Comment 050 January 1991

King's College London newsletter

A NEW YEAR MESSAGE Communications in King's Largely as a result of the reuniting of the Medical School with the College in 1983, and the subsequent merger of the old King's with Queen Elizabeth and Chelsea Colleges in 1985, King's College today has nearly 7,000 students and is the second biggest School in the University of London. Our range of disciplines, from humanities, law and education, through physical sciences and engineering to medical and life sciences, is second to none in London. King's is now, therefore, a stronger institution, both in size and subject mix, than ever before.

We shall however, make the most of our strength only if everybody feels part of one College. In my first few months here I have been very encouraged by the spirit of collegiality that pervades King's; there is of course, an element of competition between departments, but there is also a great deal of cooperation. A key factor in maintaining this collegiality - made panicularly difficult at present by our multi-site operation, is good communications. Comment is clearly a major asset in this respect and one I would like to take advantage of in at least two ways. Firstly, I propose that, in future, brief reports on all important meetings should appear in Comment so that people are aware of issues under discussion and of decisions taken. I also propose in the coming months to ask different people to write articles about various aspects of our activities so that we can all be better informed about what is going on in different parts of the College; if you have matters on which you would like to see an article, please make your views known.

Because of the dominant place that flOance has assumed in higher education both nationally and locally, I asked David Bal~ our Director of Finance and Staff, if he

would write the flfst of these occasional articles so that we all understand more clearly the situation at King's. (See page 2).

As he explains, we have a great deal to be proud of in that, starting from a very bleak position in 1987, we have for the past three years balanced our books, recurrent-wise.

The capital situation at the moment is less favourable than we would have wished, due to the depressed state of the property market which may cause us to defer the disposal of some of our properties, and may therefore have a knock-on effect on our borrowing requirement in the short term.

But in the longer term we are confident that the very ambitious site rationalisation programme upon which we are embarked will be successfully completed, as a result of which the savings from increased efficiency will give us a little more scope for manoeuvre.

NEW YEAR HONOURS LIST The College offers its warmest congratulations to the following who received recognition in the New Year Honours List: Professor John Cadogan, CBE, PhD, DSc, FRS, FRSE, CChern, FRSC, received a knighthood.

An outstanding student, John Cadogan graduated from King's in 1951 with a first class honours degree. winning the Millar Thornson Medal in the process (the prize awarded each year to the student who gained the highest first class degree), and the Samuel Smiles Prize. Continuing his studies he obtained his PhD. He worked for a two year spell with the Civil Service, before returning to King's to lecture in the Chemistry Department for seven years. His career has followed a most distinguished path from King's. He went on to become Purdie Professor of Chemistry and Head of Department at St Andrews before moving

(continued on page 3) I want to end this rather longer than expected introduction by adding that, although there can be no relaxing on financial pressure over the next few years (and we all wait for the UFC's prescription in February and March with some apprehension), we must not adopt an attitude of 'battening down the hatches' merely to survive financially. V!!e shall survive - but the price of financial survival must not be academic stagnation. King's is making tremendous progress; I believe the pace of progress can be maintained and even increased within the present financial envelope, if we are prepared to change our ways of doing things, especially academically. I add this last qualification because our expenditure on academic and related activities represents the biggest part (about 70%) of our budget. This is a matter to which I would like to return in due course.

THE FINANCIAL SITUATION The Recurrent Situation The fInancial aspects of university operations now command a much higher public profile than has hitherto been the case.

Following DES intervention to avoid bankruptcy in several universities, University College Cardiff being the most notable case, the Government is increasingly concerned and active about what it sees as inefficient, even incompetent, financial management within the university system.

Almost daily some expression of concern, coupled with a list of those universities perceived to be at risk, is forthcoming from either the UFC, the DES or, perhaps even more alarming, the Public Accounts Committee.

Recently, the Public Accounts Committee has turned its attention to the University of London and, perhaps correctly, has demanded explanations to alleviate the increasing concern over the financial plight of the University and its constituent Colleges.

It would be foolish to pretend that the financial situation in London is not serious.

In an environment of sustained reductions in Government funding, significant central administration costs and the extra expense of operating in London, it is perhaps not surprising that all London Colleges are suffering, and that some face quite serious financial difficulties.

Against this background, I thought it would be helpful to set the record straight, as it applies to King'S. I hasten to add that King's, although frequently appearing in the 'concern list', is not one of those Colleges deemed to be at risk.

Prior to the merger, King's College, Queen Elizabeth College, Chelsea College and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, were beginning to experience the problems associated with grant reduction and unfunded inflation. In 1985 the newly formed King's College London found itself facing a ÂŁ3.6m accumulated revenue deficit and a substantial (in excess of ÂŁ2m) annual revenue deficit predicted for the first year of merger.

By any measure the financial situation was serious. Remedial action was urgently needed and in early 1987 the College

introduced a financial strategy designed not only to redress the financial imbalance but to begin to generate annual surpluses and thereby make some inroad into the accumulated defIcit. The total elimination of the accumulated deficit was not expected to be achieved until the benefIt of economies from consolidation of sites materialised in the mid 1990s.

Whereas the College'S frnancial strategy has been widely promulgated and accepted by the UFC, the fact that we have an adverse revenue reserve situation (albeit one planned and expected to last for only a limited period), tends to figure prominently in external assessments of the College's financial health, giving rise to murmurs of concern.

But make no mistake, the frnancial situation is under control: the College Treasurer in his Report to Council on the Accounts for the year ended 31 July 1990, stated: 'I am pleased to report that we have achieved our frnancial aims (of having a revenue surplus) for the last three years and a balanced revenue account is again predicted for the current fInancial year. Such results reflect great credit both on the fInancial organisation of the College and on the large number of people throughout the College who have been prepared to back that organisation with their effort, thought and cooperation.'

To give a little more detail in support of the Treasurer's comments, the table below

summarises the College's income and expenditure account, excluding property transactions, for the last five years.

You will note that our accumulated deficit has, since 1986/87, been slowly reducing.

It is too early to predict what effect new UFC funding proposals will have on the College's future. However, continued financial pressure is almost a certainty, but in this respect I would contend that the College has, in recent years, ably demonstrated its ability to manage its own affairs and I am therefore, confIdent it has the experience and the will to cope with future pressures.

The Capital Situation Hand in glove with the recurrent financial strategy, the College has embarked on a major rationalisation of its scattered estate.

This rationalisation process, which of necessity has a long time scale, should in financial terms be considered quite independently of the College's recurrent financial situation: the capital projects will not have any effect on the recurrent financial situation of the College, except, of course, to reduce the recurrent costs associated with our present multi-site operations.

In practice, the programme of rationalisation can be divided into two discrete areas.

First, the consolidation of academic activities onto the Thameside campus which essentially involves the disposal of all sites

1989/90 OOOs

1988/89 OOOs

1987/88 OOOs

1986/87 OOOs

1985/86 OOOs

Grants Fees Research Grants and Contracts

38977 9832

36264 8702

34315 8058

31901 7003

31517 6779

18050

15830

13282

11697

9522

Other

10284 77143

10156 70952

7210 62865

6103 56704

5593 53411

Expenditure

76993

70881

62800

57808

53476

150 Su rpl u si (Deficit) Accumulated Deficit (4660) B/fwd.

Accumulated Deficit (4510) C/fwd.

71

65

(1104)

(65)

(4731)

(4796)

(692)

(627)

(4660)

(4731)

(4796)

(692)

Income

other than the Strand site and the recently acquired Cornwall House.

In very general terms, the acquisition and refurbishment of Cornwall House and its Annexe, is to be paid for by disposal proceeds of all other academic sites.

Leaving aside the current unfavourable conditions in the general property market, it i hoped that the capital sums realised by sales, when the market recovers, will be ufficient not only to fund the refurbishment of Cornwall House, but also to fund some refurbishment of the Strand site.

Secondly, the College has undertaken a major rationalisation of its residential accommodation and sporting facilities. In this respect the acquisition of the Wesrfield residential campus will enable the College to consolidate a significant proportion of its residential places on a single high quality campus. This process involves the sale of those Halls within the academic sites being disposed of, and also Malcolm Gavin Hall and Halliday Hall. The Halls of Residence remaining outside of the Westfield campus will be King's College Hall and Wellington Hall.

To date the Mitcham and Petersham Sports Grounds have been disposed of and a major new quality sports ground at New MaIden purchased.

In very general terms the residential and sporting facility rationalisation process is expected to be, in financial terms, largely neutral in that, subject to market conditions, the sale proceeds associated with those halls and sports grounds being sold will meet the cost of acquisition and refurbishment of the Westfield campus.

Both the academic and residential/sports ground rationalisation processes are remarkably ambitious, given the current austerity in government capital funding programmes.

