Trevelyan College Alumni Magazine - Hippocampus by Durham University

Contents EDITORIAL I am delighted to present this year’s edition of Hippocampus, which showcases some of the fantastic achievements of both current and past students and details a selection of the exciting developments that are afoot for Trevelyan College! As a liver-out I feared that I would be cut-off from the college community in my final year at Durham University so when our JCR Vice President, Dave McDermott, asked me to be editor of Trevs’ alumni magazine I was delighted to accept! Working on this magazine has, as I hoped, kept me firmly ‘in touch’ with college life. This is exactly the feeling I hope that this edition will bring to all of our alumni who are reading this. As I reflect upon my past three years at Durham I can honestly say that my experiences as a student here have been both terrific and turbulent, and that I wouldn’t have wanted to spread my proverbial wings in any place other than our small but oh-so perfectly formed college! Given that I already feel a little watery-eyed nostalgia encroaching upon the memories of my time here, I hope that each and every one of you reading has the same sort of response to your hexagonal home of days gone by!

page 2 Principal’s Editorial page 4 Chaplain’s Report page 5 JCR President’s Notes page 6 MCR Notes page 7 SCR Notes page 8 Expedition Report page 10 Conference Report page 11 A Year in Sport page 12 Trevs College DUCK and University Challenge page 13 Alumni Art in Trevs page 14 Trevs Refurb page 16 Full Colours page 18 How Alumni Support Trevs page 20 Music Appeal page 21 College Photos page 22 2011 Trevs to Trevs Telephone Campaign page 23 Trevs Reunited and Website: Alumni Section page 24 Trevelyan Career Owls page 25 Trevs Alumni Event

Here’s to another fantastic year in the history of Trevs! Alison Moulds Hippocampus Editor 1

Principal’s Editorial F

or the second consecutive Christmas and New Year Trevelyan has been snowbound – like much of the country. Indeed the common bonds of shared experience have perhaps had many, even most, Alumni in a somewhat frozen grip during the depths of winter. Well I have to say that it was simply beautiful here, and the fact that our students were able to get home before the serious snow fell meant not only safe travelling for them but an extraordinarily tranquil and undisturbed snowscape for those gazing rapt at the Trevelyan environs.

On a personal note, I was delighted that my family were able to move into the Trevelyan Principal’s House in time for Christmas, our previous house being sold and our fates for the present being tied to College life. The snow brought a striking end to a striking year – a year that brought Alumni more clearly into focus in the College’s field of vision. Engaging with Alumni is, perhaps, an aspect of the Principal’s role that it takes longest to learn, and longest to appreciate; you’ll understand why, I’m sure, since Alumni are by definition those Trevelyanites who least often present themselves at my study door, and (or so it would seem) with least personal urgency. But urgency is not the same thing as importance, and two things stand out in my mind from the year just gone – a memorable ‘Literary Lunch’ with Minette Walters in London in May, and a marvellous gathering of Trevelyanites in September, with no fewer than four former Principals! It was an inspiring and humbling privilege for me to encounter the better part of forty years’ Principalian experience, and a wonderful opportunity also to try out some current thinking on what we might think of as the ‘stewards’ of the College spirit. Deborah Lavin and Joan Bernard both spoke stirringly to the assembled company, and Deborah also did a star turn as the guest speaker at Graduands’ Dinner in July. Alumni represent the College’s past, but they participate in its present and future as well. During this year we have started to think seriously about Trevelyan’s strategy for flourishing in an uncertain world, with higher education facing more than its share of turmoil amidst swingeing public spending cuts, and Durham University donning an effective, but perhaps rather centralist, survival suit in response. My own view is that there is never a better time than the present to be ambitious – life is just too short for anyone to be anything less – and the challenges of the next three years or so sharpen our gaze towards the attainments we’d like to see over the coming ten years. Accordingly the College’s Strategy and Development Group has started to flesh out a vision of an adventurous community that will build very conspicuously and pointedly on its existing strengths of academic seriousness and ambition, musical excellence, and a beautiful environment (both natural and constructed). 2

Alumni have been prominent as individuals this past year. Two were honoured in the New Year List – Sara Thornton (graduated 1984) was made a CBE and Yasmin Waljee (1991) an OBE; Ben Howard (2010) won Gold in the under-23 World Triathlon Championships just a month or so after graduating; and five Foundation Alumni have just opened an exhibition of their artwork in the College Bar (see page 13)! Special mention must also be made of Caron Pearson (1984), a longstanding Alumna representative on College Council who has this year generously taken up the challenging role of Honorary Director of the Trevelyan Trust, bringing much-needed focus and continuity to the College’s Alumni relations and development. We are delighted to be joined by Martin Clemmett (formerly of Hatfield College) as Bursar to ourselves and St Mary’s College, and after exactly a year in post he has established himself as an indispensable and highly popular colleague. The Senior Common Room also has a new President, Dr Hendrik Nahler of the Department of Chemistry, one of the youngest Presidents in any SCR, whose energetic approach has succeeded in recruiting no fewer than 35 new members over the past year. All three Common Rooms have agreed a new set of Formal Dining Rules binding upon us all, a remarkable undertaking and one that augurs well for the future of the College as a community. The Middle (Postgraduate) Common Room has also made forward strides this year, with its own defined constitution, an increased range of activities, its own Presidents’ name-board and Honours Board in the Dining Hall, and a shared home in the new Mowlam Room, which is in effect last year’s Intermediate Common Room lounge transferred from the Dowrick Suite to a more comfortable and intimate location. This move was made possible by an extensive ground floor refurbishment, which is detailed on pages 14-15. I must now summarise the miscellaneous traditional highlights in the College calendar over the past year. The Musical was once again an outstanding success, Sweet Charity showcasing the extraordinary musical, theatrical and entrepreneurial talent that Trevelyan seems to be able to take almost for granted; ditto The Merry Wives of Windsor with a superb, rollicking, pacey performance in the Quad. The College choir and orchestra are also in the ascendant, with a first-rate Christmas concert that deserved a bigger audience. The Schools Mentoring scheme has flourished, extended over the past year into specific mentoring in practical musicianship for students at a Pupil Referral Unit. The Grounds Committee have been busy and, with help from funds assisted by Alumni, have overseen the reclamation of the pond as a picnic area, and the preparation of the old allotment as a new College orchard; a small arboretum will follow. The Luce Memorial Fellow was Dr Asma Abdel-Halim, a gracious scholar whose lecture on the rights of women in the Sudan was memorable indeed; the College has also hosted its first two ‘IAS’ Visiting Fellows within the auspices of Durham’s Institute of Advanced Study, while the Trevelyan College Fellow last year was an old friend, Professor David Baguley who had been a longstanding senior resident within College during his career at Durham. There is much more that could be said but considerations of space forbid it. I will mention only that the Trevs team won the Durham in-house University Challenge tournament this year, and will be strongly represented on the University’s team for the national competition. And this is, it strikes me, exactly how things should be. I look forward to reporting their fortunes in the next issue! Meantime it remains for me to wish Trevelyanites everywhere a year of health, happiness and flourishing. HME, February 2011 3

