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Volume 3 Issue 2 Epiphany 2016
Stephenson
Rocket
Stephenson College Official Newsletter
-me quondam mirabitur orbisONE DAY I SHALL ASTONISH THE WORLD
Editor’s Letter
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If I may, I’d like to share a short story from our London After Hours Reunion this year, something that perhaps would appear to have very little meaning at first thought but in hindsight really emphasises the role of alumni relations.
Of the alumni who attended the reunion at The Parcel Yard, King’s Cross, we spanned from those who had recently graduated in 2015 to those who were part of the first cohort of Stephenson students in 2001, however both shared one simple thing in common. Although it Becca Donaldson sounds very obvious, the reunion gave them a reason to meet up again and spend a weekend together, not just for those based in the area but a reason for the one or two friends who live further afield to travel down and to enjoy each other’s company once more.
It was fabulous to hear this, as it really reminded us of just how important the friendships were and still are to do this day. If we can continue to facilitate this as we organise our events, it is a job well done in our eyes. It also confirmed my personal view of alumni relations, in that if we as a College can provide an opportunity for friends old and new to reunite and to continue to help create bonds that last a lifetime, we are doing our job right. Of course we have to be realistic, we have a long road ahead in order to achieve this on a larger scale, however, as one of the youngest Colleges in Durham, if we can continue to provide this opportunity, and our alumni community have faith in us, it can only grow! For more information about the event, please see Page 3. It feels like only a few weeks ago I was introducing myself to our alumni community, yet already the time has come upon me to think about saying goodbye and welcoming my successor into the role. However as the story above has taught me, it is never a goodbye, only a goodbye for now. The words for now is key, as the most important thing I have learnt during my time as both a student and a member of staff is that we never have to truly say goodbye. I believe wholeheartedly that the experiences we share as members of Stephenson College are so treasured, special and unique that it forms bonds that last a lifetime, not necessarily just with the College but with the people we laughed, cried and celebrated with. On the subject of moving on, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce Lauren Wysocki, an Applied Psychology student, into the role, who’ll be taking over in the very near future. Lauren couldn’t be more involved with College life and is currently on the Welfare Committee, has captained both the Netball and Women’s Football teams and has been a familiar face behind the bar for the last three years. I have no doubt that with her wealth of experience she will do an amazing job and take the role onwards and upwards in many respects. Working in alumni relations has really made me think about my time here and made me realise just how grateful I am to be a part of this wonderful College. I hope that at the same time, through this story, I have helped others to think about their time at Stephenson with a warm heart.
Lauren Wysocki
Becca Donaldson
A word from the Principal Once again, I am delighted to add a few words to the latest edition of the Rocket. These are changing times for the College with a review of Queen’s Campus. What has been consistent in all the reports is that Stephenson is a really good College—the match of any in the University—and whatever the outcome, the College will continue to grow and develop, building on the firm foundations that have been developed over the years by those involved in the College over the first fifteen years.
Prof. John Ashworth
On a related note, I was delighted to meet so many of you in March with your varying memories of your days in College. It was a clear reminder that the buildings, though no one suggested that we should remove Central and bring back the porter-cabins, and location are of nothing without the people. It is the people who have made us what we are today and it is the people who will ensure that we develop. We shall be delighted to see you at any time that you are in the North East.
John Ashworth
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Thomas Gates
President handover The last academic year has been a busy one for the JCR, with lots of changes and developments, setting us up for an even more exciting future. Stephenson Central is looking better than ever, and always bustling with students, and it continues to see improvements - for example, we recently reframed all of the old Matriculation photographs which are now proudly hanging outside of my office. We've had international themed Locomotion Dinners (the Indian buffet at Diwali light was amazing!) as well as our first charity formal, which raised a huge amount for 'A Way Out,' our local charity this year. We've also had a new addition to the JCR Welfare Team - Steve, a 6 foot teddy bear, who we somehow managed to find a big enough Rep top for!
