories. If you have praise for Palatinate or a bone to pick with us, email editor@ palatinate.org.uk. Your letter could appear on this page in our next print edition.
Travel pages 14-15
Vacancies
Interested in getting involved in Palatinate as an editor? Our winter vacancies will be advertised at the end of term on palatinate.org.uk and will include positions such as news editor, comment editor, visual arts editor, science and technology editor, deputy positions and many more. Palatinate provides a fantastic opportunity for Durham students to write and edit one of the UK’s leading student publications. Apply to join the editorial board and you too could help to create Durham’s student newspaper.
Visit our website, www.palatinate.org.uk for the list of vacancies and to apply, email editor@palatinate.org.uk for an application form. You can also email us about any questions you have concerning the vacancies.
Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Alternatively, send an e-mail to editor@palatinate.org.uk
Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Ben Hamer & Jillian Ward editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editor Sally Wardle deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Charlotte Bransgrove & Natasha Tierney news@palatinate.org.uk News Features Editor Justin Villamil news.features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Gabriel Samuels, Amal Vaidya & Benjamin Williams Politics Editor Marcus Natale politics@palatinate.org.uk Business Editor Jisoo Kim business@palatinate.org.uk Careers Editor Chloe Kopala careers@palatinate.org.uk Science and Technology Editor Jonny Bowers scitech@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Science and Technology Editor Chris Somers Comment Editor Cressida Peever comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editor Richard Morgan Sport Editors Emily Beech & Madeleine Sears sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Thomas Dimaio, Lawrence Holmes, & Dominic Thurlow-Wood Indigo Editors Robin Marshall & Justina Crabtree indigo@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Rohan Banerjee feature@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Francesca Jaworska deputy.feature@palatinate.org.uk Food and Drink Editor Diana Grant-Davie food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editor Philip Whitehead travel@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editor Isobel Buckingham & Katie Shuff fashion@palatinate.org.uk Film and Television Editor Aalok Vora film@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editor Emma Dawson stage@palatinate.org.uk Music Editors Larry Bartleet & Sophia Smith-Galer music@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Music Editor Jack Collins deputy.music@palatinate.org.uk Books Editor Kate Wilkinson books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Lucy Edwardes Jones visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Chief Sub-Editor Katrina Muhly sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Ellie de la Bedoyere, Jordan Harries, Oliver Newson, Jacob Ratcliffe, & Tom Willshaw Online Editor Victoria Ferguson online.editor@palatinate.org.uk Web Editor Rhiannon Mehta web.editor@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editor Emma Werner photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editors Rose Innes, Nicola Todhunter, Joyce Uerpairojkit, & Emma Wind Illustrations Editor Harriet-Jade Harrow illustration@palatinate.org.uk Blogs Editor Eleanor Lowe blogs@palatinate.org.uk Publicity Officer Olivia le Poidevin publicity@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officer Christopher Murphy advertising@palatinate.org.uk
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
News in brief UNIVERSITY NEWS
DURHAM PROFESSOR MAKES BUDDHA DISCOVERY Durham Professor Robin Coningham led a group of fifteen archaeologists from Durham, Stirling, and Orkney who excavated an ancient shrine dating back to the sixth century BC within the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal. The date of the Buddha’s birth had not been known accurately, but the discovery made it likely that the Buddha lived in the sixth century BC. The team worked at the sacred site in collaboration with conservationists and planners. Professor Coningham said that “it is one of the most exciting discoveries in terms of Buddhist archaeology since the early discoveries of the sites.”
DUCK TO HOLD SANTA FUN RUN
DUCK is holding a Santa Fun Run in aid of the British Heart Foundation on Sunday 8th December. The 5km fun run will follow the Durham Parkrun route and will welcome both Durham student runners and those from the local community. A santa suit will be provided for all participants, entry is £15 for adults and £10 for under 18s. The race will begin at 11am.
DURHAM MUSEUMS PRAISED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
A national report praising the growing success of university museums within the UK’s higher education sector has cited Durham as an example of best practice. The volunteer-run Chinese School at Durham University Oriental Museum, the only museum in the North of Britain devoted entirely to the art and archaeology of the Orient, was singled out for particular praise. The report comes as Durham University makes its special collections, some of which are based at its museums, more accessible via a new web portal.
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Durham takes on England Ben Williams Durham Women’s lacrosse recently made history when they triumphed over a representative England lacrosse team in a fixture to officially open the new Rubber Crumb facility. The Palatinates came from behind to win 17-7. The England side comprised of their elite squad mixed with development talent. Among the squad were Durham’s own Anna Featherstone, Isabel McNab, Katie Evans (joint Durham captain), Emily Fitzsimons, Alice Goodinge, Louise Jeffrey, and Katharine Macfarlane, some of whom played for both England and Durham in the fixture. They were selected to participate in the national training camp that was taking place over the weekend at Maiden Castle. The win was particularly impressive given that the Durham team incorporated members from both the women’s 1st and 2nd teams. Naturally, the team was delighted,
Continued from front page Palatinate spoke to an international student who’d recently used a crowdfunding website to fund the final year of her degree. Although wishing to remain anonymous, she was willing to share her experience. Due to some unforeseen financial trouble – and despite having secured multiple bursaries – she found herself unable to pay her fees. She says that she had never considered the idea of using social media until her father suggested it. After being initially apprehensive about bringing “too much attention” to herself about the problem, she was overwhelmed by the response. Although there were a few who awkwardly avoided the subject, the vast majority of her friends wanted to help and responded positively. The support offered was also unexpected. Once the news began to spread, people from her local com-
with joint captain Loulou Rowlands stating: “It was such an honour [to lead Durham] … one of the highlights of my four years here. “After all that training, to play a match like that makes it all worth it. “Our defence was solid … we were nine players down which shows the strength and depth of our squad.” Teammate Jenny Hobbiss told Palatinate that the turning point came after the first quarter, remarking: “As we were playing against their top squad and the fact that we managed to finish in touch at the end of that quarter meant that we drew a lot from that.” Coach Anna Sody added: “I’m very proud of my girls, to play the best of the best is something not a lot of people in this country, let alone around the world, get to do … it shows how strong our team is.” The team also felt that the crowd had a positive influence on their performance, with Rowlands telling Palatinate: “I don’t think we’ve ever had a crowd as big as that, it made it all the more dramatic and exciting, I think England appreciated the crowd there too.”
munity, past teachers, and school friends began to contribute and the first thousand pounds were raised in less than two days. What was particularly surprising to this student was that roughly seventy-five percent of the total had come from people or sources that she didn’t directly know.
“I understand why people would hesitate...but people cared, for some reason” Durham student who used crowdfunding website
After the experience, she says that while she “understood why people would hesitate,” the relief from having the financial pressure removed was tremendous, as the stress was making it more difficult for her to fo-
DEVELOPER APPEALS PLANS FOR STUDENT HOUSING A house that used to belong to a working men’s club may still be turned into student housing, after the developer Andrew Canning appealed the decision. Durham County Council planning officials refused consent for the house at 63a Crossgate, in Durham City, to be converted into a six-bedroom student property in October. An external planning inspector will decide whether to grant his challenge after considering written cases from both sides, rather than following a public inquiry.
Crowdfunding websites offer an opportunity for students struggling to Photograph:Naomi Ellis pay their fees.
National and international success is a recurring theme for lacrosse with the men’s first team beating both the England under-19s and the Netherlands Senior side last year. The win has also prompted international recognition, with a team from Hamburg commenting that they would like a fixture with the Palatinates.
“It was such an honour ... after all that training, to play a match like that makes it all worth it” Loulou Rowlands
Team Durham President and former Women’s Lacrosse Captain Hannah Lowther said: “Hamburg is certainly a fixture which we are keen to put in their diaries, in addition to the plan to take on Scotland, Ireland and Wales in order to complete the GB package.” cus on academic work. Speaking to Palatinate, she emphasised the fact that it was a last resort and feels that she was unusually lucky, but was amazed by the power of social media and that “for some reason, people cared.” Figures in a recent NUS poll showed that a significant proportion of undergraduates and postgraduates find that financial worry affects their ability to focus on work. A quick online search shows that student and university societies across the country are currently trying to raise money for all kinds of projects: student theatre productions and art exhibitions. The report from the 1994 group suggests “an income-contingent loan system for full-time taught postgraduates.” There is currently no such option for postgraduate students who may explore new ways to fund themselves. There is an ongoing study by The University of California, Berkeley and Cambridge University into British crowdfunding platforms, as well as a growing number of websites that can be used to deliver the service. The University of Portsmouth is even due to hire a research fellow to research crowdfunding. However, the long-term continuation of the researcher’s contract is predicated on their ability to fund his work via crowdfunding. Nonetheless, whilst crowdfunding has had its success stories, statistics from kickspy.com show that over 80% of kickstarter campaigns have failed, suggesting that crowdfunding may not be a viable solution for the majority of students struggling with funding.
News
Students’ Union President’s Column Dan Slavin For the last few months, I’ve been regularly asked one question: “what are you going to do next year?” The response is always the same: “I don’t know.” With Christmas fast approaching, it’s a question I’d like to pass on to you. I know most of you have never considered answering along the lines of “I intend to be elected as a student officer in Durham Students’ Union.” The responses heard by student officers around the University and by other officers in every other university in the UK are often “it’s not for me,” “I’ve never had contact with the Union,” or “I’m not into politics.” But to you I say this: this is your Union in your University, which means you’re qualified to do the role. But why would you want to? The chance to lead a student body of more than 16,000 members is one that should always be considered. It could be for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change thousands of students’ lives for the better, or to gain more experience for your CV in a single year than you’d get anywhere else. A typical day might involve a morning with the NUS trying to increase support for students, followed by a lunchtime meeting working with students to develop new forms of student media. In the afternoon, you could be working on financial planning with Union staff, before helping a group of students to set up a new social enterprise. Yes, it’s hard work and, yes, there’s a very steep learning curve. But the Union provides all the training and support you’ll need and invests heavily to ensure you have the right skills for the role. We have five officer positions up for election in the spring. The positions are open to every student in Durham University. It’s not just for finalists; all undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply. If you want to know more drop me an email on dsu.president@durham.ac.uk and I’ll explain it further.
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News News in brief LOCAL NEWS
DURHAM CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCHED ON Last Thursday, the Christmas tree in front of County Hall and the nearby roundabout were lit up. The lights were switched on by six-year-old Ethan Lloyd, who suffers from a congenital heart problem. Ethan has spent much of his life in and out of the Freeman Hospital’s Children’s Heart Unit and has already undergone two open heart surgeries. The chairman of Durham County Council, Pauline Charlton, said, “Ethan is a brave young man and I am absolutely delighted he spread his festive cheer with us.”
LUMIERE ARTWORK TO BECOME PERMANANT FEATURE The Durham County Council is currently deciding whether to put the Helvetictoc installation from the Lumiere festival on permanent display as a “timely reminder” of the recent event. The artist Tobie Langel created a “tribute to an iconic typeface and a nation of clock-makers,” an excellent addition to the Millennium Place. Members of the public have been invited to express their views until December 23, while a decision on the application will be made next year.
FIRE BRIGADE CHIEF VISITS DURHAM
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) addressed a mass meeting of Durham firefighters in the National Union of Miners building on Friday. He appealed to the firefighters to support the next phase of the union’s action in the dispute over retirement age and pensions. “It is important to confirm that we have the overwhelming support of our members as we discuss further industrial action,” Wrack said. “Meetings like this inform our national strategy decisions and ensure all our members know exactly what we plan and why.”
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Thursday 5th Devember 2013 | PALATINATE
Vice-Chancellor aims to comDUCK bat excessive student drinking Chair’s Natasha Tierney A recent email sent by the ViceChancellor to the Union and JCR presidents has suggested that colleges should be taking steps to deter students from pre-drinking and going out clubbing in town. Following an informal lunch last month, Professor Higgins outlined some of the key concerns raised at the meal in an email obtained by Palatinate, referring first to student drinking: “The occasional antisocial behaviour of a minority of students, fuelled by alcohol, was of concern to us all. We recognise that compared with many universities it is relatively constrained. Nevertheless, we have a duty to all our students to help them consider their wellbeing and minimise overindulgence.” As a suggestion of steps that could be taken, the Vice-Chancellor proposed that college bar opening times be lengthened, in the hope that this would deter students from going out to clubs and bars in town: “College bars have become very good at managing potential overindulgence. The problems usually arise when students go into town after the College bars close – this also results in disturbance to residents. The JCRs thought that enabling College bars to stay open later, particularly after formals and other events, would encourage students to remain in College rather than walk into town.” Professor Higgins also condemned the prevalence of pre-drinking, suggesting that college bars should be doing all they can to dissuade students from buying cheap alcohol from Tesco and drinking in their rooms:
“There is a significant issue with Tesco, in particular, selling cheap alcohol which students take back to their rooms. Drinking in rooms, rather than socially in College bars, should obviously be discouraged. It may be appropriate for college bars to sell wine and other drinks for consumption before dinner and at other times – I believe some colleges do this. “This would clearly be more expensive than Tesco, but more convenient and might reduce consumption and encourage social drinking rather than too much drinking in rooms.” The Vice-Chancellor’s comments seem to echo those made by Professor David Held, Master of University College, who has been completing a report on student drinking in Durham for the colleges, due to be released early next year. Speaking about the purpose of the review, Professor Held commented: “Of course, drinking is fun and people should live their lives according to their own inner values and preferences. However, private choices become public issues when great risk, social disturbance and disrespect are all too commonplace. At the end of the day that is the driving concern. The report picks up these issues not to spoil everyday fun but to show how fun really must mean fun in a way that takes notice and care of others around.” In response to questions regarding the Vice-Chancellor’s proposal of extended college bar opening hours, he told Palatinate: “I think it’s very important that college heads be given flexibility about the closing time of their bars. The advice from the police and other
key stakeholders in the city is to do what we can to keep our students in the colleges during the evenings.” This term, colleges such as Cuth’s have been forced to send out reminders to students about their behaviour on nights out following complaints from local residents.
“The problems usually arise when students go into town after the college bars close.”
The Vice-Chancellor Nonetheless, many of Durham’s most popular bars and clubs largely survive on student custom and would likely be displeased to hear these proposals. However, commenting on the Vice-Chancellor’s comments, students were divided as to whether they thought that the suggested changes would have an effect on Durham students’ drinking and going out habits. Kate Taylor, a third year at Hatfield, agreed with the idea that longer bar opening hours would deter students from going drinking in town: “People like to socialise with their college friends and college bars are generally the best place for this.” However, Alex Bordessa-Kelly, a third year at Cuth’s, commented: “Even if the bar was open for longer, I think most people would still choose to go out in town. Drinking in college is never going to be the same as a proper night out.”
RESIDENTS APPEAL PLANS FOR STUDENT HOUSING A house that used to belong to a workingmen’s club may still be turned into student housing, after the developer Andrew Canning forced a planning appeal. Durham County Council planning officials refused consent for the house at 63a Crossgate, in Durham City, to be converted into a six-bedroom student property in October. An external planning inspector will decide whether to grant his challenge after considering written cases from both sides, rather than following a public inquiry.