Chaplain’s Report Plus ça change… In the rather hazy period after the annual Carol Service had finished, a former student of the college came across to where I was standing. She had graduated only six months before and, although I had chatted a few times with her, I didn’t know her particularly well. However, on this occasion, in the post-Carol Service euphoria, she talked about her work experience abroad and about her search for further work in the UK. She was excited about being back in the college again and genuinely pleased to see me (as well as other college officers) on her return to Trevelyan. Even though she had graduated and had enjoyed a fulfilling six months few months abroad, the college still meant a great deal to her. On two other occasions in the last few months, I have met recent graduates of the college who have returned to Trevelyan to meet up with friends and savour the atmosphere of a college which they obviously still cherish. This strong attachment to Trevelyan is not just a feature of recent graduates. As a response to my article last year about college photos, a number of people contacted me to say something not just about photos but about their memories of the college. Even as I write, the college bar contains paintings done by the Parson’s Field painters, a group of foundation year members of the college who all meet regularly together. Even though most people are here only for three years, their experience in that relatively short space of time is such as to inspire in them an affection for the college which seems to last a lifetime. This affection for the college has remained with many people even though there have been undoubtedly many changes in the 45 years since the college’s foundation. The main hexagonal building still remains but extensions, the construction of other buildings and refurbishments have all subtly changed the college over the years. The latest such changes occurred during the summer when another refurbishment took place. Extra doors have appeared in the college bar, the entrance area between the porters’ lodge, the reception and the main bar entrance has been tidied up and the office rooms running from Reception to the Principal’s office have all been upgraded. Change is not always welcome but in the case of this refurbishment, it has been a change for the better. I am confident that those graduates who return for a visit will see that, in spite of external changes, the college remains essentially the same. Deo gratias Paul Regan College Chaplain 4

Notes from the JCR President T

his year has been one of success and change for Trevs JCR. I hope here to give a snapshot of what we have achieved, what has changed, and the progress we have made as a college community. The JCR has achieved so much this year, and in the manner that only Trevs students know how. The latest Trevs Musical, How to Succeed in Business, is busily being rehearsed as I write this, and promises to be another huge success. Trevs sport is going strong as always, with victories at the College Festival of Sport in the summer, for the boat club, darts, pool and numerous others besides. JCR events have been very well received as always, with the Midsummer Night’s Dream themed Summer Ball and Circus Circus Informal Ball going down a storm. Rain on Trevs day almost seems a tradition now, but it didn’t stop us from turning a profit this year! Having already outstripped last year’s DUCK total in the first term alone of this year, the JCR’s charitable activities are as strong as ever, and we have our sights firmly set on the DUCK shield. Change has also been afoot in the JCR administration itself. This year has seen the successful introduction of two welfare officers to the Exec and the arrival of a brand spanking new JCR website. We are also within the next couple of weeks about to use the JCR’s new referendum procedure to vote on the future governance structure of the JCR, the conclusion of a debate which has raged for a good few years. Following last year’s separation of the JCR and MCR, we have also concluded the first ever inter-common room agreement between the JCR, MCR and SCR to regulate Joint Formals. One of the biggest and most well received achievements on the college front has been the recent ground floor refurbishment, which significantly for the JCR included the creation of a new Intermediate Common Room space, dedicated as the Mowlam Room. The ICR has taken off this year, and we look forward to the inaugural ICR Mowlam Formal later this term. Oliver Bartlett JCR President 2010-11 5

Middle Common Room

Who? The Middle Common Room comprises of all post-graduates studying at Trevelyan College and fourth year students, who are associate members. The members are all around college, some may be members of staff in their respective faculties, others may be college tutors.

What? The Common Room is bubbling with activity. This year was its first year as a fully separate common room from its Junior counterpart. As a result we have been making an extra effort to provide regular social events. Of particular note is the new Mo Mowlam Formal. This is an MCR formal, hosted for all finalists and post-graduate members of college. Our members are normally very active, participating in numerous societies and clubs throughout the University and College! When? A large number of us live in college. However, we have three formals a term. One at the beginning, middle and end. Meanwhile, we also have meetings and social events and trips. Where? Our common room, the Mo Mowlam room, is shared with the finalists and is next to the bar.