With regard to the financial risk involved in the rationalisation schemes, and this is perhaps the primary reason for commenting on the capital rationalisation programmes, the situation can best be summarised as follows.

Having accepted the need to undertake the two programmes, there was little or no alternative but to accept an initial risk that

the cost of the purchase of Cornwall House and its Annexe and the refurbishment of the latter, together with the purchase of the estfield site (ie money that had to be put 'up front') could not be covered immediately by the sale of the properties. Thus there was a need for interim external borrowing. We are now in a position where 552 King's Road is no longer needed and could be sold but unfortunately the slump in the property market makes this an inau picious time to sell. The deferment of the sale means that we have to borrow further sums to tide us over.

I am pleased to report that we have successfully made arrangements which will ensure that the capital costs already expended and those which are committed are fully covered.

I should add that we are treating the interest associated with any capital borrowing as a first charge on the estate rationalisation capital costs; it does not, therefore, in any sense, affect the College's recurrent financial situation.

Summary In recurrent terms, given the current financial climate and the particular problems associated with London, King's can justifiably claim to be one of the few Colleges that has come to terms with unrelenting financial pressure and in practice is operating on a balanced budget.

In capital terms, given that the College's survival as a major multi-faculty school depended on the Thameside campus consolidation and the availability of good quality residential facilities, the limited financial risks associated with embarking on these two major capital projects were deemed acceptable. Even in the Light of a fairly significant downturn in property values, this still remains our view.

STAFF NEWS (cominued from front page) to Edinburgh University where he was the Forbes Professor of Organic Chemistry. In 1979 he joined British Petroleum as Chief Scientist at the Research Centre and since 19 1 has been Director of Research. He is also Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Imperial College and Professorial Fellow, University College of Swansea.

Professor Cadogan has continued to enjoy a close relationship with King's over the years, becoming a Fellow of the College in 1976, a member of Council in 1980 and the Vice-Chairman of Council la t October.

Or Oavld Ingram, MA, DPhil, CPhys, FInstP was awarded a CBE. Or Ingram became Principal of Chelsea College in 1973, a post held until 1980 when he was appointed to his present position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury. After gaining a degree from Oxford University he stayed on to continue postgraduate research before setting out on his academic career. His first teaching post, was at the University of Southampton, where he worked for seven years before moving to the University of Keele in 1959 as Professor and Head of the Department of Physics, later becoming Deputy ViceChancellor. From Keele he went to Chelsea College.

Or Ingram served Chelsea College well and is perhaps best remembered for the vigorous campaign he mounted on behalf of the

Given these circumstances, whereas the College's financial strength is not as healthy as I would like to see it, particularly in the area of general building maintenance provisions, it would be true to say that it has the solid financial base required to face the predictably uncomfortable financial future facing the university system as a whole.

David Ball Director of Finance and Staff

....

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College to obtain the site of 552 King's Road. The College of St Mark and St John had been relocated to Plymouth leaving 552 vacant and eventually to fall derelict.

Through his personal efforts and against very strong contenders, Or Ingram secured the purchase of the property for the use of Chelsea College.

As a tribute, Ingram Court hall of residence was named after him and he was also elected a Fellow of King's in 1986.

Ernle Warrell has been awarded an MBE. Ernie Warrell joined King's in 1953 as a lecturer in the Department of Theology and Director of the College Choir; since 1980 he has been the College Organist. He became a Fellow of the College in 1979.

His working Life actually began in law, in a solicitor's office just across the road from King'S. After his war service with the Royal Scots, the Middlesex Regiment and SO E, he resumed his position as articled pupil assistant at Southwark Cathedral. Despite not receiving any formal training as a musician he went on to take up a variety of appointments in London churches, culminating in 1968 when he became the Organist and Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral, a post he held for seven years. He has also been the Lecturer in Plainsong to the Royal School of Church Music; the Musical Director of the Gregorian Association, and since 1984, Chief Examiner in Music to the Imernational Baccalaureate.

Under his direction the College Choir enjoys a wide reputation and performs publicly on many occasions. A recent example of his hard work and dedication resulted in the Choir making their first ever recording - Carols in Advent.

1991. He joins King's from Royal Holloway and Bedford New College.

APPOINTMENTS PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS

Sarben Sarkar has been appointed to Reader in Theoretical Physics from 1 December 1990. He joins King's from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.

Professor John Barron The College is delighted to announce that Professor Barron has been elected Master of St Peter's College, Oxford, from October 1991.

John Barron came here in 1971 as Professor of Greek Language and Literature. He was Head of the Department of Classics from 1972 until 1984. Since 1984 he has combined his Chair with the Directorship of the Institute of Classical Studies.

A fuller appreciation of his considerable contribution to the College and the University will be published in due course. In the meantime, we offer him our warmest congratulations on his new appointment.

Appointment to Chairs Jill MacLeod Clark has been appointed to the Chair of Nursing Studies from 1 July 1990.

Christopher Marriott has been appointed to the Chair of Pharmaceutics from 1June 1990. He joins King's from Brighton Polytechnic.

Richard Whish has been appointed to the Chair of Law from 1 January 1991. He joins King's from Bristol University.

Promotion to Professor Colin Bushnell has been promoted from Reader to Professor of Pure Mathematics from 1 June 1990.

Martin Hughes has been promoted from Reader to Professor-of Chemistry from 1 May 1990.

Andrew Porter has been promoted from Reader to Professor of History from 1 October 1990.

Garth Swanson has been promoted from Reader to Professor of Physical Electronics from 1 October 1990.

Appointment to Readership Ernie Warrell

Costas Iliopoulos has been appointed to Reader in Computer Science from 1January ;:.;

"路4

Promotion to Readership (from 1 October 1990) Patrick Chabal has been promoted to Reader in Portuguese.

Trevor Hall has been promoted to Reader in Physics.

Eva Lomnicka has been promoted to Reader in Law from 1 November 1990.

Dietmar Rosier has been promoted to Reader in German Language.

The Medical School's new appointments and promotions will be announced in the next edition of Comment.

Director of Public Relations This month we welcome the College'S new Director of Public Relations Christine Kenyon Jones, who joins the staff on 21 January. Chris comes to us with 17 years experience of press and public relations work and she has been most recently Public Relations Officer for the Council for National Academic Awards. She will be in charge of Public Relations work in the College and she says she is particularly looking forward to adding her contribution to a College in which there are so many Lively and exciting developments and where so much has already been achieved in the Public Relations field.

Chris worked on The Guardian before going to Oxford to read English, and then, after a short spell of social work, became assistant to the Head of Publicity at the National Union of Teachers. She went on to become successively Press and Publicity Officer for the National Association of Citizen's Advice Bureau and Press Officer for ILEA before taking up her appointment withCNAA. Chris will be doing her best to get to know King's and to meet as many people as possible when she arrives; she can be contacted on S2179.

John Muir Vice-Principal

Chief Engineer David Carn-her BSc, has been appointed College Chief Engineer in succession to r Les Cluk, ho retired in December 199 ir Carn.her took up his duties on 1 January 1991.

Neville Marsh eville arsh, Alumnus Relations Officer, has been elected Honorary Professor by the Universidad acional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru in recognition of his work on Peruvian snake venoms carried out with the Faculty of Biological Sciences in Lima.

CVCP appointment Prafe or Graeme Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool University, has been elected as the next Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals. He will succeed Sir Edward Parkes.

Professor Davies has been Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool University since April 1986 and is also Chairman of the CVCP's Academic Advisory Committee. He will take up his new position from 28 June 1991.

Of his appointment Professor Davies said: 'This is a challenging time when it is important to ensure that the contribution of universities to education in our society is recognised and properly resourced.'

RESEARCH PROFESSORS ith effect from August 1990, Professor John Gorrod (Department of Pharmacy) and Professor COM Ree e (Department of Chemistry) were designated Research Professors by the College. In the past, Professors Gorrod and Reese have, in addition to running large well-funded research groups, carried substantial teaching and administrative loads in their respective departments and have served on a number of College commit'tees. In future, their primary responsibilities will be to pursue research. A short profile of both men follows.

Professor John Gorrod John Gorrod joined Chelsea College in 1965 having been elected to a Senior Studentship of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, after qualifying in chemistry and biochemistry whilst working as a research assistant at The Chester Beany Research Institute. The' 1851' allowed him to concentrate on the metabolism and mode of action of aromatic amines in relationship to carcinogenesis; work which led to his

PhD. During this period he introduced in vitro techniques of drug metabolism into the Department and became the first Lecturer

in Biopharmacy in the UK, tenable at Chelsea College. His research efforts have concentrated on the metabolism of nitrogen compounds ith particular reference to mechanisms involved in the biological oxidation of consistent nitrogen atoms together with the toxicological consequences of the processes. He was promoted to Reader in 198 and Professor in 19 4 and awarded a DSc in 1982.