Column Naz Atkinson Hi everyone,
We like big MOs an’ we cannot lie, you MOtherDUCKers can’t deny, when a bro walks in with a curly wurly tash and you’re raising loads of cash, you get ... ...a fuzzy feeling inside for supporting Movember and men’s health! These were the genius words of Adam Moss, our Communications and Publicity Officer, this week, marking the end of a fantastic month of tash growth and drawn-on facial hair. Congratulations to all those of you who made it through – it’s been an awesome month! The big question this week has been whether or not to sign up to Tough Guy for the second year in a row. For those of you who are unaware, Tough Guy is an endurance challenge dubbed on its website as the “world’s most demanding one-day survival ordeal.” It is horrendous. Many complain of the cold, hypothermic conditions, others of the electric shocks in the ‘torture chamber’ and some, of the brain-freezing moment when you are required to dunk your head under the water. I, however, struggled with the mud. 20 minutes in and I was stuck up to my waist having been overly confident in my ability as a ‘tough gal’ to swim through it. At that moment, I thought it was the end of my Tough Guy dream and in all seriousness the end of my life and what a way to go... stuck in the mud. Luckily, I was saved by two Durham guys (and it took two!) who I still to this day herald as my heroes. Saying all that, I’m in for a second try, mainly in an attempt to beat my time of four hours. It is an immense challenge and sign up is open now. Don’t waste your time at Durham – become a Tough Guy!
Sign up is open on the Student’s Union Website. Naz Atkinson, DUCK Chair, dsu.duck-chair@durham.ac.uk
The University is considering changing college bar opening hours
Photograph: Emma Werner
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
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News
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News in brief
Grey leads rise of college charity schemes
NATIONAL NEWS
Gabriel Samuels
HUDDERSFIELD VOTED UNIVERSITY OF THE YEAR
The Times Higher Education awards 2013 named Huddersfield University its University of the Year due to its dedication to teaching excellence, the establishment of a new innovation centre and its commitment to being “a university that is at the heart of its home town.” The win follows last year’s award as Entrepreneurial University of the Year. Recently, Huddersfield spent 3m on the Buckley Innovation Centre and in 2012 they also became the first university where 100 percent of the staff had achieved fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. STUDENTS ACCUSED OF RACISM AFTER BLACKENING THEIR FACES Students from York University have been accused of racism after they painted their faces for a Jamaican bobsleigh-themed social. This comes after reports that law students from Edinburgh University dressed up as Somalian pirates and one student at the University of London won a student union fancy dress competition with his face painted black. Aaron Kiely, the Black Students’ Officer from the NUS said, “It’s deeply worrying, because it fuels racist stereotypes about black people. If you see people who have dressed up to mock you, what kind of environment does that create?”
GOVERNMENT SELLS £900 MILLION WORTH OF STUDENT LOANS The government has announced the sale of over £900m worth of student loans to a private company, mainly affecting students who graduated in the 1990s. This sale will be the largest and should help to reduce net public debt, according to treasurer chief secretary Danny Alexander. The coalition government is reported to want to sell all student loans, totalling over £40bn. Both the Universities Minister, David Willets, and the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, have assured that private companies will not be allowed to increase interest rates. STUDENT PROTESTS IN SUSSEX
Since last Tuesday, students at Sussex University have been occupying the first floor of Bamber House, one of the University’s administration buildings. The space was also occupied last February and is where Chartwells, a company responsible for outsourcing catering services, now operates. The protest is in support of the ongoing fight against the marketization of higher education system, shown by the decision to sell a proption of their student loans book.
A new outreach initiative at Grey College aimed at combating isolation amongst the elderly is the latest in a line of independent charitable programmes to be offered by Durham University colleges. The scheme, organised in conjunction with national charity Contact the Elderly, staged its inaugural monthly event on November 24th with a tea party held in Grey’s Senior Common Room. A group of elderly residents from a local catchment area of ten miles were collected from their homes by student volunteer drivers in the afternoon, before being welcomed by members of the college’s longstanding Grey in the Community scheme. Grey’s outreach group has become only the second Contact the Elderly university initiative in the UK, following the example of a similar scheme at Liverpool Hope University. The launch event at Grey was wellreceived by guests and volunteers alike, with one elderly guest commenting how “nice it was to spend a gorgeous afternoon with such interesting younger people.” The process of initiating the project began in June of this year when Philip Kelvin, the programme’s Group Coordinator, was introduced to Ann Rachlin MBE, another Fellow of Grey and sister of Contact the Elderly founder and chairman Trevor Lyttleton MBE. Following a successful period of liaisons with Mary Robinson, Contact the Elderly’s Executive Officer for the North and Midlands, and Sheila Ryder, Development Officer for the North East, the initiative was ap-
proved by the charity, which currently oversees 6500 volunteers across 550 similar Sunday tea groups nationwide. Contact the Elderly, which cites as its mission ‘‘to encourage elderly people living alone to develop social interests by bringing companionship into their lives,’ has seen over 800 older guests join its ranks in the past 12 months. Philip told Palatinate of plans to expand the project into other Durham colleges in 2014 and their success in securing funding from several of Durham’s local businesses, giving it a sense of “the community helping itself.” He added: “It has been a great journey from when the initial idea was proposed for Grey to be the proud host of the second Contact the Elderly University Project. I look forward to continuing our relationship with the charity and helping it expand and grow in the local area. “Our aims are threefold: to develop relationships between guests and volunteers, between volunteers and the charity, and of course between guests themselves. When we do expand the project, it will allow us to expand our local reach but without damaging the dynamic of a small group which does so much to help form bonds of companionship.” Grey in the Community also holds associations with St. Michael’s Primary School, the Hallgarth Care nursing home, as well as organising three sports days a year for young disabled persons. The scheme’s President, Hannah Langton, said: “We’re really excited about this new partnership with Contact the Elderly as it allows us to share in the community atmosphere
we have in college. “We hope this new partnership will be a longstanding one and aim to involve as many student volunteers and members of the community as possible.” Other Durham colleges that oversee such independent charitable programmes not affiliated with DUCK currently include Van Mildert, Josephine Butler, and University colleges according to Student Community Action (SCA). Van Mildert’s popular Young Person’s Project works closely with Year 10 pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds across County Durham, with the aim of “raising the aspirations and confidence of children with a focus on public speaking, creativity, leadership and teamwork.” The college also oversees the Van Mildert Prison outreach project with weekly block visits to Durham Prison, as well as independent Carer’s
Respite and primary school projects. Josephine Butler College has connections with Grace House Children’s Hospice in Sunderland for which they have raised £20,000 in the past three years. The college also welcomes regular visits from the charity and has organised visits the hospice to observe the progress being made. Siri Minsaas, Josephine Butler’s Vice President and its charities coordinator, said: “It has been really exciting and inspiring to see how the hospice has been built, getting ready to open its doors to children in the North East. “It is lovely for our college to be able to see exactly where we’ve helped. Although there are so many deserving causes that need supporting, it feels very meaningful to contribute to a cause that supports our local community where we can see the benefits of our efforts first hand.”
the Top 50. The site links to Facebook automatically to source its photographs. However, many of those featured on the lists are unaware that they appear on Ratemash at all. It is estimated that 150,000 Facebook profiles have been used without consent. Collingwood finalist Liv Hitchings, who is ranked in the Top 50 at Durham, had no idea about Ratemash until she was notified of her appearance on the site by a friend at University College London. She told Palatinate: “Personally, it freaks me out that they were able to take personal information without having to let me know about it. “As flattering as it is, I don’t like that it exposes me to other people’s opinions about my appearance since it’s all without my consent.” Calum Hughes, a John Snow 3rd year who also appears in the rankings, argued that the information is public anyway. “It’s our own fault for having lax
Facebook privacy settings. Anyone could have found the same information, although the fact they link the Ratemash profiles straight to our Facebook accounts does make it a bit of a stalkers’ paradise.” A Theology student at Trevs identified a difference between Facebook and Ratemash: “People who use your Facebook profile usually know you, but Ratemash is just a random collation of profiles relying on someone’s ability to list you on a website. “It’s just a quicker way for total strangers to look at students, and it directs them to the better-looking people at the University.” The link for “Events” brings up the message that “there are no upcoming events currently” and so Ratemash appears to be wholly geared around the ranking system. Similarly, there is little evidence of prizes or awards given to those included in the Top 50, despite the site’s promises. Hitchings continued: “I don’t know
what the site’s function is... its claims to offer club nights are a justification for what they are doing, because rating people for the sake of it would cause uproar.” Ratemash’s owner, Michael Healy, has said that people are invited onto the site by their friends, and are welcome to remove themselves at any time. He has compared it to Tinder for universities, but with an extra ‘fun’ dynamic added by the concept of the leader board. However, one of Durham’s College Welfare Officers has expressed concern about the effect this may have on students’ self-esteem. She told Palatinate that “to be outside this top 50 can also have negative consequences on individuals, especially if they are already suffering from insecurities about their looks. “The website is entirely based on individual opinions of an image, and is irrelevant to how the person in question is in real life.”
Grey’snew outreach group
Photograph: Contact the Elderly
Privacy concerns over new website Ratemash Jordan Harries
The new website Ratemash.com is causing concern over its unauthorised use of Facebook profiles to compile lists of the ‘Top 50 hottest’ students at UK universities. Ratemash claims to manage students’ nightlife by providing ‘simple, easy, seamless’ access to club events and local parties. However, the site appears to have the sole function of allowing its users to rate students based on their looks. The site compiles two lists of the 50 most attractive males and females for 116 universities. Anyone can access the university groups and their corresponding lists, but the site does require users to sign in using their Facebook profiles in order to participate in rating the students. It also claims to award ‘modelling contracts, access to top nightclubs, spa vouchers and cash’ to those in
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News News in brief NATIONAL NEWS
GREATER NEED FOR LANGAUGE PROVISION BY UNIVERSITIES A report by the British Academy has claimed that the lack of language provision offered by UK universities – and therefore the language capacity in the UK – “affects the government’s ability to maintain diplomatic relations and deliver national security and defence.” It claims that higher university fees minimise student demand for niche languages such as Turkish and Farsi, which forces institutions to stop teaching those subjects. The report recommends a cross-government strategy that ensures that universities maintain some capacity to teach threatened languages.
GOVERNMENT STOPS PRIVATE COLLEGES TAKING ON MORE STUDENTS A shock government decision to stop colleges from recruiting more students this academic year has thrown many private colleges into chaos. The act, which affects half of higher education colleges offering diplomas and certificates in business, finance, hospitality management and IT has halted 200 courses from being taught to new students this academic year. Sally Hunt, general secretary for the Universities and Colleges Union, said that her union had “specifically warned” ministers about this and that the department had got its sums “so spectacularly wrong.” UNIVERSITY CLEANERS STRIKE
Outsourced cleaners at the University of London will continue to strike despite being offered improved terms and conditions. Cleaning operator Balfour Beatty Workplace announced it will enhance sick pay entitlement, increase holiday pay, and offer access to its company pension scheme, but workers are hoping to force better terms by extending the strike. Cleaners created a picket line outside the University’s Senate House, with some demonstrators attempting to stop deliveries to the buildings’ three main entrances. UK UNIVERSITY ESTATES MAKE £27 BILLION INCOME
University property yields £1,600 per square metre, according to an estate directors’ report. The 201112 total income from UK university estates, including student accomodation and tuition fees, was £27bn, according to the report. The findings from Association of University Directors of Estate (AUDE) demonstrates the importance to the UK economy, with a combined university estate of 2.3 million students.
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Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
Medieval remains found under Palace Green Freya Bromley Durham University archaeologists have found the remains of eighteen human bodies at a dig on the City’s World Heritage Site, providing clear evidence of a centuries-old mass grave. The remains, which are believed to date back to medieval times, have halted a multimillion pound revamp of The Palace Green Library. The evidence of human remains were found earlier in November during building work at the University’s Palace Green Library. The initial discovery was of four human skulls, together with other human remains, suspected to be from medieval times. A team of archaeologists and contractors made the discovery while carrying out work for phase two of the development of the Library. The number of bodies unearthed has since increased from four to eighteen. Richard Annis, senior archae-
ologist with Archaeological Services Durham University, said: “We have found clear evidence of a mass burial and not a normal group of graves. “One of the densest areas of the excavation was further north, which is further away from the edge of the presumed graveyard. The bodies have been tipped into the earth without elaborate ceremony and they are tightly packed together and jumbled.” Experts first thought they had uncovered remains of Durham Cathedral’s medieval cemetery, whose boundaries may have extended further than the present day burial site. However, further investigation has revealed an unorthodox and intriguing layout to the bodies which archaeologists say is proof of a mass burial. Further evidence of this is that “some are buried in a North to South alignment, rather than the traditional East to West alignment that we would expect from a conventional medieval burial site.” The same Durham University
team will carry out further research into the remains, which will include dating the bones and looking for clues as to their origin. This work is expected to begin in the new year. Mr Annis added that no definitive interpretation could be offered at this stage in the investigation: “The process of post-excavation processing, examination and analysis is essential to allow us to draw proper conclusions about this group of human remains.” Durham University is spending £22m on major improvements to its library services. This includes a £10m investment in the Palace Green library, establishing world-class exhibition facilities. The development work has now been halted to obtain the necessary legal permission from the Ministry of Justice to carry out an archaeological excavation. Once approved by the Government, archaeologists intend to investigate the area further before taking the bones away for further examination and then, by law, they must be reinterred at an approved burial
ground. The final phase of the building work, which began last month, is expected to be complete by April. Historic Durham is known primarily for its 11th century castle and Norman Cathedral, which together are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dominate the city’s skyline. This makes Durham University the only university that owns, lives and works in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mr Annis commented to Palatinate: “The history of this whole area is fascinating as it was once enclosed in the original Durham Castle walls, which stretched around the whole top of the Durham City peninsula.”
that it was launching an official investigation into the event and condemned the student’s costume, saying: “What he was wearing was offensive. It is blacking up. There is no defence for blacking up.” Aaron Kiely, the Black Students Officer at the National Union of Students, responded to the news coverage, saying that “I’ve noticed that it’s happening more now. It’s deeply worrying because it fuels racial stereotypes about black people.” He continued, “If you’re a black student walking around campus and you see people who have dressed up to mock you, what kind of environment does that make for people who want to learn?” Amy-Jo Fletcher, a first year Law student at Durham, criticised the decision of students to ‘black up,’ saying that “It’s absolutely shocking. Fancy dress should be about the fun of dressing up and wearing something silly, not causing serious offence.” A first year English Literature student, Cat Crooke, shared this view, arguing, “This is cultural appropriation at its finest; you can’t put someone else’s culture on for a night.” In contrast, Matt Clarke, a first year Geography student, struggled to see the cause for concern, arguing that “these social nights are just a bit of fun, people should be able to dress in what they like.” Recent news coverage has also exposed the targeting of other sensitive issues through students’ fancy dress, with two Chester University students being named and shamed in the Daily Mail for winning a £150 prize in return for attending a Halloween event dressed as the Twin Towers being hit by planes.
