Durham’s independent student newspaper
Palatinate www.palatinate.org.uk
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No. 761
Friday 14th March 2014
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News: Uproar over Law summative assignment
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SciTech: Student in the running for mission to Mars
Chris Higgins led the University Orchestra as a student and went on to be appointed Vice-Chancellor of his alma mater Photograph: Durham University
Vice-Chancellor Chris Higgins retires 16
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Comment: Ukraine crisis invites questions over security of Europe
Sport: Zambia fun run
Durham’s Vice-Chancellor since April 2007 decides to step down in September 2014, following a meeting of University Council Justin Villamil Durham University Vice-Chancellor Chris Higgins announced his retirement last week, on the 5th of March. According to Robert Gillespie, Chair of University Council, Higgins has been considering retirement for the past several months. Gillespie said in a statement: “Durham University is today, an exceptionally highly regarded institution … the University is in a sound financial position and there is increased professionalisation in operational services. In short, Chris will leave the University in a great order for his successor.”
University Council and Senate have begun the process of recruiting someone else for the role. Higgins will remain with executive responsibilities until September 30th 2014. After that point, he will remain in an advisory capacity until a successor is found. Gillespie went on to state that: “In the event that the recruitment process has not been completed by 1st October 2014, Professor Ray Hudson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has kindly agreed to be Acting Vice-Chancellor from that date and to assume all Chris’ executive responsibilities. “Following the appointment and handover to the new ViceChancellor, Professor Hudson will relinquish the role and return to
his research activities.” The Vice-Chancellor has stated that he intended to remain in the role until his 60th birthday, which he is about to reach.
“Chris will leave the University in a great order for his successor” Robert Gillespie Chair of University Council
“Announcing my plans now enables a search to begin to recruit my successor and frees me to begin to pursue post-Durham
opportunities,” said Higgins in a statement. Many consider the move a surprise, as the decision to retire came at an odd juncture in Higgins’ time at Durham University. The move also comes after an extended controversy over plans to further centralise Durham colleges, a story Palatinate broke last edition. The story, which was picked up by the Northern Echo and Times Higher Education, led to an outcry among the student population. However, Hudson and Higgins emphasise that these plans have been in the works for a long time. Continued on page 3
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Editorial Further college centralisation decisions on hold It was last Tuesday when I heard word that the ViceChancellor would be stepping down. I couldn’t quite believe it. It turns out that few staff had been told, and no students would until the day after. Rumors of intrigue and extraordinary council meetings flew around as we tried to confirm what little we knew. I called up a friend who was sat at a formal with the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. He was dubious: everything was proceeding as normal, the signs of change were not apparent. It was not until the next day that phones and laptops lit up, brought to life by a barrage of e-mails and texts confirming our suspicions. Just over two weeks ago, Palatinate broke the story of moves towards college centralization at Durham. This subsequently went national, appearing in the Northern Echo as well as the Times Higher Education and The Times. Uncertainty and anger ran riot. The perceived threat that was the Accommodation
and Commercial Services Review caused a significant student backlash, with alumni and staff expressing serious concerns. Many opposed the review as a possibility of a threat to the Durham collegiate experience, something that the University has vehemently denied. Despite this, concerns continue to exist: a student body not entirely convinced by the motives of the change. Indeed, a number of student common rooms and unions have had motions submitted to oppose any adverse changes, chief among these a motion to be put before the Students’ Union Assembly tonight. Palatinate learned today that the Vice-Chancellor, in a letter to the Heads of Colleges, has said that “no decisions should be made with respect to current College staff until Heads of College have had the opportunity to input more substantially into that consultation”. The concerns of students, and the Heads of Colleges themselves, seem to have been
heard. It is heartening to see that there will be further consultation before changes are made. Indeed, while it can be argued that it is the services that are being reconfigured, it is these services that deeply effect the operations of colleges. Perhaps the most fearful, dystopic vision of a future Durham would reveal few changes on the surface, but with a deeply altered core. As we know, appearances and airs of operation do not always equate with the deeper truth. Colleges, Stepford-like, may gleam and sparkle with business aims and efficiency, but are appearances worth saving, when to look beyond the skin is to see the husk of a tradition preserved for little more than show? Ben Hamer
Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
Inside 761 News pages 3-7 SciTech page 8
Politics pages 9-10
Business & Economics pages 11-12
Careers page 13 Comment pages 14-16 Sport pages 17-20
indigo
Editorial page 2
Features pages 3 Music pages 4-5 Fashion pages 6-7
Visual Arts pages 8-9
Books pages 10-11 Food & Drink page 12 Film & TV page 13
Stage page 14
Travel page 15
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The best of Palatinate Online www.palatinate.org.uk
News: Durham professor makes North Sea oil discovery
Business & Economics: Is Britain’s property market rising from the ashes?
Sport: UK to withdraw basketball funding
Blogs: University versus home
A Durham University professor has revealed that an extra three to eight billion barrels of oil could be extracted from the North Sea oilfields.
Our Business & Economics Editor responds to claims that mortgage demand is increasing to its highest point since the start of the financial crisis.
UK Sport announced that it is to withdraw its entire funding for British basketball, arguing that it has little chance of medal success in the next two Olympic Games.
One student discusses the dreams and dreads of flying the nest for the typical university experience.
Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Alternatively, send an e-mail to editor@palatinate.org.uk
Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Ben Hamer & Victoria Ferguson editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editor Charlotte Bransgrove deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editor Justin Villamil news@palatinate.org.uk News Features Editor news.features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Gabriel Samuels, Amal Vaidya, Benjamin Williams, James Poole and Tom Fenton Politics Editor Marcus Natale politics@palatinate.org.uk Business and Economics Editor Richard Morgan business@palatinate.org.uk Careers Editor Chloe Kopala careers@palatinate.org.uk Science and Technology Editor Sadie Bartholomew scitech@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Ellie de la Bedoyere comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editor Ellen Orange deputy.comment@palatinate.org.uk Sport Editors Emily Beech & Madeleine Sears sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Thomas Dimaio, Lawrence Holmes, & Dominic Thurlow-Wood Indigo Editor Cressida Peever indigo@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Francesca Jaworska feature@palatinate.org.uk Food and Drink Editor Diana Grant-Davie food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editor Philip Whitehead travel@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editor Isobel Buckingham & Katie Shuff fashion@palatinate.org.uk Film and Television Editor Aalok Vora film@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editor Emma Dawson stage@palatinate.org.uk Music Editors Sophia Smith-Galer and Jack Collins music@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Music Editor Anastasia Symecko deputy.music@palatinate.org.uk Books Editor Kate Wilkinson books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Frances Marsh visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Chief Sub-Editor Tom Willshaw sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Jordan Harries, Jacob Ratcliffe, Charlotte Hogg, Sraddha Venkataraman and Sam Courtney-Guy Online Editor Chris Somers online.editor@palatinate.org.uk Web Editor Rhiannon Mehta web.editor@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editor Emma Werner photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editors Rose Innes, Venus Loi, Megan Liardet, Nicola Todhunter & Emma Wind Illustrations Editor Harriet-Jade Harrow illustration@palatinate.org.uk Blogs Editor Katie Winter blogs@palatinate.org.uk Publicity Officer Olivia le Poidevin publicity@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officer Christopher Murphy advertising@palatinate.org.uk
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PALATINATE | Friday 14th March 2014
History Department moved to Ushaw College
News in brief UNIVERSITY NEWS
DURHAM PhD STUDENT APPEARS IN PARLIAMENT Nicky McCreesh, a 27-year-old PhD student, was selected to present her science to a panel of politicians and expert judges in Parliament on Monday as part of the annual Science in Parliament competition. After being shortlisted from hundreds of candidates, Nicky presented a poster on research about predicting and understanding the effects of climate change on schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease common in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. On presenting her science in Parliament, she said: “I applied to take part in SET for Britain because an understanding of the relationship between climate change and health in developing countries will help the benefits of providing development funding to adapt or mitigate the effects of climate change.” DURHAM PROFESSOR PROSE AWARD
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WINS
A Durham Classics Professor, Johannes Haubold, has won the prestigious PROSE award in Classics and Ancient History for his book Greece and Mesopotamia: Dialogues in Literature. The PROSE awards are given annually and involve a panel of peer publishers, librarians and medical professionals selecting one publication from each subject category to win the award. This is just one more honour for Professor Haubold, after a long and prestigous career. Professor Haubold obtained a PhD from Cambridge University in 1998 and has been teaching at Durham since 2001 where he currently teaches three PhD students. GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT RANKED FOURTH IN THE WORLD The University’s Geography Department has increased its world ranking from fifth to fourth in the 2014 QS World Rankings. The department has been publicly involved with much high-profile research, with Professor Harriet Bulkeley addressing the UN General Assembly on sustainability and climate change. Durham also ranked 25th in the world for Earth Sciences and in the top 100 for English Language and Literature, Law and Chemistry. Professor Chris Higgins, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University said: “Durham University is pleased to have maintained such a consistently high position in the QS World Rankings by Subject, further confirming that we are among the top universities in the world.”