By 1984 morale in the Pharmacy Department was at an all time low, staffing had been cut from 33 to 18 and diminishing resources threatened the continued existence of the Department. Indeed the University wanted to relocate Pharmacy to St George's Medical School, Tooting. Against this background, John Gorrod was asked to assume the Headship of the Pharmacy Department.

Accepting this challenge, he successfully opposed the movement of Pharmacy and enthusiastically started to rebuild the Department following the merger with King's. He strengthened the Professoriate and with the new management team in place, and with considerable support from Professor Sutherland, a positive policy of staff recruitment and encouragement of research was initiated. At the same time the Pharmacy curriculum was developed in line with the findings of the uffield Report and joint appointments were made with the Hospital Service and Community Pharmacy. This period was very demanding and despite serving on numerous committees, Professor Gorrod still maintained a firm research base. This has led to nearly 200 scientific papers, eleven edited books and being invited to address many major conferences both at home and abroad.

In August 1990 John Gorrod relinquished the Headship of the Department after six year to take up Research Professorship.

The Pharmacy Department had been put on a sound financial footing and morale had returned to a high level. The new position will allow the expansion of this research and continuous service on many committees.

Professor Colin Reese After a distinguished career spanning over 20 years as an undergraduate, research student, research and official Fellow (of Clare College) and university teaching officer (Demonstrator, Assistant Director of Research and finally Lecturer) at Cam-

5

bridge, Colin Reese came to King's in 1973 as Daniell Professor of Chemistry.

He immediately set about building up a large research group engaged mainly in nucleic acid chemistry, a field in which he was already recognised as a world leader.

Colin Reese's research work prospered at King's, and this led to his election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1981. In his first 12 years at King's Colin Reese involved himself in undergraduate teaching and also assisted Victor Gold, the then Head of Department, by taking on a number of administrative responsibilities; in addition he served to a limited extent on College committees.

In September 1985, just after the merger and only two or three days before the beginning of the academic year, Victor Gold died suddenly and Colin Reese was asked to take on the Headship of the Department at 24 hours notice. As well as coping with the difficulties which arose from there being a particularly large number of academic staff and technicians in the merged Chemistry Department and the fact that it was operat-

ing on two sites, Colin Reese succeeded in his approximately 3 year term as Head of Department in equipping the Department with state-of-the-art spectrometers and thereby enhanced its future competitiveness in research.

In the past two years or so since he has been released from his administrative responsibilities, Professor Reese has raised substantial personal research funds and has increased the size of his group; he continues to occupy a leading position internationally in his field and receives numerous invitations to lecture abroad. He is now especially engaged in a study which is designed to lead to synthetic ribonucleic acid (RNA) becoming as readily accessible to biologists and biotechnologists as synthetic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is at present; he is also heavily committed to the synthesis of compounds with potential anti-viral and anti-tumour activity, and is the only chemist on the Steering Committee of the Medical Research Council's AIDS Directed Programme.

A new face to a familiar place Some of you from time to time will come to the Medical Centre to use of the various services that we provide. As a recent addition to the staff, I wish to introduce myself by writing in Comment. My name is Joan Keane and I have recently been appointed as Sister in the Medical Centre at the Strand campus.

My previous experience included working as a Registered General Nurse and I also trained and worked as a midwife. I entered the speciality of occupational health nursing in December 1989, working for a large retail organisation. On 3 December 1990 I arrived at the Strand to take up my new post.

The Medical Centre plans various activities for the coming year. Sister Jackie Donegan (Kensington and Chelsea) and I liaise closely and aim to run health promotion and awareness campaigns in the following areas: alcohol awareness, smoking, immunisation and travel abroad, eating happily and healthily on a low budget and other aspects of health.

We will keep you posted regarding future plans. Please do not hesitate to inform me about any aspect of health promotion that you wish to be included, to use or, indeed, to discuss.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year.

Joan Keane Strand Medical Centre

LETTERS

Professor John GOTTod

Professor Colin Reese

Retirements The College said farewell to two of its portering staff at Christmas time.

Fred Hoy, (Macadam Building) and Vic Allen, (Embankment) were given a splendid send off in Gal. At a well attended reception, Bob Redmond, the General Services Manager, thanked them both for all their hard work over the years and wished them well in their retirement.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind thoughts after my husband, Tony, died at the end of November. Everyone at King's has been so supportive over the last 18 months during Tony's illness and I have been overwhelmed by the number of letters I received and by the verbal messages that have been passed to me since his death.

They really have helped me through a traumatic time.

We asked friends not to send flowers for Tony's funeral but rather to make donations

to the IB or our local Hospice in Chelmsford, Essex. any of you contributed towards a collection and I will be extremel pleased to donate ÂŁ1 each to these charities on your behalf. I am sure that Tony would have been very touched by everyone's genero ity.

for the post).

Finally, thanks for my elegant briefcase hich will undoubtedly impress them up in Edinburgh. And so goodbye and as they say in Scotland, 'aw Ta best and lang may yer tums reek'. I said lums Mr B! See you up there.

Thank you again.

Liz Auden-Davies I read with interest the report of the 'Working Parry on Social Facilities for the Thameside Campus of King's College London' published in Comment a while ago. As far as I can recall the aim of the proposal was to extend and improve the staff facilities of the College. This was thought best done by introducing the guiding principle that all staff facilities should be available for all staff.

Contrary to the view of Lindsay, Davies and Shad rake, (Comment December), I can see no reason why this should make the 'life of the College ... much poorer.' It is time that the antiquated facilities for staff at King's were updated. I also believe the communal spirit of King's would be improved if the presently disenfranchised staff could share the use of staff facilities. Under such a principle, the number and variety of social events could only be extended.

John Wrigglesworth Biochemistry (see article on page 8)

Many thanks to all my friends and colleagues within the Catering Department and throughout King's for being a great team to work with. Alongside the hard work I enjoyed many a laugh, several times I may say at my own expense (and let's not mention the peanuts Mr Bossino!)

Thanks also for the brilliant party from which several sore heads, not to mention bodies were incurred. And to clarify some rumours - yes, Mr W was seen doing an elegant lambada, Mr B some semi-rhythmic movements to Viva Espana and those ladies from Chelsea switchboard, the Vacation Bureau and Housekeeping some pretty neat footwork to anything that was going.

Another Mr B did however seem to require some basic training in coordination and technique (skinny women only need apply

Marjory McCallum Ex-Deputy Catering Manageress (Chelsea

OBITUARY Or Marjorie 8 M'Ewen Dr Marjorie M'Ewen who died (aged 83) in December was a much valued member of the academic staff of the Physics Department during the important period 1946-63 when Professor Sir John Randall was building up the Department after the war.

M'Ewen lectured in physics at St Andrews University from 1936 and in 1945 she met RandaLl who had been appointed Head of Department after his great war-time success of inventing, with Harry Boot, the key to effective radar. Randall was developing biophysics research at St Andrews and was so impressed by M'Ewen that, when he was appointed Wheatstone Professor of Physics in 1946, he invited her to move with him to King's where he developed an internationally renowned laboratory which pioneered the development of molecular biology, the new synthesis of physical and biological sciences. M'Ewen's scientific rigor and exacting standards of research contributed to the high quality of the adventurous biophysical work at King's. Also her friendly attitudes and helpful scientific cooperation were very valuable in aiding the research.

Her research, using light scattering, on D A and other biological macromolecules was refined and elegant and was an important part of the wide programme of research at King's, including that of Rosalind Franklin, which led not only to the D A double helix but also to the brilliant work of Jean Hanson on the mechanism of muscle contraction.

Marjorie M'Ewen was considerably respected as a human being; there was much affectionate feeling for her vigorous, upright, forthright and high spirited character, always humane and pervaded by .::.

friendly good sense. She was specially concerned about fairness and justice and was no undue respecter of persons. I shall never forget that after I was interviewed on television when the obel Prize for D A wa announced, she took me to task for not having sufficiently emphasised the importance of Sir John's contribution. I was somewhat taken aback but she was right to have raised the point. Marjorie had wisdom and humanity which also showed itself in her lively humour and sense of fun. Many of her colleagues will remember her amusing stories of how she challenged foolishness or inefficiency, especially when the fault lay with some elevated person such as the manager of Harrods. On the other hand she was greatly admired for her extraordinary determination and resolution when it showed in her courage and patience in facing very severe bodily problems which led to her early retirement and to increasing suffering as she grew older. She was a very fine example to us all; it was a privilege to have known her. As a scientist and colleague she will be remembered with affection and respect.

Professor Maurice Wilkins Emeritus Professor of Biophysics

There may be a need, for some readers, to introduce Professor M H F Wilkins, FRS, Nobel Prizewinner, who kindly wrote this article at my invitation.