Similarly, back in 2012 Palatinate reported on a Cuth’s Rugby social that saw students dress up as Jimmy Saville, his victims and the police, with the club’s most recent social, held on 17th October 2013, attracting equally bad press. One member of St. Mary’s College Rugby Club told Palatinate how their plan to hold a “Chilean miner” themed social designed to mimic the Chilean mining disaster of 2010 on Wednesday 27th November was cancelled at short notice. The member, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that students intended to gather in the darkened cellar of a rented house in Durham with browned faces and black moustaches. Sofia Hewson, a student at Durham University, raised concerns about the growing influence of ‘lad culture’ on student social nights and fancy dress, arguing that “in lad culture, racism and sexism can thrive.
Students are in a bubble at university so some think they can do what they want.” In response to the national outcry from newspapers and student figureheads, officers at Birmingham University’s Students’ Union have recently attempted to monitor student social nights and fancy dress by introducing a blanket ban on any costumes deemed to be racist from campus venues. When asked how Durham students union could tackle the issue, James Sellens, a first year Law student, said that “the DSU needs to raise awareness of the offence that can be caused by student social nights and fancy dress.” However, Peter Mathews, a first year Languages student, called for limited union involvement, saying that “there are bigger and much more important problems that the union could be dealing with.”
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National outrage at students’ fancy dress
James Poole
University students from across the UK have this month sparked outrage from national newspapers for “inappropriate” fancy dress costumes. Students from the universities of York, Edinburgh and London made headlines in the national media after costumes involved party-goers ‘blacking up’ to imitate racial stereotypes. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that a group of male students from the University of York dressed as characters from the film Cool Runnings, in which a group of Jamaicans compete in the winter olympics, by wearing black morph suits, dreadlock wigs and black paint. At a similar time, students from the Law Society at Edinburgh University were revealed in the Huffington Post to have painted their hands and faces brown to attend an around-theworld-themed party as Somalian Pirates. The online newspaper also reported that a ‘Bad Taste’ party held earlier this year saw members of the rugby team at the University of East Anglia dress up as Joseph Kony and KKK extremists. In another controversial case, the Evening Standard exposed how the University of London’s Union (ULU) hosted a fancy dress competition that was won by a male student wearing red devil horns with a blacked-up face. The ULU, a union responsible for representing over 170,000 students in one of the most ethnically-diverse cities in the world, later announced
Students in fancy dress
Photograph: Nicola Todhunter
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
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News in brief
Support for students with physical disabilities lacking
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
continued from front page “Of course, the University cannot pretend that Durham is wonderfully accessible, because ultimately, it’s not the ideal place for wheelchair users. “Lots of people like me are, however, probably put off applying before they even get there, and the University needs to do more to get people visiting and seeing for themselves whether they could live here.” Speaking about the University’s policy for students with disabilities, Hilary Osborne, Director of Disability Support at Durham University, stated: “Durham University encourages applications from students from all backgrounds and irrespective of any disability. “Disabled applicants receive support from University disability advisers throughout the application process, from open days to acceptance, and support continues when students arrive in Durham. “This helps us to understand the reasonable adjustments we need to make to places where they live and study, which may include alterations to buildings.” Information about applying to the University and the services of the Durham University Service for Students with Disabilities (DUSSD) is available online on the University website. Prospective students are encouraged to contact DUSSD for more information on admissions and any queries they might have. Jamie, however, criticised the University for failing to sell Durham to people with mobility issues and give clear, visual information about accessibility within the University. The website gives a broken link to the Durham Access Guide, and fails to provide a full breakdown of wheelchair accessible locations within the University. He added: “There just seems to be a lack of information and no attempt to really engage with prospective applicants with physical disabilities. “The University should have a clear mission on how they want to diversify and encourage applications from all backgrounds, including those with mobility restrictions.” The consequence of so few applications also translates to a lack of diversity within the University. Around 9.5% of current full-time undergraduates declare themselves as having a disability, with the largest group being learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dyspraxia, which account for around half the figure. Charlotte, a Mathematics finalist with dyslexia, praised the University’s support for students with dyslexia, noting: “We get regular emails with opportunities available to improve study skills and the staff at the Palatine Centre are very helpful.” Just 0.49% of full time undergraduates are listed as having a physical
CHINESE STUDENTS MUST PASS POLITICAL TEST TO GRADUATE Officials in China have reported that students cannot graduate unless they are “politically qualified”. The test will only affect ethnic minority students - the restive northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region - who will also have to declare their allegiance to the Chinese state in order to graduate. Lecturers also face a screening process which could see them being demoted. Xu Yuanzhi, Communist Party secretary at Kashi Normal University, added that “those students who don’t pass politics, however good they are in their specialist subject, should not be allowed to graduate.” SWEDISH FOREIGN GRADUATES FORCED OUT AFTER GRADUATING
A move by the Swedish government that forces foreign students to leave the country ten days after receiving their diplomas has received strong condemnation. A member of the European Parliament, Cecilia Wikström, said the harsh regulation was counterproductive to Swedish interests. She said, “We are awarding these students a first-class education, but when their education is completed, Sweden will have no benefit from these well-educated people.” PARIS VOTED AS BEST STUDENT CITY London has lost out to Paris in the QS Best Student Cities Index for the second time. While London’s universities perform strongly on the table, factors such as high living costs and tuition fees count against the city. Paris’ graduates are also in high demand internationally, but the French capital boasts lower tuition costs and has been voted as having a higher quality of life. However, at number two, London was ranked higher than any American city and beat Singapore, Sydney, and Zurich. The top American city was Boston at number eight. British universities are said to aid education reform and help build “a happier human society.”
TYPHOON HIT UNIVERSITIES TO RE-OPEN IN JANUARY Higher education institutions in most parts of the typhoon-hit Visayas region of the Philippines, which are currently closed, are set to reopen in January. The typhoon, which has become known as Yolanda, hit on 8 November and was one of the strongest ever recorded, killing and displacing thousands of people.
Hatfield Welfare Officer Jamie Green in his adapted college bedroom or mobility impairment, a statistic Jamie finds far from surprising, who adds that he has only ever seen two other Durham students in wheelchairs. His concerns echo the findings of report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s Trailblazers group, entitled University Challenge, The study found that only half of the one hundred universities examined had made all their teaching rooms, study rooms, and libraries fully accessible for students with mobility difficulties.
“There needs to be a cleaer distinction between the roles of the College and the University” Jamie Green
Moreover, it reported that some institutions are also failing to signpost crucial information such as details about accessible university accommodation or how wheel-chair users could navigate campuses. Jamie too voiced his frustration at the University’s failure to consider the needs of its disabled students, remarking that one lift in Elvet Riverside has been broken for over a year,
and that the other is unfit for purpose and cannot fit his wheelchair. “I can’t speak for students with other disabilities, but sometimes decisions just seem so ill thought out for wheelchair users. When Elvet Riverside flooded, I was put into a class in Josephine Butler instead of one that was right in my college.” He argues that contact and communication needs to be improved, and hopes that DUSSD will make better use of the Students with Disabilities Open Forum in order to be more receptive to its users’ needs. “My main support in general has come through Hatfield who have gone above and beyond to make things as easy as possible for me, and have helped me have an incredible experience. “There needs to be a clearer distinction between the roles of the College and University respectively.” A number of initiatives to widen the range of opportunities available for students with mobility impairments are currently developing. Carol Walker, Facility Manager at Experience Durham, outlined some of the opportunities and success in sport, commenting: “This year we have introduced Wheelchair Basketball in conjunction with the governing body. “We have been engaged with wheelchair fencing for a number of years, the perfect example being
Photograph: Emma Wind Gemma Collis, who came to us as a wheelchair basketballer then starting fencing and went on to represent GB in the Paralympics” Students, too, have taken the initiative to help bring support to students with disabilities. Durham University Students with Disabilities association (SWDa), under the leadership of President Steven Williams, will launch a campaign next term to tackle invisible disabilities and the misconceptions surrounding them, and offer any support that these students may need. Williams commented: “We aim to create a regular and supportive community where both students with disabilities and students who are supportive of the student with disability community may meet for both social opportunities and to discuss any problems that students with disabilities may face. “We would like to make Durham University more disability friendly and for SWDa to reach a large scale similar to that of other associations.” Jamie added: “Durham has so much to offer. I didn’t want to feel defined by my disability, so I ran for an executive position and have had the time of my life. “More developments need to be made so other students with physical disabilities can have the same amazing opportunities as me at the University.”
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Durham University respond
A recent inquiry launched finds the student body at odds on th Justin Villamil Student drinking numbers have risen alarmingly in the past few years, and Durham University has slowly begun to react against the mounting statistics. However, it is worth noting that Durham’s “drinking problem” is one ingrained in the culture of university life. All five students quoted in this article, for example, asked not to be named for fear of social backlash. The Durham Story
“Alcohol isn’t bad per se, I mean, it’s like anything, isn’t it?” said a student who wished to remain anonymous in an interview wiht Palatinate. “It just gets hard to understand after a while, and you don’t always notice. You’ve got this feeling of euphoria, and it comes to a point where you almost can’t have fun without it.”
51%
The percentage increase of alcohol intake since 2002/03
Drinking, the student told me, has become detached from what it means to be at university. According to the student, drinking is no longer about enjoyment but has become drinking for its own sake. “Here, people just drink until they can’t,” the student said. “They don’t drink to enjoy drinking, they just drink to get drunk.” To understand the effects of alcohol on the Durham student population, I sat down with Professor David Held, Master of University College. Held is currently spearheading an inquiry into alcohol use and abuse at Durham on behalf of Professor Graham Towl, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden. Held told me that the inquiry is still underway, but he confidently predicts that it will be published at least by early next year. However, sitting informally in a bright office beneath the castle’s main gate, Held agreed to talk about some of the work thus far. “I am engaged with a great many people from the police, NHS, students of course, counseling services, a whole range of stakeholders,” he told Palatinate. “The first premise of the inquiry is just to listen to the multitude of stakeholders to find out what the issues are. Second, then, is really to
think about it, and third is to make some tentative recommendations.” Held told Palatinate that generally, he wouldn’t agree with the University passing judgment. “For me, when it comes to thinking about people’s private lives and the pursuit of their pleasures I am, broadly-speaking, a libertarian,” he said. “That is to say, it’s entirely up to the diversity of people here to pursue their private lives in all manner of ways, and what works in the households of some doesn’t work in the households of others.” However, he argues, there are some areas where private lives spill over into the public realm, and it is here that Held lays out three problems that warrant University intervention. First, is when students put themselves at undue risk. This is something that several students Palatinate spoke with think is a very real concern. “You hear horrible stories about nights out,” one student who, for the sake of her social life wished to remain anonymous. “Particularly with girls, it’s so easy to be taken advantage of while you’re in that state. I don’t udnerstand who would want to do that to themselves.” This student’s theory is that many people depend on alcohol for a good night out to such a degree that they don’t always notice how far gone they are until it is too late. From separate sources, I was regaled by stories of students breaking bones on the steps of Klute and only noticing the next morning.
“People know the risks” Anonymous Student
For some, however, such reports are wildly exaggerated. “People know the risks,” said an anonymous University College second-year. “People I’ve seen in Durham never go too far in a way that I think they’ve gone far too far. They’re almost always with friends, and Durham is quite safe.” “It’s not that alcohol isn’t a danger,” the student continued. “It’s just that most people, I think, know their limits on a night out.” The second area Held indicated was that of poor social behavior generally. “[Alcohol] is of concern when it brings with it socially bad and abusive behavior. I have to say, that is much more common than it should be.”
Drinking is on the rise, according to data from the NHS Photograph: Emma Werner For some, this abusive behavior is not overt or intentional, but rather an outgrowth of a culture dominated by drinking. A non-drinking student who wished to remain anonymous, also for social reasons, told Palatinate: “The problem we currently face is one of a lack of positive freedom, which drinkers seem to have much more of. While college bars have an extensive range of alcoholic drinks for us to choose from, do they have hot chocolate, tea or coffee to cater for others?” “Then there is problem of Freshers’ Week,” the student went on. “Despite my college’s attempt to make it more friendly to those who do not drink, nearly all nights were still centred around alcohol.” Thirdly, Held told Palatinate, alcohol is a cause for concern when it disrupts people living their lives in Durham City. “Take the incident on the Cathedral roof a couple weeks ago,” Held said. “If these had been young lads from the town, I suspect the roof would have come down on their heads so to speak. But because they’re university students there’s a line of protection that protects them slightly from the full consequences.” “But we see this everywhere,” Held continued. “And there is a relationship with the town that we have to take care of. We are embedded in the town, yet for many householders in Durham, we the student body create frequent disturbances through the night
until three or four in the morning – drunkenness, chanting at all hours.” To anyone passing by the centre of Durham after 11pm, this fact is fairly obvious, but for Held, it contributes to a wider problem. “Some people have to get up at 6:30 or 7am and they want to sleep” Held said. Students interviewed were reluctant to contest this point. “You can’t deny that people are raucous, that’s a fact,” one anonymous student said. “But it’s restricted to the Bailey, which is generally mostly students. And that’s just part of student life,”
“The truth is that the feeling nondrinkers get when being in these environments full of alcohol with drunk people around can be awkward and miserable” Anonymous Student The Wider Problem But the problem of alcohol consumption extends far beyond Durham’s colleges. According to official NHS sta-
tistics, nationally, we saw a 4% increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions just last year. Specifically, the number has gone from an already-staggering 1,168,300 in 2011/12 to 1,220,300 in 2012/13. The NHS data goes on to mention that the number last year is more than twice the number in 2002/03. However, the NHS admits that there are more conservative estimates for the numbers based on differing recording practices. Even accounting for this discrepancy, however, the numbers still show at least a 1% increase from last year and a 51% increase from 2002/03. A Government report issued this year further notes that three times as many people die annually from alcohol-related conditions than die from road accidents. The Government report went on to claim that about £21 billion is lost every year in healthcare, crime, and productivity costs. Further, as compared to other countries, the UK does not fare well. Between the years of 1980 and 2009, the countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) experienced a decline in alcohol consumption of about 9%. The UK, on the other hand, actually increased consumption, also by about 9%, according to NHS statistics. The problem is particularly acute in the North East.
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
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ds to rising student drinking
he alcohol debate amid rising Durham and UK drinking rates The same NHS report notes that in 2011/12, the last time data was made available, 22,900 incidents were deemed “wholly attributable” to alcohol use by the NHS. As a proportion, this number is about 879 incidents per 100,000 people in the population. This 879 in the North East (769 in County Durham) can be compared to the overall average for England which is only around 578.