Our sports teams have had a great year, with women's hockey, netball and football all being promoted, and the pool teams continuing their unbroken record of promotion every year since they were founded - must be the new 20p pool table in Central! In addition to our long-standing societies, this year also saw Freshers starting up lots of new ones, including Bollywood Dance, Afro-Caribbean, Zumba and Anime & Manga - hopefully they will continue long into the future. The Summer Ball is fast approaching, and we have broken the record for the number in attendance - this year, we're hosting it at the beautiful Wynyard Hall, with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Hopefully some of you will be able to attend, as well as to our ReFreshers events, which this year includes the biggest Stevo Day to date (check out the event on our Facebook page for more information - facebook.com/stevojcr), and a Handover Dinner celebrating 15 years of Stephenson College. As you may be aware, the JCR has also been involved with the review of Queen's Campus which has taken place this year - as well as opening up exciting possibilities for the future of Stephenson College, it has been lovely to hear so much positive feedback about the experiences people have had at the College. Fay Hudson will shortly be taking over as the sixteenth JCR President along with a restructured Exec and Non-Exec, and so I cannot wait to find out what the future has in store for Stevo! Hey, I’m Fay, a 3rd year Business & Management Student who has the honour of being your President Elect! Throughout my time here I have seen and experienced how great Stevo is and I hope to continue the fantastic work of each of the Presidents before me. I am extremely thankful for the remarkable Executive Committee that have been elected and I can’t wait to work with them next year to help shape the JCR. I am also super excited to see who you elect as your Non-Executive Committee and Rep Team in the coming term! As we all now know, our future at Queen’s Campus is likely to be short-lived, and next year is going to be Fay Hudson filled with opportunities to shape our future though at present there are many issues to resolve. I can assure you all that I will do my very best to represent Stevo and everything we stand for and ensure that our legacy lives long into the future no matter where we are. I look forward to sharing ReFreshers week with you all and celebrating what has been, so far, a great year!
New exec welcome Congratulations also to those elected into the Executive Committee, we wish you the best of luck in your roles. For the eagle eyed amongst you, you’ll also realise that International Officer is now an Executive position, representing our pride of the diversity within College and our ongoing commitment to the inclusivity of all students.
From L-R: Emma Hunter, Ball Chair; Callum Osborne, Chairman; Jack Dickety, Communications Officer; Alexandra Cross, Events Director; Naveen Goonewardena, International Officer; Katie Hall, Sports and Societies Officer; Ailish Carroll, Vice President; Joe Hardeker, Welfare Officer
“ Once a member, always a member...
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Alumni Engagement After Hours London Reunion
Thank you so much to those who attended our third annual London After Hours Alumni Reunion at The Parcel Yard in March. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone there, hearing of the tales formed and memories created whilst you were at Stephenson and most importantly seeing old friends reunite, continuing the spirit of the College beyond time spent here. Many alumni were also incredibly keen to give back to the College and current students in some way, either through the new career mentoring scheme we are rolling out this term (see opposite page) or sharing their wisdom at a Day in The Life Of session. As always we welcome this with open arms, and are very proud of the number of Alumni who wish to do so. If you didn’t attend and would like more information on how to be involved, please do not hesitate to be in contact via stephenson.alumni@durham.ac.uk. If you also were unable to attend the London Reunion this year, please do not worry as we will be continuing the tradition next year. We also continue to hold a Local Alumni Reunion Dinner on campus in September, so be sure to keep an eye on social media and your emails for further information. Below are a selection of photos from the night, however if you wish to take a look at the album you can find it on our Facebook page—Stephenson College Alumni.
Homify: A Stevo Start Up! Last month we were honoured to reconnect with a member of our alumni community, Nicolaus Berlin, who is part of a very exciting Stevo start up! homify was founded by a Stephenson graduate in 2013 and is an interactive platform for Home and Living that helps homeowners’ dreams become a reality. Based in Berlin, they now employ over 80 people, five of whom are all Stephenson graduates. They are now in the position where they wish to reengage with the College and foster the entrepreneurial spirit we are so proud of at Stephenson. There is also an exciting opportunity for Durham students to apply for a 10-week summer sales bootcamp, working as part of the frontline team in developing important relationships with customers. To name a few, fantastic benefits include corporate housing alongside other interns and a salary to cover living expenses. Current students interested in applying, please email stephenson.alumni@durham.ac.uk for more information. As a College we are incredibly excited about this, and absolutely seek to work with Alumni in similar situations. If any alumni are interested in engaging with the College we would welcome it with open arms, and would do our best to facilitate this so please do be in contact if you feel there is something we can help with.