Professor Maurice Wilkins was a colleague of Dr M'Ewen's during her entire period at King'S. He was then Deputy Director of the MRC Biophysics Unit within the Physics Department which was the precursor of the Biophysics Department at Drury Lane. Professor Wilkins, in association with Crick and Watson, gained the obel Prize in 1963 for his work on the structure ofD A. It is also worth recording that Dr M'Ewen's undergraduate students, particularly in courses in Heat and Thermodynamics, included at various times Professor Gaunt, Professor Lightowlers, Professor Grant, Professor Sherman, and other members of the current academic staff of the Physics Department, including myself.

Professor R E Burge Vice-Principal

7

NEWS ROUND-UP INSTITUTE OF LIVER STUDIES The first ever Institute of Liver Studies in Britain was established within King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry at the beginning of December. The Liver Unit at the Hospital has gained an international reputation over the past 25 years.

The establishment of the Institute on the same site will mean close integration of scientific research and investigation with clinical work.

The first director of the Institute, Or Roger Williarns, has led the liver team at King's College Hospital since 1966. The Institute has a major research group of 75 scientists and clinicians who are investigating areas such as the cause and treatment of alcoholic liver disease, liver tumours, hepatitis and metabolic disorders.

Much work concerns liver transplantation King's College Hospital is recognised as an independent transplant centre for London with an estimated 70 to 75 transplants being carried out this year. Furthermore, in September the liver team was involved in a combined heart and liver transplant with the Harefield Hospital heart team.

A major new Liver Failure Unit is scheduled to open at the Institute in April.

Or Williams commented: 'The establishment of the Institute is a major development towards understanding the complete range of liver problems. It will mean that in future years we shall have even better facilities for treating our patients and to develop our scientific work with King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, King's College in the Strand and the University of London.'

WOLFSON RECOGNITION Last summer we received a letter from the W olfson Foundation to the effect that they planned to make ÂŁ0.5m available for a pilot scheme to help the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College, University College and King's College, University of London, in the recruitment of senior academics. We were invited to submit applications which would be considered on their merit by the Foundation.

Following discussion with the Foundation we submitted, in September, applications for three posts amounting to a total of ÂŁ135,000.

On 2 January we received a letter to the effect that the Trustees have awarded the College two grants in support of our new Chairs of Chemistry and Genetics, to a maximum of ÂŁ100,000.

It was very encouraging that King's was invited to take part in the pilot scheme; it is even more encouraging that we have done so well as to get 20% of the money available.

A STAFF CLUB FOR KING'S? In 1988 Professor Stewart Sutherland set up a working party under the chairmanship of John Muir with the task of making recommendations about the location, disposition and governance of social space and social facilities on the Thameside campus. The background to the setting up of the working party was the urgent need to make plans for the occupation and redevelopment of Cornwall House and for the redevelopment of the Strand campus, both of which, it was

then anticipated, would take place within a fairly short space of time. But there was also a feeling that with the considerable enlargement of the College resulting from the merger, it was appropriate to look again at the arrangements that exist for the organisation of our common social life. The working party produced the Muir Report in 1989 which was widely circulated and discussed at the time. It was intended to provide a blueprint for developments over

the following decade, but it was recognised that many details would need to be filled in as the implications of those recommendations were worked out - and indeed this is what has been happening behind the scenes as detailed plans are made for Cornwall House. Among the recommendations made by the working party, two are particularly important to what follows: that access to Staff Common Rooms should be decided as far as possible by the needs and tastes of the users rather than by titles or grades in the salary structure; and that a Social Committee should be established which should be responsible for planning and promoting the College social life and should receive the subsidies at the moment given by the College to the existing social organisations and have responsibility for deciding how these resources should best be used.

In 1988 it appeared that redevelopment of the Thameside campus would follow fairly rapidly, but the complete change in the property market has meant that the College has for the time being, little room for manoeuvre in regard to capital expenditure: the occupation and redevelopment of Cornwall House is likely to take place over a slower time scale than originally envisaged, and the redevelopment of the Strand campus will be delayed. And that raises the question of what should be done about social facilities within the College in the meantime because there is widespread recognition that the social facilities currently provided for staff of all levels are quite inadequate both in terms of the extent of their provision and their quality. During the past couple of years this matter has frequently been raised and was brought into sharp focus at a meeting of the Amenities Committee in May 1990 by complaints made about the lack of facilities for staff. It seemed wrong just to do nothing in anticipation that eventually the Thameside campus would be redeveloped, and that then the recommendations of the Muir Report could be implemented. The need was to see whether any improvement, however modest, could be made now. In the event the Amenities Committee asked me, as its Chairman, to convene a meeting of interested parties to see whether it was possible to begin now the implementation of the Report's recommendations as a means of trying to improve the social facilities available to all members of staff.

That there is a need for improvement hardly

I

needs to be said: the problems are acute on each of the site. However, it is not JUSt a question of social space and social facilities, but also a question of how these are best organised. The College has inherited from the merger four organisations which provide for the ocial needs of its staff: the Social Clubs at the Strand and Kensington, the Seruor Suff Association at Kensin ton, and the Senior Common Room at the Strand. These are subscription clubs and are sub idised by the College in various ways: the membership of the four organisations totals just over 800 out of more than 2,500 members of staff currently employed by the College. The Muir Report included the following comments on these organisations: '[All] have deep historical roots and between them organise a range of activities which provide most of the College's corporate social life. [AB] have indicated that they would wish to cominue their voluntary and much appreciated efforts to promote social activity whilst recognising that the Thameside campus project will almost inevitably mean changes in the management of social facilities. We strongly recommend that when new provisions are set in place every effort should be made to use and involve the expertise and goodwill of these organisations: The last sentence is very important, and has been acted on. Representatives of the four existing organisations have participated in the discussions over setting up new provisions (representatives from the Chelsea campus and Cornwall House Annexe have also been invited to participate), and if any new organisation is to come into being it has to be with the support and cooperation of these existing bodies.

However, the question has to be asked whether the interests of all staff would not now better be served by a single organisation rather than by four separate organisations, and hence the proposal has been made that a Staff Club be set up, which all members of staff would be eligible to join.

Such an organisation would be able to speak to the College with much greater authority than the existing organisations. It would have financial independence and security and would be able to take its own line on matters to do with social amenities. More than this, a Staff Club of the kind envisaged would be in a position to organise a wider range of social, cultural and recreational

activities than at presenL It might, for example, uke the initiative in organising sports such as bowls (at the College's very fine facilities at 'ew 1alden and the recently acquired 'Griffin' sports ground in Dulwich) or tennis in addition to the sportS already played by members of staff. Or it might take the initiative in organising such activities as bridge evenings or theatre visits in addition to the dinners that already take place. Also it would be in a much stronger position than the existing organisations to bring about a much needed improvement in the social space - the bars and common rooms. This will inevitably take time, but there is one modest improvement that could be brought about at the Strand fairly quickly. The possibility exists that the former Committee Room could be handed over to a new Staff Club, and this could be combined with the existing Lower Common Room to provide a much improved facility for all members of staff. Thus it has been envisaged that the existing servery should be refurbished so that a much greater range of snacks and drinks could be served, and the new enlarged Common Room be opened for longer hours, including into the early evening.

Plans of this kind have been discussed during the past eight months by the group set up by the Amenities Committee. There has been broad support for the idea of a Staff Club, but recognition that there will need to be a transition before it comes into existence; the group has reached the point where it cannot go any further without a clear indication of the support of the four existing organisations - and of some expression of view from the large numbers of staff (some two-thirds of the total) who do not belong to anyone of them, because it is very much hoped that many of these would join the new organisation. Accordingly the following plan has been agreed: 1. As soon as possible the Social Clubs at the Strand and Kensington, the Senior Staff Association at Kensington and the Senior Common Room at the Strand will hold general meetings at which the members will be invited to support in principle the proposal that there should be a single Staff Club which all staff should be eligible to join. If the proposal is supported, the Staff Club would immediately come into existence in a provisional form, and an interim committee would be set up. At a date in the future the responsibilities of the

exi ting organisations would be transferred to the Suff Club, but for the time being the organisations would cominue to run the rooms and facilities for which they have traditionally been responsible.

2. The interim committee would consi t of two representatives each from the four existing organisations plus coopted member to ensure proper repre emation. It would be responsible for completing work on a constitution and determining initial rates of subscription.

3. From 1 October 1991 a common rate of subscription would apply to all four existing institutions, and there would be common access to the facilities of all four institutions.

(Rates of subscription clearly have yet to be determined, but in discussions so far it has been envisaged that there might be levels of subscription based on salary). The College Administration has agreed that the College would match the amount raised by subscription on a pound-for-pound basis.

4. From 1 October 1991 the subsidy

provided by the College would be handed to the interim committee which would distribute it as it thought appropriate to the existing organisations. The committee would take account of the size of membership or the organisations, but would not necessarily distribute the funds on a pro rata basis.