“When it comes to people’s private lives and the pursuit of their pleasures I am, broadly speaking, a libertarian” David Held
Durham Solutions However, for Durham itself, several options are being put on the table. As reported earlier in this issue of Palatinate, in an effort to reduce harm to students and disruption to the surrounding area, some colleges have considered extending college bar hours to keep students in house for longer. In his solutions, Held doesn’t specifically mention this. As his inquiry is still in its first-draft stages, he tells me, he would rather not be specific. However, he underlines three goals. The first is focused on student vulnerability. “When you are drunk, your calculation for risk is not great,” Held told Palatinate. “First, you put yourself at risk of sexual relations you don’t want. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that people get into trouble in that area. “Secondly, you could put yourself at risk physically – you could go home on your own, or get involved in fights in the city.”
Held says that though this isn’t the biggest area for concern, it does affect people profoundly. Specifically, Held says that there are many precautions that we could be taking on this front that are set up to protect students in vulnerable positions. “For example, why isn’t there fencing down by the river at crucial places where students come out of pubs or clubs?”
£200
The amount per year the government would charge international students for use of the NHS
He stresses that the focus for this is on finding areas of vulnerability and then putting up safeguards. The second issue highlighted is that of education, which Held sees as a more cultural problem. A Durham international student who wished to remain anonymous admitted to Palatinate: “Being from a culture where people do not usually drink, life here can sometimes be relatively to extremely uncomfortable.” “The attitude towards alcohol here can get a bit excessive at times. University life can become too centred around it,” the student said. The student specifically men-
tioned the fact that Durham societies tend to base their socials solely around nights out and alcohol use. “The truth is that the feeling nondrinkers get when being in an environment full of alcohol, with drunk people around, can be awkward and miserable. A number of socials are bar crawls which end up at Klute,” the student told Palatinate. The student noted that there are indeed some societies that run socials without drinking. However, these are very limited. “I am sure most people would not enjoy going there sober. It can clearly be seen here that people who do not drink are clearly marginalised by most societies, unintentionally, because of the assumption that everyone enjoys socialising while drinking alcohol.” “Educational issues relating to how to shift the very heavy drinking culture in the UK, which is reflected at Durham University, [might lead] towards a more responsible drinking culture,” Held said. He continued, “How can we make sure, for example, that Freshers’ Week engages students in a variety of ways in which departments are involved so that there isn’t so much emphasis on drinking? There should always be alternatives.” However, some would say that the university has a long way to go to solve this problem. “It would be wrong and misguided to say that the colleges and university have not supported non-
alcohol consuming students in any way,” said one student. “After all, they do provide us with water, fruit juices and soft drinks. However, that is clearly an indirect support without the day-to-day problems of non-drinkers in mind, since everyone wants to drink these things.” “Similarly, activities which are not centred about alcohol are present, such as sports and a number of societies,” the student continued. “However, we cannot get ourselves fully engaged without going to the bars or clubs where socials take place.” Held’s strategy to deal with these problems is, as yet, unclear.
“For many householders in Durham, we the student body create frequent disturbances throughout the night until three or four in the morning” David Held
The third area is one of regulation and penalties for bad behavior. “I think we have to have lines in the sand and we have to think about a consistency of regulation across all the colleges.” “This would be so that students who drink a lot and behave very badly, either towards other students, towards staff or towards the town are brought to some form of accountability,” Held told Palatinate. The international student quoted above agreed with Held’s inquiry aims. “One positive move which can be taken right now by the University and colleges would be to set up a consultation with students,” the student said. “A body representing our [nondrinking students’] interests and welfare should also be set up. At least this body would be able to help us to get to know others who do not drink and organise activities which we would enjoy more of.”
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The Government has therefore issued a number of aims, some targeted specifically at students. In an open letter, the Royal College of Physicians wrote to support several of these outlined methods. This includes a minimum unit price on alcohol, and making public health part of licensing considerations for alcohol-selling establishments. The Royal College of Physicians wrote: “Minimum unit pricing is an ef-
fective and proportionate approach that will have the greatest impact on younger and heavier drinkers.” “Evidence shows that it is the cheapest alcohol that is causing high levels of harm – in the UK on average, harmful drinkers buy 15 times more alcohol than moderate drinkers, yet pay 40% less per unit,” the report stated.
Overall consumption of alcohol has gone up since 1992 Graph: Justin Villamil, data: NHS
P
Go to Palatinate Online and have your say
10
Careers
www.palatinate.org.uk
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
Student Enterprise and how to stay afloat in the world of business Liubov Frolova Student enterprise appears to be a hot topic as of late, with the subject featuring extensively in the press and media, including television shows such as the Apprentice and Dragons’ Den. No wonder that a survey by Enterprise UK revealed that over half of the British teenagers would like to run their own company. With James Moseley from Oxford University running his own consultancy company, Angelica Malin from Bristol founding The Spoon Fools, an über-successful cake bakery, and Tom Carson and Chris Rea from Exeter winning a £75,000 investment into their onesie-selling start-up from Dragons’ Den tycoon Duncan Bannatyne, it seems like everyone is doing business. Durham, of course, is no exception. All those food-obsessed sugar-craving Durhamites should know that one of our fellow students, Casey Lam, has started a company called Top Hat Teacakes,
which makes decadent chocolate treats. The company has been a huge success, and Casey’s cute teacakes in girly boxes are now in supermarkets across the NorthEast. If you feel inspired but don’t know where to start, you might want to seek support from your university. Durham, despite its size, has plenty to offer for those enterprising individuals.
“Most students spend a lot of time procrastinating, which is often when the best business ideas develop” Xylona Lam
Entrepreneurs Durham Society puts on networking events and workshops to teach students the basic skills they need to survive in the same sea with the ruthless
business sharks. “For example, we recently held a Unilever marketing event, where the speaker, who graduated from Durham, gave us step-by-step tips on how they bridged the gap between university and the world of business,” says Jade Felber, the Brand Manager of the society. For all those seeking a business challenge, Durham annually hosts a number of competitions. Casey Lam herself was the winner of the Blueprint Enterprise Challenge only last year. If you want to make money and to make the world a better place, you can take part in the £10 Business Challenge. Your team would have to implement a business project using only a start-up capital of £10. 40% of the profits are donated to DUCK and you get to keep the rest. “The challenge made me understand what it meant to make a quick start up,” says Xylona Lam, the Events & Marketing Officer of Entrepreneurs Durham, who took part in the Challenge with her business of selling second-hand textbooks. Durham Dragons’ Den is an-
other competition with tremendous impact on the university’s business scene. “Lindsey Gleason, who won last year’s Dragons’ Den competition, has gone on to set up her website for students wishing to study abroad at universities where they can also pursue their sporting ambitions. Jonny Miller and Dorothy Sanders, who won Dragons’ Den in 2011, landed a large international prize involving living and setting up their business in Chile,” boasts Professor Ian Stone, the founder of the competition. These stories may make you wonder how the students manage to juggle their studies, social life, and a business at the same time. “It was really quite tough within the five days of the challenge. I can imagine not doing any school work if I was actually occupied with a full on entrepreneur business,” says Xylona. “You can probably still find the time though. It all depends on what degree you are doing”, she adds. Jade Felber comments that “most students spend a lot of time procrastinating, which is often when the best
business ideas develop.” Despite these arguments, venturing out on your own is tough. “What I would encourage people to do is go and work for someone first. Make your mistakes and lose their money. Gain new skills, pick up your self-confidence and networks so that when you set up your venture, you have the correct amount of resources,” says Professor Paul Westhead, Director for the Centre of Entrepreneurship at Durham. However, with the current job market, finding employment can actually turn out to be harder than starting a company. David Cameron’s robust statement that “Britain is entering the age of entrepreneur” might simply be a glamorous way of saying “there are no jobs.” So, just in case you fail to get on that graduate banking scheme, you might want to consider opening your own business while you are at university.
ideas and inspiration, and always ask questions. From day one, Diffusion gave me the responsibility to make a real impact in the PR world and the independence to pursue my own ideas. The last three months couldn’t have been more rewarding, the grad scheme’s mentor-led hands-on structure has allowed me to progress quickly and I’ve already begun to build an invaluable set of contacts in the industry. After three months at Diffusion, I’ve already pitched to national
journalists, secured coverage for my clients in big name publications, brainstormed for pitches and campaigns, organised briefings, attended industry networking events, monitored and analysed the social media presence of high profile clients, written press releases, scripted, storyboarded and shot a YouTube viral video, blogged, tweeted, and enjoyed a spot of knitting on the way. Graduates seeking creative jobs should not have to go unpaid or spend months making tea. If you’ve
made the most of your time at Durham, there’s no reason why you won’t be able to find a path that allows you to pursue your creativity. You might have to look further afield than the careers centre, but when you find the opportunity that’s right, you can give your career the launch it deserves.
Following a creative path: securing a career in the Communications Industry Lucy Smith
Graduates who aren’t ‘Big Four’ inclined shouldn’t have to settle for a year of unpaid work and making tea. Recent graduate Lucy Smith tells Palatinate about her graduate job as Associate Campaign Executive at integrated communications agency, Diffusion. It’s bizarre to think that this time last year Klute had been shunted off the agenda and, surrounded by dog-eared copies of PRWeek, Campaign and The Drum, I was wracking my brains over my social media profile, the future of reality TV, and campaigns so sticky they’d glue the nation to their multiple screens in my quest to secure a job in the communications industry. My visit to the careers advisor had disappointed (yes, I want to be in London; no, I don’t want to work in finance or consultancy), but after months of independent research and applications, I found Diffusion. Located in the heart of the capital, Diffusion is an integrated communications agency working with both big brands and vibrant start-ups and which also happens to have a sterling grad scheme. Within a month of sending off my application, I’d secured a place on the assessment day. The prospect of a room full of thirty of some of the UK’s brightest and most ambitious grads seemed daunting, but chatting to other applicants in the boat just confirmed that communications was the onthe-pulse, creative industry I need-
ed to be part of. The assessment day is an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and people skills, so make the most of it; read the morning’s paper, dress smart, talk to everyone, stick to a clear strategy, ask questions, listen to others’ ideas, have ideas, compile ideas, and bring Lucozade. By the end of day, you will be exhausted, but if you don’t leave the process buzzing, the job’s not right for you. After a few nerve-wracking days back in Durham, my inbox announced that I’d secured a final round interview and I found myself once again buried in a heap of tornout pages and post-its. If you get to the final round of interviews, you know you’ve got the moves, but are you right for the role? If you haven’t already, make sure you’ve read up on the company, follow its employees on Twitter, see what they’re up to on LinkedIn, check out their blog and, most importantly, work out in painstaking detail why you’re the one for the job. When all that’s between you and the MD (and possibly a couple of heads of practice) is a rather large glass-topped desk, don’t be overwhelmed. The interview should feel like a conversation rather than an interrogation. Be memorable, but not for your ‘super edgy’ florescent pink plaid trousers; tell your interviewers about all the amazing opportunities you’ve taken by the horns at Durham, personal projects you’ve taken initiative on, times you’ve stumbled and got back up again, talk intelligently about your
Lucy Smith of Diffusion talks to Palatinate
Diffusion’s graduate scheme opens at the end of November: Deadline: Late January Assessment centre: Late February Final Round Interviews: March
Photograph: Diffusion
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
11 www.palatinate.org.uk
Business & Economics
The economics of Durham’s housing culture Jisoo Kim explores the student media debate over early contracts
throughout the campaign. Nonetheless, it is hard to find an example of what landlords and estate agents tell us: that the “good ones go early” and “you won’t be able to find anywhere if you leave it too long.” In the end, however, the housing market in Durham remains largely at the whim of free market agencies over which we have little control. All students can do is navigate it the best we can.
Jisoo Kim
“Take Your Time to Sign.” With this slogan, Durham Students’ Union has been campaigning to encourage students to take their time to sign a contract for private accommodation. The University Counselling Service and DSU made an observation that 81% of students, who sought support and advice for their welfare in private accommodation, had signed their housing contracts as early as November. A Palatinate Comment article, ‘Don’t sign a deal with the devil this year,’ followed up whilst the Durham Tab released an article with counter-arguments titled ‘Don’t ‘Take Your Time to Sign.’ According to the DSU website, landlords and letting agents put pressure on students “by telling you that the ‘good ones go early’ and ‘you won’t be able to find anywhere if you leave it too long.’” It is true that some estate agents try letting their properties as soon as possible to either satisfy their landlords’ demands, or to have their staff back to their normal roles, since many of them are pulled as extra staff from other departments – such as sales – in this period of time. Displaying excessive numbers of ‘To Let’ boards too early throughout Durham can be seen as a pressure on students. In fact, according to the Durham Council’s To Let board policy, boards can be only displayed between 1st November and 31st January, and it is banned to have two boards in a street from a single agent. From looking around, it is clear that this is not the case. Under their campaign. the DSU says that early-lease signing culture comes from a students’ myth that there is not enough accommodation available for students. It also says that good-quality student houses are available throughout the year and often they are released after Christmas. Sean Lawless, a Durham graduate who now works in Bill Free Homes, commented that normally 50% of their properties are still available in January. Yet 95% of the properties are let by the end of January. Properties in the more desirable locations within 20 minutes walking distance to the Science Site will be all let by the end of
Tenancy advice from letting agents
.ofCheck the accreditation the property and land-
lord (Remember there is now no such thing as being DSU-accredited anymore). Looking for a company being UNIPOLaccredited is perhaps the best mark to look for.
Unfortunately, Durham’s housing market remains largely at the whim of free-market agencies Photograph: Arthur Dimsdale January. He further commented that letting agents do not intentionally release any properties after Christmas or run a staggered release.
Availability of Bill Free Homes in January
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50% of their properties are still available in January.
.tiesYetare95%letofbythetheproperend of January.
As far as he knows, few private landlords leave their properties off the Student Pad website until after the Easter holiday, as they wish to let to Postgraduates. The great news is that Bill Free Homes shared its statistics that 91% of its properties so far this term have been let by nonfirst year students. This means that most of those properties are let by second and third-year students who know their friendship groups better and know where they would like
to live. Sean said Freshers who enquire into house viewing these days tend to be in larger groups trying to get an idea of the market, but perhaps not ready to sign contracts. As the DSU says, it is a clear myth that not enough houses are available for every student. Yet it is rather problematic to think that students rush to hunt their houses just because they are scared of finding literally nowhere to live. They look for houses as early as November, as they wish to live in their dream houses, which are spacious with cheap rents, included bills and good quality in a perfect location. Yet on this matter, the Students’ Union is right to say don’t bet on the possibility that your new, unfamiliar housemates might turn out to be compatible, when you are dealing with a legally binding contract. Sean told Palatinate: “The most important message is getting a solid group whom you are happy to live with for the next year. I don’t think that it’s too early to look now, so long as you are happy with your group,” In other word, if you are quite
sure that you will have a great year with those potential housemates, do not hesitate to look for houses even as early as November. Delaying house-hunting just because you feel you should wait under the influence of this campaign, may raise the possibility that one of your friends in your group may become anxious and sign a contract with other friends.
“The most important message is, getting a solid group whom you are happy to live with for the next year” Sean Lawless, Bill Free Homes
If the culture of early-lease signing is seen as a rush by the University it should be fixed
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Try to arrange accompanied viewings instead of knocking on doors. This gives you a chance to see what service the landlord is willing to offer you and you can see if you actually like the landlord as well as ask them questions.