Gabriel Samuels
The University’s history department is to be moved temporarily to Ushaw College as part of a plan to refurbish a variety of sites on the Bailey. History staff and facilities will be relocated to Ushaw College for the Easter vacation, next term and over the summer holiday this year while an “extensive and essential refurbishment” of their Bailey premises takes place. All History Department teaching will continue to happen in Durham at a range of new locations, with a limited staff presence operating in buildings formerly used by the Law Department, although some seminars will be required to take place at Ushaw College. The Department took part in an extended consultative process
Ushaw College
with History students through open meetings and through liaisons with the Staff Student Consultative Committee. In addition, students are being kept up-to-date with details of the move by regular emails and consultation sessions with the department. The main reason for the refurbishments appears to be the need to fix issues with the central heating system at the Bailey sites. Students reportedly protested after some rooms at the North Bailey department were found to be hot all the time whilst other rooms were colder than outside the building. Harvey Dowdy, Deputy Director of Estates and Buildings said: “The University is committed to providing a world class estate in order to deliver the best possible student experience. “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to our stu-
Photograph:Durham University
Continued from Front Page In a statement, Higgins said that; “There will be time later for me to thank all colleagues, staff and students and external partners, for their support in developing our University on so many fronts, and for their commitment to excellence in research and education in our Departments, Colleges and Professional Support Services. “But for now, back to business – ensuring another successful and forward-looking year in research and education in the long history of a very special institution.” In an email to Durham students, Gillespie concluded by saying: “There will be many opportunities to thank Chris for his contribution to Durham University over the coming months. “However, Council is particularly grateful for his foresight in
addressing the succession issue in a way that will ensure a smooth and seamless change of leadership.” Professor Higgins took up the postition in April 2007. During his time as Durham’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Higgins oversaw
Professor Higgins
dents, but this seems like a good time to change and the plans all look very promising.” Durham’s History Department has regularly been adjudged to be a leading British centre for historical study and has been ranked as the top History Department in the UK by The Times newspaper for the past two years. The archival collections at Ushaw College library are known to house over 40,000 printed manuscripts from a range of historical periods, primarily focussing on issues of 18th-19th century Catholicism in England. Laura, a third year History student at Grey College, commented on the changes: “When I first heard about the move I was a bit worried, as I knew it was going to be my last term at Durham, but it is being handled really well by the Department. It’s great they have made sure that no students will have to go all the way out to Ushaw for teaching next term.” Located within 400 acres of countryside outside of Durham city centre, Ushaw College was the chief Catholic Seminary for the North of England for over two hundred years before it closed down in 2011. A permanent purpose for the site is still being decided upon Laura continued: “Even though finalists like me won’t benefit from the changes to the Department, there’s no doubting it is worth it in the long run, and thankfully there won’t be too much inconvenience caused.” Durham’s move into the Russell Group. However, during Higgins’ time, many have pointed at several controversial decisions, including the acceptance of donations from British American Tobacco.
Photograph:Durham University
News
Union President’s Column Dan Slavin The last few weeks have been very busy for the Union, with elections for next year’s officers taking place. Congratulations to Leigh Spanner as Academic Affairs Officer, Joely Charlton as Activities Officer, Laura Carter as Community Officer, Harry Inman as Development Officer and to me for being re-elected as President. The new team will take their posts in July, so in the meantime, it’s back to business us. Elections are not over however. Voting for our representatives at the National Union of Students (NUS) conference elections opens at 10:00 on 18 March until 17:00 on Friday 21 March. This gives you the chance to choose which four Durham students will represent you. The NUS Conference is annual event which offers students the opportunity to get involved with exciting debate, activism and democracy, as well as the opportunity to network with students from all over the UK. You can visit our website for more information. Away from elections, there is a new weekly timetable of evening events in the Riverside Bar and Café, in the Students’ Union building. Following lots of feedback from students, we have created a timetable of studentled weekly events which take place from Monday – Friday. The timetable includes Buskers open mic night on a Monday, which has already proved a popular event; a pub quiz every Tuesday, which is hosted by different student groups each week; Sports Wednesdays, where we encourage you to come along from 17:00 to start your sports socials; jazz and swing, which alternates weekly on a Thursday; and our new Late Night Lounge; a late night bar with alternative DJs playing from 22:00 until late every Friday. We encourage you to come along and get involved.
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News News in brief LOCAL NEWS
CHARITY FUN RUN AT MAIDEN CASTLE Local schoolchildren joined Durham University students for an annual fun run to raise money for Sport in Action. Approximately 800 pupils from 12 local schools took part in the event at Maiden Castle last Friday. The event’s organisers, including six Durham students who volunteered with Sport in Action last summer, are confident about breaking last year’s record of over £2,000. The money will go towards projects in Lusaka, Zambia.
COUNCIL REJECTS HOUSING PLANS
STUDENT
Peter Herbert, a senior Durham County Council planner, has asked developers wanting to turn a former hospital into digs for 440 students to “withdraw or substantially amend” their plans, or he will recommend councillors reject the £17m scheme. The proposed plans would see the main 1850s-built County Hospital, which has been vacant since 2010, turned into 47 studios. Councillor Nigel Martin said: “This would be gross over-development. I don’t want to see another large student development there.” Residents reportedly want the site used for accommodation for retired people, not students.
CAMBODIAN BOY MISSING IN DURHAM
A young Cambodian boy has been reported missing in the Durham area. Cini He, who is 16, was last seen in the city at about 8.30pm on Tuesday (March 4). Police believe he may be in the Tyneside area. A Cambodian national, he is described as 5’ 8” tall, of slim build and speaks with broken English. He has short, straight black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a grey hoodie and black shiny coat with fur around the hood. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Durham Police on 101.
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Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
DU Big Band wins Great North Big Band Jazz Fest Ben Williams
Durham University Big Band has become the first big band in the country to win the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival three times, following their win last weekend. The twenty-strong band picked up the overall winners title for the third time in four years with their 20-minute set that included jazz standard ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’, Buddy Rich’s arrangement of ‘Love for Sale’ and a special arrangement of Radiohead’s ‘15 Step’. As well as competing against professional and other student bands, the stakes at this year’s competition were particularly high as two other competitors, from Newcastle and Leeds, had also both won twice before. On top of the all-round title, singer Laura Paul also picked up the title of Best Vocalist after her performance in ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’. Following their wins in 2011 and 2012, the band narrowly missed out on the overall title last year, despite picking up prizes for Best Soloist and Best Vocalist. In preparation for the competition, the group took part in a masterclass with jazz composer Ben Cottrell last term, the composer behind their arrangement of Radiohead’s ‘15 Step’. Across its 11-year history, the competition is estimated to have attracted over 200 bands, 4,000 performers and well over 10, 000 audience members, and is
Sports Editors
Big win for Durham jazz currently the country’s largest big band festival under one roof. Charles Price, DUBB President, told Palatinate that following a gig ‘Matt and Phred’s’ jazz club in Manchester, the band has been invited back to open this year’s Manchester Jazz Festival. He said “It’s great to know that we were recognised back in November as a band that could provide enough energy, fun and incredible music to begin ten days of jazz in Manchester. Our awards at the weekend are testimony to this.” Tenor Saxophonist Duncan Walker added, “Manchester was particularly challenging for us as the gig was only six weeks into term. Because the band changes quite a bit from year to year, we didn’t have a lot of time to settle and it took a lot of work to prepare a two-hour set, but the band really
Photograph: Emma Werner pulled it off.” Yet it isn’t all work. Trombonist Will Kilvington-Shaw told Palatinate that “the group has a really nice vibe, We always make a point of going to the pub after rehearsals. After all, if you don’t get on well, you’re not going to play well, really.” Duncan Walker later added, “It really is the best opportunity to play jazz in Durham. The band has a really high standard, with over 65 auditions at the start of the year, and it really offers something quite different, as Durham is primarily dominated by Chamber Choirs and Orchestras’.” He later said “I’m really proud of the band and what they’ve achieved, they’ve all worked really hard and we’ve managed to have fun at the same time, which makes it even better.”