MCR History A current postgraduate, Ian Williamson, is undertaking some work looking at the history of the MCR, and is looking for people who might have memories which might inform this. He is most interested in the names of Postgraduate Representatives before 1988, and the names of Chairpersons or Presidents between 1991 and 1997. If you remember anything which may help him in his endeavour, or have any stories about the early days of the MCR (which came about in the mid-eighties), which you think might be of interest, please contact him by email, i.r.williamson@durham.ac.uk, by phone, 07811419030, or by post direct to College. 6

Senior Common Room

Who? We are college tutors, officers and senior residents. We are also comprised of academic staff from across the various faculties, other university members, alumni members and local benefactors and well wishers of the college. The members of the Middle Common Room (MCR) are also associated to the SCR. What? We support the college in its aim to provide an excellent environment for all Trevelyanites, where they can develop their full academic, personal and social potential. In this view, we provide annual travel bursaries for students to pursue community service and to participate in foreign aid projects. Our sponsored students have been to countries like Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua, where they got involved in teaching and infrastructure projects, such as building schools, orphanages, and improving sanitary facilities. Some of our members are actively involved in the running of the Trevelyan College Fine Arts Committee, whereby they provide their support in organising the regular exhibitions in the college bar and the maintenance of the permanent college art collection. We organise annual postgraduate talks to keep up with the research projects of our members. When? Apart from joint formals we meet fortnightly for SCR formals, buffet lunches and events such as the Burns Supper.

Where? Our meeting space is adjacent to the dining hall. We can also be seen at high table for lunch, dinner and joint formals. 7

Expedition Report

icaragua – July 2010

This summer I played an active role in helping to improve the quality of life for children and young people in Nicaragua as a volunteer in a community project organised by ‘The Seed International Fund Trust’ (SIFT). SIFT is an organisation that sends volunteers to Nicaragua to help with development programmes in community based projects including health, housing, education, training and infrastructure schemes. This summer the organisation partnered with a city youth group from Cambridge, of which I am a leader. I worked with this youth group during part of my gap year. This is the first time the group has participated in a volunteer project abroad. Our project’s aim was to help to alleviate some of the problems facing disadvantaged children and young people living in the area of Managua, the island of Ometepe and in Bluefields. Whilst working with SIFT we could witness their projects and their role in improving the standard of living for some of Nicaragua’s poor. In the first part of the trip to Managua we worked in a local orphanage. SIFT supports the work of the Hogar de Fe Orphanage. The Orphanage was started in 1988 and since then the number of children at the Orphanage has grown to 31 between the ages of five and twenty four. Alongside this orphanage is a school where we took activity days including art, sport and dance workshops. One of SIFTs aims is to improve the health of the poor. We had raised money prior to our trip for equipment and supplies to take out to Nicaragua with us. In the community surrounding the orphanage we distributed health packs to families containing toothbrushes, soap - basic items that can improve their level of health. On the island of Ometepe, our project was to build an example garden. This would be a place where communities could learn how to grow food for themselves and their families and learn how to be more self-sufficient. Improving the health of a community is one of the first steps towards moving that community out of poverty. Although health care in Nicaragua is improving, it is still concentrated in the main cities. Places such as Ometepe, are virtually forgotten when it comes to providing doctors and medicine.

SIFTs aim is to ensure that every person on the island of Ometepe has access to a nurse within a short distance of their home. This is achieved by building clinics in villages and staffing these clinics with local nurses. In our time in Ometepe, we helped to decorate a clinic and met the people involved in this project. Then we flew to the east coast of Nicaragua to Bluefields. There are no railways or road access to this area of the country and therefore there is not much interaction between the two areas. This means that we saw a very different culture compared to Managua, the capital city. In Bluefields we took an activity day at the Verbo School in the poorest area. It was located on what is known as the Tip Road: an uphill road where rubbish is dumped at the top of the hill. Some of the children we met in the classrooms we met again whilst visiting families on this road. Some of those we found breaking stones to earn some money. We bought with us toys that had been donated and food that we bought in Bluefields to distribute to those we met. This tip dominates their lives: it was a place which blights the environment in which they live, where there is little clean water or sanitation, but the tip also provides them with a source of income as their children scavenge the tip for items to sell and clothes to wear. It was a strange relationship to observe: people living off the thing which was at the same time holding back their communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development. Towards the end of our trip we headed back to Managua. From here we visited little islands called Las Isletas de Granada in Lake Nicaragua. These are home to indigenous people who have lived there for generations. In recent years the rich, (mainly Americans), have started buying islands to develop holiday homes. As the islanders do not legally own their land, they are being dispossessed, forced to uproot their lives with no compensation and nowhere to go. In 2004 SIFT bought 37 acres of land on the peninsula to house these dispossessed families. Over the next few years they are looking to develop this land into a beautiful new community, which will give the families a home that is theirs with no threat of displacement. This is a prime example of how the modern western world can break into these poorer countries and intrude on these communities, without doing anything to improve their underlying quality of life. In such a short trip there was inevitably a feeling that we were observers even as we did what we could in the places we stayed. I believe that we contributed practical lasting assistance, such as in building the example garden in Ometepe so the community could learn how to become more self-sufficient. We also demonstrated a commitment to some very deprived communities who seemed to be marginalised from the mainstream of modern Nicaragua as indicated by the malls in Managua with their pizza restaurants and Starbucks-style coffee shops: these people were a long way from this modern consumerism not in terms of distance, but in the expectations they had for themselves and their communities. Our work with them was a small sign that they were not forgotten, and were part of a wider community that had regard for them. I gained insights into how I worked with the group: inevitably there some with whom I worked more easily than others. But I believe that we worked well together with give and take for each other. I think that the experience has given me more confidence in myself and in the youth work that I do. I feel that I developed a good sense of judgement for new situations and new people, and in particular being sensitive to how very different people are because of the settings in which they live. Theodora Bishop 9

Conference Report

he International Workshop Plant Membrane Biology XV, 19-24th September 2010, Adelaide, Australia.

