The Mildertian 2020

The Mildertian Vol 7.

2020

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The Mildertian

Contents

6 | Opera By the Lake We reflect on an evening celebrating Durham and Mildert talent at the College .

16 | Research and Scholarship An overview of scholarly activity, including the first VM Crisis Simulation event.

21 | College Life Find out about life as a mature student, SCR activities and student events at Van Mildert College.

11 | Alumni Find out how you can stay involved with Van Mildert College as a member of our vibrant alumni community.

30 | Sport, Outreach and Arts Hear about our latest outreach activities, sporting successes and performances.

29 | University News Overview of recent University achievements.

10 | The Parliamentary Review Hear about Van Mildert’s contribution to The Parliamentary Review this year.

34 | VMC Trust Information about Van Mildert College Trust, and the work it does to promote College excellence.

37 | Merchandise Check out our range of alumni merchandse from bears and cufflinks to scarves and prints of Van Mildert College!

Welcome

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The Principal’s Piece

This academic year has been a special one, in many ways. The world has changed and we have changed too (Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis).

Sadly, the great achievements of the first part of the year, such as the many students events (including the Winter Ball), Opera by the Lake 2020, our solicited article in the Parliamentary Review and wonderful events including a lecture on the environment by Boris Palmer, Mayor of Tübingen and our Trust lecture

by Dr Richard Lane, very appropriately in hindsight, on world health, were soon forgotten.

The resilience of College, its staff and students, was tested to its limits and not found wanting.

From the onset of the viral invasion of our shores, the University physically shutdown but colleagues were quick to react with online teaching, tutorials and examinations.

Across our Colleges, student support and enrichment moved

swiftly from face-to-face to virtual reality. It is difficult to overestimate the huge efforts made by staff and students to maintain a functioning University of some 4000 staff and 18,500 students.

It is a great credit to everyone involved that we have endured this crisis and many of you have graduated online with the traditional speeches by the Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor.

I hope many of the graduating class will return in April for the traditional week of

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Congregations when we can properly celebrate your achievements.

The majority of our students left, wending their way homewards leaving only a core who could not for various reasons travel home. Most of those remaining were international students. This population was concentrated in Deerness Block where it self-organized into households sharing the kitchens on a rota under the eagle eyes of our supportive housekeepers (translated from Mandarin on the WeChat line as ‘our aunties’). I thank the residents of Deerness Block for their considerable patience and adaptability to very new circumstances.

An eyrie calm settled over the Mildert Campus as the grass grew, wild-flower meadows prospered and the animal wild life adapted to a new eco structure with the heron unchallenged as top predator.

But, every challenge offers new opportunities. We enjoyed a

unique Mildert Day engaging for the first time globally with our alumni; the day included a flyover the Mildert Campus, year reunions, an auction, messages from previous Heads of College, a mini Opera by the Lake from the Berlin Statsoper, and an interview with Jonathan Edwards CBE, world record holder for the triple jump, a record that has stood for 25 years (celebrated on the 7th August); Jonathan also toasted the Class of 2020 in a virtual Mildert Bar. Maureen and I have missed the Principal’s Receptions when we thank many of you for your massive impact on our Mildert community. Our three graduation dinners are for many of us the highlight of the year. Those too have been put on hold until April.

some online, some in person and many using both formats.

We are working too with the JCR, MCR and SCR to ensure you have the best possible student experience, one which you largely drive yourselves and I strongly support.

To our current students and our alumnae/i have a wonderful (if different) summer and please stay engaged with us, keep in touch, as we progress through the pandemic together. A number of you have already offered to help in various ways. Sincere thanks for these donations, of various sorts, it means a great deal to College and our students during these very difficult times.

Over the last few months, we have already been planning for the challenges of Michaelmas Term. For those of you returning we have in place a full menu of student enrichment events and occasions in a blended form,

Sheehan Quirke, JCR President part-online, part socially distanced world is fast becoming normal.

What can be said that hasn’t already been said? To talk about these strange times is to tread old ground. If anything, the truth is that this new

Microsoft Teams and Zoom are now staples of our quotidian discourse, along with wearing masks and turning down forgetful offers of handshakes and hugs. But people are adaptable, and if there’s one thing I learned from my late Auntie Elsie, who lived during both World Wars, it’s that nothing is unsurmountable.

For the JCR, however, this time of year is much as it always is: quiet. (There is one notable exception but we’ll get to that shortly). What with exams finished and the June celebrations having happened as much as possible in the virtual world rather than in the College itself, the JCR is closed for business.

More than ever, this is a time of great transition, so the quiet

Welcome months are a welcome chance for the old guard (including me!) to shuffle out through the backdoor and let the shining new heroes of Mildert take their place at the top.

We are blessed with two brilliant sabbatical officers, Lucy and Alastair, and a host of brilliant young minds leading our committees, sports clubs, and outreach projects. Things are looking up for Mildert.

The exception I mentioned?

JCR Independence! A plan two

years in the making is finally coming to fruition, and all the hard-work, administration and research is paying off.

People laughed when the idea of JCR independence was first floated; could we really withdraw from the University’s student organisation framework and register as a charity, something which had never been done? Suffice to say, they’re not laughing anymore!

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the way for St. Aidan’s, Josephine Butler, Collingwood, Hatfield, and Trevelyan College, all of whom have decided to follow our bold move and become independent.

Durham will never be the same, and as always, it is Mildert who has led the way into a bright new future.

Mildert’s success has paved

Islam Hussain, MCR President party on December 7, 2019, and a Board Games Night on December 14, 2019.

The MCR enjoyed a successful year with a variety of events, programs and initiatives for our MCR Members to get involved with.

During the Michaelmas Term, the MCR continued to organise Liver’s Out activities with ‘Fishy Fridays,’ where we welcome students to the College to enjoy Mildert Fish and Chips on a Friday, and coffee and cake events.

In addition, the MCR held a research seminar on November 27, 2019 featuring two researchers from the MCR. The MCR also organized an inter-MCR Christmas formal on December 4, 2019, a Christmas

Coffee and Cake with livers out gatherings in local coffee shops to support local businesses in the city.

During the Epiphany term, the MCR organized a number of social events including: co-sponsoring Chinese New Year celebrations, quiz nights, livers out coffee and cake, a wine tasting trip, board game nights, and an international movie night.

Finally, driven by its environmental mission, the MCR organized an event on Plant a Flower Day to encourage students to plant wildflowers in designated areas around college.

As far as academic development is concerned, the MCR continued to organize its research seminars under its new branding: The Van Mildert MCR Research Dialogue, and launched its MCR Lunch Talk Series.

As far as Easter term is concerned, the MCR was committed to provide the postgraduates at Van Mildert with the support and activities through innovative ways that bypass the obstacles Covid-19 has caused. This included virtual social and academic events.

With regards to social responsibility, the MCR held an inter-MCR Charity Quiz, and the money collected was donated to Durham Action on Single Housing.

The MCR also decided to substitute the Livers Out

Over summer, the MCR will be planning for the 2020-2021 induction week that promises to be challenging, yet a different and fun experience.

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The Mildertian Kate Deeming & Martin Brader, SCR Co-Presidents Archaeology of Lindisfarne' • Object handling workshop at the University’s Oriental Museum • Stargazing at the Physics Department: sadly restricted by some cloudy weather!

The SCR has continued to flourish during 2019/20 despite the year being one of two halves due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Annual General Meeting in December saw several changes to the SCR Executive Committee. Dr Howard Armstrong, Jacqui Oxley and Phil Simpson all stood down from their roles. We welcomed two new members to the Executive: Richard Hornby as SCR Secretary, and Lesley Smith as SCR Deputy Treasurer.

We (Kate Deeming and Martin Brader) were elected to the positions of SCR Co-Presidents, for a one-year term.

Our Events Coordinator, Charlotte Imlach, worked very hard to develop a wide-ranging programme of lectures, talks and other events for the year and we had some excellent, well attended events and activities during the Michaelmas and early Epiphany Terms including: • SCR Lecture by Dr David Petts (Department of Archaeology) on 'Uncovering the Early Medieval

• Talk by Dr Charlotte Adams from the Durham Energy Institute on ‘Mining for Heat’ • Word Sharing Lecture and Dinner with author, Rachel Lynch • SCR Dinner with talk ‘Dive into Durham’ - an overview of the River Wear Assemblage by renowned underwater archaeologist, Gary Bankhead (Department of Archaeology) •Visit to Auckland Castle organised by Keith Taylor including a talk on the Auckland Project.