The Sports Editors work to keep track of sporting events, writing match reports and articles as well as working with a substantial pool of contributors to produce the section. A good knowledge of sport in general, especially within Durham University, is essential.
News Features Editor News Features is an exciting section that conducts in-depth investigations that expose the issues around Durham that are most relevant and interesting to our readers.
Travel Editor
As spring approaches, there is no better time to join Palatinate writing about the best student travel experiences. Inspire our readers to get motivated through the exam period with some exciting holidays plans. Apply now!
Film & TV Editor
If you were inspired by the recent excitement at the Oscars, apply to be our new Film Editor and share what’s worth watching on the big and small screens.
Deputy SciTech Editor
Join our SciTech Editor in bringing news of weird and wonderful discoveries and the latest technological trends to our readers.
GO AHEAD FOR NORTHERN SUPER COUNCIL The Cabinet Office has announced last Wednesday that process is underway to create a new combined ‘super-council’ authority for the region in April. A group of councils from Durham, Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside want to be able to co-ordiniate their efforts and plan for major economic developments. The new authority will not replace the existing local government structure, but could have devolved powers to stimulate economic growth, job creation, skills development and improve transport links.
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Deputy Web Editor
Our online team has recently redesigned the website, and we are looking to develop it further. If you have experience in HTML and PHP, we’d love to hear from you.
Durham University Big Band won overall in last weekend’s competition
Photograph: Emma Werner
If you are interested in applying for one of the above vacancies, request an application form by sending an email to editor@palatinate.org.uk.
PALATINATE | Friday 14th March 2014
News in brief NATIONAL NEWS LABOUR ACCUSES COALITION OF ‘COMPLETE CONFUSION’ OVER RAB Comments by Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who said that the write off estimate of student loans will be revised downwards - a statement which seemed to contradict earlier statements from David Willetts - have led to accusations from Labour. The Government’s rising estimates of the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge on new student loans have made many wonder about the true cost of the higher tuition fees.
STUDY FINDS ‘FEMALE STUDENTS WITH RESILIENCE’ PERFORM BETTER THAN MEN
According to a new survey from Leeds Metropolitan University, females the study judged as ‘resilient’ were likely to perform much better in first year academics than ‘resilient’ males. The metric of resilience was judged to be “the capacity of individuals to adapt to new challenges” according to the study. The study used a sample of 1,500 students at the start of their first year. The researchers involved recommended extra counselling for men because “psychologically resilient men are not fulfilling their academic potential.”
NEW IMMIGRATION MINISTER THREATENS TO MAKE IT TOUGHER ON FOREIGN STUDENTS New immigration minister James Brokenshire has defended a strict immigration policy for students, attacking educational institutions and dismissing anger from academics about the immigration checks they must mount on students. The minister has also attacked statements from Business Secretary Vince Cable and said instead that students must continue to be counted as immigrants. Brokenshire further stated that current rules are “extremelyy generous.”
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News
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Music Department calls for purpose-built concert hall James Poole The University’s Department of Music has called for the construction of a brand new purpose-built concert hall in Durham. In a bold and unreserved statement entitled ‘Music Performance at Durham University’, the department said: “Current students want the University to do more to provide music performance opportunities and facilities in the University. “The University currently has no purpose-built or designated concert hall. “Spaces commonly used are not built for purpose, and are frequently shared with other, noncommensurate activities. “There is therefore urgent need for a dedicated, highquality performance space in the University.” The statement was authored by leading figures from the department, including Head of Department, Professor Julian Horton, and Jessica Lawrence, President of Durham University Music Society, and has been backed by the Music Department Board of Studies, Durham colleges and University music societies. The statement continued: “The development of music performance capability in Durham is important because our competitors either have excellent
capability or are addressing the challenge. “Cambridge has a purposebuilt concert hall and Oxford has designated facilities in the city. “Both Manchester and Birmingham have constructed new concert halls since 2000 (investing £6 million and £20 million respectively) which are integrated within their departments.” The statement also called for the creation of a new central office and the employment of a coordinator responsible for marketing, organising performing groups and “developing the music strategy.”
“Durham is one of the only Russell Group Universities not to have a purpose-built concert hall” Ambrose Li Vice-President of Durham University Music Society
The statement has been met with broad approval from students with the Vice President of Durham University Music Society, Ambrose
Li, telling Palatinate: “Durham University needs a purpose-built concert hall that caters for music theatre and opera. “Durham is one of the only Russell Group universities not to have a purpose-built concert hall. Musicians throughout Durham would benefit a lot if we had one.” Similarly, Laura Erel, a second year Music student said: “It’s unbelievable that Durham does not have a purpose-built concert hall when its Music Department is ranked so highly in national league tables. “A purpose-built concert hall would not only benefit music students but all musical students at Durham as well as the local community.” Professor Julian Horton, Head of the Department of Music, told Palatinate: “The Music Department is unusual within the University: for no other subject area is there such a large constituency of students outside of the Department with whom its activities overlap. “This means that we have a unique relationship with the student community, but it also generates external pressures on our facilities that few other departments experience.” The Music Department’s appeal for new facilities comes at a time of growing student concern over current provision of resources and facilities for arts students at Durham.
CRANFIELD SCHEME TO OFFER BETTER CONDITIONS FOR POSTGRADS A new scheme designed by Cranfield University is said to offer lower interest rates and more flexible terms to some existing finance options. The scheme is being run in conjunction with the Higher Education Funding Council for England and will mostly fund master’s students staking STEM courses and is open to UK and EU students. Cranfield is also looking to make the programme self-sustaining, and is looking to industry sponsors to help the University achieve this goal.
Current Music Department facility on Palace Green
Photograph: Emma Werner
In 2012 the University was forced to spend £240,492.89 on repairs to Elvet Riverside buildings after severe flooding caused the cancellation of teaching on Friday 29th November. Meanwhile, in January 2014 the University unveiled plans for a £10 million makeover of the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics after its construction only twelve years ago.
“the University’s Capital Planning Group is currently considering a range of options for the refurbishment of Elvet Riverside 1 and 2” Professor Ray Hudson Deputy VC
Peter Mathews, a first year Languages student said: “The Elvet Riverside buildings are old and desperately need improvement - in recent weeks buckets have been placed in corridors to catch leaking water. “Elvet Riverside 1 lacks sufficient IT facilities for Languages students and is an unpleasant place to learn and work.” However, Professor Ray Hudson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, was able to inform Palatinate of new plans to refurbish the Elvet Riverside buildings: “Following completion of a detailed feasibility study, the University’s Capital Planning Group is currently considering a range of options for the refurbishment of Elvet Riverside 1 and 2. “Each option involves significant investment in the facility with the intention of enhancing the overall quality of the internal and external environment, improving access and circulation and raising the standard of teaching and learning resources throughout. “Subject to approval, the nature of the work is such that a phased approach over two or three years will be necessary. “We hope to commence the initial phase this summer.” Building work on the Ogden Centre is due to finish in 2015, subject to planning.
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News News in brief INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PROFESSOR STOLE $20K FROM STUDENTS A professor at America’s Georgia Tech has been reprimanded after it was revealed he forced students into under the table payments, despite earning a six-figure salary. Jochen Teizer, a graduate professor in Engineering, has taken at least $20,000 from a variety of his students since 2011, the university disclosed in a statement. Teizer is believed to have accepted $10,000 in payments from one student alone in 2011. He has been placed on leave pending dismissal.
PLANS TO DOUBLE US INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS The Institute of International Education plans to double the number of US students studying abroad by 2019. To achieve this there will be a greater focus on recruiting more low-income students and others who have not previously participated in higher numbers. Over 160 colleges and universities across the United States have already committed to participate since the campaign was unveiled on Monday. Hundreds of thousands more international students currently come to the US to study than there are American students studying abroad; something the institute wants to change.