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Check the floor plans on the websites. How big are the rooms?
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The gas safety certificate should be displayed in the property.
.atAsk the current tenants the property if they
like the house and how the service has been from the landlord during the tenancy.
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Ask the landlord what their repairs policy is. How do they deal with an out of hours emergency?
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Ask if there are any signing fees or admin fees.
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Ask which tenancy deposit scheme your deposit will be held in.
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Politics
www.palatinate.org.uk
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
@PalatinatePol
The demise of compassionate conservatism?
Jack Kellam
Last week’s revelations that the Conservative Party have attempted to clear the internet of all their speeches and press releases pre-dating the last general election finally makes obvious what has long been suspected: compassionate, ‘Call Me Dave’ conservatism is dead in the water. This concerted effort to cut ties with the ‘detoxified’ brand image clarifies the tactics the Tories will be making use of from now until 2015. ‘Cameronite’ centrist, green, socially-caring conservatism will give way to the same old ‘nasty party’ that believes the public sector to be ‘wasteful’, scaremongers about immigrants and the EU, and demonises anyone who claims benefits. Prior to May 2010, various senior Tory figures including the (one-time) Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and current Prime Minister promised an end to “top-down re-structures... of the NHS,” a ring-fencing of the organisation’s budget and no frontline cuts. However, the NHS in England is
currently undergoing arguably the biggest top-down reorganisation in its history, experiencing real-term cuts to its budget, and has lost 5,870 nurses and 7,968 hospital beds since the last general election. In August 2009, George Osborne admitted that bankers’ bonuses “must stop” as they are “totally unacceptable.” In the last month, he has been taking legal action against the European Commission’s plan to cap such bonuses at 200% of a salary. On numerous occasions before his party entered office, Cameron pledged to make his “the greenest government ever.” He insisted that “green taxes as a whole need to go up,” and at the launch of the 2008 local election campaign declared “vote blue, go green.” Current Conservative policy, however, is to “roll back” the green taxes on fuel bills. Perhaps most pertinent, though, is the promise Cameron made not long after May 2010 that his party “didn’t come into politics to make cuts.” Austerity was needed to balance the books, nothing more. Although many knew that this was never se-
riously the case, at the Lord Mayor’s Ball last week – in front of an audience of City of London chief executives and multimillionaires –he admitted that his party’s vision was for “a leaner, more efficient state.” More must be done with less, “not just now, but permanently.” Austerity is here to stay. Why such a change in tack? For starters, the right-wing-populist policies of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) present a growing electoral threat to the Tories. UKIP are regularly polling 12% of the vote, and are widely predicted to win next year’s European elections. Previously solid Conservative voters, who have never really identified themselves with a party espousing same-sex marriage, are increasingly drawn across by the traditional jingoism of Farage et al. As the Tories likely need to increase their share of the vote in 2015 to govern alone, they cannot afford to bleed any more votes to UKIP. This is not to mention the influence of increasingly disgruntled Tory backbenchers – a group composed
PM David Cameron Photograph: Sebastian Derungs largely of radical free-marketers, staunch Eurosceptics, and climate change deniers. Respectively convinced that the UK’s economic woes can be blamed on sluggish austerity measures, the European Union, or environmentalism, they are similarly certain that UKIP’s rise is simply because their party is “not right-wing enough.” Worried about losing what they see as “their party” as well as their seats, mounting pressure has been put on Cameron to move right towards a more “traditional” Toryism.
The main cause of death of Cameron’s brand of “compassionate” conservatism is the retreat to the cynical politics of “divide and rule” being proved effective, encouraging blame culture in a time of economic hardship by setting public against private sector, UK nationals against immigrants, and “strivers” against “scroungers” . The challenge for those of us on the left is to react positively. Now that Cameron has ceased to be an optimist about Britain, it left to us to offer a degree of hope.
#PALPOLL : If there was a general election held tomorrow who would you vote for? CON 35%, LAB 39%, LIB 9%, UKIP 11%
Polling Data: YouGov / The Sun Newspaper (Two week adverage 18/11/13 - 29/11/13)
North East MEP backs Erasmus expansion Harry Goodwin On Tuesday afternoon, the latest EU budget for 2014-2020 was passed in the European Parliament, with total spending capped at €960 billion. One of the main winners in the budget, despite the first ever realterm cut to it, was the Erasmus Scheme. As Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus said in the early 1500s, “I want to be remembered as a citizen of the world.” It is precisely this trait that the scheme intends to give students. The Erasmus scheme will receive a 50% budget boost, receiving €12 billion over the next seven years, enabling millions of students to travel across Europe and beyond to continue their studies. When I spoke to Fiona Hall MEP, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the EU, and also MEP for the North East on Tuesday, she praised the decision to extend the system thoroughly. In her view, the main benefits of Erasmus are that it gives students a “marvellous opportunity to broaden their horizons, allowing them to have an incredible chance to formulate an outward looking, diverse and original portfolio.” She stressed the importance of having another string to your bow,
making yourself far more attractive to companies who have bases right across Europe. Having experience working and studying abroad will be a key asset to applicants who are adaptable, true “citizens of the world.”
“marvellous opportunity to broaden their horizons” Fiona Hall MEP
Hall continued by emphasising the importance of the scheme to business and commerce in the UK, with 80% of British companies calling for the government to remain in the EU, as being part of the “single-currency market” enables great prosperity for these companies and by employing graduates with international knowledge from the Erasmus scheme is mutually beneficial to all. Unsurprisingly, though, there are critics of the rise in funding, most vocally from UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew. He claimed on Monday that the scheme was nothing more than a “glorified student exchange” and that it is a pointless scheme for the UK, as many British universities “al-
ready have worldwide exchange programmes.” However, Fiona Hall’s response to this was clear: this programme is an essential part of EU-wide education and gives students outstanding opportunities. She spoken of the way in which it has brought together a number of youth programmes, combining and simplifying them to produce a highly successful system. Other advantages Hall mentioned include the expanded loan guarantee for masters degrees abroad, and the growth in its spectrum now encapsulating vocational and school courses along with the already large university degree process, enabling even more young people to travel to a different country to study. According to the European Commission for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, the budget for the Erasmus scheme is still too low, with its current budget around 14% lower than what the commission recommended. This means that over 700,000 students will miss out on the opportunity to study abroad. Fiona Hall still believes strongly that the Erasmus programme has come out a winner in the budget, in the face of sweeping cuts across the board; to gain a 50% budget increase is a real victory for students across Europe. She commended the budget for
retaining funding for jobs, growth, education and research; whereas cutting funding for areas such as administration and efficiency, which, in the view of the Liberal Democrats, was the right thing to do. One problem that Hall raised with me is the disparity between universities particularly in the North East of England. Just over 3,000 students from North East universities were sent in the last period, 2007-12, on Erasmus schemes, though there was a huge split among institutions. Here at Durham, we sent 1,390 students, compared to 58 from Northumbria (despite being the most populous university in the region) and only 11 from Teeside. This meant that Two universities – Durham and Newcastle (1,109 students) – together accounted for nearly 85% of all students getting this opportunity. The North East MEP called for more awareness of the scheme in all universities, making sure people know that the funding is there and it is doable. Additionally, students must recognise that the scheme is not just directed at modern languages courses and that there are courses in all departments available. Another project that has received substantial funding and the backing of Hall is that of Horizon 2020, which funds science and research in
Fiona Hall MEP Photograph: Alberto Novi universities. This is most welcomed, as UK universities have always done well from EU funding, receiving per capita the most university funding in the EU. To conclude, Fiona Hall encouraged all students to get involved with Erasmus as “it couldn’t be easier to apply,” and with the extra simplification of the format, it’s never been more straightforward to study abroad.
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
13
SciTech
www.palatinate.org.uk
ReFINE-ing the facts: an interview with Richard Davies
Bryony Hockin speaks with the leader of Durham-based fracking research consortium ReFINE Bryony Hockin
T
he recent launch of the Durhambased research consortium ReFINE (Research Fracking IN Europe) may have passed fairly quietly in the national news, but here in Durham we scientists believe that it deserves more attention. I spoke to the consortium leader, Professor Richard Davies, about fracking, research independence, and how ReFINE could make the fracking debate fairer. How did the launch of ReFINE go last night? Was there anything interesting discussed?
It went very well. I gave a five-minute speech introducing ReFINE, pointing out that this project had come from talking to people across Europe, who have real genuine concerns about this technology, and that academia needed to help provide better, higher quality research, and make sure it can communicate to people in a language that’s accessible to them. Then I talked about who funded the project; this is three oil companies, and also the Natural Environmental Research Council. I explained that we have an independent science board in place, which will prioritise the research that we do, and they’ll also make sure that we are absolutely 100% independent and unbiased.
Why do you think Durham is such a good place to hold these discussions?
Firstly, we’ve got expertise in the topic; in fracking, in shale gas, and oil. Secondly, we’ve got a number of experts working in different areas; we’ve got experts in, for example, earthquakes, experts in water, experts in fugitive emissions. I think also Durham is the sort of place where you can quite quickly bring teams together to work on issues that are current. Why do you think ReFINE and indeed fracking is even necessary?
There are two different questions there; firstly, I’m not sure that fracking is necessary. ReFINE is not in the business of saying whether the technology is something that should or shouldn’t be used; we’re doing the fundamental science on what the risks are associated with this technology. We absolutely will not say whether this is a good or bad thing. Those are decisions for policy makers, governments; national, local, and international. ReFINE [itself] is necessary because there’s a gap here in terms of research, which clarifies what the risks are and whether they are significant, and there’s also a gap in communicating this in a quality way that is accessible to many people.
Do you think the fracking debate is a fair one, considering that it’s pitching residents’ associations who might not be as well-informed against the oil industry, which has a lot of might and power?
ReFINE will set up citizens’ juries, and citizens’ panels, which is where we want to hear from - people who aren’t in an NGO [non-governmental organisation] and haven’t got a stock view. We want to hear from those people who’ve not had a voice. I think our role is to listen to that group, who are in the community, and make sure that they tell us what needs to be researched. The government thinks fracking is quite a good solution to our energy problems, since we’ll be less reliant on Russia for gas. Should we maybe be embracing fracking more or should we be looking at alternative energy options?
Each form of energy that we have in the UK has pros and cons. Nuclear provides a constant form of energy [at] a constant level every day of the year. Renewables fluctuate because obviously we get windy days, we get sunny days. Now gas compliments renewables quite well, because gas power stations can be brought on quite quickly to compliment the variability that we get in renewables. We import around 1.8 trillion cubic feet of gas a year; now, whether we want
to have our own shale gas industry and reduce our reliance on the imports is not a question for me. That’s a question for everyone, for the electorate and for the government.
Finally, what is ReFINE is planning on doing in the next few years?
Firstly, ReFINE is neutral about shale gas. We’re not for it or against it – that’s not our role, we’re scientists. We’re independent; there is no way that industry can interfere, or any stake-holder actually. I think the key areas are things like how much gas leaks out of wells (these are called fugitive emissions); could contamination of water take place; what’s the impact for traffic; how many trucks will be required; what will happen to the local area because of the truck traffic. Even health issues are potentially what we’ll cover. So over the next twenty-four months we will complete ten research papers. Those will be translated into two page briefs, and these are things that Ed Davey, secretary of state for energy, would understand, [that] the man and woman on the street [would understand]. They’re also then translated into thirteen languages, including Mandarin and all the European languages. We’ll do videos as well; one and a half minute videos done by Liam and Sam. And I think 50% of our activity will be on the research and 50% will be communicating the research.
In a coal load of trouble? Poland in the environmental spotlight Hannah Davies Poland is currently playing host to both the COP 19 UN climate change conference, and a summit for the world’s coal industry – a “provocative combination” according to green groups. The country, which gets 80-90% of its power from coal, may be seen as an ironic choice to host climate talks, but they claim they have been discovering new ways to provide “green energy” from coal, and say this sort of technology is necessary in order to reduce emissions. Christiana Figueres, chief climate negotiator of the COP 19 talks, has called for “radical reforms” in the effort to reduce climate change. The harmful effects of excessive coal combustion can be seen in Poland’s second largest city, Krakow, which is covered by a blanket of smog, causing damage to the health of its population, as well as to the environment. The World Coal Association believes that coal is an important part of the world’s energy, and it is not feasible to cut back on the amount of coal being used. Instead, people should accept coal
usage as a reality and focus on helping the industry to develop “cleaner coal.” This approach is being taken by Poland, who say the focus should be research into making coal greener, rather than restricting its use. They have opened a new state-ofthe-art facility to test ways of achieving this aim. Coal is formed by millions of years of intense geological pressure and heat on organic plant matter. The carbon trapped inside these plants is then released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when we burn the coal for fuel. Scientists in Poland have been trying to reverse this process by placing coal under high temperature and pressure to produce carbon dioxide. Once this has been removed from the coal, it can be burnt with less impact to the environment. Many people are not convinced that this technology is reliable. Tasneem Essop, the International Climate Policy Advocate for the World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa, has said green coal is a “myth,” and that countries should still be focussing on transferring to renewable energy sources. Even people working on the project have admitted that this is
Reader’s Scigest A QUICK LOOK AT SCIENCE
GASTRIC NO LONGER BANNED Australian scientists have successfully managed to bring back to life the gastric-brooding frog, which has been extinct since 1983, through work with samples of the animal’s DNA that had been stored in a household freezer for more than forty years. The research team from the Lazarus Project were able to give life to a number of embryos of the frog using somatic cell nuclear transplantation – a process which involves removing the nuclear material from a genetically similar species, and replacing it with the nucleus of the gastricbrooding frog. Though none of the embryos resulting from the work were able to survive past a few days, it is hoped that this could be the first step towards resurrecting other extinct species in the future. CAM-WRONG: CHINA CUT SMOG
Beijing has carried out a crackdown on barbeques. Over the course of a three-month programme, the city confiscated and destroyed hundreds of outdoor barbeque grills within the Xincheng region. This was to aid in the reduction of pollutant particulate PM2.5 and is part of a larger initiative to reduce the smog within the Chinese Metropolis that could extend to banning cars within the city during certain times and shutting down some of the more central industrial factories. Elsewhere in China – the polluted city of Shijiazhuang, to be precise – scientists are experimenting with using waste water from industrial use to heat houses. This is forecast to cut energy usage by 44% this winter and should help what is offcially China’s most polluted city. Meanwhile in Britain, David Cameron remains at the centre of a row about whether he referred to such clearly useful money saving developements as “green crap.” NO NEED TO RABBIT IN CHINA!