In addition, the Book Club has enjoyed monthly meetings and we restarted our programme of SCR walks with a walk from Marsden Rock led by Maureen McCorry and the first stage of the Camino Ingles from Finchale Priory to Durham led

by Keith Taylor.

We also continued to support MCR, JCR, and College events, including the unforgettable ‘Opera by the Lake 2020’ with University Chancellor, Sir Thomas Allen. Richard Hornby has done sterling work to update the SCR website.

Unfortunately, at the end of Epiphany Term and through the Easter Term, the Covid-19 epidemic led to a pause on all in-person SCR-related activities, with the health and wellbeing of our membership being a key priority. However, we have maintained some online provision through the Book Club, a Coffee and Cake event and Drinks, Snacks and Quiz evening.

We have also been able to enjoy a range of online events and activities organised by College, through the Dimensions programme and other college groups. We offer our sincere thanks to College, the JCR and MCR for extending these invitations to SCR members.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of the SCR and look forward to the next academic year.

Opera By the Lake 2020

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Opera by the Lake 2020 Since the first edition of ‘Opera by the Lake’ in 2015, there has always been an appetite for more. Sir Thomas Allen, Durham University's Chancellor and internationally renowned baritone, agreed to headline a second run of the hugely popular format not long after the first had concluded, but it wasn’t until summer 2019 that a date that would work for Sir Tom, the College and key musicians was identified. Opera by the Lake would take place again on Saturday 22 February 2020 and it was to be a musical spectacular!

Sir Tom had a selection of favourite show-stoppers lined up, and each of our soloists added their own specialities to the programme. Months of preparation included the appointment of the two Musical Directors; Matthew Morgan and Matthew McCullough, and this was quickly followed by the confirmation of the three alumnae soloists; Sarah Baillie, Bridget Tomlinson, and Eleanor Penfold.

For months one of the most challenging aspects of the preparation was securing an

orchestra but with the support of local musician and violin teacher Chris Hartley, we were able to pull together The Feather Orchestra which would come together for just two rehearsals ahead of the performance.

Music sorted; we needed a choir. Invitations were sent out to Van Mildert College students, staff, alumni and friends of the college and to contacts across the wider north east community. Every Tuesday evening in the lead up to the performance, the chorus gathered in college. There was a range of staff, students, and locals who joined us, some being seasoned singers, and some not reading music at all; ability didn’t matter and as a chorus we ploughed through some wonderful music, feeling confident and in control by the time of the concert.

Many weeks, many emails, many rehearsals, and many firsts (have you ever asked to borrow two anvils and safety goggles for a concert?) later and it was showtime! Chorus prepared, orchestra in shape, anvils borrowed, conductors

prepped. The Ann Dobson Hall had been transformed by the incredible team of College Porters (who were also central to the sourcing of anvils!) and with the enormous dedication and tireless work of all the staff in Van Mildert College, there was a buzz in the air and a real feeling of anticipation.

The concert opened with the College Principal, Professor David Harper, and Sir Thomas Allen addressing the audience, which numbered over 300 people. Mozart’s Overture to ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ kicked off the music and we were underway.

Five years on, the 2020 performance had been long anticipated and was warmly received by a packed Ann Dobson Hall. The carefully thought-out programme ensured that there was something for everyone including some recognisable opera favourites such as Purcell’s Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas, Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria, and The Bird-Catcher from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The evening concluded with a standing

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Opera by the Lake 2020

ovation from a delighted audience. Indeed, Opera by the Lake became more than just another concert – it was a moving and poignant evening which many of those present will never forget!

Little did we know at the time just how close this very special

evening would be to the announcement of the COVID-19 lockdown just a few weeks later. For many, this makes the memories of Opera by the Lake 2020 even more special and few will forget the significance of the final piece; You’ll Never Walk Alone, a real tear-jerker!

A full review can be found on our College website, an extract is included below. It is a project of which we are both immensely proud and one which we are delighted to have been involved with.

Victoria Brown

Van Mildert College was the perfect place to be on a wet and windy February evening last Saturday.

The venue provided a welcome escape from the ravages of the weather, with the Ann Dobson Hall resounding in the glorious operatic sound world of Puccini, Mozart, and Verdi - to name but three of the noble army of composers on offer. Sir Thomas Allen - the University's beloved Chancellor was in wonderfully entertaining form, as he engagingly took us through the plots which lay behind the various solos, duets and choruses. He himself sang with his characteristic compelling demeanour, delighting the audience with his magisterial account of 'Avant de quitter ces lieux' from Gounod's 'Faust'. He was more than ably supported by three soprano soloists, all of whom are Durham graduates - Sarah Baillie, Eleanor Penfold, and Bridget Tomlinson. With Matthew Thomas Morgan (moonlighting as tenor soloist) and Matthew McCullough taking turns to conduct the stellar Feather Orchestra (expertly led by the dependable Christopher Hartley), and the resplendent Feather Choir, it was an evening of musical excellence.

It was an evening of so many treats that it was difficult to discern a particular highlight, as every item all made an impression. We had a terrific, if slightly terrifying, Queen of the Night in Eleanor Penfold, a sensual duet from Monteverdi's 'Coronation of Poppea', again with Penfold and Bridget Tomlinson, the sublime Dido's Lament with Sarah Baillie, the incomparable Pearlfishers' Duet with Matthew Thomas Morgan and Sir Thomas, and a hapless Papageno with the Chancellor coping (hilariously) with a faulty set of pan pipes (all credit to Michael Cave for filling in the cue on his faultless piccolo). A great night, indeed, and one which was enthusiastically received by a grateful audience with a standing ovation.

Peter Coulson

The Dimensions Programme At Van Mildert College, we are committed to offering a student experience that is inspiring, challenging and accessible to all.

Our Dimensions student enrichment programme aims to support this endeavour, providing opportunities for students to develop their intellectual curiosity, personal effectiveness and enable a stronge sense of belonging and responsibility.

Following on from the expansion of the programme last academic year, in 2018/19, the dedicated work of our Van Mildert Dimensions interns, and thanks to the generous financial support of an alumnus of Van Mildert College, we have been able to run interesting

and dynamic events, workshops and sessions that are open to all students this academic year.

group discussions and are frequently run by our Mildert alumni

Engage and Inspire – motivational and inspirational speakers with a story to tell.

Sometimes academic in nature, sometimes not, but always providing an opportunity to discuss hot topics or unique personal experiences

Wellbeing and Community – these sessions will challenge you to think about the importance of looking after your wellbeing in order to make the most of your time in Durham. A particular focus of this theme is the Dimensions Freshers Programme which focuses specifically on wellbeing in relation to the transition from School to University.

Find your Future – opportunities to dip into the reality of future career paths and hear from the people who really know what it is like to do your dream job! Sessions often include one-to-one meetings or

This year, our Dimensions Programme kicked off as we welcomed first year students to Van Mildert College. Every new student was gifted a copy of ‘Resourcefulness @ University’ written by student mental

We continue to run the Dimensions programme based across three key themes –

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expert, Dr Dominique Thompson.

The book, part of a series of mental health resources aimed at University students, was popular amongst our students, and we were delighted to welcome Dr Dom Thompson to the College to talk more on this topic with a fascinating presentation entitled ‘What I learnt from 78,000 GP consultations with students’.

This wellbeing and community focus has continued throughout the year with a series of workshops and wellbeing sessions in Yoga, Mindfulness and Japanese Martial Art, Aikido aimed at promoting physical and mental wellbeing.

We were delighted to welcome back many of our inspirational Van Mildert alumni to the College this year, including a talk from alumnus Paul Sennett, former Managing Director of Deutsche Bank, who also hosted a series of mock interviews and cv-review sessions with individual students. In January, we also welcomed back Van Mildert alumnus, Lord Anthony Hughes, who met with many of

our law students. We hope that these events have provided a platform for students to curiously and creatively explore hot topics and paths of interest to them.

Alongside this, we also introduced sessions for students interested in exploring a career focus in PR and marketing, and the third sector, as we welcomed Mildertians with a wealth of different experiences and career focuses back to the College to participate in discussion panel style events.

A particular highlight of the Dimensions programme this year took place in November, when we welcomed the Mayor of Tubingen, Herr Palmer, to Van Mildert College as part of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Durham and Tubingen twinning project.