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Durham academic holds book launch for groundbreaking book on dyslexia Justin Villamil
Professor Joe Elliott, Principal of Collingwood College, has recently made waves in the academic, professional, student and lay community for calling the dyslexia diagnosis “unscientific and lacking in rigor.” Elliott’s new book, The Dyslexia Debate, had its book launch on Tuesday of this week. Palatinate recently had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Elliott to discuss the implications of his new work. Elliott has recently been in the media spotlight with appearances in the national media and, more recently, publication of an op-ed piece for the Times Higher Education. Professor Elliott told Palatinate that he had began to question the efficacy of the dyslexia diagnosis during his early work in the 1970s as a teacher of children with spe-
cial educational needs and then subsequently during a five-year stint as an educational psychologist. “People would always ask me about this term, dyslexia,” Elliott told Palatinate. “It just seemed to me to be this totally amorphous term, and there are so many different ways you can approach it. “Based on this experience, I later produced a book called Children in Difficulty back in 1998 in which I wrote a chapter on dyslexia, partly to help me to come to grips with the construct. But I never really managed to discover what this term might mean or how it helped our understanding of how to help those with problems.” Elliott said that he was then approached by a TV producer to make a documentary for Channel 4 called ‘The Dyslexia Myth’, which kicked off a media storm. He was asked to give evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee,
STUDENTS SUSPENDED FOR PAKISTAN CRICKET SUPPORT A university in northern India suspended more than 60 Kashmiri students after they allegedly supported Pakistan in a cricket match. According to reports a group of students at the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University in Uttar Pradesh state “celebrated Pakistan’s win” against India, leading to fights with other college students. They were then taken to Delhi by police to avoid further confrontation before their suspension was announced. The University called their punishment a “precautionary measure”. GERMAN STATES TO ABOLISH UNIVERSITY FEES
The remainder of the federal states in western Germany are to eradicate university tuition fees, despite having introduced them only eight years ago. Lower Saxony, the only state in the region that still charges tuition fees for students, will have abolished them by the end of the next academic year. In 2005, a Federal Constitutional Court determined that the federal law guaranteeing free education could coexist with a system of moderate fees and affordable loans. The announcement has reopened debate about the relatively high fees still charged in the UK.
Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
Elliott with Collingwood Mascot Colin
Photograph: Venus Loi
which then endorsed his views. Elliott told Palatinate that a major problem with reactions to his research is that it is often misinterpreted. “One of the problems is that some people say many daft things about dyslexia (e.g. that it is a middle class excuse to excuse laziness or stupidity), and people assume that because I’m challenging the dyslexia construct I’m saying such things also. “The anger and outrage are understandable although these emotions are often based upon misunderstandings of the issues. Many find the term personally meaningful so resent suggestions that its scientific basis is flawed. “Clearly, there’s also a significant element of projection operating where people’s prior experiences of hurt and humiliation influence the messages that are perceived,” he told Palatinate. “Although I’m arguing against the continued use of the term dyslexia, I try to address the difficulties caused by a complex reading disorder with a biological basis, that can really make people’s lives a misery. But people think that because I’m challenging dyslexia I’m discounting this sometimes incapacitating difficulty at the same time.” In 2009, Professor Elliott signed a book contract with Cambridge University Press. The book, which was released on Tuesday the 11th, is co-authored by Elena Grigorenko. Elliott told Palatinate that Professor Grigorenko is “one of the world’s leading geneticists in learning and reading disabilities.” In terms of the research for the book, he told Palatinate: “Between the two of us we cov-
er all the key disciplines - genetics, neuroscience, cognitive science, education and social policy. So what the book tries to do is analyze through all of these different disciplines the work that’s been done and arrive at some kind of synthesis.” Professor Elliott identified three major problems with the current dyslexia debate: the first being that the term itself is unscientific, the second that it doesn’t offer any useful information for guiding intervention, and the third that it sustains a situation where only some who struggle with reading receive appropriate help and understanding. “The term itself is not rigorous or scientific – it means all things for all people. For dyslexia, a diagnosis tells you absolutely nothing.” Professor Elliott’s book advocates an increasingly popular approach to teaching students that he calls ‘response to intervention’, the idea that intervention should take place immediately after a child begins to struggle, rather than waiting for the child to fail and seeking a dyslexia diagnosis. Professor Elliott’s new book is written for a scholarly audience and explores the debate in significant depth. He observes that media reports have resulted in many messages - some of praise and others of condemnation. He hopes that the launch of the book will permit examination of the key issues rather than outraged reactions based upon newspaper headlines. He will be joined by Professor Grigorenko and specialists at Collingwood on April 22nd for a full day’s Book Launch conference.
departments, most notably the English department. Furthermore, new students would be attracted to the university if, for instance, the DST were included in the national rankings for best student drama or had a bigger representation at Open Days. The president, Daniel Gosselin, has stated that “we now feel that this cannot be done while we remain a Student Society under the Union” and that the Union has “detrimentally affected theatre’s image, something that those on the Executive Committee feel should not continue.” The disadvantages of DSO status would include the loss of access to rooms in Dunelm House for rehearsals free of charge, although the DST has already confirmed
that the new conference rooms at the Three Tuns would be a viable alternative. The DST would also lose access to the online booking system and advertising on the Union’s webpage. It would, however, create a new web page of its own. As a DSO, DST would also aim to gather more funds from the University Executive Committee, allowing for infrastructural improvements and renovation of the Assembly Rooms. However, the outcome is still uncertain. As Professor Adrian Darnell, Deputy Head (Student Experience) in the Colleges Office stated: “Ultimately it is the University Council’s decision to admit any student organisation as a DSO under the Framework.”
Durham Student Theatre to become DSO Alexia Faus-Onbargi Preliminary talks have commenced for the DST to remove itself from the Student Union in order to become a Durham Student Organization (DSO). The potential move is striving to gain approval from most of DST’s members through an online system, but the case has already been put forward to the Vice Chancellor. The initial proposals have thus far been successful. A DSO is similar to a college; it runs with a certain degree of independence whilst still remaining part of the University. Only two other university entities are DSOs: Team Durham and Student Community in Action.
The reason behind this move is the growing discontent of the DST with the Union. Though officially part of the Union since 1st of July of 2013, major financial difficulties have caused serious issues for the DST and its Theatre Companies. Indeed the main benefit of being a DSO would be independent financial and structural management, though financial reporting would still be transmitted to the university. As a DSO, DST would strive to improve relations with industry professionals, alumni and other universities, whilst fortifying and improving DST’s position within the university itself. Ways of doing this would be to bring academia and theatre closer by creating joint enterprises in
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Law students outraged at summative question change Justin Villamil
Following the early circulation of an outline answer for a summative question, Durham Law School students have reacted with outrage against a decision to add a new summative question.
“fairness in the assessment process was our guiding objective. The replacement question ensures that the independent work of all students can be assessed on the basis of the same question” Roger Masterman Head of Durham Law
The error, which led to the absence of Criminal Law professor Johnny Doak, was made after many students had already completed the question.
According to sources who spoke to Palatinate after the announcement, many students stormed out of the lecture halfway through. Some students left in tears. All of Professor Doak’s lectures, tutorials, and dissertation students have been given to other instructors. Professor Roger Masterman, Head of Durham Law School told Palatinate: “This decision was made because the inadvertent circulation of guidance took place ahead of the assignment deadline and therefore compromised the integrity of the process. “Fairness in the assessment process was our guiding objective. The replacement question ensures that the independent work of all students can be assessed on the basis of the same question. “The Law School has apologised to the affected students, and has put in place measures to ensure that all students receive the support they need in the lead up to the examinations process.” The answer outline was reportedly uploaded to DUO because it had a similar name to a revised version of the original question. Though Doak initially allowed students to submit completed essays after upload, if put in immediately, this decision was then reversed. Professor Doak initially told stu-
Summative question changes have led to Law Department turmoil dents: “Even though it is likely that only a small number of students viewed the document, our only option in these circumstances is to set a new question.” Palatinate obtained a detailed copy of the answers from disgruntled students almost immediately. However, the initial willingness of Professor Doak to look at answers submitted on the Friday proved problematic.
Photograph: Durham University
An email sent out on Tuesday 25th February indicated that essays would be accepted if put in before the following Friday, giving students with an outline three days to complete the assignment. Many students rushed through the reading, skipping lectures and tutorials in order to complete the summative, according to sources who spoke with Palatinate. Then, when the announcement came that essays would not be ac-
cepted after all, there was an outcry. According to students taking the Evidence and Criminal Process module in the Law department, this is not the first time Professor Doak has made an early upload error, but sources claim that it is by far the most egregious. So far, nothing has been heard from Professor Doak, only that he is absent from the University at the present time.