5. At some point in the future, it is hoped by the summer term 1992, the existing organisations would be invited to take a final decision to set up a Staff Club. If the decision is positive, then on the same time scale the Staff Club would formally come into being on 1 October 1992 and would at that point take over the responsibilities of the existing organisations. The affairs of the Club would be managed by an elected committee, but there would of course still be a need for local management committees on the various College sites to look after the common rooms and bars and to organise social events, and it is anticipated that these would evolve naturally from existing arrangements.

Much more could be said about these proposals, but I hope the above gives a fair idea of what is proposed. Members of the four existing social organisations will have the chance to comment on them at the general meetings that are to be held. But ,.~

9

extent the increased emphasis on financial management and the need to get the best value from limited resources. It is also expected that the Unit will provide additional support in the development of entrepreneurial activities.

those who have views on these proposals who are not members of any of the four organisations, and indeed those who are members, are invited to write directly to me (at the Strand campus), to express their views. I hope the proposal for a Staff Club will receive strong support because I believe that over a period of time it will lead to considerably improved social facilities for all staff.

FINANCE Internal audit at King's

Professor Michael Knibb Chairman of the Amenities Committee

A direct consequence of a number of recent initiatives has served to place the importance of internal audit within universities firmly under the spotlight. These have included the following:

NEW NUMBERS

i The Report of the Steering Committee for Efficiency Studies in Universities, 1985 Garratt Report) made a clear recommendation that universities should provide for an internal audit service.

Staff in the Planning and Research Support Office (PRSO) would be grateful if colleagues would make a note of their room and telephone numbers as follows: Mr R S Thirunamachandran, Research Database Administrator, Room 227, Strand Building, S2708; Ms B McDaid, Executive Secretary, Room 227, Strand Building, S2708. (NB Ms McDaid can also be contacted at KCL Research Enterprises, Room EHIJ, Main Building, Kensington, K4649).

ii The Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals in their report entitled Guidance on Structure and Practice of Financial Management in Universities (1988) recommended that universities should establish a separate internal audit arm to provide an independent appraisal of the effectiveness of their internal control system. iii The Education Reform Act 1988, which established a new framework for the future funding of universities, spelt out the need for a financial memorandum to be issued setting out the general conditions attached to the receipt of public funds by universities. This fmancial memorandum between the new UFC and universities requires them to ensure that they have a sound system of internal financial and management control and to arrange for internal and external audit.

CENTRAL RESEARCH FUND The Central Research Fund has been instituted for the purpose of making grants to members of the University (other than present undergraduate students and those registered for a taught Master's degree) engaged on specific projects of research, to assist with the provision of special materials, apparatus and travel costs. Applications are considered each term and the next closing date for applications is Friday 22 March 1991. Forms of application and further particulars may be obtained from the Central Research Fund Section, Senate House, Room 2la, Malet Street, London WCIE 7HU. Telephone 071 6368000 ext 3147.

Following the formal adoption of the above by the Finance Committee, an Internal Audit Unit has recently been set up within King'S. This comprises three members of staff, being a Head of Internal Audit and two Assistant Auditors. The Head of Internal Audit reports on a day-to-day basis to the Director of Finance and Staff and is ultimately responsible to the Finance Committee.

The concept of an Internal Audit Unit servicing a university, therefore, is relatively new and innovative, reflecting to a large

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10

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The work of internal audit is governed by an Annual Plan, approved by the Finance Committee. This identifies areas for audit review and is drawn up after consultation with senior members of staff. The plan allows for a range of different types of audit to be carried out and is initially based on an assessment of risk. It is intended that all aspects of College activity will be covered during any three year period. The main types of internal audit work included in the plan are as follows: i Review of accounting system and related internal controls. ii Detailed testing of transactions and balances. iii Review of economy, efficiency and effectiveness of operations. iv Review of implementation of corporate and management policies, plans and procedures.

As a profession, internal audit has itself gone through a period of change over the last few years, being increasingly expected to adopt more of an internal consultancy type role (with greater emphasis on 3 and 4 above). This is certainly the approach being encouraged for internal audit at King's. In this sense, it is hoped for the future that the Internal Audit Unit will be able to provide constructive advice to managers and help them to identify significant value for money initiatives.

For further information about internal audit work, please contact one of the following members of staff: Head of Internal Audit, Robin Shonfield (S2650), Assistant Auditors, Ahmed Shuaib (S2236) and James Wrigg (S2664).

Gift Aid Any queries about the 'Gift Aid' scheme introduced by the Government in October, (Comment ovember), should be addressed to Mr B K Kirpalani, the Deputy Director of Finance.

Criminal assault insurance Employees of the College up to the age of 65 are covered against assault under a University of London Scheme, details of which were published in the November Comment.

Insurance has been arranged to cover criminal assault to employees over 65 and families of all employees. This would include actions by Animal Rights groups.

The benefits are: Fatal injury Loss of use or loss of eye(s) or limb(s) Permanent total disablement Damage to clothing and personal effects

£50,000* £50,000* £50,000* £250

* Reduced to £2,500 in respect of children under 16 years of age, this being the legal limit.

Briefly, family is defmed in the case of unmarried employees as the immediate family with whom they are residing: for married employees, their spouse, children under 18 and other children permanently resident.

Employees' own household insurance and comprehensive motor insurance should cover their property.

R o Harvey Deputy Financial Services Manager

SAFETY OFFICE Evacuation alarm tests During the Spring term and vacation, alarm audibility tests will be held for each campus building. The alarms will be sounded for 30 seconds at 11 am, and room occupants will be asked to complete an audibility test return form. No other action should be taken. There will be collection boxes for the forms at building entrances.

In the unlikely event of an emergency occurring at this time the bells will continue to ring beyond 30 seconds and standard evacuation procedures should be followed.

It is hoped to hold the tests on the

Kensington campus

following dates:

Main Building Drury Lane Kensington (Atkins Building) Kensington (Main Building) Chelsea (Manresa Road) Strand campus (10 am - 12 pm)

Wednesday 30 January MrsJWilk Computer Unit

K4432 A211

Thursday 14 February

Ms S Holly Physiology

K4229 EG8

Thursday 28 February

Atkins Building

Tuesday 12 February

Thursday 21 March

Marion Murphy Assistant College Safety Officer

Mr S Parker Biosphere

K4525 114

Mrs A Hussain Biomolecular

K4312 430

Chelsea campus

Accidents and emergencies

Manresea Road

In the event of any emergency where you require assistance the following campus telephone numbers should be dialed:

MrG Warsi Pharmacy

2222 2222

Strand campus Cornwall House Annexe Chelsea campus Manresea Road King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry Fire Cardiac Arrest

C2339 Kitchen College House

Rogate Field Centre 888

2222 2333

Ensure your emergency telephone number is displayed on your telephone.

First Aiders To contact a first aider dial internal emergency number or dial direct extension. The following list of first aiders is not a complete list but an update of the list published in Comment, Start ofSession. If required, the Information Office has spare copies of this issue.

Name Department

Mr M Williams Catering

C2332

Extension No. Room No.

Strand campus Main Building MrD Farr Anatomy & Human Biology

S2671 10F

Mr J Greenberg Physics

S2297 Q26

DrM Holwill Physics

S2715 Q125

Mrs CReed

0730821621

Sportsground Mr J Grant

081 9420495 Berrylands

King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry Rayne Institute Mr L Anscombe Reception Desk

4201

Mr J Davies Reception Desk

4201

Mrs D Riley CRC Trials Centre

3048 G24

Miss J GaUagher CRC Trials Centre

4205/617

Mrs M Dale CRC Trials Centre

4205/6/7

G20 G20

Or Yu Liang Liu Analytical Pharmacology

4232 211

Miss K Paterson Oral Pathology

4249 309

Mr L Vydelingum Neurology

4235 201

New Building Cornwall House Annexe Miss L Jarvis CES

S3098 LGI0

Miss A Monkcom Library

S3800

Mr R Thatcher Animal House

4170/213

MrC Seymour Animal House

41701213

r K Davies Electron Microscopy

4160

Mr R Serums Electron Microscopy

4160

Miss V Legister orbid Anatomy

2692

Mr J Under hill Liver Unit

2241

Ms A Rayner Liver Unit

2241

Dulwich Hospital MrC Adams

3113

Clinical Research Wing S Green Thoracic Medicine

2083

TFleming Thoracic Medicine

2083

LIBRARY NEWS L1BERTAS catalogue erwork users of the Library's LIBERTAS catalogue can now specify the campus from which they are calling. This ensures that the records relating to that campus are displayed fIrst, and that the same inter-site reservation service is offered as inside the Library.