Herr Palmer gave an insightful talk to a packed Ustinov Room discussed Tubingen’s efforts to become more environmentally

sustainable, a sentiment that resonated with many of us at the College.

Following the talk, student representatives, College and University staff, Tubingen and Durham council members, the Vice-Chancellor and Mayor of Durham, came together to discuss the talk and hear from the College’s Green Committee representatives.

Whilst the upcoming academic year certainly presents new challenges as in light of the COVID-19 pandemic we look to expand our programme to the digital world, we are looking forward to developing new activities as part of our Dimensions student enrichment programme, and, as ever, we welcome suggestions from both our current students and our wider College community.

Liz Ryder

The Parliamentary Review

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The Parliamentary Review 2020 We are delighted to share that Van Mildert College has been featured in The Parliamentary Review 2020.

This year has been a remarkable one. We have all faced many challenges as the COVID-19 situation has led to uncertain and unprecedented time for us all.

This year has also been one of many successes for the College, and one such success has been the College’s feature in The Parliamentary Review as an example of best practice in Education Services in 2020.

Towards the end of last year, the College was approached by representatives of the Review to submit a report for The Parliamentary Review, which we were delighted to accept.

Co-chaired by Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, the Parliamentary Review is an indispensable guide to best practice across a variety of different areas, showcasing various examples from steadfast organisations in the

public and private sectors. Its principal aim to raise standards within said industries by producing a template for future reform.

This year, the College is proud to be featured in the Further and Higher Education Services section, having been identified by the review team who were particularly impressed by our strong college ethos, based around our motto sic vos non vobis – ‘not for yourselves’, and their sense that members of the College truly live by this motto, with particular reference to our students’ outreach and volunteering work and commitment to environmental sustainability.

In particular, the Parliamentary Review report allowed us to celebrate and reflect on the successes of Mildert’s staff and students. In the review, a full version of which can be found here, the College highlighted the importance of the role of the student body, particularly across our three main social hubs; the Bar, the Gym and

the Library.

This collaboration of students and staff was also celebrated in our Dimensions student enrichment programme, along with the College’s extensive scholarly activities and passion for environmental sustainability.

Overall, the Parliamentary Review report concluded that ‘the Van Mildert College community is, we hope, a community for life’. Whilst our community is large, it is also intimate and rich with diversity, energy and opportunity.

The Parliamentary Review was published in February 2020, and since then we have experienced an extremely uncertain time. Our hope, however, is that this community has grown stronger in spite of it, and we look ahead to offering more opportunities for our students and alumni in the next academic year.

Liz Ryder

Alumni Your connection to Van Mildert does not end when you graduate. You join a vibrant and active alumni community, who are a vital part of our College.

Alumni

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Update from the Van Mildert Association Chair Update from the Van Mildert Association Chair, Neil Crimes, is taken from the alumni news blog, discussing the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of our alumni community.

These have been scary and challenging times for all of us. I personally don’t know a single person who hasn’t been affected by the virus in one way or another. I train NHS workers in Leadership and Management skills and I have heard some harrowing stories over the past few months. But I’ve also been impressed by the moments where our humanity has shone through: from the

key workers who have kept the country running to little acts of kindness and compassion we have shown to each other.

I have personally enjoyed (virtually) connecting with my fellow Mildert alumni over the last few months. We have regular poker and games nights and have started a weekly routine of cooking together over Zoom on the weekend (a ritual which can last 4 or 5 hours). Twenty or more minutes can go by where we don’t really say anything to each other, but it is nice to know that people I love and trust are there by my side. And

it’s a lot easier to pretend you are a gourmet chef when no-one has to taste your food!

As difficult as these past three months have been, I have regularly taken solace and comfort in the fact that I was lucky enough to meet such a fantastic group of friends at Mildert, thanks to such a supportive and inclusive college environment. If you haven’t yet reached out to your fellow Mildertians during lock-down, please do so now…take my car (as Bill Bryson would say).

Neil Crimes

Memories from the VMA Reunion Weekend 2019 The 2019 Durham Reunion took place over a glorious summer weekend last July. Around 50 alumni were treated to a fantastic meal in the Hall followed by music and dancing in the JCR. After the meal, it is rumoured that some stumbled into town to frequent Klute, but most just chatted in the bar and then stumbled, happily, the short walk back to their college room

for the night. Some things never change.

The weekend provided a great chance to see all the developments which are taking place in the city of Durham. In addition to the new colleges which are being built on the golf course behind Mildert, the Science site has undergone an amazing transformation, and is almost unrecognizable.

Even the historic center has

seen major developments: the old Passport Office (a magnificent brutalist building which I happened to love) has been knocked down, and a new ‘River Walk’ created connecting it to Framwellgate Bridge.

You can read more about these developments in my reunion weekend welcome letter on our website.

Neil Crimes

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An update from our Alumni!

This year, the Van Mildert Association have been working hard to re-launch the Van Mildert Alumni Newsletter as an online blog. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this blog has become an opportunity for fellow alumni to share their stories and favourite Mildert memories.

The below extract is taken from the Mildert Alumni News website and is written by VM Alumnus, James Mackenzie (1994-98), who discusses life in the Virtual Mildert Bar over the past few months…

Popping Down to the Virtual Mildert Bar I’ve been back to Mildert bar on several occasions over the twenty three years since I graduated, I have probably clocked up ten visits, almost one every two years since 1998.

That, I think from my group of Mildertian friends, isn’t too shabby a record. However, in the last 5 weeks I’ve been back seven times.

Yes, in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic I’ve managed to clock up circa 20

hours drinking and chatting in Mildert bar with fellow alumni.

Of course, this isn’t breaking any of the lockdown rules by travelling northwards but it is in fact the ‘Virtual’ Mildert Bar. Whether it is Google Hangouts, Zoom or any other video conferencing platform, Mildert Bar has returned with a big bang into my life. A couple of times a week I’m hanging out like it was 1996 with close friends and people I haven’t seen since the heady days of Blur vs Oasis, and can I tell you it has been wonderful!

At a time when the world is a challenge and the news is 24-hour doom and gloom it has been brilliant to get away from it all and talk for three hours about anything and everything.

It’s been great hearing what people are now doing, what their families are like and often what they look like as a small child comes running into shot calling for mummy.

The talk, as you would imagine, defaults to our time at college pretty quickly. Do you remember the first Kazu, your first ‘laking’, the recycling of sausages into every dish

imaginable in the kitchens and the high pitched Geordie banter of the amazing cleaning staff.

These memories are quickly enriched by people thrusting 25-year-old, slightly faded, photographs to their laptop camera so that we can relive the horror of Indie haircuts and drunken formals.

There are alumni scattered all around the world, and on the calls I’ve conversed with Mancs living in California, Stoke City fans in Saxony, expats in NYC and Geordies in the Caymans.

What has amazed me was that a time of restricted social interaction many of my friends first thoughts were to spend the time and reach out to people they haven’t spoken to in years.

It shows a lot about the community spirit, love and general bunch of top drawer people Mildert produces, and still produces to this day.

James Mackenzie

Alumni

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Join the 1965 Club A distinctive student experience which benefits the whole College community and beyond is at the very heart of the Van Mildert College ethos and is reflected in our College motto, sic vos non vobis - not for yourselves.

We are delighted that the experiences of Mildertians past and present have already been substantially enhanced through the generous support of our alumni and friends. Indeed, this support has meant that we have moved a significant way towards our goal of ensuring that no student with the motivation and enthusiasm to engage in the collegiate student experience should be limited in doing so financially.

Associate Donate £19.65 per year You will receive: - Hard copy of The Mildertian - Van Mildert College pin badge - Invitations to 1965 Club events

The 1965 Club recognises the wonderful contributions from our alumni and friends and will ensure that we move a step closer to our ambitious and accessible student experience at Van Mildert College.

levels of benefits to donors and, of course, students! We hope that the benefits received by our members demonstrate our thanks to alumni for their valuable contributions to the College community.

The 1965 Club directly supports various scholarships and bursaries; from PhD Scholarships and support for internships or conference attendance, to our recently launched Engagement Bursaries scheme which seeks to widen participation in all College based activities.

So if you are already a regular donor, consider becoming a 1965 Club member so that we can appropriately thank you for all that you generously give to your College. If you’re not a donor yet, we hope that you will consider 1965 Club membership!