Durham University slips on THE reputation rankings Gabriel Samuels
There was no place for Durham in the latest World University Reputation rankings. This news came as a surprise and came despite Durham University only recently retaining
Durham falling in rankings
its top 100 status in the overall World Rankings. The World Reputation Rankings, curated by The Times Higher Education supplement, are put together annually using a global invitation-only academic survey. The league table is based on subjective judgement, but is considered to represent expert
Photograph: Durham University
judgement of senior academics, “the people best placed to know the most about excellence in our universities” according to the newspaper. In the survey, scholars of different disciplines, from different countries are asked to name no more than 15 of those they believe to be the best, based on their own experience. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Imperial, LSE and Edinburgh all made the top 50 in this year’s rankings, while Durham missed out. In October it was announced that Durham had retained its 80th placing in the THE World University rankings, while it was ranked 90th in the QS rankings. The University was keen to emphasise that the Reputation rankings are “a very subjective indicator” but acknowledged that it had taken the findings into account. In response to a Palatinate inquiry, the University only said: “When the Times Higher World Rankings are released later in the
year, the reputation rankings will be used alongside 11 objective indicators such as research, teaching and international outlook, to determine the world top 100 universities. “In the latest Times Higher Education World Rankings, Durham was ranked 80th overall and in the top 30 for Arts and Humanities.” What actions, if any, the University plans to take in response to these new findings is still unclear, but it will almost certainly factor them into the search for a new Vice-Chancellor after the recently-announced departure of Chris Higgins. With Durham University always looking to extend its reputation in a variety of academic fields, the findings of the survey will have been seen as a blow to Durham’s reputation as a global academic organisation. Some students have taken the issue very seriously, and are dismayed. Joe, a second year Natural Sciences student from Grey,
commented: “Its unbelievable to think that Durham, which has always been one of the country’s best universities, is now unable to impress educators abroad as it once did. “It’s obviously a subjective issue but the University clearly needs to look at how it is being perceived abroad as an academic facility.” Some students, however, do not consider the issue to be a real problem at all. Many students that Palatinate spoke with did not have any problem with the information. Chris, a third year Music student, added: “I’m not sure these rankings should be taken too seriously - it’s just a matter of opinion. The fact that Durham’s still in the top 100 world universities is what should matter really.”
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SciTech Reader’s Scigest A QUICK LOOK AT SCIENCE
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Mars: the next giant leap for mankind Bryony Hockin
AWAKEN TO BACON Do you find waking up on time for lectures a daily struggle? Are you guilty of relentless snooze button abuse? Oscar Mayer, an American meat company, thinks they might have devised the solution to your morning woes. Their new iPhone app and scent dongle combine to form an alarm that tempts the user out of bed with the smell and sound of bacon. When the alarm goes off, the app blasts the sound of sizzling cured meat and the scent dongle, which can be plugged into a smartphone via the headphone socket, releases the smell of bacon. Unfortunately, whilst the app, entitled ‘Wake Up and Smell the Bacon’, is available to download for free, the plug-in is only available to winners of a contest; this clever device is not available to all.
Planet Mars may seem a long way away for most of us, and travelling there is the stuff of science fiction. The Netherlands-based Mars One project aims to change that by establishing a human colony on Mars by 2024. Palatinate speak to Hannah Earnshaw, an Astronomy PhD student at Durham University who has reached the second round of selection to join the mission.
LOVE BY LASER
So they’re going to be generating the water and oxygen in situ? The plan is to set up a working base that astronauts can then land on, and the idea is to minimise the risk to human life. Once we’re confident that that’s alright then the first manned mission will be in 2024.
Neuroscientists have made flies ‘fall in love’ with a ball of wax in a powerful demonstration of laserpowered mind control. They created a gadget called the Fly MindAltering Device, or FlyMAD, which tracks a fly’s movement using a video camera and then directs an infrared laser at the fly’s head. Certain neurons in the brains of the flies in the experiment had been genetically engineered to activate when heated via a heat-sensitive protein called TRPA1 and the laser light provided this heat, causing a change in behaviour. In this case, the neurons were those that control courtship; flies that were subject to FlyMAD would flirt and attempt to mate with the ball of wax. THE INTERNET OF THINGS David Cameron has announced £45 million of research funding to go towards technology that will allow household objects to communicate with each other via the Internet. This new technology, dubbed the ‘Internet of things’, would allow fridges to order more milk when milk runs low and water pipes to give out warnings with pressure changes, for example, using cheap low-power chips. The Prime Minister made the statement at the CeBIT technology trade fair in Germany, one of the world’s largest IT events. He said that the technology had “enormous potential to change our lives” and would bring a “new industrial revolution” that he wanted the UK to lead, along with Germany, who will collaborate with us on the scheme.
Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
What’s the plan for getting to Mars and what are you planning on doing when you get there? The idea is to send out some modules that will become habitable, that the astronauts will live in; they’ll be rather like Space X’s Dragon capsules. A number of them will be sent out, a couple of rovers will move things into position, and they’ll set up production of water and oxygen.
That’s quite a long way away, isn’t it? Yes and no. I mean, in terms of life it’s a long
time, a decade, but in terms of the space industry it’s actually quite fast progress. The advantage of the way Mars One works is that the technology that’s needed for the mission already exists, and it’s just a case of bringing together the people that can make it possible. Presumably candidates like you are those people? I’m one of the applicants who goes there and becomes part of the colony. When we get there, the aim is to set up the colony, to make a running settlement that will eventually become self-sustaining, so to get [it] to a point where it will be able to make its own food.
“it’s a one-way trip. I won’t be seeing anyone I know on Earth ever again”
Will they be cultivating crops there, in biomes perhaps? The first plan is to use hydroponics; I imagine that once people reach the surface, we’ll be doing a lot of science; one of the main goals is to grow food.
What sort of “science” would that be? A whole range of things: it could be geology, doing excavations of the surface; biology, looking at the
soils, can we grow plants in it, can we adapt plants to cope and grow and adapt to that chemical environment? [We’ll be] looking at the effects on the human body; the people there, they’ll be in a habitat that has normal air, eating normal things, but the main impact is going to be the reduced gravity. Gravity on Mars is 40% of the gravity on Earth, more or less. The long-term effects of a low gravity environment we don’t know anything about. There’s a huge amount of potential for research. How prepared are you for it being a one-way trip? I first found out about Mars One back in January last year, and they opened applications in April, with a deadline of the end of August. I took from finding out in January all the way to midway through August thinking about it, considering the aspects of danger in the mission, and that it’s a one-way trip. I won’t be seeing anyone I know on Earth ever again. The main conclusion I came to is that I’m quite an independent person; I enjoy spending time with people but at the same time I can cope well with distance contact, like the Internet. My needs for face to face contact can be met by the crew itself. I think I’ll be able to manage, sending emails and videos. What do your family think about it? I’m really lucky to have a family that are really enthusiastic. My parents are thrilled to see me involved in something that I believe in quite passionately, and have supported me all the way. The same with my two little sisters as well, they’ve been telling all their friends.
What kind of training and assessments will you be required to do? The psychological aspect of it is going to be the most important; you need the correct personality in order to cope well with the mission. I’ve just recently had a medical exam, which confirmed that I’m fit and healthy; I’ve got good eyesight and hearing. Later this year there will be an interview with a selection committee, which will again be more in-depth psychological things. Once it’s been narrowed down into the final group of people who will be part of the colony, then next is 7 years devoted to training. All of the skills that you need: medical skills, dentistry; engineering, operation of vehicles; psychology, so we can help each other stay sane. Then lots of scientific aspects, like geology and astrobiology.
Which parts of those scientific aspects do you personally want to focus on? I’d really like to get into geology, see how the planet was formed and what its history is, and see if we can find further evidence of a period where there was a lot more water; whether we can even find evidence of fossilised life, which could be the case.
“the first four that are going out will will have close to three years completely alone”
Is there life on Mars? Maybe not now, but there might have been in the past, so evidence for that would be really good. In the long term, I would like to build the first Martian observatory; ground based astronomy in the thinner atmosphere would be really interesting.