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STEVO ANGELS
Brand new virtual Career Guidance
When you were first exploring your options for a career path, did you wish you could talk to someone who was doing what you thought you really wanted to do?
Here is the opportunity to help! What do I have to do? Answer any career-related queries our students may have. All contact is through email; students register an interest and we ‘match’ them with the best suited alumni.
What is the time commitment? This is a completely virtual platform with no face-to-face meetings. Feedback has suggested you will receive around two emails a term.
How do I go about signing up? The scheme is about to go live, we need you! We are currently recruiting alumni so please get in touch via stephenson.alumni@durham.ac.uk if you wish to help out!
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Stevo goes International! As ever, Locomotion Dinners remain a highlight in the College calendar. This year, however, we have introduced a new theme in order to appeal to a wider range of students—International! In Michaelmas term we celebrated Diwali, and in Epiphany term we celebrated Chinese New Year. We enjoyed delicious traditional food and were entertained by traditional dancers, both dinners were a fantastic success. Due to the popularity, this is a theme we hope to continue into the coming years in order to engage our diverse student population. If any Alumni are interested in attending a Locomotion Dinner again, please do get in touch as we would very much like to welcome you back.
A charitable community... We are also thrilled to announce that we have recently hosted our first ever Charity Dinner at Stephenson. Full credit goes to Emma Blakemore, this year’s Charities Officer, who organised the event. In order to raise even more money for our nominated College charity, A Way Out, the theme was Awkward Formal. For those of you who are unware of the phrase, this entailed being randomly assigned a seat and then in the run up to the event, guests can pay extra to ’swap’. With no top table and all swaps made in sworn secrecy, it certainly provided for a very entertaining evening for the mischievous! In total the dinner raised over £500 for A Way Out, which was greatly appreciated by Anita Burke and Jane Harmer who attended from the charity. If you wish to find out more about A Way Out or to donate, please visit www.awayout.co.uk. In addition to fundraising for our chosen charity, Emma is also in charge of running one-off charitable events such as Children in Need night. This year through the hard work of Emma and the kind spirit of Stephenson College, we have managed to raise over £2500.
College E
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Class of 2016 Class of 2016, the end is nigh! At this point you will have spent three, if not four years with us and we hope you have had a fantastic time in doing so. We would love to celebrate your graduation with you, so please read on for more information on your upcoming events. Education Dinner
Drinks Reception
Graduation Dinner
Friday 24th June
Wed 29th/Thurs 30th June
Wed 29th/Thurs 30th June
Primary Education 1st and 3rd year students, join us on Friday 24thth June to celebrate the end of the academic year and in the case of 3rd year students, the end of their time as an Education student at Durham University. Sign up here: http://goo.gl/forms/pqzjPsVuNn
Please come and join us in the Dean’s Room, Palace Green Library after your ceremony for a celebratory glass of champagne (or orange juice) with the College team. It is also an opportunity to sign up to the Alumni Association, buy merchandise and take photos.
Becoming a tradition, we will be holding this popular event again on Wed 29th and Thurs 30th June in the Business School in Durham. It a lovely way to celebrate with proud friends and family. Invites were sent out in March, and the Thursday dinner is now full!
For more information on Congregation, please visit https://www.durham.ac.uk/ceremonies/congregation
Refreshers Week (eek!) As many of you are aware, ReFreshers is almost certainly the best week of the year. Many of you are also probably thinking nothing can top Freshers Week, however it definitely does! There are no more exams, no 9am induction talks to attend and most importantly the sun will be shining! Beginning with the Summer Ball and ending with Stevo Day, it is a week of pure fun. If you haven’t bought tickets yet and have further questions, please see the contact details below. Summer Ball enquiries—Kay Mack-Thomson at stephenson.jcr-ball@durham.ac.uk ReFreshers enquiries—Thomas Gates at stephenson.jcr@durham.ac.uk Alumni enquiries—Becca Donaldson at stephenson.alumni@durham.ac.uk
Events
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Student engagement It isn’t just about studying, it is about what else you do whilst at university...