The 1965 Club has three tiers of support - Associate, Guardian and Keeper of the Feather each of which offers different

Guardian

More information, including how to join the 1965 Club is available by contacting the College’s Principal Office.

Keeper

Donate £19.65 per quarter

Donate £19.65 per month

You will receive:

You will receive:

- Associate level benefits - Invitation to High Table Formal Dinner

- Guardian level benefits - SCR Membership - Invitation to Graduation Dinner

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Keep in Touch We are always happy to hear from our alumni and especially enjoy hearing their news and achievements.

details is through the Dunelm webpages, which can be accessed at: www.dunelm.org.uk/

There are a number of ways that you can keep in touch with Van Mildert College, including registration for email updates, following us on social media or simply giving us a call.

The Dunelm webpages provide information on the latest events and activities organised for alumni, as well as outlining opportunities for volunteering or supporting one of the many College or wider University initiatives.

In order to make sure that you keep up-to-date with developments at Van Mildert College, it is important to ensure that we have your most recent contact details.

Updating your details allows you to select your preferred method of communication, as well as access to a number of alumni benefits.

You can also keep up-to-date with current College activities through our dedicated social media accounts, with the details provided below. Simply follow or like us for regular updates.

You can connect professionally with Mildertians across the world via our LinkedIn Van Mildert group. Search ‘Van Mildert Alumni’ to join us.

If you would like any further information about how to stay in touch, please contact the Student Experience Officer, via email: vm.development@durham.ac.uk

The easiest way to update your

Van Mildert College Alumni and Van Mildert Association

@VM_Alumni or @vanmildert1965 or @VM_Principal

@vanmildertcollege

Research and Scholarly Activity Van Mildert College is host to a vibrant scholarly community, with a variety of events, activities and talks hosted by members of the College’s Common Rooms, throughout the academic year.

This year, alongside our usual eclectic programme of talks, seminars and workshops, we have also seen the reinvigoration of many of our academic endeavours, and the creation of new opportunities for scholarly activity to be shared amongst our Mildert community.

During Michaelmas and Epiphany Term, the SCR welcomed several fascinating speakers to the College, including Dr Charlotte Adams, who provided a comprehensive understanding of how abandoned coal mines may be used to provide energy sources, and underwater archaeologist Gary Bankhead, who entertained SCR members on his findings and illustrations of archaeological features in Durham’s Rivers.

In November, as part of our annual Van Mildert College Trust Lecture, we were delighted to welcome Dr Richard Lane OBE, formerly Director of Science at the

Natural History Museum, with a talk entitled ‘World Health: their problem is our problem?’ exploring the disparities of health inequality across the globe.

Pandemic, the Research Dialogue series has continued in the online world, using Teams and Zoom to host live webinars to members of the College community.

We were also delighted to welcome, in the same week, the Mayor of Tubingen, Germany, who gave an inspirational talk, as part of our Dimensions student enrichment programme. More on this fascinating talk is included in the Dimensions section of this magazine

A highlight of the College’s research and scholarly activities this year has been the creation of new opportunities for students to engage with academic rigour. Members of the College’s MCR, including the MCR President, Islam Hassan, hosted a ‘Crisis Simulation’ workshop at Van Mildert College, exploring conflict management and resolution. Information about this, alongside a profile on our three Postgraduate Arts Scholars this year, can be found in this magazine.

The MCR who revived their Postgraduate Research Seminars, renaming the series the MCR Research Dialogue and reintroducing a number of lunchtime sessions, hosted several presentations throughout the year, providing a platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students to present their current research projects to fellow members of the College Community.

This year, we were delighted to hear from students across a range of subject areas; from Norse Poetry, to the processes of using mathematics to counter security threats, to a discussion on participatory action research in Nepal. In spite of the COVID-19

As we look ahead to the next academic year, recruitment is currently underway for our next group of Van Mildert Scholars, including the Van Mildert College Trust Scholarship programme.

We look forward to the continuation of our active programme of scholarly activities next academic year!

Liz Ryder

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The Mildertian

Meet our Postgraduate (Arts) Scholars In 2019, Van Mildert College appointed three Postgraduate (Arts) Scholars, Thomas, Amber and Hugo.

Each scholar has been working this year to develop the arts, music and cultural life of the College, successfully organising a number of events and workshops, including a Chinese New Year celebration event that focused on introducing Chinese cultures and practices to the College in a day of fun filled activities, and the revival of the VM Recital Series, a platform to celebrate the fantastic talent of Mildert’s community.

Our Postgraduate Arts Scholars reflect on their time at Van Mildert College over the past year, in the below reports from Thomas Graves and Hugo Jennings.

As Thomas, Amber and Hugo move on from their role, we would like to take this opportunity to thank them from all of their dedication and hard work over the past year.

The College looks forward to welcoming our next group of Van Mildert scholars to the

College as we look ahead to the next academic year.

Thomas Graves, VM Postgraduate (Arts) Scholar My name is Thomas Graves and I have been one of two Van Mildert postgraduate arts scholars this year. I am a first-year PhD student in the Music Department using a mixture of ethnomusicology and music psychology methods to research music and emotion in qawwālī, and therefore my priority this year has been the mobilisation of the arts as an instrument of cultural exchange.

This year, both myself and Amber Donovan have been working to promote integration between international and domestic student bodies, and develop an awareness of the climate crisis amongst the student population.

We have facilitated these goals through three events: two arts events celebrating Chinese New Year (which I led), a roundtable discussion on climate crisis and the arts (led

by Amber with my help), and a poetry competition with a

climate theme (led by Amber).

In my two years living in China, I noticed how important spring festival is to Chinese families, and myself experienced the isolation of being unable to celebrate Christmas with my own family. This, along with a tendency of many Chinese students to socialise more with other Chinese students, presented an opportunity, both to make Chinese Mildertians feel more at home in a time that many may feel homesick, and to foster greater interaction between Chinese Mildertians and other parts of the community.

Assembling a committee of Chinese Mildertians, representatives from the MCR and International Society, we organised two events: a craft day one week before Chinese New Year and a celebration on Chinese New Year itself. During the craft event, Chinese students taught a workshop in Chinese calligraphy and traditional paper-cutting, before eating Chinese snacks and decorating the College with Chinese lanterns and knots.

Academia

One week later, on Chinese New Year, we watched the CCTV Chinese New Year Gala and played the Chinese board game Majiang.

While the celebrations on Chinese New Year itself were (other than myself), only attended by Chinese students, and addressing the goal of giving a homely atmosphere to Chinese students, the craft day addressed both this goal, and that of intercultural exchange, as around half of the attendees were Chinese, and half from other countries.

I would like to wholeheartedly thank our committee: Munyiva and Constance from the International Society, Islam, Filipa and Beth from the MCR, and event organisers Vivian, Jueying, Chavi, Yibu, Sunny, and Eva. Hugo Jennings, Van Mildert Postgraduate (Arts) Scholar I am in my fourth year at Mildert, studying a taught MA in Music Performance. My main performing interests are in orchestral conducting, jazz piano, and singing, and my

research interests are in jazz historiography and Theory and Analysis.

In my time at Mildert, I have been JCR Head of Music, appeared in four musicals (two as Musical Director), been in the college Big Band for three years, and conducted various university orchestras and ensembles.

Most recently, I have been one of the Postgraduate (Arts) Scholars, which has allowed for me to be involved with the College even more closely.

My main responsibility this year was to revive the VM Recital Series. Unfortunately, plans were cut short by coronavirus, but in Epiphany Term we hosted several successful recitals.

The first showcased some of the college’s vocalists, followed by a pianist-themed concert.

The singing recital was a joyful occasion, with songs ranging from Handel to Duke Ellington, featuring our very talented Tasmin Martin-Young, Jamie Blackwell, Jonny Hewitt, and Dan Coxon.

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The piano recital saw Elwyn Rowlands playing pieces by Brahms and Grieg, a Bach Prelude by yours truly, and a stunning Beethoven Sonata played by Jeremy Chan.

Whilst it was a shame to lose the recitals planned for Easter term, the start of the VM Recital series was a testament to the fantastic talent at Van Mildert College, and will hopefully be a project that can be continued next academic year.

I was also involved with ‘Opera by the Lake’ earlier this year as a member of the chorus, singing bass for the most part and, on the orders of the Vice Principal and the conductor, singing counter-tenor on a few occasions.

It was a pleasure to take part in such a successful concert, which was the icing on the cake of a very successful year in Mildert music.