What would you like to be asked, but no-one ever asks? Gosh! Something that’s not talked about is the kind of relationships that candidates will have with the rest of their crew. Once the final candidates have been selected they will be in crews of four; two men and two women, one from each continent, so each person from a different country. They will be really diverse teams, and they will be committed to each other for the rest of their lives. They will be spending their training together, flying out together, spending 11 months in space together - in a small space then they will be on Mars together. Especially for the first four that are going out, they will have close to 3 years completely alone, before the next crew arrives a few years later. The friendships between crew members will need to be so trusting and close, and in many ways the crew will become each other’s second family. I’m quite interested in and excited for that aspect, and the people who I may eventually be spending the rest of my life with. I would almost compare it to a marriage, actually. What else do you want the students of Durham to know? I encourage people to investigate the website, and keep an eye out for the TV shows. Mars One depends on the public, so if you are interested, please show some support!
Hannah Earnshaw, a potential future inhabitant of the Red Planet Photograph: Hannah Earnshaw / Viking Orbiter Archive / Palatinate
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England: the new home of the totalitarian state Stephanie Hall Many might argue that England has become the ideal political state; that the adoption of neither an autocratic nor laissez-faire approach to political rule stimulates a perfect blend of overall communal structure and individual liberty. Yet, whilst the past fifty years of English history appear to show the progression of a society which is granting its citizens more and more freedom through the gradual dissolution of racial and sexual prejudices, the present condition of England, and its implications for the future of the country, may suggest otherwise. Mass manipulation occurs on a daily basis through televised media. However, the collective societal ideology that promotes the rights and progress of the individual is increasingly coming under scrutiny. The current social, political and economic state of the country is leaving England more and more vulnerable to totalitarian rule. Over the past decade, wolfish political issues have been pushed to the forefront of citizens’ minds whilst clothed in the sheepish disguise of popular culture. Television programs have emphasised the need for external, authoritative forces to intervene in an individual’s life in order to prevent large-scale societal chaos; in other
words, to educate on the truth. Furthermore, the exponential growth in the progress of technology, and the resultant emergence of ‘apps’ and other smart-phone features such as ‘Siri’, which can take some of the burden off of the working man by reminding him of upcoming events and giving him directions to his desired destination, has removed much of the stress and responsibility that comes with modern day life.
television and radio have further encouraged the growth of a culture which is obsessed with surveillance
Thus, in the context of an increasingly other-reliant, self-doubting society, the revival of the historical drama, through such programmes as ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Upstairs Downstairs’, which has re-introduced and romanticised the notion of an elite aristocracy, can be seen as a political tool, used to place focus on the strict divisions between higher and lower social classes and thereby re-introduce the notion of societal hierarchy and superior rule. However, television and radio have further encouraged the growth
of a culture which is obsessed with surveillance. Programmes like ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Gogglebox’ have presented the English nations’ avid interest in monitoring the actions and lives of other people as an acceptable source of entertainment. Whilst, programmes such as ‘Crimewatch’ encourage viewers to regard the 24/7 operation of CCTV cameras as favourable, and HM Revenue and Customs’ new ‘we’re closing in’ on tax evaders adverts intimidate the public and encouraging people to report anyone they suspect of tax evasion and fraud to the police. The current political situation of England already reflects the nation’s willingness to submit to any authority other than that of the individual. The English people’s growing disinterest in politics is arguably the primary reason why we now have a coalition government; very few people care who is in government, and most are happy as long as the country is being run by ‘someone’ and allows them to live their own lives. However, the government continues to promote itself regardless of people’s (lack of) interest in politics. This year, television viewers will have noticed the incessant onslaught of programmes centred around the Welfare System. From ‘Benefit Busters’ and ‘On Benefits and Proud’ to ‘Benefits Britain 1949’ and the notorious ‘Benefits Street’, universal
One nation under CCTV
Photograph: Carolina Alves
credit and its ‘benefits’ predecessor have dominated television sets and newspaper headlines. In a time of deep economic depression, when few truly effective measures have been taken to rectify the economic situation, is it a coincidence that such television programmes as those listed above have appeared on television just over a year before the next governmental election? By riling up the public against stereotypical figures of a welfare system introduced by the Labour government, surely the current government is encouraging the English populous to place more rule into the hands of
government officials in order to rid society of economic waste and inefficiency? In all, England does not appear to be a totalitarian state at this point in time. However, the central focus which is placed on television, in conjunction with the increasing trend in exposing the fallibility and unreliability of the individual and the growing disinterest in political parties, could lead England into becoming George Orwell’s ‘1984’ vision of the totalitarian state. A thirty year adjustment could be all that is needed to validate his prediction.
The truth is, no one is quite sure. Whilst it is generally agreed that EU law needs new measures to adapt in order to address the Euro Crisis, such as the entrenchment of the fiscal pact, many remain skeptical of what renegotiation will look like. Herein lies the problem. The UK has secured the measures it needs to protect our most precious industry, the finanical sector in 2011 As both himself and Foreign Secretary William Hague mentioned at the Conservative Party Conference last year, the PM seems most avid to cut the infamous line of many EU treaties, that terrifies skeptics, nationalists and propoenents of indepence that of an “ever closer union of the people.” It is the radical wing of the Conservatives that are scaring the rest of Europe. The ones who demand repartriaton of powers, restrictions on freedom of movement and a right of veto, exercisable by national parliaments on policies coming from Brussels. Unsurprisingly this threatens smaller EU states which are concerned about destabilising the in-
stitutions of the EU that will be the inevitable result of anything resembling treaty, constitutional, renegotiation. Thus, although Mrs Merkel came to the UK with a tough rhetoric it is clear that Britain is not going to be in the dark just yet, that we still have friends in the EU. The Chancellor, was more than diplomatic in her assesment of the situation. She did not “pave the way for fundamental reform” nor did she deliver the line that “Europe is not prepared to pay almost any price to keep Britain in the EU.” Merkel knows that whatever happens in Britain over the next three years, if the Conservatives are granted another term in what ever form, that she will need the UK, as the EU pushes for closer trade links with the United States. Furthermore, with Germany as the biggest obstacle to a wider ‘services idustry’, she will need the UK and Cameron on her side to avoid calls by the rest of Europe for Britain to lead the way in pressuring Germany for service sector reforms . Whatever happens with the 2014
Euro Elections on the horizon, the rhetoric especially from an ever skeptical Conservative party is sure to change in the coming months, in defence of British rights and sovereignty.
Angela Merkel vows to disappoint on trip to UK
Marcus Natale The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, visited London last week knowing she would disappoint Prime Minister David Cameron on the future of the European Union. Merkel had been expected, perhaps more optimistically by high ranking Tories to support Cameron’s efforts to substantially renegotiate British membership of the European Union. Yet, despite hailing the EU as a success and praising the United Kingdom’s involvement in the European project, she urged for stronger ties between the 28 states. She spoke fondly of Britain’s participation, saying that to make Europe sronger “we need a strong UK with a strong voice inside the EU.” Clearly Mrs Merkel wants to see Britain remain inside the EU and is willing to compromise to make it so. This comes to a background of uncertainty as to which way Britain will lean if a referendum takes place in 2017. Opposition parties in the UK have
stressed their concern that the Prime Minister’s demands for treaty concessions will lead to alienation from European politics, which in this era of austerity and globilisationanything but an ‘independent’ Britain is the ideal.
“in order to attain this goal we need a strong UK with a strong voice inside the EU” Angela Merkel
This concern is not too far from the actual state of play. Cameron’s agenda has resulted in an awkward rejection from French President Francois Hollande. Who told the PM that a short one day visit to the UK was simply “not a priority.” But what is it that the Prime Minister hopes to achievewith EU treaty changes? What is so fundamentally flawed about the EU that he needs to risk so much?
#PALPOLL Voting Intention: CON 31%, LAB 40%, LIBDEM 9%, UKIP 13%
Polling Data: YouGov 07/02/14
Job Approval: Cameron (-12% net.) 41% Approve 53% Disapprove Job Approval: Miliband (-34% net.) 27% Approve 61% Disapprove
Polling Data: YouGov 27/02/14 - 28/02/14
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Russia, Ukraine and the mind of a tyrant Taha Abrar
What is Putin thinking? Where will his Foreign Policy lead?