The is the premiere international conference for anybody interested in processes related to plant membranes. Over the last 45 years, it has provided a healthy forum for scientific discussion, for leaders in the field through to new postgraduate students. The scientific content of the conference was extremely interesting as much of the data presented were unpublished and brought together all aspects of my PhD including sessions on: nutrient transport (significantly root uptake, long-distance transport, nutrient transporters, symbiosis); abiotic stress and environmental homeostasis; membranes and water transport; structure-function of membrane proteins; signalling related to solute and hormone transport; and a day devoted to nutrient use-efficiency. In addition to the display of my poster, I was fortunate enough to have my abstract selected for presentation during the nutrient use-efficiency day, providing me with an international platform to engage the whole delegation in discussion of my interesting work regarding plant root development in response to water and nitrogen supply. This was my first address to a whole conference delegation. The renowned attendees facilitated the opportunity for productive discussion and development of ideas regarding the future direction of my work. I met colleagues from international laboratories who were working on complimentary work which could lead to collaboration in the future. Held at the National Wine Centre, the organizers provided an insight into scientific work undertaken in South Australia regarding food and drink crops. This meant we were able to see the new site for the automated screening of plants and the centre for wine making at the Waite Campus. In addition to stimulating my scientific development, attendance at this conference provided me with the opportunity to see some of this wonderful country and the spectacular natural beauty it has to offer, not to mention sampling some of the fantastic wines on offer and even eating a kangaroo steak! I thank Trevelyan College and the Anita Milne Scholarship for financial support in attending this stimulating conference, without which I would not have been afforded the opportunities to develop my scientific ideas, increase my network of contacts and experience new cultures. Nick Chapman 10

A Year in Sport

s usual Trevs has had a fairly mixed sporting year; some notable successes combined with a number of less successful campaigns. It is probably fair to say that we have punched above our relatively low numerical weight. Due to inclement weather a large number of fixtures have been cancelled. This means leagues are often less nearly completed than might be usual. Probably the most conspicuous victory of the year came in the newly introduced slalom skiing competition on the first Palatinalps ski trip. Trevs A defeated Trevs B in the final after reasonably smooth progress through the knockouts for both teams. Men’s rugby are currently undefeated in division 1 and are pushing for promotion to the premiership, mitigating a surprising first round exit in the floodlit cup. The men’s hockey team has suffered a second poor year in a row and now sits towards the bottom end of division 1 with only a single victory achieved to date. The women’s side is also struggling with, again, only a single victory recorded. Both suffered first round cup defeats. The women’s badminton team are likely to come second in the premiership, a significant achievement for a team from such a small college, and a continuation of success in recent years. The men’s side is likely to stay up in division 1 although promotion is now unlikely. In Ultimate Frisbee both the A team and the newly formed B team have struggled slightly, although the A’s recently defeated the perennial league victors, Grey A. Certainly, there is a great deal of enthusiasm in college for this relatively new sport and it might be hoped that this will result in greater success in coming seasons. As previously mentioned men’s football has suffered large numbers of cancelled fixtures. A, B and C teams seem to have had fairly middling seasons as yet, although it is often difficult to tell how things will go until the initial stages are complete. The women’s football team is performing strongly in division 2 and have a very realistic chance of promotion for next year. Men’s and women’s squash teams are not having great years, both fairly low in their respective tables. Table tennis B’s are doing well in the first division and will be hoping for promotion while the A team is performing solidly in the premiership sitting at the higher end of the table. In other sport the cheerleading team recorded their first non- last result in a competition and mixed lacrosse, women’s rugby and women’s basketball have played very few fixtures but are currently sitting in what are currently fairly meaningless mid table positions. Hopefully these teams, and indeed all the other Trevelyan sides, can have strong conclusions to their seasons. Thomas Whale 11

Trevs College DUCK

o far this year we have raised over £5000 (already smashing last year’s total) for a variety of charities in various ways:

• • • • • • • • • •

Rag Raids to Edinburgh The Back to School Bar Night Hold the Bar Duck Auction Duck Hits in the dining hall Pumpkin Carving Body Shop Party Duck Quizzes Trevsmas!! Peeing in a pot

Also Trevelyan students have been widely involved in central DUCK initiatives: -Attempting to get as far away from Durham as possible with jail break -Several people signed up for DUCK expeditions -Impressively Trevs is also the college with the largest number of participants in the horrific ‘Tough Guy’ assault course.

University Challenge T

he Trevs University Challenge team this year took the cup for the first time since its inception. Third year captain George Twigg led postgrads Mark Rodgers and Ian Williamson and fresher Tim Perry to an incredible Trevs victory in the tournament this year, with their quick buzzing and (some very) obscure knowledge leading to unprecedented score margins. Mark Rodgers, George Twigg, Ian Williamson and Tim Perry hold The team started their winning the Durham University Challenge 2010 cup after their win over Van streak with a score of 290-0 against Mildert in the finals John Snow and continued through the competition in the same vein, only facing a hiccup against Cuths in the quarter finals who they managed to overtake in the last five minutes of the match. They entered the finals undefeated then swiftly beat Van Mildert for the cup with an incredible score of 275-70.