Liz Ryder, Thomas Graves and Hugo Jennings

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The Mildertian

College Library Van Mildert Library has absorbed a hope for change this year, striving to make the space itself more accessible, as well as ensuring that our Library events are even bigger and better!

Our biggest event of the year was definitely our ‘World Book Day’ Formal, which sold out and was hailed as an exciting take on a classic formal dinner.

The evening included a ‘World Book Day’ twist and each attendee was gifted a themed goody bag, in which they received a copy of a universally celebrated poem, selected by the Library team, a library beer mat, as well as a postcard and bookmark, alongside their three course meal.

Entertainment included spoken word and poetry performances from some fantastic postgraduate students, some of which featured their own original work! It was a great success!

As part of our desire to create more opportunities for college students to engage with the library, we have also started a new book and film club this year, called ‘Lit Flix’. Designed to be accessible to all students, whether they want to read, watch, or just enjoy some time

to relax, the club chooses a work of literature to read before meeting to discuss it and then watch the film adaptation.

We began with a fascinating talk about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby before settling in (with accompanying snacks) to watch the 2013 adaptation, directed by Baz Luhrmann. We’re looking forward to our next meeting, in which we’ll be discussing Neil Gaiman’s subversive take on the fairy-tale genre, Stardust, before watching Matthew Vaughn’s 2007 adaptation!

In terms of updating our book collection, working alongside ‘Fem Soc’, the Library purchased several collections embedded in feminist literature and/or written by feminist authors, as well as Michelle Obama’s autobiography: ‘Becoming’. Laura Bates’ ‘Girl Up’ is a personal favourite of ours, providing an honest, refreshingly frank and intersectional view of issues facing women and girls in the modern day. This exhibition of books, has been incredibly well received and have definitely made for a more well-rounded collection in our library!

As always, immense thanks must go to our group of student volunteers, who have worked tirelessly to keep the library shutters open this year even as the working space changes around them. The Kent Room, for example, has been refurbished this year to accommodate our non-academic books and provides more space and opportunities for social working and group project.

From newcomers to students entering their third year of volunteering with us, Library Committee has never been larger and has thrived through social events such as our annual Christmas party!

Without our volunteers, the library simply would not function, and we are grateful to each and every one of them.

Ben Chennells and Alice Gibbons

A huge thank you to Ben and Alice for all of their hard work this year, supporting the Library and Postgraduate community and throughout their four years at Van Mildert College!

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Durham Crisis Simulation On the 8th and 9th of February 2020, three Van Mildert students—Islam Hassan, a PhD Candidate, Teodora Stoyanova, an undergraduate student and Nuriyya Hasanova, a Masters student—organised the first ever Crisis Simulation exercise in Durham.

Over the course of two days, thirty-three students from across a variety of academic disciplines and seventeen different home countries negotiated possible resolutions to “The Blockade on Qatar: A Crisis in the Persian Gulf”.

The participants were exposed to the challenges of diplomatic negotiations that can occur as a result of unforeseen developments and complications related to communication, reports, and intelligence communiques. The crisis simulation exercise was proudly sponsored by Van Mildert College and the School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA).

The Crisis Simulation committee received a large number of very strong applications. The committee reviewed each applicant across five areas: academic background, previous experience, knowledge about

the topic, apprehension of the exercise, and objectives.

Based on the criteria of the acceptance process, the Crisis Simulation team extended invitations to thirty-three applicants, who were divided into ten teams representing Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United States of America, Oman, and Iran.

Every participant received a detailed package with supplementary readings, guidance and a secret state agenda. The exercise was managed by a Central Command comprised of the three organizers, who consulted each team, role-played each country’s government, and introduced new developments on the crisis through press releases, news, and fake news.

The exercise started off with a speech by Islam Hassan who provided an overview of the crisis simulation, explained the rules of the simulation, and offered advice to the participants. Afterwards, the participants indulged in fiery negotiations for possible resolutions that would meet their own countries’ interests.

Through her active role in the Central Command and her experience in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, Nuriyya Hasanova challenged the students with live developments on the crisis.

Teodora Stoyanova concluded the crisis simulation by highlighting the main takeaways and challenges of the two-day exercise. Through their participation in the crisis simulation exercise, students not only gained experience in diplomacy, but also forged intercollegiate friendships over lunch and tea breaks.

According to one participant, “Thrilling two days to introduce yourself to diplomacy and understand how complex any decision is. I definitely recommend.” Romain Gallix, First Year PPE student at Van Mildert College.

The Van Mildert organisers were able to lead this initiative, provide opportunity for skill development and enrich students’ university experience through the generous support of the Van Mildert Student Opportunity and Challenge Fund.

Islam Hassan and Teodora Stoyanova

College Life Each year, the Common Rooms host a range of activities and events for their members, whilsts welcoming new students to the wider College community.

College Life

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JCR Events JCR events have continued to go from strength to strength.

The year started with a Freshers’ Week bursting with incredible events. There were old favourites like Casino Night and Newcastle Night, but this Freshers will be remembered for hosting not one but two iconic BOPs: Swamplife and Sweet but Psychedelic.

The first BOP saw college become Mildert’s very own festival, and the second was a slumber party like no other.

The creative decorations and innovative ents (entertainment activities) at these two events really set the standard for the rest of the year, and what was to come did not disappoint!

At the beginning of Michaelmas Term, we hosted

the brand-new Meet the Parents event, with families turning up for an ultimate bonding experience full of pizza, inflatables, and of course, karaoke. Other highlights of the term include the pantomime, a Christmassy last orders, and of course, the Michaelmas Ball.

This year, Mildert was transformed into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, and many Mildertians experienced a wonderful night of entertainment. From chocolate fountains, to stilt walkers, to captivating mid-meal performances, to the classic Mildert silent disco, it was an unforgettable evening!

Epiphany Term also saw many amazing events. Talk & Support ran the infamous Sexual Health

and Guidance BOP with a 90s theme, and CRC put on the first ‘traffic light’ BOP for Valentines Day. I n addition, the term was full of formals, open mic nights and even our first colour run. And how could Feather Theatre’s spectacular rendition of Grease the Musical be forgotten!

Despite the untimely end to the term and academic year, there is no doubt that JCR events are alive and well. They are ready to be adapted in the new Academic Year to the current circumstances and will be back in their usual capacity, better than ever before, as soon as it is safe to do so!

Lucy Egan

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The Mildertian

Mildert Day 55 On Saturday 27 June, we hosted Mildert Day 55; a celebration of 55 years of Van Mildert College.

While originally planned in the usual ‘College Day’ format, the present circumstances and the need to hold the event virtually provided an ideal opportunity for the alumni community to participate.

The day began with various welcome messages and online musical performances including contributions from Mildert Big Band and Opera by the Lake #3 (from the State Opera Berlin!) with SCR member, David Wakeham, himself a formidable baritone.

It was also wonderful to see Mildertians from across the decades share their Mildert

memories online throughout the day; from the graduates of the 1960s to those of 2020, there was something for everyone.

A particular highlight of Mildert Day 55 was a video received from the cast of the 2010 Mildert Summer Musical, RENT, who reunited to record ‘Seasons of Love’.

The video, which is available here, quickly became the soundtrack to Mildert Day 55 and is testament to the profound warmth for their College felt by this group of alumni.

Recorded video messages from former Heads of College were also warmly welcomed and in the early evening we hosted six online Decade Reunions.

We were delighted that Olympic Champion and Triple Jump world record holder and Van Mildert College alumnus, Jonathan Edwards, also joined us for an interview with The Principal, David Harper.

The Big Mildert Quiz followed at 7 pm (and is still available online here if you wish to try it) and the day continued with a virtual ‘Night in Mildert Bar’ which brought together current students and alumni as they compared notes of their student days.

At 10 pm, Jonathan Edwards concluded a triumphant Mildert Day 55 as he proposed a Toast to the Class of 2020 in the College bar!

Victoria Brown

College Life

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Principals and Sport Awards Ask any Mildertian about their favourite event and you can be certain that our two set-piece award ceremonies will emerge as frontrunners.

Indeed, if only the cynics and naysayers of the world could attend these two very special formals then their pessimism would be blown away by the sheer and unrelenting magnificence of our students.

This country (and the world too) has an awful lot to look forward to when these bright young people take up their inevitable roles in leading charities, governments, businesses, universities, and other such institutions.

After all, what we pride ourselves on at Mildert isn’t only brilliance itself, but the recognition of that brilliance.