When one observes the actions of Vladimir Putin, it is easy to reduce him to a Cold War strongman, a particularly fiendish Bond villain or indeed, a hunk on a horse. Even if he has displayed these tendencies, his three terms as President of the Russian Federation have been marked more by his express pragmatism in the face of international events than any caricatures that we have become accustomed to. Indeed the compounding of the current crisis in the Ukraine, escalating at a rate of knots thanks to the increasingly hostile actions, let alone rhetoric, from Russia, has been completely out of character for a man that has used the UN Security Council on numerous occasions to hold up the territorial sovereignty of many a Middle Eastern nation. So why is Ukraine different? Is it all about Ukreorgia? A sense of déjà vu in all this is unsurprising; Eastern Europe was at loggerheads only six years ago too. Back then, aggressive moves by Georgia, following months of steadily rising tensions, to reclaim the autonomous regions that formed part of its territory drew the ire of Putin (though Dmitri Medvedev was President, he is largely recognised to have been a place-
holder). Though some may be quick to draw comparisons, there are important differences. For example, the territories then in question were already disputed, and have UN-mediated agreements that monitor these largely autonomous areas, even if they are nominally part of Georgia itself. It was thus also the case that a stable domestic situation in Georgia precluded the tensions. The situation in the Crimea shares one crucial and worrying aspect with the troubles in 2008, the claim to protect ethnic Russians outside of the Russian Federation. All we have to do is consult the pages of history to learn that fighting wars to protect ethnic groups can go terribly wrong. Putin’s argument for his occupation of Crimea, in a nutshell, is that the he is responsible for the protection of ethnic Russians from Ukrainian militants that instigated an anti-constitutional coup. Previous experience of Putin has shown him to be a stickler for UN laws on territorial sovereignty. This time round though, he circumvents those stances by claiming to support the true President. However, this serves merely as window dressing for the real reason he is occupying Crimea. The Russian-leaning East of the country is, after all, chanting for Putin, but Russian boots have not been seen in Kharkiv
or Donetsk. The former proRussian President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, gave up all his powers and fled, but after not following the ‘Bashar AlAssad playbook for Dictators under siege’ and reappearing in Russia, has claimed he is still the rightful President. One wonders where this change of heart has come from.
Putin’s argument for his occupation of Crimea, in a nutshell, is that he is responsible for the protection of ethnic Russians
Crucially, this was after protestors toppled him for declining a lucrative EU Association Agreement. This is what really has enraged Putin. It is most likely that what will follow Yanukovych’s overthrow is the installation of a pro-EU government that will start moving for closer political and economic ties to the EU. For Putin, this is a huge upset. In recent years, and certainly since his return to the Presidency, he has been trying to create a Eurasian Common Market in a similar vein to the EU. Currently, only minor central Asian nations such as Kyr-
gyzstan have displayed any interest, whereas in reality a large second market such as Ukraine is needed to attract the bigger fish in the region, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This association with a large market would also in part persuade these smaller, but still sizeable, nations who would in all likelihood prefer to follow their own independent political and economic agendas that they would not merely be Russian satellite states in a Eurasian Common Market. Clearly, this illusion could now have been shattered. Though other considerations, such as independent anti-Russian action in Russian zones of interest, may play some part in the overall situation, I believe this critical economic slight has played the biggest role in turning the smiling pragmatist into the snarling Russian Bear. To draw the displeasure of Putin, as Ukraine has done by overthrowing such a valuable ally in Yanukovych, is to incite the displeasure of Russia. Indeed, repurcussions havd not been limited to military reaction: a $22 billion aid deal has been put on hold, throttling the already struggling Ukrainian economy. Putin is holding Ukraine to ransom and punishing its erroneous attempts at self-determination. Only time will tell whether he is prepared to go further to make Ukraine pay.
Euromaiden: how it happened
Marcus Natale
The crises that often have the greatest global reach are the ones that slowly stew and then explode upon the international stage, redirecting debate and news rooms focus for months. The Ukrainian cisis begins on November 21st 2013 when the then President, Viktor Yanukocich abandons trade deals with the EU, seeking closer ties to Moscow. This goes largely unanalaysed due to the ousting of the more Western-leaning Yulia Tymoshenko. By December 1st 2013, AlJazeera reports on the 300,000 protesters in Kiev’s Independence Square. Protests persist until mid January, when Yanukovych’s government passes a set of draconian laws banning almost all
forms of protest. The protests continue, but get steadily more violent: two protesters are shot by officals with live ammunition. The resignation of the Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, on January 28 th 2014 allows parliament to repeal anti protest laws, slightly calming the mass of protesters that still baricade parts of the city of Kiev. But, once again, violence spirals, and the oppositon leader Dmytro Bulatov is found outside Kiev having been tortured and held captive, allegedly by a group of pro-Russian militants. The next few days see the highest death count of the whole crisis to date. Snipers on roofs and police violence pushes the death toll steadily to well over 70 deaths. This being too much for Yanukovych, he seeks reconciliation with leaders of the Euromaiden movement. Protesters and the
offical oppositon agree to call for a new government and early elections, summating with the freeing of the former Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoskenko, and the fleeing of Yanukovych, who later turns up in Russia. The now freed Tymoskenko addressed protesters gathered in Kiev on 22 nd February. In the meantime, before elections are due to take place on 25 th May 2014, the pro-Tymoshenko, speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament, Olesksandr Turchinov, is passed presidential powers. Meanwhile, in the Crimea, a semi-autonomous region of the Ukraine, pro-Russian militants take over government buildings. With a ‘nod’ to democracy, the date upon which to hold a referendum upon the independence of the Crimea and consolidation with the Russian Federation is set for the same day in May as the presidential elections.
In the days that follow, Putin asks the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia - the Federation Council - to send troops to the capital of Ukrainian Crimea, Simferopol. Russia rebuffs claims of warmongering with the defense that she is defending ethnic Russians. Internationally recognised institutions across Europe, as well as state leaders, begin threatening sanctions. The British Prime Minister and German Chancellor join President Obama in this regard. Whilst Ukraine struggles to bring Russia to the negotiation table, it seems that the battle may already be lost. Even close followers of international relations will have to watch carefully in the next few months and see what happens as Ukrainians and CrimeanUkrainians head to the polls.
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How Britain responded to the Ukrainian Crisis
‘Do your sympathies lie with more with Russia or with Ukraine? Russia 3% Ukraine 53% Neither 24% Don’t know 20% ‘Is the situation between Ukraine and Russia something that should concern Britain and the West? Yes 50%
‘How did world leaders do in the face of the crisis?’ Putin: Strong: 64% Merkel: Strong: 68% Obama: Strong: 55% Cameron: Strong: 25% Polling Data: YouGov Sample 1826 GB Adults 03/03/14 - 04/03/14
‘Was the action taken by the Russian government justified?’ Justified 8% Not Justified 65% Don’t know 27%
‘Did the British government respond well or badly to the crisis in Ukraine?’ Well 41% Badly 26% Don’t know 32%
Polling Data: YouGov Sample 1834 GB Adults 04/03/14 - 05/03/14
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Business & Economics
Investors shaken by Russian invasion Putin playing Russian roulette with the future of his country’s economy
Shreyas Murali
Merely twenty-four years on since Ukraine gained independence from the USSR and the conflict between the pro-European nationalists and the Party of Regions has warranted Russian military invasion in Ukraine’s Southeastern peninsula – Crimea. While speculations surrounding Russia’s intent behind the invasion are numerous, investors across the globe fear a war in the region could be imminent. As a result key economic barometers like the Russian stock markets, MICEX & RTS indices, and the value of the ruble (Russia’s currency) have been moving in just one direction – downwards.
“the main reason Russia will insist on keeping Ukraine in friendly hands is to secure its Europe bound gas exports” Ashraf Laidi, chief global strategist at City Index
Mr. Putin and his policies have shocked investors due to mounting fears of war and the possibility of international sanctions being slammed on Russia. The MICEX index on March 3 rd decreased by 10.79% since February 28th 2014. The RTS index fell by almost 13%, thus recording one of the highest one-day falls in Russian stock market history. Investor wealth plunged by a whopping $58.7bn. War and economic sanctions would result in further declines in Russian companies’ value. Its companies’ profits would decline due to restrictions on exporting and credit from overseas would be prevented, thus stopping investment flows for expansion. Currently foreign investors are pulling money out of all Russian assets causing the ruble’s value to plummet against the US Dollar due to falling demand for its use. Its value has fallen 5% over the past months. Gennady Timchenko and Leonid Mikhelson, two of Russia’s richest, together lost a total of $3.2 billion on the day of
The people of Ukraine protest against Russia’s invasion the stock market crash as their shares in gas company OAO Novatek’s nose-dived by almost 18%. State-owned oil producer Gazprom also took a beating as its shares fell by 10.7%. Key commodities like oil increased in price by $3 per barrel to $112 per barrel on March 3rd. The spillover effects that this could potentially have had on the European population intensified concerns. However, as worries about supply shocks faded, Brent crude traded at $109.30 per barrel. While the GDP growth forecast for 2014 has considerably fallen, retail inflation has remained at mid-6% levels. The weakening of the ruble has caused serious concerns that inflation will increase. The Central Bank of Russia has stepped in by increasing interest rates from 5.5% to 7%. This will discourage borrowing so that less money is active in the economy. This is in the hope of preventing the ruble’s value declining further. The downside is that the increase in interest rates could dampen economic growth since taking out loans for investment becomes more expensive. JPMorgan now predicts Russia will grow at a mere 0.9%, a reduction from its initial growth forecast of 1.9%. The ruble did bounce back by a small margin and reached levels of around 36.05 rubles
to the US Dollar (for 24-hour period ending March 4th). This was achieved through heavy intervention by the Central Bank of Russia–a record $11.7 billion being spent by the Central Bank of Russia on buying the excess rubles on the foreign exchange market. This will all have to be paid back through Russian taxpayer money.