Users should log in with the Username KE LIB for Kensington; MA LIB for Manresa Road, Chelsea; CORNLIB for Cornwall House Annexe; and Strand users should continue to use LIBRARY. To access the Library LIBERTAS catalogue over the network, use the command CALL LIB or CALL 000005141700.

Old Medical School Mrs 0 Rippin Assistant Secretary's Office

4010

Reminder Fines are now charged on overdue books.

New Ward Block

Library offices, Strand

Or P Cheeseman Child Health

The incorporation of 1SEB into the Old Library has marginally increased Library space holdings. Since 1SEB was not usable as a Reading Room or book stacks area it has been convened to offIces for the Library Administrative and Systems staff.

4644 429

PHARMACY

Located in 1SEB are the: Librarian, Derek Law: Deputy Librarian, Patricia Rigby; Library Secretary, Sandra Sheldrake; Assistant Library Secretary, Denise Brooks; Senior Clerical Assistant, Linda Oxley, Senior Clerical Assistant (Finance), Kathryn MacDonald, Senior Systems Librarian, Pete Sudell and Systems Librarians, John Henderson and Alaine Simpson. Access to 1SEB is through the Old Library, via lIe (the Reading Room to the right of the Issue Desk as you enter).

All telephone numbers remain the same.

Located on Strand Level One are the: Inter-Library Loans Supervisor, Brenda Clements, S2133, Room 102; Issue Desk Office, Geoffrey Bellringer and Sue Parr, S1178, Room 104; Readers Adviser, English, Alison Trott, S3570/3689, Room 106; and Collection Development Librarian, Pete Sudell, Sl190, Room 107A. The Department of Pharmacy's annual Prize Giving on 14 N07lember, with Professor Hider presenting one ofO7ler 20 students who won awards.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Located on Strand Level Three is the: Readers Adviser, Sciences and Engineering, Michael Robbins, S3566, Room 305.

KCLAANNUAL DINNER Members of staff are invited to the 1991 KCLA Annual Dinner on Friday 22 February in the Great Hall., Strand campus.

The guest speaker will be Professor Stewan Sutherland, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London and former Principal of King's.

The evening will begin at 6.30 pm with a sherry reception, followed by dinner at 7 pm and carriages will be approximately at 10.15 pm. The price of ÂŁ15 includes sherry, a four-course meal, coffee and a choice of wines or soft drinks. Alternatives to the meat course can be ordered. Dress will be black tie or dark lounge suit.

Please contact Caroline Banholomew or Pat Gray in the Alurnnus Office at the Strand (52083/4) if you would like to attend.

ROGATE STUDY CENTRE Weekend courses Friday 8 - Sunday 10 February WINTER TREES with Joy Gadsby The emphasis of the course will be on practical identification - using silhouette shapes, bark patterns, bud shape and management, habitat and other evidence to identify broadleaved trees. The weekend will include illustrated lectures on the structure of woodlands and their history as a managed resource and, weather permitting, field excursions in the vicinity of the Centre to woodlands of different soil types.

Joy Gadsby holds the Certificate and Diploma in Ecology and Conservation of the University of London and is a keen teacher in the adult education service with a

life-long interest in wildlife and conservation.

Friday 22 - Sunday 24 February PLANT SYSTEMA TICS with Mrs P E J Wiltshire This is an introduction to the main characteristics of the major plant groups and their evolutionary relationships. Algae will be covered only briefly and emphasis will be given to the Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. The aim is to survey the range and evolution of vegetative and reproductive structures and to consider their adaptive significance.

Patricia E J Wiltshire is an Honorary Lecturer at King's and a research worker in the Institute of Archaeology at University College London.

Friday 1 - Sunday 3 March CONSERVATION AND PLANNING IN WEST SUSSEX with Ann Griffiths The course will examine the background to the growth of the incorporation of nature conservation in policy making and will explore its practical implications in the context of West Sussex. Illustrated talks and site visits will be included.

Ann Griffiths is an ecologist working with the Planning Department of West Sussex County Council. She has responsibility for the conservation and management of a wide range of nature reserves in the care of the County Council.

The above courses commence with dinner at 7 pm on Friday and end after tea on Sunday.

Costs: Inclusive of accommodation, tuition, meals and laboratory, £70. Non-residents, tuition and dinner, £48. Single room supplement, £5.

Or Mike L1eweUyn is Director of the Study Centre and has been a lecturer in the University of London since 1968. Clive Daws is Warden of the Study Centre and was Laboratory Superintendent in the Division of Biosphere Sciences. lOam - 6 pm. Costs: Inclusive cost of tuition, laboratory, coffee, two course lunch and afternoon tea, £23, children, £15.

Further details are available from Anne Finlay on (0730) 821621 or by writing to Rogate Study Centre, The Red House, Rogate, Near Petersfield GU31 5HN.

STAFF KEEP FIT Shake off the Old Year and revitalise yourself for the New by joining Staff Keep Fit. The 45 minute classes recommence from 23 January, taking place at 12.15 pm on the Strand campus in Room B2 (next to Reprographics). The cost per class is £1, all welcome and don't forget to wear comfortable clothing and trainers.

HEFANNUAL CONFERENCE The Higher Education Foundation's Conference on Academic Community: Discourse or Discord? will be chaired by The Revd Or George Tolley, former Director, Sheffield City Polytechnic.

Starting at 8.15 pm on Friday 22 March and finishing with the Chairman's concluding address at 9.15 am on Monday 25 March, the Conference will take place at Froebel College, Roehampton Institute of Higher Education.

One day course Saturday 9 March ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FOR PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN with Or Mike L1eweUyn and Clive Daws This day course will introduce parents and children simultaneously to the major issues of global warming, ozone destruction and pesticide usage, and discussions will take place on how best to protect the future for our children and for their children.

The Conference will explore aspects of the loss of a common academic culture, language and purpose, and will suggest ways in which this might be redressed at the levels of the curriculum and of academic activities more generally.

Conference fees are £160 residential, £120 non-residential with reductions for HEF members. To book contact Or John Gay, Secretary, Higher Education Foundation,

Culham College Institute, 60 East St Helen Street, Abingdon, Oxford OX14 5EB. Telephone (0235) 520458 or fax (0235) 535421.

APPLIED MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM Details of the recently created Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics' programme and further information about its objectives will be circulated four times a year to British mathematicians and scientists who request it. To be put on the mailing list please contact the Director, Or AB Tayler, Mathematical Institute, 24-29 St Giles, Oxford OXl 3LB. Telephone (0865) 270514, fax (0865) 273583.

The Centre is running the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium at the University of Oxford from 9 to 12 April. The programme will include five minisymposia on Mathematical Biology, Materials Science, Mathematics in Finance, Weather and Environment, and Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations.

Registration forms and further information are available from the Secretary, BAMC, (address and fax no. as above). Telephone (0865) 273525, electronic mail bamC@Uk.ac.ox.vax. The closing date for applications is 22 February.

UNION NEWS Arouse your reps!

Your departmental safety reps can only be effective if you bring to their attention any safety related problems you may have noticed around your department or elsewhere. You can use your reps influence to get things done, so use them!

Your trade union safety reps have important rights and legal protection under the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974, these are detailed in the Health and Safety Executive's 'Brown Book.'* Safety reps can inspect any areas where their members work or may visit during the course of their duties. Reps have the right to see safety

related documentation an employer may hold, to consult factory inspectors directly and, most importantly, they are entitled to p~d study leave to anend tr~ning courses and time off to carry out their inspections and other functions.

developing towards that role as part of their career advancement, will find this course valuable. King's is very pleased to be sharing this venture with Imperial College and the six day course has been arranged for the following dates: 7,8,14,15,21 and 22 February.

If there are two or more reps in a workplace they have the right to start up a union! management safety comminee. ithin the College we have a Safety Policy Committee, but the day to day administration and 'policing' of the policy should be carried out by local management in conjunction with your school safety comminee. The constitution and make up of school safety committees should be a matter for local discussions. another job for your reps (no peace for the wicked!) If your school does not yet have a safety committee, badger your reps into helping to start one, they may not thank you for the extra work but the safety committee is your avenue for getting your health and safety worries on the record. Finally remember each trade union has a right to elect a safety rep so, it is quite possible for a department to have two or three reps which could really get things moving!

Glyn Baker MSF Safety Committee

*Safety Reps & Committees ISBN 011 8839594, available from HMSO ÂŁ2.

Non academic staff Introduction to Computer Software Three morning seminars have been arranged for staff who wish to learn about spreadsheets, databases and desktop publishing.

The seminars are designed to provide basic information about the characteristics, practical applications and appropriate selection of these packages. All the seminars will start at 9.55 am and end by noon.

The dates are as follows: Spreadsheets on 24 January, Databases on 31 January and DTP on 21 February.