Two members of the Trevs team will be representing Durham on the next series of the University Challenge show. 12

Alumni Art in Trevs

etween 24th January and 11th March 2011, Trevelyan College was proud to display the art work of five of our foundation year students (1966-1969)

Diana Bishop, Jill Ferguson, Angela Hooper, Susannah Lash and Vicki Wegg Prosser, pictured below, call themselves the ‘Parson’s Field Painters’ in remembrance of their first year in Durham, when they lived at Parson’s Field House (now part of the St Cuthbert’s Society) whilst waiting for Trevs to be ready for occupants.

They say: “In the intervening years we have brought up families; and have had varied careers including the Ministry of Defence, lecturing, social work, BBC, documentary film making, Olympic rowing, and Liberal Democrat politics; disparate activities which have now made way for our own creativity.” “We are scattered all over the country, but have kept in touch and have discovered that we are all engaged in painting or print-making. We now meet regularly and paint...sometimes! We are also in touch with Joan Bernard, Trevelyan’s first Principal, who suggested this exhibition.” These pictures of Trevs students in the bar, admiring the work of the painters, were taken by a current Trevelyan student Joel Snape. Many thanks to him!. Do you meet up with your friends from Trevelyan? We’d love to include some more news like this in our next Hippocampus. Please get in touch by emailac.uk or calling Karen on 0191 334 7001

Trevs Refurb L

ast summer, Trevs underwent longawaited infrastructure repairs – essentially a million pound’s worth of plumbing, which though a hugely daunting task in terms of practical management (I cannot praise the heroism of staff and residents highly enough) was also a great opportunity for some serious ‘makeover’. This was an opportunity that we seized firmly, to the considerable benefit of the Reception area, the Library, the Bar (especially back-of-bar and cellar), the aforementioned Mowlam Room, the public loos, the TV lounge, JCR office, ground floor Tutor room, the Undercroft (now including an internet ‘café’), a ground floor flat, and all the associated corridors, now enjoying transformed lighting and décor – all making your next visit to College a treat in aesthetic as well as nostalgic terms! HME

Work in progress: Trevsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; beloved bar underwent substantial renovations, as these pictures taken by Sabbatical Bar Steward Martin Browne document.

Full Colours Lucy Jackson The first award went to Lucy Jackson, a student who epitomizes two principles Trevelyan prides itself on, getting involved at all levels regardless of experience and stretching one’s abilities. Assuming imperative roles in virtually every facet of college, Lucy truly stood out from the crowd. Since coming to Trevs, Lucy was involved in a number of sports and her commitments snowballed throughout her Durham career; holding Exec. positions within most of the clubs and being elected captain of the university badminton team. Unsurprisingly, Lucy was awarded Sportswoman of the Year – a testimony to her tireless efforts and commitment. Always willing to designate her time to helping others out, Lucy also volunteered her time to work with disadvantaged local children on a weekly basis and was an assistant Brownie leader during her time at Durham. On top of this, she somehow found time to Sub-Edit Palatinate for two years and was also elected onto the Executive Committee as JCR Services Officer. Going beyond the obligations of her role, she pressured for a Liver’s out pantry and was always the first to offer her artistic skills for any college event. Rosie Marfleet The second full colours award was presented to a person who dedicated their time to improving college and the experience of her peers. A keen gymnast, Rosie represented Team Durham in trampolining at the British University Championships and was soon appointed club captain. Despite a severe injury to her knee that prevented her from ever competing seriously again, she was still determined to develop the underfunded club, an achievement that earned her a Half Palatinate award last year. 16

Full Colours

Aside from sport, Rosie was instrumental in organizing activities weeks for underprivileged and mentally handicapped children. Such readiness to sacrifice her time for the sake of others further extended to her three year involvement with SCA, where she committed to mentoring a girl to reach her potential in her SATs. Elected onto the Executive Committee as JCR Welfare Officer, Rosie flourished into the most innovative, sensitive and groundbreaking welfare representative; tirelessly campaigning to introduce a second Welfare Officer onto the Executive Committee, setting a new record for Chlamydia testing and restructuring the Academic Parent scheme. Unsurprisingly, Rosie was invited to sit on the DSU awards judging panel – indicative of the superstar she really is. Pete ‘Barra’ Barraclough

The final full colours award was presented to an individual who devoted his heart and soul to all facets of the JCR; an individual whose extraordinary efforts have impacted on every member of the Trevelyan community. Celebrated as the most enthusiastic sportsman of Trevelyan, Barra shone as a key asset to both the rugby and cricket teams; and the wealth of knowledge accumulated during his tenure resulted in him coaching the women’s rugby team and representing Durham University Staff Cricket Club. Such sporting prowess, culminated in the development of the University American Football team, a club that has gone from strength to strength under his close supervision. Aside from such sporting triumphs as fitness chair Barra oversaw the transformation of the gym into a more functional space and as Sabbatical Bar Steward this year revolutionized the most popular space in college, with the bar making a constant net profit. His enthusiasm and love for the Trevelyan community has taken him to Captaincy of the Durham University Challenge team and encouraged him to establish a University Brass Band. Aside from this he has penned several articles for Palatinate Sport during his time here and has been involved in countless charity events – only recently was he rowing a whole marathon in the bar for ‘Help the Heroes’, a testimony of his selfless and humble disposition – the perfect recipient for this prestigious award. 17

How Alumni Support Trevs

substantial number of alumni, through personal donations, large and small, have and do support the development of Trevelyan and improve life for the College community. A huge thank you to all of you!