COP-ing with climate change? Marcin Korolec briefs the press in Warsaw last month. Photograph: UNclimatechange “greener coal” as it has lower emis- sustainable in Poland for much longsions, but still cannot be called er. “green.” This has put pressure on the counThe World Wildlife Fund Poland try to find an alternative. However, have calculated that the state-owned with the many protests by environcoal industry has received more than mental groups occurring outside the $25 billion since 1990, while private climate conference building in Warrenewable industry has got next to saw, and COP 19 focussing on plans nothing, making it impossible to de- to reduce coal usage, it is not clear velop renewable energy strategies. whether this new technology will be However, Tobiasz Adamczewski, accepted as a long term strategy for WWF Poland’s climate and energy reducing climate change. spokesperson, believes coal is not
China has announced plans to send an unmanned probe, named Jade Rabbit, or Yutu, to the moon. The probe is expected to launch at some time in early December and would be on the moon by the middle of the month. China became only the third country to send an astronaut into space independantly during the 2003 and this achievement further highlights the growing power’s commitment to space exploration. The probe will explore the attractively named ‘Bay of Rainbows’ on the moon for apporximately three momths. The name Jade Rabbit was chosen by millions of Chinese citizens in an online poll earlier this year.
14
Comment
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
www.palatinate.org.uk
Comment Competition
The coalition has not been a success The current government has shoved salt in the wounds of many
to any student – state and private alike – and you will probably incite explicit hatred. Mention Jeremy Hunt to any NHS employee, and expect to face thirty minutes on why the word ‘liberalization’ strikes fear into their heart. This list would go on, and one certainly does ponder if there ever has been a group of ministers that can provoke such an onslaught of impassioned and often extremely negative opinion in recent history. For while New Labour grew deeply unpopular, and inefficient public spending indeed remains a cause of deep contention, the Coalition’s race to the right has produced
“ Winning Article Jade Azim “I will not apologise.” That was a statement uttered by a certain Mr Clegg, confronted by a dozen angered students weeks after the cap on tuition fees rose to £9,000. Whatever your view on university funding, or indeed the later very catchy remix on YouTube of him indeed apologising, there is lit-
Oliver Hamlet Most importantly, in this writer’s opinion, the failure to guide the Arab Spring in a democratic direction has surfaced a weakness in the government to co-operate with foreign leaders in pursuing international interest; the failure to secure the future of
tle doubt that a statement like that was salt shoved into the wounds of students across this divided isle. “We are all Thatcherites now.” That was the statement uttered by a certain Mr Cameron on the occasion of Mrs Thatcher’s funeral. Whatever your view on the etiquette one should present at a politician’s funeral, there is little doubt that a statement like that was salt shoved into the wounds of workers across this divided isle. “Austerity is working”. That was a statement uttered by a certain Mr Osborne upon the reveal that the UK economy had grown by 0.7% earlier in the year. Whatever your economic expertise, there is little doubt that a statement like that was salt shoved into the wounds of
Egyptian democracy and to hold the tyrant Al-Assad to account has signified a failure to further democracy at a most opportunistic time. Instead, the government has looked on carelessly as the civil wars in Egypt and Syria amass a bloody death toll. This is not at all irrelevant; our country’s success is surely determined by our actions (or inaction) both home and abroad. The government has had its work
Illustration: Cressida Peever the poorest across this divided isle. That’s a lot of salt. This stunningly salty lack of empathy has very much become a recurrent trend with the Coalition. As a Londoner – and most significantly, an East Ender – one needs only to say the words “Iain Duncan Smith” out loud by the local newsagents to attract angered rants. And this isn’t an irrational response. The words represent all of the seemingly repressive policies that make life substantially worse for the poorer in Britain. The same reaction can be replicated with almost any member of the cabinet; first we could turn to Michael Gove. Mention those words
cut out in restructuring a broken economy and a broken society. It still has a way to go in dealing with the causes of various scandals of the decade which have recently come to light; prison cells need still be filled with the bankers of the Libor scandal and the investigators of the hacking scandal. But the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have complemented each other somewhat in the last three years in pursuing a cul-
deep cuts in the fabric of the welfare state have caused such major repercussions to the lives of so many
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austerity measures so harsh that even the International Monetary Fund – master advocators of severity – has called for Osborne to reconsider his stance on the matter. The deep cuts into the fabric of the welfare state have caused such major repercussions to the lives of so many that one must surely find it difficult to call the coalition at this stage a force for good; cuts often justified with widespread deceit and demonization, helped and epito-
ture of ‘responsible capitalism’. The economy is still smaller than it was in 2008, and unemployment still too high, but the government is making headway and has given an admirable example of two ordinarily aggressively opposed parties pursuing bipartisanship to better Great Britain but the pledges of fairness and unity are far from being fulfilled. More pressure has to be placed on political leaders to drive public opinion – in
Thanks to everyone who entered the competition. We were overwhelmed by the staggering number of responses, all of which were of an extremely high standard. We’ve tried to include as many as we can in this edition, and more will be available to read online at palatinate.org.uk. mised by tabloid stories on benefit ‘scroungers’ who apparently represent some giant ‘evil’, despite Job Seeker’s Allowance making up for just 4% of the DWP budget. Indeed, one may retort with that previously stated fact that the economy grew by 0.7% in GDP in months gone by; a measure that even its inventors emphasised should not be used to judge a nation’s financial health. This writer is no economist, but I am one of the millions heavily affected by austerity. I can tell you that seeing George Osborne gleefully boast about this under-the-target statistic, stating that (with a trail of destruction behind him in the structural integrity of schools, hospitals, and social security) the harsh and cold sacrifices that only the poorest had to endure and were “worth it”, was nothing short of painfully condescending, ludicrously indifferent, the complete antonym of a “Big Society” where “we are all in it together.” In a Britain, where one in four children are in poverty, where ideological reforms are made to reform GCSEs and A-Levels at a time when state education is severely underfunded, where disability benefits are being seen as the perfect arena to implement political attacks, where energy companies are allowed to force the most vulnerable into fuel poverty, and where families are turning to food banks, it is extremely difficult for this writer to find anything good or celebratory about the outcome of the 2010 election.
immigration and foreign policy, particularly- rather than rigidly adhere to it. The Cameron-Clegg coalition have so far prioritised addressing the nation’s books over concerns abroad. It is time to realise that the two issues go hand in hand.
P
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A state school education is not second-best Public school should not be a necessity for children to reach their full potential Rachel Piper
Just to lay the cards on the table: private schools are not inherently ‘better’ than state schools. Some state schools are better than some private schools. Some state schools are better than other state schools. The idea of a child’s potential is a strange one. I’m going to employ some pseudo-physics for a second. Forgive me, Brain Cox. A child is full of potential energy. In physics, an object’s potential energy is measured as relative to other bodies, and itself. In the science of parenting, a child is measured according to the other children around it and relative to the child’s own abilities. But unlike in physics, potential is not seen as a starting point but rather an end point of a successful education. The way the child’s potentials are realised and released into the world are seen through their tangible achievements. ‘Full potential’ is a weird arbitrary idea of a child’s value: success as a tick box criterion of
doing ‘The Right Activities’, getting ‘The Best Grades’ and going to one of ‘The UK’s Top Universities’. This idea is upheld by parents of children in both state and private schools, but I would argue is much more prevalent in the pressure cookers of private school prep rooms. Is this conducive to a happy child who will contribute to wider society beyond itself? If potential the energy of an object is measured relative to other objects, I would argue that a child’s potential should be seen as their ability to be thoughtful, engaged,
“
Photograph: Cressida Peever
to send your child to state school is to send them to society
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and interested in the people around them; those rich enough to afford the annual £3,400 fees of the aver-
age private school form part of an entire society, not just interacting with only a tiny fraction. To send your child to a state school, however, is to send them to society. We are governed by a tiny, disproportionate number of white middle-class men who are making damaging decisions that will affect people in ways they cannot begin to understand or at all empathise with. Nineteen members of Parliament are Eton graduates. There are over
3,000 Secondary Schools in England alone. You could do the maths and think, “Hey! Sending my child to Eton is a recipe for success.” Sure, if you want a baby David Cameron. The UK’s social mobility is one of the worst in the world. We also have the highest inequality of pay in the whole of western Europe. This is partially due to social structures such as the education system which accentuate these differences. Every year, my mother, who has five daughters at state schools, gets a call from her old private school, ask-
ing for a charity donation; they want to build a third swimming pool. The distribution of resources in the UK education system is what causes such a discrepancy of perceived quality. One of the reasons private schools are deemed successful in helping children reach their full potential is because they only take in students for which half the work is already done. If you come from a finically wealthy background you are likely to already have more resources for learning. Attending a state school is one of the things I thank my parents for most. Many state schools work incredibly hard to understand the demographics of their students. They are often highly flexible environments which adapt to and care about students at whom many private schools wouldn’t look twice. State schools are increasingly successful at ‘adding value’ to their students: helping them reach and succeed their potential. The current education system reflects our unequal and divided society. A parent’s choice of school isn’t a private decision; it affects the state of society.
It is right that women have Banning the burqa in the UK would be a the option of an abortion catalyst for racsim and intolerance Francesca Moll
I’m pro-life. I also believe a woman has the fundamental human right to choose in something that concerns her body, her economic prospects, and which the weight of probability suggests she will have the biggest responsibility for. Everybody who’s taking part in this debate is ‘pro-life’. The difference is that one side places emphasis on the mother’s life and her right to personal bodily autonomy, the other on the potential life of the unborn child and its capacity to feel pain. Nobody here is advocating killing for the sake of killing. I’ve dodged around the actual question of whether abortion should be legal. That’s because, in a sense, I
feel that it’s an entirely separate issue to whether abortion is moral or not. These sorts of debates are never going to have one unambiguously correct answer, just general ideas of what is more right than others. And because we cannot deal in absolutes, it’s so important to leave each case to be judged on an individual, specific basis. That is why keeping abortion legal – thereby leaving the decision to individuals – is so important, whatever side of the debate you support.
Rory Tingle
Supporters of a ban on burqas in Britain, such as the Daily Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson, frequently defend their opinion on the basis that veils are “misogynistic”. However, this view fails to comprehend that
the majority of women have elected to wear the veil as a personal choice. Indeed, an Open Society Foundation report in France found that out of a sample of 32 women who wore the niqab (the full length veil) none had been forced to do so. The ban on the burqa can only be seen as the product of a society riven with insecurity and racial tension. Yet it has not even achieved much: fines against women are rare,
Photograph: Chuy Benitez
as police are either keen to focus on more important matters, or are wary of action by the European Court of Human Rights. Also, the law is a ridiculously crass solution to what is in fact an extremely minor issue – only 2000 women in France actually wear the niqab. A ban on burqas would turn the law into a weapon of intolerance, fill up our courtrooms with unnecessary cases and cause violence on our streets. Just like bidets and dog droppings, we should leave this nasty policy firmly on the other side of the Channel.
P
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Jennifer Horrocks
Sam CourtneyGuy
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
few extracts that are ‘Feminism’: an oudated term? Adefinitely worth reading
My grandmother was born just a year after women over 30 were granted the right to vote. My parents’ generation was the first to have the tables turned on the way of life that prevailed for years, in which men go to work, women raise children, and the meat, potato, and vegetables are on the table at 6 p.m. sharp. Homosexuality was illegal, disabled people were shunned by society, large-scale immigration was yet to begin, and equal rights for women was far from the agenda. For me, feminism is like any other campaign for equal rights: it’s about huge transitional shifts in legislation followed by gradual acceptance by society. In the western world, centuries of heroic work has gone in to gaining women the freedoms we take for granted, under the label of women’s rights or feminism. I am enormously grateful for the freedoms that others have granted me. However, I now feel that the time for feminism in the western world has passed. It is outdated and alienating. The term alone brings the same legal shivers as health and safety forms. It should be about real change, not ticking boxes to avoid being sued. Feminism belongs now in the developing world, which needs those same monolithic shifts we were privileged to have. The biggest threat to disrupting this process is something that has slowly progressed during my lifetime and seems to have come to a head lately. I’m talking about the “Blurred Lines” debacle. I read a tiring amount of angry Facebook statuses about the “Blurred Lines” lyrics and video in which people reiterating that it was encouraging rape by implying that women can’t make their own decisions. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that those comments are completely out of context with the rest of the world. We grew up to lyrics such as ‘I’ll take you to the candy shop, I’ll let you lick my lollipop’, but nobody banned that, despite references to public fornication and suggestions of a paedophilic nature. “Blurred Lines” is no different. The issue here is a loss of morals, of respect, of the value of sex. These aren’t just feminist issues, but issues of society as a whole, and I’m not sure how to solve it, but better education has to play a role. The notion of lowering the age of consent, the increasing sexualisation of music (I’m looking at you, Miley Cyrus!), the free availability of porn to our children and the increases in sexting, cyberbullying, and associated child suicides all need to be addressed before we lose all respect altogether.
“We Can Do it” by J. Howard Miller (1943)
Feminism has gone through waves of resurgence and obscurity since its beginnings in the 18th Century. Now – in our Durham bubble especially – it has become a significant talking point. But ‘feminism’ is an outdated term and will never be fully embraced by society. This is not to say it’s not been of huge worth. A lot has been achieved for women (in the West, anyway). Nor is this to argue, as many loud and vociferous voices have, that feminism has somehow ‘won’. There’s plenty today that it hasn’t achieved. Anyone who sees gender equality as a past achievement is deluding themselves – but why is society like this? There is a whole sea of reasons for it, all connected and twisted together. But to explain why is too complicated a task. A more appropriate question to ask is this: why has feminism failed? There are some fairly simple observations to make here. Male inertia certainly hasn’t helped; since the dawn of the women’s equality movement, there have been men to resist it. There are still undoubtedly men who are overtly misogynist, and there are plenty who aren’t. However, Western culture is littered with values that subtly undermine gender equality. These can also go some way to explaining why many women aren’t feminists. So what does feminism lack that could solve all this? Looking at the masculine gender is a good starting point. There are plenty of ways in which society is loaded against men, too. Masculinity is messily bound up with violence and aggression, even though most of us can agree these are not desirable or good ways to be. Men lose out because of this too; they spend 40% more time in prison, for the same sentences as women, and when it comes to child custody cases the odds are heavily stacked against them. This is by no means to deny that women lose out far more when it comes to gender difference. The point of this is to show that we can all gain from shedding the mantle of gender responsibilities. Values can only change by being accepted by the majority, and this is where feminism has ground to a halt; it has associated itself too much with law and enforcement – legislation in the work place, red tape, and so on. We have built values into gender, and we can only achieve equality by splitting the two apart. This is where feminism should step out. It is divisive; it pits men against women, and even women against women. Who knows what to call its replacement? As long as it’s about unity between men and women, it will result in equality between them too.