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Blueprint Enterprise Challenge This is a phrase students hear over and over again, being encouraged to engage in sport, societies, committees, workshops, networking, events...the list is endless. One fantastic way for entrepreneurial students to ‘add to their CV’ is to become involved in the Blueprint Enterprise Challenge; a scheme fully supported by Stephenson College which allows students to turn business ideas into reality. Any full or part-time student currently studying at Durham University can apply to participate and the idea could be at the early stage, in the research stage or be ready to launch. Each challenge provides the opportunity to gain access to support and advice to help develop ideas. The College also works collaboratively with Careers on this project, providing workshops, one-on-ones and business advice seminars, which students find very useful. We are incredibly proud to congratulate Justinas Cirtautas for his success in the Blueprint Enterprise Challenge, a first ever win for a Queen’s Campus student. The idea is very apt; Old Elvet is a custom label port wine specifically dedicated to the Durham University Community. The wine comes from the grapes of the Douro Valley, Portugal, and is manufactured by a boutique, family-owned vineyard. Here is what Justinas had to say about the win: “I believe every enterprise competition can teach you something and help you improve your product, so the ideal to participate came naturally. The only criterion you have to think about is how much time it will take you to complete the application itself as time is a scarce resource whilst at University. There are some brilliant people running Blueprint this year and this provided many learning opportunities. The two major things I received were: Legitimacy of the business; sometimes it is hard to be taken seriously as a student entrepreneur, therefore having the Careers Centre to recognize your business gives it more weight and makes negotiations with suppliers and other parts of the University easier. A financial prize of £100 that will be used to support marketing activities; so far the financing for the business came from the Entrepreneurs Durham Society.” For more information about the scheme visit www.dur.ac.uk/careers/s/employability/skills/ enterprise/blueprint/. To find out about Old Elvet, visit www.oldelvet.co.uk.
Collegiate Programme As ever, students are encouraged to attend Collegiate Programme events to enhance their extra-curricular activity. Upcoming events this term include: Joint Scholars Supper with Dr Martin Roderick, School of Applied Social Sciences: To thine own self be true: Sports work and mental illness—Friday 20th May, 17:30, Stephenson Central Meeting Room Day of Knowledge and Wisdom: This is second consecutive Day of Knowledge and Wisdom at Queen’s Campus, supported by both John Snow and Stephenson Colleges and kindly funded by the Researches in Colleges and Scholarly Activity Grant, as such it will be free to attend. This event will see students presenting work from their final projects, theses and dissertations through spoken presentations and academic posters—Tuesday 31st May, from 12:00 noon. Question Time: EU Referendum. Join the debate with a number of staff, students and local stakeholders, all staff and students welcome.—Tuesday 31st May, 17.30, D003 Ebsworth Building
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Sports and societies
Sporting success As ever, Stevo continue to show their talent in the College league tables. This year we have celebrated: ▪
Men’s Football A winning the Floodlit Cup 3-1 against Collingwood A and being chosen to represent the University at the annual York vs Durham College Varsity
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Women’s Football being promoted to the Premiership following an unbeaten league campaign with only one goal conceded in all league games
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Netball A being promoted to the Premiership with the most goals scored throughout the season and best goal difference
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Women’s Hockey being promoted to the Premiership
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Mixed Lacrosse winning their first ever game following a surge of interest in the past two years
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Men’s Football C surviving a relegation battle, sending down the Other College’s B team (John Snow!)