Suffice to say, no College better recognises the hard-work, generosity, humour, passion, competence, and intelligence of its students than Mildert.

To single out any of the winners would be unfair, and if any of you are curious then please search for the ‘Mildert Awards 2020’ Facebook page, which features all the winners and their certificates. It is a shame that we couldn’t hold the two Formals in the exquisite lakeside setting of

our famous Ann Dobson Hall, and that our winners couldn’t be exposed the rapturous applause of the crowds, but such is life!

Simply saying thank you doesn’t quite cut the mustard, but right now, across the country and the world, people are hanging those framed awards on the walls and taking the thanks given to them by Mildert on the turbulent adventures awaiting them.

Wherever they are and whatever they do, Mildert will always be there with them.

Sheehan Quirke

The Great Mildert Bake Off In celebration of Durham University Fairtrade Week in February, members of the Van Mildert College Green Committee, along with staff at Van Mildert joined together to put on the first Great Mildert Bake Off! In our competition, each team was provided with a Van Mildert Bag For Life containing ingredients, all from Fairtrade sources, and tasked with producing their own chocolate orange cake.

The competitors were permitted to create any cake

style of their choice and to decorate the bake using their own resources.

Mildertians cooked up some fantastic bakes, from chocolate orange brownies and puddings, to a fantastic cake replica of the Van Mildert College Lake, worthy of Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry!

After a rigorous judging process led by our dedicated team of judges; Sheehan Quirke, JCR President, Jayne Dent, Head Chef, Victoria Brown, Deputy Principal and Islam Hassan, MCR President,

who ranked each bake by appearance, originality and of course, taste, we were delighted to announce that Kat Cresswell and Ruby Tomlinson were the winners of our first Mildert Bake Off with some fantastically gooey chocolate orange brownies.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our event, and we hope that our Great Mildert Bake Off will return next academic year, this time with an international themed twist!

Liz Ryder

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The Mildertian

Virtual Visit Days During the Easter Vacation we would usually enjoy welcoming prospective Mildertians to our College.

In previous years, visits to Durham from prospective students have been much anticipated affairs with a lively atmosphere full of excitement, intrigue and fascination. The student open day helpers are a lively bunch, and rightly so, as they anticipate showing off their College proudly to their younger counterparts.

A familiar happy welcome buzzes around which can only be likened in spirit to the memorable Freshers Arrivals Days. Of course, for prospective students the open days provide an invaluable opportunity to experience College life, including, for offer holders with an overnight stay.

However, 2020 was to be different and following the announcement of the national COVID-19 lockdown and huge initial efforts to put various emergency arrangements in place in College, one of the first major student experience initiatives of recent months involved producing new materials for Durham University’s Post-Offer Visit Days in early April.

With staff working from home and visits to the College no longer possible, the Post-Offer Visit Days (or POVDs as they are known) had to take place in a very different format. There would be no warm in-person welcomes across the Mildert forecourt, no informal chats with offer holders and their parents over a cup of tea, and no enthusiastic student helpers leading tours around the College estate.

We realised very early that these POVDs would require a complete rethink of our usual activities and that the production of online content would be our priority.

The Student Experience Officer, Liz Ryder, quickly and enthusiastically volunteered to learn new skills in video editing while I was tasked with building new webpages and organising a series of online webinars which offered an opportunity for offer holders and their families to hear from the College Officers and student leaders about student life at the College. Of the most challenging tasks was the recording of the welcome videos.

After numerous takes we all realised that our novice ability would be quickly found out without some fast learning. So,

College Life

after some initial troubles with inconvenient weather, difficulties finding a suitable backdrop, notes blowing away and noise from nearby roadworks, we eventually fine-tuned our technique and produced videos of modest but workable quality. Thankfully with the wizardry of iMovie, Liz was able to spruce them up to create a final product that we were proud of and successfully conveyed the Mildert spirit.

The move to online Open Days and visits was a huge learning curve but, in the usual Mildert way, we saw an opportunity despite the challenges.

Our online webinars attracted in excess of 100 prospective students per session and we were delighted to answer many interesting questions from prospective students and their families. The digital content

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created in both April and July has provided a lasting record on our College YouTube channel (see Van Mildert College, Durham University) of content such as a drone flight over the College estate, tours of the College and the accommodation, and welcome videos from staff and student leaders.

students applying to Van Mildert College and those who are ‘firming’ their offers with us in order to assess the impact of the online vs in-person visit experience.

We were particularly pleased to see increased numbers of international students engage with our Open Days and visits than in previous years and we hope to ensure that this continues in the future. As a global community we must ensure that our student experience, including the pre-arrival experience, is accessible and suitable for all students.

Despite the challenges the experience of planning for and implementing the online Open Days and visits, the whole process remains a hugely positive learning experience to have come out of the 2020 lockdown and our new virtual world!

We are also continuing to keep a close eye on the number of

It is clear that future Open Days and visits will involve a hybrid model of online and in-person opportunities.

Victoria Brown

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The Mildertian

MCR Events Although the MCR only formed in November, we soon had our regular Quiz and Board Game Nights, accompanied with pizza.

At these free events we got to know one another whilst playing, somewhat competitively, games showing off general knowledge, Durham knowledge and strategic ability at regular events held throughout the college.

We also made further additions to the board game collection which can be played whenever by all members in the bankside room. These events were held every other week throughout both terms as a way to relax and get to know fellow Mildertian postgrads.

Christmas saw us host the postgrad Christmas ball which

featured festive food and drink, a live band and a photobooth.

Although there was no snow this year with everyone dressed to the nines we celebrated in style. We also hosted a Christmas party with food, parlour games and dancing, as well as several over-enthusiastic chocolate orange openings.

The New Year saw a return of our Quiz and Board Game Nights alongside our Wine Tasting event in February. A trip to Newcastle’s Pip Stop for a masterclass in all things wine with access to the bar and opportunity for a night out in the city after. The wine was catered for our vegan guests, as was the complementary pizza. It all tied in with the Mildert bop afterwards too.

The MCR also saw events run

by the Welfare Secretary and Vice President which included livers-out trips to Durham’s favourite restaurants, coffee and cake evenings and paint a pebble day. All to help destress and catch up with the MCR. Unfortunately Covid-19 kicked in before the good weather so our Spring and Summer plans for walks in Durham and surrounding counties were put on hold for next year. Our international music night was also cancelled the day before it was scheduled due to the virus.

Although the year was short it’s been a busy one!

Sophie Clarke

College Life

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SCR Events SCR Lecture Series: ‘Mining for Heat’ by Dr Charlotte Adams Our first SCR lecture of 2020, given by Dr Charlotte Adams, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Earth Sciences and Engineering, was a fascinating and highly topical start to our programme of talks and lectures.

With half of the UK’s energy demand being for heat and

most being produced by burning gas, it is essential that we find low carbon alternates both to help mitigate against climate change and ensure security in our energy supply.

From sharing National Coal Board mining maps to explaining how heat pumps work to extract low grade heat,

Charlotte set out for us comprehensively and engagingly how flooded abandoned coal mines may help to provide one answer to meeting our future energy demands.

Kate Deeming

SCR Epiphany Term Dinner with Gary Bankhead On 19 February, we were delighted to welcome underwater archaeologist, small finds researcher and illustrator, Gary Bankhead (Department of Archaeology, Durham University), to present our Epiphany Term SCR Dinner.

Gary provided a fascinating overview of the River Wear Assemblage, which contains thousands of small finds, and offered insights into the history of Durham Cathedral and

Durham city. The talk included snapshots of historical life, international trade, and local manufacturing industries. Gary was able to share a number of his own illustrations, as well as imagery from his archaeological research. It was a truly fascinating insight into underwater archaeology.

over an excellent three course dinner prepared by the Van Mildert College catering team.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Gary for a fascinating talk and to the Van Mildert College staff for their support of the event.

Richard Hornby

Following the talk, Gary welcomed questions from the audience, and members were able to continue the discussion

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The Mildertian

Durham University News Durham University Vice Chancellor announces retirement The Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University, Professor Stuart Corbridge has announced his intention to retire at the end of the academic year, 31 July 2021. In a statement to staff and students, Professor Corbridge said he would be retiring at the end of July 2021 for health reasons. He will continue to lead the University at full capacity until that date.