Ellen Orange
The UK doesn’t need feminism anymore. Women have equal rights to men in all respects and the same opportunities. There are still some issues, we know, but for the most part feminism has achieved its goal. The issues of pay, of proportions of women in managerial roles and cultural perceptions are important, but feminism can’t achieve this. This is firstly because of growing negative associations in the public perception. Many people now see feminists as militant, men-hating bra-burners. The constant emphasis on being PC, and controversy about where to draw the line has landed the whole movement on the wrong side of public perception. We can no longer make gender-related jokes, wear a dress or watch a Disney film without being criticised for perpetuating stereotypes. And annoyingly enough even this is a catch-22 that we can’t win: if a woman wears make-up she is conforming to this stereotype; if she doesn’t she is labelled for it. What’s worse is that, because of feminism, girls are being pushed into these decisions. The idea is outdated because the term itself is discriminative. ‘Feminism’, even when fighting for gender equality, puts emphasis on the female, and inherently puts her in opposition to the male. This immediately means that there is an imbalance in the emphasis of a movement that is supposed to promote equality. Positive discrimination (schemes specifically targeted at hiring women, offering internships to female students), though all in good faith, is still discriminative. Surely the purpose of gender equality is to look past gender, and allow such things to be awarded on merit? So when a man misses out on a promotion because his boss had to fulfil gender quotas, we are actually tipping the other way. While domestic violence is still a big issue for women, it is not only women who suffer. There are increasing reports of men being the victims of domestic abuse too, but the concerns about not reporting are even worse for men. As a result of this, the scale on which it is occurring is unclear. And what about men’s rights? Looking at the verdicts of custody cases, we see men have a significant disadvantage. So how do we react to this? Do men need their own ‘masculinism’ to fight for their side of equality? It sounds ridiculous but it does follow the logic. If we are looking at gender as a whole then the term ‘feminism’ is simply wrong, not to mention oldfashioned. I’ll admit that the ‘Gender Equality Society’ doesn’t roll of the tongue as easily, but at least it gets the point across.
Cherise LopesBaker
To sum up Josh Whedon’s stance: instead of identifying ourselves as feminists, we should identify those people who do not believe in equality of the sexes as genderist. You can see how this would be appealing; being able to reverse the blame, and the backlash, and the threatened, offended looks that always come from labelling yourself is of course more than compelling. In fairness, the connotations of the word ‘feminist’ are ripe for the taking. As Whedon points out, the ‘ist’ in ‘feminist’ is hardly welcoming. Long have we associated ‘ist’ with offense, insult, and backwards thinking. It hardly has a warm, fuzzy, champion effect. How delicious and exciting would it be to adopt a new word, to duck out of all the problems associated with old word, and be able to campaign anew; to be able to proclaim: “I am not a feminist, you are a genderist.” Somehow these constructions of gender have led to the idea that being a feminist is ‘uncool.’ The entire topic has become taboo and unsexy. But why does this term engender so much discomfort? Why is the belief in equality between the sexes so threatening? When I’ve had talks with people about feminism, you can see the minute someone ridicules the notion, all of the women around him either shut down or awkwardly speak up, ‘I’m not a feminist, but…’ It seems to me that people are scared to identify as feminist because they are scared of the perception of feminists as male-haters, a threatening species to their way of life, and armpit-hair-growing-bra-burning-killjoy-suckers who exist to complicate their life. At the end of the day, isn’t it simple enough to recognize that ridiculing and labelling ‘feminists’, and thereby the belief in equality, as unsexy and other negative adjectives is wrong. The underlying moral turpitude of such views should speak for themselves. To give up on the word ‘feminist’ is to give up on changing that view; it is to accept that being a feminist, and all the harsh truths they stand for, will always and inevitably be socially unacceptable. For all its negative connotations to others, the word feminism has had some pretty positive experiences for me. Too often I see women split between what they feel they should project socially, and who they really want to be. I see them hesitate to appear ambitious or sexually autonomous. And I am amazed that we can sit back and let a word that stands for such great and open things to be sullied. By making fun of feminists, you’re making fun of the ideals of equality and empowerment, and by letting go of a word that stands for such ideals, aren’t you signifying defeat?
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
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Sport
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COLLEGE SPORT POINTS TABLE Emily Beech
er the introduction of the sport will hold any influence upon the overall table. As for Cup tournaments such as Floodlit Cup and Knockout Cup open to rugby, football and hockey; the victors of those competitions will receive a healthy 64 points. This is the same for one off sporting events. Above all however, the bulk of the points will come from league fixtures Having a presence in the Premier Leagues certainly helps as the winner of each fixture collects 16 points compared to just 8 in Division 1. Yet if the results are not submitted; the results do not stand. That means all the competitive spirit and hard work on and off the pitch can go to waste. A skewed points table is no good to anybody so to get your college on the road to triumph- get submitting!
As Michaelmas term draws to a close Palatinate takes a quick look at where all the colleges stand in the College Sport Points Table. It’s no surprise that Collingwood, who have won the title three times over the past four years, seem on track to becoming College Sport Champions once more as they sit pretty at the top with 574 points. The Hill College is one of the largest at Durham giving them an ad-
College Points
1. Collingwood
575
2. Van Mildert
537
4. Hild Bede
510
3. Hatfield 5. Castle
6. St. Cuthbert’s 7. St. Mary’s 8. Ustinov
9. Josephine Butler
513 432 413 413
380
374
12. Stephenson
283
13. Grey
14. St. John’s
15. John Snow 16. St. Chad’s
Anthony Kane
416
10. Trevelyan
11. St. Aidan’s
Mixed Lacrosse round-up
364 264 219 179 124
*information correct at time of printing
Illustration: Harriet - Jade Harrow
vantage over their rivals as they can afford to field squads of excellent depth year on year. As a presence in most Premierships they have to be this years’ favourite for the title. However, second place Van Mildert seem to have recaptured the magic of their 2008/2009 season when they
were crowned champions. Meanwhile down at the bottom St. Chad’s and St. John’s’ small numbers sees them lagging behind the pack whilst the Stockton colleges are perhaps guilty of conceding too many walkovers from being unable to make the journey to Maiden Castle. For the first time ever this year
rowing will count towards the College Points Table; offering up a fantastic opportunity for some colleges with strong boat clubs. The winners of novice level rowing events will receive 12 points whilst senior rowing winners will gain 24. it will be interesting to observe once more regattas get under way wheth-
fence. The Castle men despite their resolve and multiple scrums and kicks couldn’t keep their rivals away from the ball allowing one of the Collingwood men to run the majority of the pitch after a lineout from Castle. He went on to be tackled by the full back just after an offload to number 6 who scored a try for the team, that remained unconverted. Soon after number 11 from Collingwood scored another try which again was left unconverted. Castle were cantankerous in their indomitable resolve to get over the try line twice. However, Castle were not destined to score as both tries were discounted due to both being curled over the line. It wasn’t long until another Cas-
tle opportunity went begging when one player dropped the ball meters away from the line. Finally, it was left to Castle’s number 3 to score a try and give them their first points of the match which concluded the first half 17-5. The second half saw Collingwood dominate play as they began with another try after a successful run down the wing eventually ending in a rolling maul over the try line. Castle managed to briefly maintain ownership of the ball but that was quickly taken away from them by Collingwood whose number 4 scored a try with no conversion. The Baily side struggled to maintain their defence and Collingwood scored yet another respectful try (7) which was then converted by 10.
Castle did salvage some dignity after a successful lineout managed to end in a try by their number 5 but Collingwood only returned the favour with a further three trys from 7, 20 and 11. This quashed any hopes Castle may have harboured as the final whistle blew on a 51-10 score line. Elsewhere in the Premiership, newly promoted St. Aidan’s suffered a crunching 42-0 defeat to Grey. Bottom of the league Stephenson were on the receiving end of a similar 45-0 defeat to St. John’s. Hatfield made easy pickings of Van Mildert beating them 27-5 whilst top of the table Hild Bede received a walkover when St. Cuthbert’s cancelled less than 24 hours before kickoff.
Premiership rugby round-up Marikka Beecroft
In the Men’s Premiership it was Collingwood who gambolled home with a 51-10 victory in their fixture against Castle College to put them second in the table. The start of the first half saw a period of Collingwood pressure but with the Castle forwards remaining defiant in defence. However, Collingwood soon repead the fruits of their labours as after another few scrums and lineouts Collingwood scored a well-deserved try from number 13 which was converted, leaving the score 7-0. A later foul five metres from the try line saw Collingwood scupper a chance to boost their score but unscathed they quickly switched to de-
Three games into the Mixed Lacrosse season and candidates for promotion and relegation are already beginning to form. Unfortunately for Grey A and St. John’s B the future doesn’t look bright as they both sit bottom of the Premiership having lost every match so far. Meanwhile in Division 1 it is Josephine Butler B and St. Chad’s A who sit bottom of the pile on zero points. However, the college making waves in the leagues this season is Castle, whose club continues to flourish. The 2012/13 season for the club was a fruitful one. On the crest of a wave after a huge influx of freshers, the club reached new heights and was promoted to the Premiership. Under the new captaincy of Will Zurawel, the club has advanced further, adding a B team to the fastest growing sport in the college. The A side have continued on their upward trajectory as they now sit joint top with Collingwood A with both teams boasting 100% records. Undoubtedly the team that prevails in the contest between the two title rivals on the 2nd December will gain a massive advantage heading in to the business end of the season. As for the B side, they are more than holding their own, narrowly beating St. Chad’s A 2-0, a fixture regarded by Castle as challenging, but an opportunity for the fledgling team to prove themselves in the division. Castle Mixed Lacrosse exec member Nick Churchill said: “the team played outstandingly and the freshers in particular were amazing.” It is testament to the club’s industrious nature that it is growing from strength to strength.
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Sport Sport Sport in Brief RUGBY UNION: Sadly for Women’s Rugby, it was a 19-0 defeat for the 1st team against Loughborough, however the side still cling onto second place in the Premier North division. SQUASH: In the league, the Men’s 1st team managed to just edge Manchester 2nd 3-2 while the Women’s 1st drew 2-2 against their Mancunian opposition to remain unbeaten. The Squash club are having a fruitful season thus far as the women are sitting pretty in first whilst the men occupy third place. The Men’s 2nd team secured a far more comfortable 3-0 score over Newcastle 3rd in the Northern Conference Cup. Unfortunately the Men’s 3rd team lost to Sheffield 2nd in the same competition. TENNIS: It was a triple slam for the Men’s sides who all out-classed their opponents to trounce them 12-0. The Men’s 1st beat Loughborough 1st, the 2nd team against Glasgow 1st, and the 3rd team against Sheffield Hallam 2nd. The Men’s 1st team remain top of the Premier North, although nearest rivals Stirling having played fewer games than the Durham men. Meanwhile, in a tense encounter the Women’s 1st team came away with a 6-6 draw against Loughborough 1st to maintain their place at the top of the table. The Women’s 2nd easily defeated Newcastle 1st 10-2. VOLLEYBALL: Finally in Volleyball all of Durham’s three teams in action were successfull. The Men’s 1st beat Sheffield 1st 3-0 leaving them third in the division. For the Women, the currently second placed 1st team beat Manchester 1st 3-0 while the 2nd team in the Northern Conference Cup had the edge against Manchester 2nd beating them 3-2.
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Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
New era for Wildcats franchise Second elite team added to Durham set-up in exciting new project Maddy Sears This season has heralded a new era in the history of the Durham Wildcats Sporting Club. A Women’s Football team is set to participate in the second tier of English football, and joins the Men’s Basketball side who are now an established set-up in the British Basketball League. This expansion means that Durham University is the only institution in the country to be directly associated with two franchised sports. The team is an amalgamation of Durham University and South Cestria Girls Football Club, and is now licensed to take part in the Women’s Super League Two – a new division which has resulted from an expansion of the Women’s game at the elite level. The WSL team was the brainchild of Head of Sport and Durham Wildcats Chairman, Quentin Sloper, and South Durham & Cestria Girls manager Lee Sanders. South Durham & Cestria have a remarkable record at the youth level since their beginnings in 2006, playing teams around the world, and winning, amongst other things, the World Peace Cup in Oslo in 2010. Last year, their senior side won the Northern Women’s Combination League trophy, with fully capped youth international Beth Hepple and Zoe Ness among the impressive squad at the club. The WSL team is also set to be beneficial to the Durham University BUCS team, who train alongside the
elite squad at Maiden Castle. Several of the students who are representing the WSL and BUCS teams this year are on scholarship programmes, including Jen King and Caroline Dixon. Midfielder, Dixon, has already played at the highest level in English football at Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers. In 2008 she moved states-side to complete her undergraduate degree on a scholarship programme at the University of Hartford. Dixon discussed with Palatinate the benefit of ties with the University for the WSL team, saying: “Just the name Durham University and where it’s ranked in the academic standings is a great bonus for us. “It’s a good incentive for younger players coming through.” She was also in praise of the infrastructure in place at the club: “The coaching is fantastic the coaches that we have are of a very high standard. “But I think we need to start tapping into the European market… moving forward I think that would be the next step. “And then I think we should be able to attract English players; we’re relatively new so when you talk to players now they think ‘wait a year or two and see how they [Durham] do’.” Dixon also mentioned the TV rights which come with a place in the WSL2 division, and the opportunity to enter the FA Cup which starts in January. “Hopefully we’ll get a good run in that and draw one of the bigger teams,” she said. Centre-half, King, is also an experienced player having been involved in the top division of the women’s game in Scotland. She is also part of the coaching staff, in particular for the BUCS team where she is assistant to Head Coach Andy Cook who will be overseeing the entire women’s foot-
ball programme at Durham this year, including the WSL team. She told Palatinate: “This is such a fantastic thing to be a part of because the media and organisation is just that little bit better down here… it’s great to be part of that and part of a new team. “We came into the league slightly differently to most teams but that’s quite an exciting thing to be part of. “From the FA’s point of view it’s a safe bet…having the backing of such a big university… they know that they will have a strong infrastructure and strong leaders driving it. “It’s shaping a new model of how to develop sport, it’s quite interesting and it could really work and if it does I think we’ll see a lot more close ties between Clubs and Universities.” She also highlighted the positive impact that the WSL team will have on the universities’ BUCS side: “I think the girls who played last year in BUCS will say that the team this year is a million miles away from what it was last year, and they did really well last year. “Just being able to have a solid focus and to have players who are actually full time players within your structure… there is just a step up and pulls up all the other girls… it builds up a good healthy competition and drives the standard up generally… “It has really raised the bar and that’s why I think we’re performing so we at the moment.” Both Dixon and King identified mid-table as the target for the first season in the WSL, with a hope to improve in the years to come. Promotion to the WSL1 division is based not just on results but also on the infrastructure that a club has in place. Head of Sport, Quentin Sloper, said: “the facilities at Durham City FC would be adequate for the top league but we would love to think that we
Photograph: Emma Werner
could have appropriate facilities on site… over the next three years we would like to work to see what is possible.” With the WSL side being a part of the Durham Wildcats Sporting Club, there is a unique opportunity to tap into the experience of elite sport gained by the Men’s Basketball side, something that King was quick to point out. “There are a lot of things that have been done with the Men’s Basketball team that we can learn from… being able to share best practice with how they went about things, things like sponsorship packages and moving into the professional game” she said. “I think our staff will definitely use them as a point where they can liaise and discuss about how they went about their business.” The Wildcats have always aimed to get involved in community projects as part of their sporting programme. For example, the Men’s Basketball side has this academic year begun Wheelchair Basketball sessions for students, while the club is set to spend 800 hours working in local schools with 3500 young people over the year. So what’s next for the Wildcats? Sloper explained that Netball is the only remaining sport which can be reached at elite level without spending “ridiculous money.” “To be honest that’s [Netball] four five years away and the focus now is on the two teams we’ve got and make to the most of them,” he said. As the FA would not accept the ‘Durham Wildcats’ as an official name, the WSL side will be shown on league tables as Durham Women’s FC, however all marketing and media will still occur under the Wildcats umbrella.