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Having been promoted from Division 1 only last year, Pool A in an incredible show have finished in the top four of their first ever season in the Premiership
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Pool B also being promoted into Division 1 after their first ever season in Division 2, confirming year on year promotion for both teams
New societies Not only have we been incredibly successful on the sport front, we are also incredibly proud of the new societies we have seen flourish this year, particularly as they span such a wide range of interests. Societies are an integral part of what makes Durham so great, so we are very excited about how these will continue to grow as time goes on. Here are just a few of the new start ups of this academic year: ▪
Magna and Anime Society
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New Cultures Society
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Bollywood Dancing
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See the World Society
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Street Dance Society
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South East Asian Society
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Strictly Come Stockton
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Darts
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Korean Drama
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Afro-Caribbean Society
If you wish to join a sports team or society, please contact the current Sports and Socieites Officer, Fay Hudson at stephenson.jcrsocieties@durham.ac.uk
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Stevo hall of fame As we are celebrating 15 years of Stephenson College, a big goal for the year was to look back at our wonderful history and compile a list of those who have played a tremendous role in the JCR, including those who were awarded Honorary Life Memberships and other awards. This page is therefore dedicated to honouring those who had a great impact in leading, shaping and running the JCR for the fabulous place it continues to be.
Year
President
Honorary Life Membership
Community Award/ Services to the JCR Adrian Darnell
2001/2
Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith, Tini Delaney, Lucina Unknown Baldwin, Marvin Alexander
Unknown
2002/3
Andrew Hashemi
Andrew Hashemi, Craig Withers, Ami Wiggins, Richa Khandelwal
Unknown
Unknown
2003/4
Ben Merriman
Ben Merriman
Unknown
Unknown
2004/5
Stuart Liddle
Stuart Liddle
Unknown
Unknown
2005/6
Kim Oliver
Kim Oliver
Unknown
Unknown
2006/7
Courtney Stiven
Courtney Stiven, Jo Taylor, Alastair Robertson
Unknown
Unknown
2007/8
Sophie Marx
Sophie Marx, Arwah Chakera, Ricky Noble
Unknown
Unknown
2008/9
Drew Charalambous Drew Charalambous, Hannah Trembath, Amy Atkins
Unknown
Unknown
2009/10 Sophie Hancox
Sophie Hancox, Anna Lake, Daniel Mitchell
Daniel Slavin
Unknown
2010/11 William Kruis
William Kruis, Jon Zhu, Flora Dix
Safah Essa
Emma Budd, Hannah Davenport
2011/12 Emma Rochester
Emma Rochester, Nathan Mistry, Thomas Currie, Professor Adrian
Ricky Lee
Katherine Savage, Winston Obi
2012/13 Daniel Slavin
Daniel Slavin, Joshua SandersonKirk, Mrs Mary O’Halloran
Gaige Kinsella
Lloyd Stephenson, Desislava Sokerova
2013/14 Ricky Lee
Ricky Lee, Ginny Glithero, Nicola Bourke, Sita Kalsi
Curtis Evans
Sophie Towers, Alan Falshaw
2014/15 Duncan Macfarlane
Duncan Macfarlane, Curtis Evans, Sophie Towers, Michael Cooper
Fay Hudson
Rupert Hargrave
As you can see, there are many years where the contributions are unknown. If you know about anyone who was awarded these honours, please do get in touch.
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Last words...
Remember, remember... Remember to sign up to Dunelm at www.dunelm.org.uk/dunelm-login to hear about everything that is going on in College and across the University. The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) for the University organise events all over the world, in addition to what we organise here in College, so it really is worth your while. It is also essential to sign up in order to benefit from the perks of being a Durham alum. Also, a reminder to recent graduates that you are still welcome and encouraged to utilise the advice of the Careers, Employability and Enterprise Centre, a fantastic resource at the University. To do so, register your details here: www.durham.ac.uk/.careers/graduates/help/
Stay in touch Stephenson College
Stephenson JCR
Address
Telephone
+44 (0)191 33 49380
stephenson.jcr@durham.ac.uk
Website
www.stevojcr.co.uk
Stephenson College JCR
@StephensonJCR
Snapchat
stephensonjcr
stephenson.jcr
Queen’s Campus, Durham University, East Drive, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 6JZ
Telephone
+44 (0)191 33 40040
stephenson.alumni@durham.ac.uk
Stephenson College Alumni
@Stevo_Alumni
Stephenson College (Subgroup of Durham University)
No question is too small nor too big, so please do get in contact if there is something you want to share or if there is something we can help you with!
Next edition The next edition of the Rocket will be released at the end of Michaelmas Term 2016, so be sure to keep an eye out on our social media sites to find out about how the College is moving forward. If you wish to include any content, please get in contact via the details above.
We will astonish the world!