Supervisory Skills People who supervise staff or who may be

Handling Discipline at ork Lateness. absenteeism, failure to carry out duties, harassment, alcohol abuse, aggression; how do you handle these and other disciplinary problems within the legal and College policy framework? Are you embarrassed when you have to confront staff? What are the pitfalls in taking or failing to take action? This highly participative course will make inroads into these problems and help participants to take appropriate actions. This one day course arranged for 6 February is essential for anyone who has to deal with taff discipline.

Interviewing Skills This one day course on 27 February has been arranged primarily as a follow up to the 'Recruitment and Selection Skills' course. The techniques included in the programme will be applicable to a number of different interviewing situations other than staff selection. The accent will be on practical work. The outcome for participants will be enhanced skills and confidence for tiling part in interviews.

Reading and Memory Skills The recent Federal Courses have been fully booked. Robert Poll er and I have decided to run a joint course to meet the demand from King's staff. There will be two modules: Memory Skills on 20 March and Rapid Reading Skills on 4 April. It aims to help participants acquire skills for more effective learning, handling and communication of information and will be led by Katherine Redway.

Minute Taking Course The Federal Course scheduled for 29 January is full. I intend to organise a repeat during the Easter break. If you have not already applied, please let me know whether you wish to attend. This course is suitable to staff with little or no experience of taking minutes.

Word Processing Janine Morton will schedule a new round of Microsoft Word Training courses for IBM and Apple Mac PCs for mid February.

Please let us know about the topics which you may wish to cover. We shall endeavour to uilor the courses to your needs.

Ken Bromfield on Academic Training Officer

Academic staff Small Group Teaching 23 - 25 January Improving Lecturing 13 - 15 February Managing Work and Time 18 February Teaching Mature Students 20 - 21 February Handling the Press and Radio 22 February Applying for Research Grants in Humanities and Social Sciences 8 March Dealing With Stress at Work 13 March

If you would like to attend any of these courses, or if you have any other training and development requirements, please contact Robert Poller, Academic Staff Training and Development Coordinator, S1165.

Were I to ask, 'What have I in common with Cardinal Richelieu?' I would probably receive some very interesting replies, not all of them complimentary. No one would guess that I have, as he had, an 'Eminence Grise.'

Before it is assumed that I have a Capuchin friar lurking behind me, I must explain that my 'Eminence Grise' is Aunt Martha. She has had this nick-name for as long as anyone can remember because she has always dressed completely in grey. This harmless idiosyncrasy could easily be tolerated were it not for her distressing habit of giving presents to all the family of hand-knitted, ill-fining grey garments.

This year the situation improved slightly because, it seems that she has given up ).

14

knitting and presented me instead with a hairy, polo-necked, shop-bought sweater.

Luckily it had been bought at a Kensington store renowned for the ease with which unwanted presents can be exchanged and I decided to return it immediately.

I entered the store and strode up to the exchange counter only to be greeted by an enormous queue of people on similar missions. In the hope that time might diminish the queue, I had decided to browse amongst the sweaters to seek a suitable replacement, when I realised that I had become involved in a cross between a rugby scrum and the storming of the Bastille - I had unknowingly plunged into the New Year sale.

Piles of sweaters lay everywhere while shoppers, gripped by some son of mass frenzy seized sweaters, examined them in feverish haste and then threw them back on to the pile only to grab a fresh garment, having first raked over the pile with c1awlike hands.

At last, much buffeted, I managed to flfld a sweater in my size with a pleasing pattern. I hunted for an alternative but it seemed to be uruque.

As I still had the original sweater in my bag and had no receipt, I decided that it would be better to hide the new one away from prying eyes until I had completed my exchange transaction. I found a suitable hiding place behind a lonely pile of unpleasant, multi-coloured shirts much reduced in price and joined the queue.

There seemed to be some altercation at the front of the queue involving a large woman, about twelve pairs of trousers, two counter staff and a supervisor, so that the queue moved very slowly. I was so interested in the rumpus at the front and so unaware of my slow progress that I was surprised to find that I had arrived at the counter.

The bored assistant gazed at Aunt Manha's sweater with lack-lustre eyes and waited in silence.

'My Aunt Martha gave me this for...'

She cut me short 'Receipt?' she asked.

'Er - no - you see it was a present from ..'

She cut me short again. 'Gotta penny?'

I was non-plussed, was there a penny fine for not having a receipt? 'A penny?' I asked blankly.

'Yes, a penny, then I can give you ÂŁ20 in vouchers.'

might shrink,' I added.

Jack had silently removed it. 'The big ones are over there,' he said as he moved off towards another pile.

Clutching my vouchers, I fought my way back through the scrum to retrieve my hidden sweater. It had gone.

In triumph I tried it on. It was too tight, the sleeves were too long and the pattern most disturbing. I threw it back to the wolves and headed for home.

I hunted around feverishly but found no sign of it until I saw a tal~ thin man wearing 'my sweater' standing in front of his admiring wife. 'It's just right, Jack,' she said with an approving smile.

Aunt Martha had telephoned while I had been out. Would I please return the grey sweater to her that afternoon. It was Uncle George's birthday present. My present was still lying on the top of her piano.

It looked awful. The sleeves were at least an inch too shon and there was a two inch expanse of shin showing between the bottom of the sweater and the top of his trousers. To crown the horrible sight he had replaced his bowler hat.

Cursing, I again descended Campden Hill Road to the High Street, entered the store and joined the end of the returns queue. I was standing there trying to compose a concise sentence that would explain my mission when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the tall man and his wife, laden with the fruits of their foray into the sale.

I hovered around in desperation while they both made infuriating sounds of approval until I could bear it no longer and decided to enter the fray.

'What a splendid pattern,' I said with a beaming smile. 'Yes, a really splendid pattern,' I repeated. 'A pity about its length and the short sleeves.'

She smiled at me with obvious delight, 'I'm so glad that you dissuaded Jack from buying that coloured sweater. We've bought a wonderful bargain - the only one left - just put into the sale - half price.' She nudged her husband, 'show it to him, Jack.'

'Oh, do you think it's too small?' she asked, crest-fallen.

He opened his bag and I peered in. Lying snugly at the bottom was Aunt Martha's grey sweater.

'No, not really - perhaps a few inches, but it will probably stretch - or then again, it

90n Mindel Atkins Reception, Kensington campus

LECTURES MEETINGS AND SEMINARS INAUGURAL LECTURES HISTORY

FRENCH

Tuesday 29 January THE SCOTTISH PARTY IN ENGLISH PARLIAMENTS 1640-1642 OR THE MYTH OF THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION Professor Conrad Russell 5.30 pm, New Theatre, Strand campus

Thursday 31 January The word and the Word Professor Richard M Griffiths 5.30 pm, New Theatre, Strand campus

PUBLIC LECTURES BYZA TI EA D ODE GREEK STUDIES Thursday 24 January DIO YSIOS SOLOMOS A D THE 'SHADE OF HOM ER' (in Greek) Professor G Kechayoglou, Professor of Modem Greek Literature, University of Thessaloniki 5.3 pm, Room 8C, Strand campus

AGECO CERNINSTITUTE OF GERONTOLOGY Monday 28 January AGEING IN OUR GENES .. . BUT HOW? Dr Tom Kirkwood, Head of the Laboratory of Mathematical Biology at the ational Institute for Medical Research 6 pm, Great Hall, Strand campus

CE TRE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES Monday 28 January POLITICAL SCIENCE, DOMESTIC POLITICS, AND SECURITY Michael Clark, Centre for Defence Studies Monday 4 February SECURITY AND INTERNA TIONAL RELATIONS Professor Philip Windsor, LSE

Monday 4 February HAS HISTORY TAUGHT US TO CO TROL AIDS? Professor Michael Adler, University College & Middlesex School of edicine Monday 11 February THE PERSISTE T VEGETA TIVE STATE Professor Bryan Jennett, Institme of eurological Sciences, Glasgow All the above lectures uke place from 1 pm - 2 pm, Room 1823, Strand campus

LAW Tuesday 29 January LEGAL SERVICES I THE 1990s Austin Mitehell, MP 5.30 pm, Room 2C, Strand campus

BRITISH I STITUTE OF HUMA RIGHTS Tuesday 5 February SELF DETERMINA TIO AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS Ms Susan Marks, Emmanuel College, Cambridge Tuesday 12 February ARE THERE ANY HUMAN RIGHTS? Professor Maurice Cranston, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, LSE The above lectures take place from 1 pm - 2 pm, New Theatre, Strand campus

PHYSIOLOGY

Monday 11 February INTERNATIONAL LA WAND SECURITY IN THE 1990s Dr Glen Plant, LSE Monday 18 February SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY Dr Owen Green, University of Bradford

Tuesday 12 February POTASSIUM CHANNELS, METABOLISM AND MUSCLE Dr N B Standen, University of Leicester 5.30 pm, New Theatre, Strand campus