This issue of Hippocampus is a good opportunity to illustrate some examples of how your generosity has helped, and continues to help, Trevs be such a special place to live and study. Trevs has an outstanding library, one of the most treasured of College facilities. Donations from alumni have helped improve the library significantly by supporting the refurbishment of The James Room and funding much needed display equipment. Do you remember when collecting your daily post entailed sorting through the mail of all the other students whose second name began with the same letter as yours? The refurbished post room, supported by alumni donations, allows all student to have their own ’pigeon hole’ – a huge improvement! You’ll have read elsewhere in Hippocampus about the fantastic musical achievements of Trevs students. One of the most recent additions to our musical facilities was the establishment of a recording studio, The Mark Ashton Room, in College. Alumni donations contributed towards the set up costs of this much appreciated and well used part of Trevs. In addition, alumni have helped to fund the establishment of a Middle Common Room area in College. Opened this year, the Mowlam Room is a comfortable and popular place for our growing number of post grads to meet and socialise. Alumni funds are also improving the exterior of Trevelyan, contributing to a project to re-vitalise a neglected piece of the grounds and transform it into a peaceful place for members of the College community to enjoy the warmer months. Look out for photographs on our website! We are also always grateful to those alumni, and their families, who, some for many years, have sponsored educational travel bursaries, and those of you who support the College Hardship fund. The alumni pages of the College website has more photographs, travel reports and is regularly updated with news of how alumni continue to give generously to Trevelyan. 18

Later in this edition you can read about how we, as a college, plan to cement our reputation in music and performing arts by developing our support and facilities for our enthusiastic and talented students! Music is only one strand of our Ten Year Vision. We plan to expand our postgraduate community and encourage more students to continue beyond graduation into research. We also want to improve our outdoor space and to continue to build on our ‘hex appeal’. Read more about these plans by following the link to the Principal’s Address on the Home page of the Alumni section of our college website. You can also read on page 24 how alumni can support current Trevelyan students by becoming a ‘Trevelyan Career Owl’ when our new scheme is launched later this year. If you are interested in supporting any of these aims, please get in touch with us either by email trevs.trust@durham.ac.uk , or by calling Karen Fisher on 01913347001. All of the photographs that accompany this article were taken by one of our students, third year engineer, Joel Snape. Heartfelt thanks to him for giving his time and talents so freely.

DONOR LIST

Katharine McElligot Victoria Nobles Gregory O’Reilly Corrine Raybould Susan Richards Michelle Sandford Jo-Anne Smithson Katharine A Taylor Catherine T Webber Victoria Wegg-Prosser Shirley Williams Thomas B Williams Eve Wilson

Trevelyan College would like to thank the alumni who have made donations up to March 2011: Charlotte B Bannister-Parker Dorothy Barker Emma L Barthel Benjamin P Bater Kristina Brown Tim Carter Matthew Davison Thomas A Gilliver Ann Horton Judith Ineson Sophie Jones Sonja Kabirschke Cynthia M Leslie

We would also like to thank Michael Webster who kindly donated to Trevelyan, but whose name was accidentally omitted from the list published in the last edition of Hippocampus. 19

Music Appeal

here is probably no college with a better musical pedigree than Trevelyan’s, a consistent feature of its attraction to prospective students and something that frequently features fondly in responses from Alumni and current students alike. We have musical representation from all genres– classical in the form of Trevs Orchestral Society, Trevs Choir, Trevs Strings and Trevs Flute Choir; we also have Trevs Jazz, Trevs Musical Society , Trevs Unplugged and Trevstock. This is all the more remarkable given that Trevs has relatively modest facilities for rehearsal and performance in either music or drama. As part of our ten-year forward vision for the College, we have decided to put the promotion of music at the heart of our development, along with academic aspiration and a sustainably beautiful environment – in each case building on existing excellence towards still greater ambition. In the case of music, we want to produce a far greater number of opportunities for Trevelyan students to make music together – in every combination and in all genres; for their own satisfaction and for the pleasure of others; and amid circumstances and facilities that remove the practical and organisational obstacles. What does this mean in concrete terms? Primarily we want to reconfigure and refit the Dowrick Suite as a bespoke recital room for rehearsal and performance purposes for music and drama. This means a certain amount of material adaptation and acoustic re-surfacing; new furnishings and fittings; sound equipment; and – not cheap! – a concert-quality piano. Elsewhere in the College we want to improve the acoustics in the Dining Hall and Sir James Knott Hall, and to install a demountable sound system in the Inner Quad. There are a number of orchestral instruments that we would like to buy, and we would like to improve our recording studio facilities, making it possible for the studio to monitor and record performances from the new Dowrick recital room. In less concrete terms, we would also like over time to extend greatly the range and number of music-related scholarships and bursaries for Trevs students, enabling us to attract and reward even greater numbers of musically-talented students, and enabling them in turn to undertake music-related extramural activities and, perhaps, travel. Finally (for the time being!) we would love to be able to host a composer-in-residence or Music Fellow, much as some Colleges have an occasional artist-in-residence. All of this takes money – money that we do not have – and readers will not be surprised that we think Alumni may have a role in helping us here. This year a substantial music appeal features among our central ambitions. We hope very much that Trevelyanites old and new will be able to unite in making this a reality. 20