PALATINATE | Thursday 5th December 2013
PRESIDENT’S C O L U M N Wednesday 27th November saw the Palatinates win a staggering 80% of BUCS fixtures, with 19/24 wins in cup matches! After Loughborough ended the remarkable run of victories in the Northern Premier for our Rugby 1st XV on 20th November, it is clear that the Palatinate Army are back on track with a 37-10 win to retain their place at the top of the table. Our Men’s Fencing won their Premier division alongside Women’s Lacrosse, the first Durham teams to secure this title with a series of games still to play – a wonderful achievement at such an early stage. The last two weekends have been filled with individual sport events. Our Canoeists dominated the Wild Water Racing Championships, returning to Durham as event Champions, a hugely admirable effort. The Equestrian club narrowly missed out on 1st place by one point in the Championship League with individual 2nd, 4th and 6th place finishes. In the Trophy League, the B team took the top spot with individual 2nd and 5th finishes. Our Rugby Fives club wrapped up both pieces of silverware in the singles and doubles plates. Two of the club reached the quarter finals and one in the semi-finals of the singles while in the doubles the Palatinates reached the quarter finals. Our Women’s Table Tennis held a successful round robin BUCS tournament with seven wins to only two losses. The first round of the GB rowing trials saw six Palatinates receiving personal bests, including Club President Camilla Hadland, and two best at weight finishes. DUBC competed in the Small Boats Head, with Katie Denham performing well with a 4th place finish in the lightweight single sculls helping our women to 3rd place in the team event whilst our men finished 7th. Durham once again hosted the British University Cyclocross at the Racecourse with our men finishing a creditable sixth. The club must be commended for their excellent event organisation. Our Archery team was in action for the first time this year taking on both Huddersfield and Leeds. Jonathan Edgar won the experienced male Recurve whilst Zhe Wang won the novice male Recurve. We also had a win by Jennifer Hohmann in the novice Barebow. Our novice team will have been particularly delighted as they won the team event. A huge congratulations to Meg Ellery who donned the red and white rose as she debuted in Dubai in the England Rugby Sevens!
continued from back page While the whole team performed incredibly well, Mark Ledger stole the show winning three gold, one silver and two bronze medals. While much of this success must be attributed to the hard work put in by individual athletes, the performance has built on a strengthening racing programme over the last few seasons that has seen Durham climb the table. With the support of the Clubs
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Sport
Friends Group two new racing boats were purchased in the last year. In addition a specific white water racing training day, which was kindly funded by Team Durham, helped to polish race technique in the lead up to the championship. Thanks to the great dedication of Club athletes, the Club Committee and the tremendous support of FoDUCC, Team Durham and our spon-
sors PWC, the Club has had a fantastic start to the year. Attention is now focused on training for the Slalom Championship next term and the clubs strongest event, Canoe Polo in Easter, where it is hoped a similar performance can be achieved. To get involved, get in touch with the Canoe Club by email (canoe.club@dur.ac.uk), or check out their website, Facebook or Twitter.
card for an infringement by a Nottingham player. This came at a time where the Palatinates were starting to dominate play and the Durham side made the extra man count as Fulton went over for his second try to lead by 28-3 and secure an important bonus point. Despite making some substitutions Durham continued to look to play attacking rugby and scored a further try to lead by 37-3 with a few minutes remaining. However, a spirited Nottingham were still fighting and scored a converted try as a consolation which was no more than they deserved for their work rate. The full time whistle blew with the score at 37-10 ending a fine performance from the Palatinates and pro-
viding the first step towards a new unbeaten run. The 2nd team continued the theme with a hard-fought cup victory over Leeds’ 1st team by 16 points to 8. The side will play Leeds Metropolitan 2nd team on the 12th February in an important game for a place in the quarter-finals of the BUCs Trophy. However, not to be outdone, there were extremely impressive victories for Durham’s 3rd and 4th teams who beat Sheffield 3rd and Manchester 2nd respectively to progress through to the next round of the trophy. For the 4th team there was a tight margin of victory as the Palatinates edged through 22-21, whereas the 3rd team dominated their opponents from start to finish to win 80-15.
Unbeaten streak starts again Dominic Thurlow-Wood
DURFC 1st XV bounced back after losing their remarkable unbeaten record against Loughborough with an away at Nottingham last Wednesday. The Loughborough defeat ended one of Team Durham’s most impressive records: a 41 match unbeaten streak spanning two seasons and encompassing a number of trophies. The match against Nottingham provided an excellent chance to rebound with a victory and maintain Durham’s position at the top of the Premier North table. Despite an early penalty for the home side, the Palatinates got off to a strong start with a try and conversion from Louis Molloy. Two penalties and a further try from Joe Goddard ensured that the team went into the break in an extremely strong position at 18-3. After the break DURFC continued where they left off and a score from scrum-half Bruce Fulton extended the lead to 23-3. Durham had further chances to score and effectively put an end to the contest however failed to capitalise on some excellent build up play from the forwards. A crucial point in the match came midway through the second half when the referee produced a yellow
The 2nd XV in action earlier this season
Photograph: Emma Werner
DUGC on fine form to go top Dominic Thurlow-Wood “One of the greatest days in DUGC’s history” was how 1st team player Harry Appleby described the success of Durham’s two teams last Wednesday. The 1st team beat UCLAN 2nd 3 ½ - 2 ½ to rise to the top of their BUCS table while the 2nd team traveled to Newcastle 1st, also winning 3 ½ - 2 1/2. With sixteen players off a scratch handicap or better, UCLAN are seen as one of the top three golfing universities in the country. Durham’s victory against their 2nd team on away soil is crucial in the bid for promotion and showcased the potential that the Palatinates have to offer. Postgraduate American, Alex Williams led the way for the 1st team, beating a quality UCLAN player 3&2 with Tom Bloxome following suit, winning 2&1. The aforementioned
Appleby and captain Lewis Kuhler also faced impressive opposition, the former going down 2&1 while Kuhler managed to snatch a 1up victory in his match. With three points in the bag, a further half point would be needed to record an historic victory in Blackpool. When the usually reliable Richie Nicholls lost out to an opponent who was -4 through thirteen holes the pressure was heaped on club captain Jeremy Morgan. Having been down early in the match, Morgan managed to drag his way back into the match on the back nine. At a score of 1 down thru 17 his pièce de résistance arrived from the fairway at the last. A six iron was followed by a “tiger-esque” club twirl and landed 15 feet from the flag. A gritty two putt ensured a half and a victory for Durham which sent them top of the table with a game in hand. The 2nd team had a similarly tough game against Newcastle 1st.
A defeat for Dan Gordon put the Palatinates 1-0 down early on however heavy wins 5&4 and 6&5 for James Meyrick and Club Treasurer Pete Legget ensured that Durham were in a commanding position. After Alex Clewett went down fighting by the margin of 2&1 the game was very much in the balance. Captain Dominic Thurlow-Wood was 1up thru 16 and hit an imperious iron shot over water to set up a 2&1 victory. Now everything was down to Luke Taylor who was all square thru 17. With darkness falling Taylor had a five-foot putt for the half and the team win. Fortunately for Durham, nerves of ice ensured that it dropped and the 2nd team also jumped to top of the table. If both teams can maintain this form after the Christmas break, a historic double promotion could be on the cards, a feat that everyone in DUGC is striving to achieve.
Sport in Brief BADMINTON: There was great success for the Men’s 1st in the Northern Conference Cup with a 7-1 win over York 2nd. However, the tables were turned for the Men’s 2nd who found themselves on the receiving end of a 7-1 defeat to Newcastle 2nd. The Women’s sides failed to offer a silver lining as the 1st team, who currently sit at the bottom of their division, lost 7-1 to Birmingham 1st. The 2nd followed suit with a 6-2 defeat to York 2nd. BASKETBALL: It was good news all round in Basketball with the Men’s 1st putting in a fantastic performance to see of their Loughborough rivals 80-64 putting them top of their division. The seconds came out victorious in a tightly fought contest in the Northern Conference Cup against Hull 1sts winning 7773. Not to be outdone, the Women’s 1sts defeated Loughborough 71-62 to maintain their first place position. FENCING: The Women’s 1st team were victorious against Birmingham, the tie finishing 32-103 to the Palatinates leaving them 4th. HOCKEY: It was seven wins out of eight for the club who are having a good season thus far. The Men’s 1st, who lead the Premier North division, reigned supreme over their Manchester 1st opponents by thrashing them 7-1. The 2nd team beat Loughborough 3rd 4-2 in their Trophy match. Meanwhile in the Conference Cup the 3rd team outclassed Hull 2nd beating them 8-2. It was a close affair for the 4ths however, who narrowly beat Leeds Metropolitan on penalty flicks after drawing 2-2. In the league the Women’s 1st managed to keep their championship hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Manchester 1st which leaves them third and five points behind leaders Birmingham. In the trophy the 2nd team beat Loughborough 3rd 3-1 whereas Durham’s 3rd lost 4-0 to Newcastle 1st. It was better news for DUHC in the Northern Conference Cup as the 4th thrashed Manchester Metropolitan 6-1 showing the depth of talent in the club. LACROSSE: In the league the Men’s 1st team are proving untouchable this season by maintaining their unbeaten record with a 22-3 victory over Loughborough. It was a similar affair for the Women’s 1st team who also go unbeaten, and won their division in the process, thanks to another victory over Loughborough, 12-2. The 2nd and 3rd teams were also victorious in their Trophy fixtures. The former saw off Sheffield 1st13-3 and the latter won 14-10 against Edinburgh 2nd. NETBALL: There was disappointment for Durham’s 1st team who narrowly lost to Newcastle 2nds 34-31 in the Trophy. However, the side remain in contention in the Northern 1A division being only three points behind first place. The tale couldn’t have been more different in the Northern Conference Plate for the 4th team however, as they hammered York St John 4ths 65-7. An embarrassing score line for any sport, never mind Netball.
Sport
Thursday 5th December 2013 | PALATINATE
University sport round-up All the latest news and results p. 19
The latest college points table
See who is leading the race to the top spot p. 17
Wildcats franchise expands
Palatinate looks at new era for the Wildcats p. 18
Palatinates take first BUCS titles of the year Charlie Jefferson Maddy Sears
CANOE CHAMPIONS: Anthony Stewart in action in the Men’s C1 event
Photograph: P.Y. Photographic
Durham take historic BUCS lead Tom DiMaio Maddy Sears A last minute goal for Durham Men’s Waterpolo at Freeman’s Quay on Friday not only secured an 8-7 win over Loughborough, but also meant that Durham would go into December at the top of the BUCS points table. This is the first time that any University other than Loughborough has been top of the table after October, and is a positive step towards achieving Team Durham’s aim to become the number one team sport University in the country this year. Key to this achievement was the success seen last Wednesday when nine Durham 1st teams travelled to Loughborough. With the reigning BUCS champions holding home advantage, many would have been expecting a far closer contest than was seen at Maiden Castle earlier in the season when Durham led 8-1 after the nine games played that day. However the Palatinates again came away convincing winners, beating their rivals in seven of the
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nine fixtures, with one draw and a loss. One of the highlights was another superb week for Durham football, which will leave the women ecstatic and the men in wonderland. After a 3-0 victory over Loughborough 1st XI earlier in the season, Durham Men’s 1st XI must have thought their win of the season had come.
3-2
Final score in DUAFC’s win over Loughboroguh However Durham managed to overcome a two-goal deficit late in the game to win 3-2. Goals from Joe Barwick and Ben Cohen stunned the home team in the last eight minutes of time, and demonstrated the resolve and belief in the Palatinates at the moment. The result means that Durham now sit just above Loughborough in fourth place, and should be immensely proud of themselves after taking six points off the team who won both the Northern Premier
league and the overall BUCS football championship last year. Considering this is Durham’s first season in the top flight after being promoted last year, whatever happens from this point on must be deemed a success. However, sitting just three points off the top with three games to go means that the Palatinates are still in the hunt for silverware this season. The Women’s 1st XI are having a much easier season than the boys and are coasting to a top-flight trophy. Having dropped only two points in seven games, the Women’s 1st’s lie six points clear of nearest rivals Leeds met and have a far superior goal difference. This Wednesday also saw the Women travel to Loughborough where they came away with a far more comfortable result. A 4-0 victory showed why Durham are so dominant in women’s football and leaves Loughborough struggling near the foot of the table. Due to the Women’s highly superior goal difference, a win or a draw yesterday will have seen the Palatinates claim the title. The good times don’t stop with the 1st Teams as the Women’s 2nd’s thrashed opponents Teesside 1st in
BUCS Standings: Week 8
1. Durham 1907 2. Loughborough 1894 3. Bath 1569 4. Nottingham 1564.5 5. Exeter 1493 6. Birmingham 1476 *information correct at time of printing
the Northern Conference Cup. The result makes one question how Teesside are in the tier above Durham as the Palatinate’s dished out a 7-0 away win against the Division 2B team. It must be said that Teesside are struggling in the division this season having managed just one point in five games. A superb week for the three Durham football teams will be leaving fans wondering whether DUAFC and DUWAFC will be bringing a trio of league trophies back to ‘Maido’ at the end of the season.
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Durham secured their first three BUCS titles of the season, as the Canoe, Lacrosse and Fencing clubs picked up early silverware. The Men’s Fencing team secured the Premier North Division with a 13592 win over Newcastle to give them an unassailable lead at the top of the table. The Women’s Lacrosse 1st team also secured their Premier North title with a 12-2 victory away to Loughborough to put them nine points clear with three games to go. Last weekend saw Durham University Canoe Club claim victory over 24 other at the BUCS Wild Water Racing Championship. A feat not achieved for nearly 10 years. The team fought hard to win 16 medals overall, had 21 top ten finishes and were placed nearly 70 points clear of main rivals, Loughborough University. Enduring what was to be another cold weekend’s paddling, 30 DUCC members set off to battle it out at this year’s Championship held at the River Washburn, North Yorkshire. The Championship is an annual inter-university competition that sees canoeists, from universities from all over Britain, racing for the fastest time down a section of white water. The event is run by the Club’s alumni, Friends of Durham University Canoe Club, who worked incredibly hard to organise a superb competition, with around 300 competitors vying for the medals in individual and team races across both canoe and kayak disciplines. The first day involved the classic race where competitors race down a 1 km series of rapids in as little as seven and a half minutes. The day finished with DUCC on top but the sprint races on the Sunday were set to be tough with Loughborough and Nottingham Universities traditionally performing well. Another cold day’s racing later and a brilliant performance from the team saw Durham placed first overall in the rankings.
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