In the statement, he remarked ‘Leading Durham University over the last five years has been an immense privilege for me both as a leader and as an academic…I remain immensely grateful to all of the colleagues, students and friends of the University who have supported me throughout my tenure as Vice-Chancellor, and with whom I will continue to work over the next academic year.

Joe Docherty, Chair, Durham University issued a response commending Professor Corbridge for his ‘steadfast leadership’ and announcing the Council’s search for a new Vice-Chancellor to take over leadership from August 2021.

UK Government supports Covid-19 Detection Dogs trial at Durham University The UK government has awarded a specialist team of researchers more than

£500,000 to find out if specifically-trained bio-detection dogs could be used as a new rapid testing measure for Covid-19.

The initial stage of the research aims to determine whether the dogs are able to detect coronavirus in humans from odour samples and the project is collaboration between the London School of Tropical Medicine, Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University.

Durham University has placed in the world top 50 university for its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Durham University has been named as one of the world’s top universities for our contribution to a number of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A new set of rankings place us in the top 50 for four SDGS; Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Life on land, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institution, and amongst the top 100 in a further seven SDGs. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, following an assessment of 766 universities, highlights a number of research and stewardship, including the Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre, along with our Greenspace initative, as having a social and economic impact in relation to the SDGs.

Research helps transform coal mine into geothermal heat source Energy researchers at Durham have been exploring sustainable, low carbon, heating using water from abandoned former coal mines as part of a £7 million renewable energy project in South Tyneside, North East England.

The project, involving extracting water from flooded mines in the former Hebburn Colliery, is expected to deliver a reduction of 319 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, helping the local council’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Study reveals long-term impact of Rugby injuries The Study, led by Sports and Excercise scientists at Durham University, in collaboration with Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, focused on the health of returned rugby players in the first independent study of it’s kind.

The researchers are calling for governing bodies, to step up their efforts to prevent, in particular, recurrent injuries in rugby including long term impacts of back and joint pain, concussion and osteoarthritis.

A full version of the research paper can be found on the Durham University website.

Sports, Outreach and the Arts A celebration of the sporting, outreach and artistic talents and achievements of the Van Mildert College community.

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The Mildertian

Sports Roundup Team Mildert has had an exceptional year despite the early ending of the season.

Team Mildert has really gone from strength to strength with many clubs becoming bigger and more successful than ever before. We have for the third time in four years finished second in the inter-collegiate sports table, with Collingwood only ahead of us!

Particular highlights include Van Mildert Hockey Club becoming Van Mildert’s Club of the Year and also being nominated for Durham University’s Club of the Year.

Our women’s team was undefeated all year, conceding only 4 goals all season and scoring 52. This has led to the women’s team being promoted

to the premiership for next season. The men had a similar success story finishing second in the premiership.

Across all sports we have had many successes on the pitches at Maiden Castle and in some of the less well-known sports.

These include the VMAFC men's E team securing a promotion even after a disappointing start to the season and one of our Cheerleading teams went on to win 2nd place at the intercollegiate competition.

The Boat Club, despite a shortened season and some bad weather conditions, performed well and the men’s 1st Novice Crew won Van Mildert’s Team of the Year for their dedication and commitment.

Recognition for our exceptionally talented and dedicated sports players has been given in a virtual version of the annual Sports Awards, ensuring that these valuable members do not go unnoticed due to the unprecedented circumstances we currently face.

The enthusiasm and talent of every member of Team Mildert is something to be celebrated, and another year of growing sports teams and team successes shows that at Van Mildert we truly bleed black and yellow.

Lottie Forman

Sport, Outreach, Arts

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Outreach This year has been an interesting one for Van Mildert’s outreach. Despite the challenges this year has presented, with all face to face volunteering coming to a halt in March in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mildert students continue to have a strong impact on our local community.

Earlier in the year, Van Mildert Outreach began as a new group of students were welcomed to the College’s many outreach projects. The Carers Respite Committee’s Happy Saturday and Home Visit sessions ran successfully, becoming well established in both Happy Saturday locations.

Their major fundraiser, the Mildert Valentines BOP, was hugely successful in raising funds and awareness of the project within our College community.

The Young Persons’ Project overcame many obstacles: securing a new school after a founding school left the project, with a potential third school on the horizon; and designed new fundraising ideas

to help raise funds for the programme. The school sessions were enjoyed by the young people and volunteers alike.

The Community Visiting Scheme re-established their monthly coffee mornings with over 30 elderly people socialising with our volunteers.

Moreover, they hosted 2 entirely student-run Christmas and Easter elderly parties which were immensely successful.

Perhaps one of the biggest highlights for Van Mildert Outreach has been the launch of a new seventh project. The new project will aim to work closely with charities in the North East that support vulnerable people who have found themselves homeless, offering mentorship and support for young people.

We look forward to developing this new project in the new academic year as we continue to work with our Community partners to expand this project.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Community Visiting Scheme

organised the ‘De-isolating the Community’ project, and the team, which quickly grew in volunteers, has been working hard throughout Easter term and beyond, contacting those who may be isolated following the implementation of lockdown measures for weekly catch ups.

Our other Outreach Projects are also adapting quickly to the changing circumstances. Three of our programmes worked to redesign themselves this year and will continue to develop over the next months in order to help support our community, with many of the projects looking to expand to support new demographics and new areas.

This year has been a rough year for many of the teams, but I’m proud of the work they have done, and I am immensely grateful for the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers this year.

Kieran Vickers

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The Mildertian

Theatre and Arts Although cut short, the academic year 2019/20 has been excellent for the Feather Theatre Company and music at Van Mildert!

The bar was set high in Michaelmas Term by the Disney Showcase – a wonderful evening of dance and music performance to very familiar tunes. It brought the whole College together and it was wonderful to see so many performances across every year group.

It was a joy to see the Ustinov Room once again filled for the Feather Theatre Company’s Michaelmas Play, Girls Like That. In collaboration with Talk and Support, the cast returned to College to encourage women to empower other women.

VM Choir also made history, performing at Durham Cathedral in the first true Intercollegiate Evensong. A result of much hard work from our choir, the music drew in crowds from across the city, a scene that was repeated again in Epiphany term. We are delighted that going forward,

the Intercollegiate Evensong will become a termly fixture at Durham.

In the final weeks of Michaelmas term, MildARTS helped bring together Mildertians to share College Christmas. A delightful mix of classical festivities and Mildert traditions, it was an evening of merriment not to be missed!

The evening began with the charming Carols by Candlelight, followed by a Mildert take on the Dickensian classic, A Christmas Carol. We finished the evening, as always, in the College Bar with a wonderful evening of carol-singing.

Epiphany Term was undoubtedly the highlight of Mildert’s artistic calendar this year. Opera by the Lake was the culmination of much hard work and determination of Mildert staff and students alike.

It was wonderful to see Thomas Allen, operatic baritone and Chancellor of Durham University, perform in the Ann Dobson, supported by VM Choir.

The Epiphany Musical is

traditionally the Feather Theatre Company’s main event and this year was no exception!

The cast of Grease enjoyed glowing reviews, and all must be congratulated for the extremely high standard of the iconic music numbers: from vibrant lighting and set design to stunning choreography, Grease was truly a team effort and really showed Mildert theatre at its’ best.

While Grease certainly ended Feather’s year on a high, there were of course more events planned for Easter Term – the exec had plans for the usual Summer Shakespeare and 48 Hour Musical, a final Intercollegiate Evensong and a celebration to mark Feather’s fifth birthday. Never fear, there will be plenty of opportunities to express your creativity next year at Mildert!

Thank you to all who have been involved with or supported the arts at Mildert this year – it has been a pleasure.

Alice Swann

Van Mildert College Trust

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Van Mildert College Trust The Van Mildert College Trust was established in 2009, with the aim of supporting excellence across all areas of College life, with a particular focus on promoting the energy and talent of our students.

The Trust has four key aims: Enhancing Research Promoting Learning Facilitating Career building Enabling Cultural Enrichment In 2019, we celebrated ten years of the Van Mildert College Trust, a chance to reflect on the Trust’s success in supporting a wide range of initiatives over the past ten years, as well as an opportunity to look to the future projects and aspirations of the Trust.

In September, Van Mildert College Trust celebrated its’ ten year anniversary with a fantastic Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting event held at the Caledonian Club.

We were delighted to welcome back many of those who have helped make the Trust a success over the past few years, including many of our former Van Mildert College trustees. The event also reconnected the College with

many Mildertians across the decades, and it was wonderful to catch up with many of our alumni at the event.