SEMINARS All the above lectures uke place at 5.30 pm, Room 2C, Strand campus

CENTRE OF MEDICAL LAW AND ETHICS Monday 28 January EUTHANASIA Ludovic Kennedy, Vice President, The Voluntary Euthanasia Society

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CENTRE FOR HELLENIC STUDIES Monday 28 January 7WENTY FIVE YEARS OF ARCHITECTURAL WORK AT MONEMVASIA Dr Haris Kalligas, Monemvasia and Athens

onday 4 February PAPADIAMA TIS' 'A DREAM AMO G THE WATERS': THE LIMITS OF! TERPRETATIO A D DIALOGIC IMAGI ATIO Dr Dirnitris Tziovas, Birmingham Monday 11 February EROS A D THE PROTOCOL OF LOVE I THE BYZA TI E VER ACULAR ROMA CES Tina Lendar~ Cambridge and London Monday 18 February PALAIOCHORA: A SURVEY OF A BYZA TINE CITY Gillian !nce All the above seminars uke place at 5 pm, Room 86 (Classics Department), Strand campus

HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIE CE Wednesday 23 January PLIMPTO 322: A REMARKABLE ANCIENT BA BYLONIAN TABLETON NUMBER THEORY Professor Christopher Zeeman, Hertford College, Oxford Wednesday 30 January HISTORY OF THE MACHIAN PROGRAMME Dr J B Barbour Wednesday 6 February WHAT IS BEHAVIOUR? Professor Ruth Millikan, University of Connecticut Wednesday 13 February THE PLACE OF NON-STANDARD ANALYSIS IN MATHEMATICS Dr Moshe Machover, King's Wednesday 20 February A COMPATIBILlST A CCOUNT OF LIBERTY Dr David-Hillel Ruben, LSE All the above seminars uke place at 2.15 pm, Room 1806, Strand campus

DEVELOPMENT STUDIES Monday 18 February EW CROP OPPORTUNITIES Or Nazmul Haq, Director, International Centre for Underutilised Crops, King's 6 pm, Council Room, Kensington campus

All the above meetings take place at 5 pm, Room GOl, Strand campus

L..--_C_O_L_L_O_Q_U_IA_ _II

C_O_U_R_S_E_S_ _

COMPUTING

COMPUTING CENTRE

Wednesday 23 January COMPUTABILITY OF LOGICAL NEURAL NETWORKS Teresa Ludermir

Wednesday 23 January Cl. ELECTRONIC MAIL Dl. INGRES (PART 1) W2. WORD (PART 2) Strand campus

Wednesday 6 February SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE Professor Keith Bennett, University of Durham Wednesday 13 February PARALLEL ALGORITHMS FOR SUPER-PRIMITIVE STRINGS AND SEEDS Costas I1iopouJos Wednesday 20 February HIGHER ORDER LOGIC SYSTEMS Malcolm Bird All the above meetings take place at 1.15 pm, Room 3D, Strand campus.

Telephone 52842/2588 for confirmation.

INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MUSICAL STUDIES Wednesday 30 January BERIO'S HARMONY David Osmond-Smith, University of Su ex Wednesday 6 February ERIK SA TIE'S ATTITUDES TO PUBLICATION Robert Orledge, University of Liverpool Wednesday 13 February INCIPIENT CLASSICAL TRAITS IN THE VIOLIN CONCERTI OF VI VALDI AND HIS IMMEDIATE FOLLOWERS Jehoash Hirschberg, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Wednesday 20 February NJ. NAG FORTRAN LIBRARY S3. SPSSx (PART 1) B2. UNIX(PART2) Wl. WORD (PART 2) W2. WORD (PART 1) Strand campus 2 pm - 5 pm

Wednesday 20 February DUFA Y AS A READER OF PE TRARCH Bojan Bujic, University of Oxford

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Details from Strand Advisory (23AB) S2505; Kensington Advisory (A209) K4261.

All the above courses are open to members of King's and the institutions for which the Computing Centre acts as a coordinating centre. Members of other institutions with the University of London may place their names on a waiting list and if any places are free before the courses begin, they will be offered a place in booking order.

Wl. WORD (PART 1) Kensington campus 2 pm-5 pm

UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE

Wednesday 30 January Dl.INGRES(PART2) Strand campus Wl. WORD (PART 2) Kensington campus 2pm-5pm Wednesday 6 February Ll. ADVANCED FORTRAN (PART 1) D2. EXCEL Strand campus Bl.INTRODUCTION TO THE VAX Kensington campus 2 pm -5 pm Wednesday 13 February Ll. ADVANCED FORTRAN (PART 2) SI. STATISTICAL CONCEPTS B2. UNIX (PART 1) Wl. WORD (PART 1) Strand campus

GEOGRAPHY Tuesday 5 February THIRD WORLD Piers Blaikie, University of East Anglia on explaining land degradation, David Preston, University of Leeds on land abandoment and environmental regeneration: village experience in Luzon, Java and Ecuador, and Andrew Warren, UCL on desertification.

For further information contact Kevin Mawdesley, Geography, Strand campus.

3.15 pm, Nelson Mandela HaIJ

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CONCERTS

MUSIC Cl. ELECTRONIC MAIL Kensington campus 2pm-5pm Tuesday 19 February W4. PACEMAKER (PART 1) Strand campus 10 am - 1 pm

Thursday 7 February LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND PETER WIEGOLD Improvisations and group-composed pieces Thursday 14 February ELIZABETHAN LUTE MUSIC 1.05 pm, Room GOl, (Music Department), Strand campus

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House exchange

SMALL ADS Flats for sale/to let Sydenham One double bedroom first floor conversion in a Victorian house, backing onto Crystal Palace Park. This flat is in good decorative condition with original features, a security entry phone system, gas central heating and a large communal garden. earest stations are Sydenham Hill and Sydenham. Poll taX £283. To buy £52,500; to rent £400 pem plus bills. Contact Marjory McCallum on 0316610027 (evenings).

Brockley Self-contained one bedroom flat with lounge, kitchen, bathroom and central heating located in Brockley, South London, near BR station. Available 1 February - 30 April. £350 per momh. Contact P S Howe, Department of Mathematics S2853 or 071 6394299 or 061 445 9139.

Costa Blanca Detached villa sleeps 4/5 in J avea, Costa Blanca conservation area. Contact Pauline Gale, S2446.

Maisonette to rent Luxury two bedroom maisonette with all facilities, large lounge, kitchen/diner, central heating and garden located in East London, near two underground stations. Available from January 1991 on a minimum contract of six months. £450 per month. Families and academics welcome. Contact: Rev A R Duce, telephone 0522 529 468

Bike for sale Racing cycle 21.5· red Raleigh frame, 501 tubing. Suntour index gears, Stronglight chain set, rest of specification Shimano.

Excellent condition, £220 ono. Contact Lindsay Elliott, Residences Office, Kensington campus on 333 4255 (work) or 333 4226 (flat).

Academic couple would like to exchange their house in Ottawa for a house in London for three months during summer 1991. Located in central Ottawa, the three storey house is close to all shops, restaurants., both Cnleton and Ottawa Universities and the amenities of Canada's capitaL The house has 8 large rooms and a basement with washer and dryer. The cost of living is the same, or a little less than in England.

For more details write to Margaret Redding, 56 Cwey Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2R7, Canada. Telephone 0101 613 234 6955.

HAPPY HALF CENTURY This is the 50th edition of Comment - the newsletter started in December 1984 at the time of the impending merger of King's College, Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College and paved the way for the kind of collegiality of communication refered to on the from page, We have developed significantly since then and plan to revise and develop further - as ever, your ideas and contributions will shape that. Let us know your news, views and comments, as outlined below.

THE CHEMISTRY STORE There's Dave and Ralph and there's Mac and me, We give our best to try and please thee; A warm welcome you'll get at the Chemistry Store; You'll be shown respect when you come through our door; No request too large, no request too smal~ We want you to visit or give us a call; Of your needs for tomorrow, please tell us today, Within five minutes they'll be on their way; All people are treated exactly the same, The terms we speak on - are first name; And if we can help you in any way, Whoever you are please come and say; Anything else then just see Ray, He'll try his best to 'make your day;' There's Dave and Ralph and there's Mac and me, We give our best to try and please thee.

Ray Redmond Chemistry Stores Manager

Comment is the College's regular staff newsletter, issued by the Information Office (telephone 52179) three times a term, with special editions if required. Contributions are warmly welcomed from any member of the College. These may take the form of profiles of people or areas of interest, news of events, views on College matters, photos, cartoons, items for sale, puzzles or quizzes.

You can send your piece on 3.5· Micro Floppydisk, using the Microsoft Word programme. Comment is sent to all staff and made freely available through the Student Union. The copy date for the next issue is 8 February 1991 for publication in the week beginning 18 February 1991.