College Photos I

n last year’s Hippocampus, I wrote about the college’s collection of college photos and the ways in which these photos reflected something of the character of the college and how it had changed over the years. In response to my piece, a number of people have got in touch about the subject. Caron Pearson, the Honorary Director of the Trevelyan Trust, suggested that we list the missing years in this year’s Hippocampus which seemed such a sensible idea that you should find a piece on the gaps in the collection elsewhere in this edition. Another alumna wrote to say that she thought that in the 1970s and maybe early 1980s, the summer, informal photos may have been done only once every three years. As the first summer, informal photo which we have dates from 1977, we are not even sure that there were such photos before then! Perhaps the most precious photos the college possesses are those which date from 1966-69. There are three photos of the whole college as well as separate photos of the two JCR Presidents from 1966-67 and the JCR Committee. I have no doubt that as we approach the 50th anniversary of the college’s foundation, these photos from the very earliest days of the college will assume great importance and will feature in the anniversary celebrations. It is curious that we possess these photos from the 1960s and yet we have so little from the 1970s and 1980s. I hope that by the time 2016 comes round, we will have a more representative sample! As well as gathering photos together, the other issue which we face is deciding where to put these photos. In one of the other Hill colleges, the college photos have been placed along a broad, long corridor such that it is easy to chart the different generations of students and college staff. The ideal location would be something similar to this but in a place easily accessible to guests and members of the public. Some places have been identified so by the time some of you come to Durham for your next visit, we should have a display area. If you do have a college photo from one of the missing years or any information about the photos and you would like to help us, then please get in touch either with Caron Pearson or myself. Paul Regan- College Chaplain (p.j.regan@durham.ac.uk) Do you have any college photographs from your time in Trevelyan? We would like to concentrate on collecting a full complement of Matriculation photographs. The missing years are: 1970 -1972 (inclusive), 1974 – 1987 (inclusive), 1990, 1999 and 2000. Equally we are interested in collecting any photographs that show congregation celebrations. If you have any photographs that you think could help us in this quest, and you would be willing to send them to us here in College, so that we could have them copied and returned to you, please get in touch with Karen Fisher, either by email, Karen.fisher@durham.ac.uk, by phone 01913347001, or by post to: Karen Fisher, Bursar’s Secretary/Administrator, Trevelyan College, Elvet Hill Road, Durham DH1 3LN. Thank you for your help! 21

2011 Trevs to Trevs Telephone Campaign T

his June we were pleased to launch the first ever telephone campaign dedicated to Trevs. A team of Trevs students, who all volunteered for the job, made telephone contact with alumni over the course of one week . They really enjoyed talking to you about College life and future plans for Trevs, specifically our Music Campaign. Read all about the team below! My name is Michael and I’m a 2nd Year Anthropologist. I’ve enjoyed being in Trevs because there’s loads going on, the clubs are all great fun, and its size and all being under one roof means you get to know others quickly.

Hi, I’m Annabel. I’m a first year studying Modern Languages, (French, Spanish and Italian). At Trevelyan I love all things musical including the musical society, choir and our new acapella group. I’m also very much involved with DUCK and we’re having a lot of success this year!

Hello! My name is Catherine and I am a first year studying French, German and Russian. I have found Trevelyan College friendly and welcoming, and I particularly enjoy music at Trevs. So far this year I have been involved in the college musical, Trevs orchestra, and a new a capella group. The team were also joined and supported by Jess Boonham, a third year student who has been calling alumni regularly throughout the year as part of the Universities’ Annual Giving Programme. Trevelyan owes these students a huge ‘thank you’ for their great efforts, as well as an enormous debt of gratitude to those of you who have already donated. Thank you so much for your support. We shall be updating you on the progress of the appeal through the alumni pages of our website and in the next edition of Hippocampus. If you would like to contribute to the Music Appeal, we would really value your donation. You can do so via www.dunelm.org.uk/trevelyan, or call Karen Fisher on 01913347001, or email trevs.trust@durham.ac.uk . Alternatively you can post a cheque made out to ‘Trevelyan College’ to Karen Fisher at Trevelyan College, Elvet Hill Road, Durham, DH1 3LN. Regretfully we are unable to take card payments over the phone. 22

Trevs Re-United

ave you lost touch with friends from your time in Trevelyan? Would you like to make contact with them again? We, in Trevs, might be able to help you! This year we are launching a new service to alumni called “Trevs Re-united” where we will try, using our database, to help you re-establish contact with lost friends. Data Protection legislation means that we cannot directly provide you with contact details from our records without that person’s prior permission, so, you can either:

Send us a letter for your friend in a sealed, stamped envelope. Include with it a covering letter which includes: your name (and maiden name if applicable), postal address, email address (if you have one), dates of your time in Trevelyan (e.g. 1981-1984). Also include the name (and maiden name) and dates of your friend’s time in Trevelyan to help us locate their record. Mark the letter “For the attention of Karen Fisher” and send to: Trevelyan College, Elvet Hill Rd, Durham, DH1 3LN. If we have their details, we will forward the letter to them. Or email us at trevs.trust@durham.ac.uk with your request, including all of the details specified above. If we have your friend’s email address we will forward your message and if not, and we have their address, we will print off your email and post it to them. Please note that we will endeavour to help you as quickly as we can, but we cannot guarantee a successful outcome! If you do manage to renew an old friendship in this way, we would love to hear from you! Please email trevs.trust@durham.ac.uk

Website Alumni Section

ecently we have been working hard to extend the alumni section of Trevelyan College’s website. Consequently you can now use the site to:

• • • • • • • • •

Update your contact details and tell us your news. From October 2011 onwards, become a Trevelyan Career Owl Read about Trevelyan’s development plans. Find out about alumni events and download information and booking forms. Read about the activities of the Trevelyan Trust and make a donation. See how donations from alumni have improved life in Trevs. Read the latest edition of Hippocampus, or request a copy to be posted to you. Order a copy of “Trevs: A Celebration of 40 Years of Trevelyan College Durham” by Susan Martin for £7:50 (incl p&p) and in doing so, support the Trevelyan Trust. Get in touch with your ‘lost’ Trevelyan friends by using our “Trevs Re-united” service. www.dur.ac.uk/trevelyan.college/alumni/

We welcome any feedback about our site, please contact Karen Fisher by email karen. fisher@durham.ac.uk , phone 0191 334 7001, or contact by mail: Karen Fisher, Bursar’s Secretary/Administrator, Trevelyan College, Elvet Hill Road, Durham DH1 3LN 23