The evening’s celebrations were led by Van Mildert College Trustee, Abigail Bennington, as we enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening, and a chance to sample some delightful wines!

During the night, we also heard from Van Mildert College Trust Chair and Principal of Van Mildert, Professor David Harper, and we were also delighted to share comments and quotes from students who had benefitted from the Trust’s initiatives over the past ten year.

The College Trust’s celebrations continued in November as we welcomed Dr Richard Lane OBE to the College as part of the Van Mildert College Trust Annual Lecture. Formerly Director of Science at the Natural History Museum, Dr Lane prompted an interesting discussion regarding health inequalities across the world, with a fascinating talk entitled ‘World Health: Their problem is our problem?’.

Attended by members of our three Common Rooms, along with a number of our College alumni and guests from the wider Durham community, the Trust is extremely grateful to our speaker for such an interesting talk, and we hope to see Dr Lane at many more events in College in the future.

As part of the College’s spectacular Opera by the Lake evening in February 2020, a full report of which can be found earlier in The Mildertian, the Van Mildert College Trust was delighted to receive a donation from attendees of the event, part of which will be used to support the College’s Internship Support Fund, a Fund which, in light of the current COVID-19 situation has become even more critical to facilitate career building opportunities for Van Mildert students.

Looking to the year ahead, the Trust continues to support Common Room projects within the College, and looks forward to welcoming our new Van Mildert College Trust PhD Scholars to the Van Mildert College community for the start of the academic year.

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The Mildertian

The scholarship awarded to me has not only allowed me to pursue a PhD degree, but has allowed me to truly become a scientist and will hopefully set me along a career path in research and academia.

I have had incredible opportunities to learn new techniques, analysis, and gained invaluable experiences travelling for field work and to conferences to present my research. All of this would not have been possible without the Trust’s generosity – so thank you!

Juliet Sefton, VMCT PhD Scholar 2016-2020 Anniversary Garden Established in the College’s Golden Jubilee year, the Trust’s aim to develop an Anniversary Garden as a space for relaxation, reflection and contemplation within the College’s estate has continued this academic year.

Following the introduction of a new water integration system, and the planting of further trees, contributing to our Carbon off-setting, the Anniversary Garden flourished this Spring, providing a wonderful space at the College, with many students using this space as a space of rpeace and reflection during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Supporting Common Rooms The Van Mildert College Trust continues to support the College’s Common Rooms,

making funds available to support the activities of the College amongst the Junior, Middle and Senior Common Room.

For the JCR, a generous contribution from the Trust has supported the establishment of a new JCR ‘Tech’ Bursary, offering opportunities for several Tech interns, with no previous knowledge of sound, staging and light systems, to participate in workshops and training sessions , in turn enabling them to support the technical aspects of College events.

The Senior Common Room hosted its’ final lecture within the Trust supported ‘SCR Word-Sharing series’ with a fascinating talk from crime fiction writer Rachel Lynch. The Trust is excited to support many more projects from the

College’s Common Rooms in the future.

Van Mildert College PhD scholarships Van Mildert College Trust offer postgraduate research scholarships, which cover tuition fees, accommodation, a research stipend, living costs and other expenses for three years.

2020 has seen the conclusion of our 2016 VMCT PhD Scholars time at the College and a quote from one of our scholars, Juliet Sefton, can be found above. As we look to the next academic year, the highly competitive recruitment process for the next group of Van Mildert College scholars is currently underway. The Trust looks forward to welcoming our new scholars to the College community.

Liz Ryder

Support Van Mildert College Trust You can support the work of Van Mildert College Trust online at www.dunelm.org.uk/donations/colleges/vanmildert Post can be sent to: Student Experience Officer | Van Mildert College | Durham University | Mill Hill Lane | Durham | DH1 3LH

Environment Following on from the success and popularity of the College’s efforts to reduce the use of single use plastic as outlined in the last edition of The Mildertian, the College’s Green Committee has worked to encourage further plastic waste reductions.

This has included making available reusable cups, water bottles and containers for packed lunches and dinners to every first year student, along with removing individual waste bins from offices and replacing these with communal bins and recycling stations, a process which has significantly reduced office waste.

In the College Bar and other catering facilities, steps have also been taken to remove remaining single use plastic, a process which will continue in the next academic year with the arrival of reusable drinking cups that can be used by the College community.

At the start of the year, Staff at Van Mildert College took part in a Big Mildert Clean as part of the Durham University staff volunteering scheme, and

spent a day cleaning and clearing the College’s grounds, and repainting and decorating spaces including our Dove cote which we hope will welcome a group of Doves in the New Year.

We were delighted that our staff’s efforts were recognised at the Durham University Operations Directorate Awards, with Ian Jackson, our environmental champion, winning Volunteer of the Year for his efforts. A huge congratulations and thank you to Ian for all his hard work encouraging all of the staff to get involved and try something new!

As part of Fairtrade Week this year, the College ran its’ first Great Mildert Bake Off, as students came together to produce some truly wonderful chocolate orange cake bakes, using all Fairtrade ingredients.

More information and photos from the Bake Off event, can be found in this edition of The Mildertian.

The College’s Green Committee has also made great strides in raising

environmental awareness amongst the College, and wider University, running some new events, including a Mildert Formal Clothes Swap, encouraging students to exchange formal event clothes, along with a Fairtrade evening.

The next academic year is likely to see the continuation of our efforts to reduce single use plastic, a challenge that will be even more difficult in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The College is also delighted to announce that next year we will be welcoming two postgraduate students to the College community who will be conducting research on the possibilities of areas underneath Van Mildert College, being used for ground-source heating, a very exciting project!

We always welcome ideas from the College community on how we can improve our sustainability. If you would like to get involved, please email the Green Committee at green@mildert.co.uk Liz Ryder

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The Mildertian

Merchandise Van Mildert College has a range of merchandise available for purchase from the Student Experience Office and online by visiting the Durham Retail Shop.

In addition,we have a number of commemorative items which were developed as part of the College’s VM50 celebrations.

These items include:

We currently have the following items available: College Bear College Tie

Limited Edition Print of ‘The Lake’

£80

A Place of Water

£20

The Birth of a College

£12

£15 £20

Pendant

£15

College Cufflinks

£20

College Scarf

£25

Please contact the Student Experience Officer for all queries.

Introducing...

Van Mildert College KeepCups

The Lake Roar Kjærnstad

The Lake by Roar Kjærnstad (45 x 20 cm, print).

‘The Lake’ by Roar Kjærnstad is available as a unmounted print (45 x 20 cm) for £80 + P&P.

Available in a range of colours for £10.

To purchase, please contact the Principal’s Office.

A limited run of 50 prints, many hand-tinted, is available on a first-come first-served basis. To purchase one of these prints, please contact the Student Experience Officer.

Merchandise

A Place of Water: Memories of 50 Years at Van Mildert College Order your copy now for £20 + P&P* ‘A Place of Water: Memories of 50 Years of Van Mildert College’ was developed to mark the College’s 50th Anniversary in 2015 and contains memories and accounts from current and former members of the JCR, MCR, SCR and College Staff.

A limited number of copies of this important publication are still available for purchase.

To order your copy, please contact the Student Experience Officer via vm.development@durham.ac.uk, who will provide further details and an Order Form. * P&P will be charged at £3.50 for second class UK

The Birth of a College The Prowse Years 1964 - 1972 Order your copy now for £12 + P&P* ‘The Birth of a College’ provides an account of the foundational years of Van Mildert College under the leadership of Dr Prowse, the first Master.

A limited number of copies of this important publication are now available for purchase.

To order your copy, please contact the Student Experience Officer via vm.development@durham.ac.uk, who will provide further details and an Order Form. * P&P will be charged at £3.50 for second class UK delivery. For delivery elsewhere, an additional charge may apply.

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Van Mildert College Durham University Mill Hill Lane Durham DH1 3LH 0191 334 7100

Principal: Professor David A.T. Harper Email: david.harper@durham.ac.uk Deputy Principal: Dr Victoria Brown Email: v.h.brown@durham.ac.uk Alumni and Development Office Email: vm.development@durham.ac.uk 0191 334 7092

Van Mildert College Alumni and Van Mildert Association

@vanmildert1965 / @VM_Alumni / @VM_Principal

@vanmildertcollege

Web:

www.durham.ac.uk/van-mildert.college/

Editor: Elizabeth Ryder