Trevelyan Career ‘Owls’

his year Trevelyan is launching a new initiative which allows alumni to offer informal careers advice and support to Trevs students who are planning their ‘life after Durham’. The current graduate job market is very tough and many alumni will have valuable information and experience which could support other members of the Trevelyan College community to realise their plans. Using email, current students will be able to send questions to and ask advice from alumni about how their careers have developed since leaving Trevelyan and how they achieved their current positions. Could you be a ‘Trevelyan Career Owl’? If you would like to help current Trevs students in this way, then we will need some information from you, such as your degree subject, who you work for, your work role and a contact email address. All the information you send will be maintained on a password protected website that can only be viewed by Trevelyan students. Full compliance with all relevant legislation is ensured. Once your details are uploaded onto the Career Owls section of the Trevelyan College website, students may start to contact you, but they will not have access to your personal email address. The number of enquires you get will be limited to two per month, although if you feel you can manage more, or prefer to have less, this can be arranged. If you wish to withdraw your offer at any time, please let us know and your details will be removed from the site immediately. It must be clearly understood by all involved that any advice or information . given by Trevelyan Career Owls is in We are hoping to be able to launch Trevelyan Career Owls in October 2011, so if you are happy to become involved, please check the Trevelyan College website: www.dur.ac.uk/ trevelyan.college and sign up! If you’d like to know more about Trevelyan Career Owls before committing to the idea, than please contact Karen Fisher on 0191 334 7001 or how we can develop the idea, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you. Are you a current student looking for a ‘Career Owl’? The Trevelyan Career Owls scheme is being launched to the alumni in this edition of Hippocampus. Once we have Career Owls that are ready to help you, an announcement will be made. 24

Trevs Alumni Event

23/24/25 September 2011

Following on from our very successful alumni event in London in September 2010, we look forward to welcoming you to our next event which will take place in College on the weekend of 23/24/25th September. All alumni and friends of the College are welcome to attend, as are their guests. The programme has been designed so that you can arrive on Friday or Saturday and stay one or two nights as you choose. Equally if you would just like to join us on Saturday, and stay for the Alumni Dinner, then you will be very welcome. We hope to have most of our former principals in attendance. During the weekend you will be welcome to browse around College and re-acquaint yourself with the delights of Durham. Bookings are now being taken, so please put the dates in your diary, and either return the booking form in this issue of Hippocampus, or download the details and a booking form from the alumni pages of the Trevelyan College website: www.dur.ac.uk/trevelyan.college/alumni/ Bookings can be accepted until 1st September 2011. We look forward to welcoming you back to Trevelyan!

Alumni Weekend Programme Friday 23rd September College open for arrival from 12 noon 7:00pm - 9:00pm Welcome Buffet Supper MENU Teriyaki marinated tuna supreme drizzled with spring onion, soy & sesame dressing served with stir-fried vegetables Vegetarian lasagne Honey roast gammon Wedges of home-made quiche Baby new potatoes Selection of seasonal salads Dressings & flavoured oils Freshly baked bread **** Fresh fruit platter Apple & sultana flan 25

The College Bar will be open 9:30pm (approx) Screening of new College video, followed by an informal College quiz Saturday 24th September 8:30am - 9:30am Breakfast 9:30am onwards Time for you to browse around College and Durham. (Lunch not provided in College). 3:30pm - 4:30pm Afternoon tea in SCR/quad 4:30pm - 5:30pm Trevelyan Society AGM 7.00pm - 7:30pm Champagne reception 7:30pm Alumni Dinner MENU Grilled peppered goat’s cheese with watercress salad and citrus dressing Or Roasted butternut squash with crème frâiché Selection of fresh breads **** Roast rump of lamb Dauphinoise potatoes, Buttered fine beans Roasted roots or Woodland mushroom risotto with parmesan crisps **** Passion fruit bavarois Served with fresh berries and cream **** Selection of cheeses with oat biscuits and crackers **** Coffee with after dinner mints (Menu price to include half bottle of wine) Sunday 25th September 8:30am - 9.30am Breakfast More time to explore Durham, or attend St Oswald’s Church parish communion. 26

Trevs Alumni Weekend 23/24/25 September 2011 st

Please complete and return by 1 September 2011:

Personal Details: Title: ……………

First Name: ……………………...

Surname: ………………………

Maiden Name: (if applicable) ……………………………………………………………………………….. Contact Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………..... ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………. Post Code: ……………………………………….. Telephone Day: ………………………………

Telephone Evening: ………..……………………

Email Address: ……………………………….

Years in College: From …………. To ………...

Guest: First Name: ………………………….

Surname: …...…………………………………….

Name Badge (preferred name): ………………………………………………………………………… Name Badge for Guest(s) (preferred name): …………………………………………………………….. Price per person Friday 23rd September Buffet Dinner B&B Single En suite Twin En suite B&B Single Standard Twin Standard

No. of People

Total Cost

Dietary/Other Requirements

£10.00 £30.00 £60.00 £25.00 £50.00

Saturday 24 September Afternoon Tea Alumni Dinner B&B Single En suite Twin En suite B&B Single Standard Twin Standard

foc £25.00 £30.00. £60.00 £25.00 £50.00 Total

Who would you like to sit with at the Reunion Dinner?:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… Form of Payment :

Please pay by cheque made payable to DUCAT

W e regret we cannot accept online or debit card payments this year. st

Please send completed form plus cheque by September 1 to: Mrs Karen Fisher Bursar’s Secretary/College Administrator Trevelyan College Elvet Hill Road Durham DH1 3LN