“the lack of certainty over further developments of the situation in Ukraine would continue to inflict downside presessure on the markets” Olma Brokerage
Stock markets have also recovered by 5.3% since March 5th. However overall investor sentiment is still pessimistic. “The lack of certainty over further developments of the situation in Ukraine would continue to inflict downside pressure on the markets.” said Olma Brokerage, a brokerage firm based in Moscow. Even though Russian government bonds
Photograph: BO Freedom (Government IOU for a return of interest) might have seemed like safe investments, insurance companies believe otherwise. The price of insuring these relatively risk-free debt securities hit a nine month high. The high investment insurance premiums could possibly deter investment in Russian assets and lead to investors channeling their money towards safe-haven investments like US assets that are cheaper to insure. These transfers could also be due to increasing concerns that the Russian government defaulting on debt in addition to political uncertainty surrounding Crimea’s fate. If Mr. Putin goes ahead with a military invasion, the United States and Europe are expected to declare economic sanctions against Russia. The USA is already threatening to impose economic sanctions on anyone who is, “threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.” An escalation of Russia’s interference in Ukraine’s crisis could lead to the imposition of much stricter sanctions like restrictions against the importing of oil producing technology into Russia. It could provide a test for the unity between the US and Europe who can put themselves in a position of strength by acting together. To do this, the Obama administration must recognise that the EU has a lot more at stake than the US due to
Europe’s reliance on Russia for a significant amount of its energy. Sanctions could have major repercussions for Russia’s economy (since Russia is a major exporter of oil) and the world economy as a whole, but it would successfully limit Russia’s military interference. Since corrupt capitalism is rife in Russia, the economic sanctions would have the most influence if they were targeted at the people who help keep Mr. Putin in power. These are the super-rich band of Russians that control the politics of Russia. Sanctions such as Visa bans and asset freeze limits would limit their ability to access the large quantities of property and assets that Russia’s wealthiest have sprawled across Europe. This would encourage Russia’s oligarchs to persuade Putin to stop the military invasion. The US has indicated that it would also consider issuing banking sanctions if the conflict escalates similar to what was done over Iran’s nuclear proliferation program. The sanctions include cutting off any bank from the US financial system that does business with a Russian banks. The long-term economic consequences of the intensification of the conflict would be more severe than the impact over the last week. Unlike a quarter of a century ago, when trade played a fairly minor role in the economy of the Soviet Union, Russia today is a major global interdependent player in the world economy. Crimea, a small peninsula with a population of just about two million, might not be a significant addition to Russia in statistical terms, but if Russia continues it is highly likely that the country will go back to ‘Soviet Union lite’ and restarting the Cold War.
Russia’s trade relations in 2013 Netherlands $70.1 bn export $5.8 bn import
Germany $37 bn export $37.9 bn import China $35.6 bn export $53.2 bn import USA $11.2 bn export $16.5 bn import
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Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
Money never sleeps – neither do the interns How many hours will you work to land a city job?
Jisoo Kim
Last summer the sudden death of a 21-year-old undergraduate bank intern shocked the world and caused us to acknowledge the pressure companies are putting their interns under. Found dead in his shower, he was in the middle of his twomonth internship at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London. A few days later it was revealed that his death was due to an epileptic fit. This is turn was da result of work overload, part of the traditional long-hour working culture of the City.
“workers and interns in the banking sector tend to opt out of the European Working Time Directive, which limits employees to a maximum 48-hour week” BBC News
The financial crisis created a plummet in the demand for even the best qualified job seekers, and as a consequence youth unemployment has been near 20
per cent persistently since 2009. Young people after graduation are therefore more desperate than ever to find a job; and some employers exploit this and pressure young employees to work harder, even if it means placing their health and well-being at risk. A survey run by the Financial
have recently announced that they will produce some improvements in young employees’ conditions in the near future. Credit Suisse announced that young interns should not work in office on Saturdays if they are not working on live deals. BofA’s junior bankers will be able to take four weekend days off per
their recruitment presentations. However, they are very unlikely to make any immediate change in their intern systems. Even if banking press statements become true, several senior bankers realise that the new guidelines are likely to be impossible to implement and meaningless to do so.
Under pressure – the city intern culture
Illustration: Jack Hodsoll
Times uncovered that over half of 18-25 year old employees in financial world work more than 60 hours a week. Almost one in seven said they work 90 hours a week or more. The initiative has been taken by some banks. Many of them
month. Deutsche, Citi and other banks said to the press that they are planning to introduce their new guidelines for interns very soon. Banks also have been putting much more weight on their ethics and social responsibilities in
Junior interns will still work around the clock. They will not hesitate to violate the guidelines if they could secure their places in those banks after their internships. Of course if the managers work over the weekends, then they would employ and promote
2.6 billion people are currently online and even though billions more have access, the cost of smart phones, and the data packages needed make it too expensive for them to get online. But things are changing as smartphones become cheaper and therefore more accessible to all consumers. At the MWC smartphones were being priced at $25 and $35. This growing trend will allow people to have a cheap, “portal” into the online world. However the problem of expensive data is still present. And whilst this problem exists there will be no way of persuading someone who has never had internet before that it will benefit their life in the future. To answer this challenge Facebook’s plan is to provide a two tiered system of wi-fi access.
The first tier would be free and offer a basic service with access to messaging, search, potentially Wikipedia, and of course Facebook – this would be a relatively
Facebook users, they also have control of a huge, potentially profit-making network. The company is also considering buying Titan Aerospace, which builds drones that hover for up to five years and can deliver internet anywhere in the world, for $60 million. However, is this thinking too small scale? If this were to actually work, there is the potential to make all the world’s information accessible to all the world’s population. Although it is not necessarily going to stop world poverty or hunger, the value of something as simple as an Indonesian farmer checking the weather forecast, or the wider potential health, education and economic benefits of sharing information so easily, could have vast effects, felt by the entire population of the world.
people who are like-minded. Consultancy and law firms have similar internship models, with the same or even longer working hours.
“working for more than 100 hours was normal” Maev Kennedy The Guardian
Dealing with unpredictable clients in financial institutions is hard, and that was why in the past bankers were sometimes paid well with large bonuses. Yet the current situation’ is very different. Tighter financial regulations after the financial crisis means that companies cannot hand out large bonuses if their profit levels are too low. The suggested guidelines for young employees are definitely a step towards improvements, yet they won’t be effective enough to change the deeply rooted endurance culture in banks. Still the finance industry remains as alluring as ever. It offers a safe bet for high salaries and acts as a reliable source of early-post graduation funds to pay off student loans. In the hopes of proving they have what it takes, young interns will never stop trying to impress their boss. It is up to the UK employers to show young people when it is time to take a break.
Facebook target opening up the Internet to the developing world
Will Carr When most students think of Facebook, procrastination to avoid study usually comes to mind. What is less known is Facebook’s desire to help the developing world access the internet. So can Facebook really change the world? Or is this just great brand management? On August 20th last year Facebook announced their ambitious plans to get five billion people online. Largely this was shrugged off by many as an impossible task and a publicity stunt, but after his keynote speech at the Mobile World Conference(MWC), Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook) is starting to change this.
“give people the power to share and make the world more connected” Facebook mission statement
low amount of data. The second tier would be a pay for service. This “upsell” strategy has worked well in technology firms before, and the benefit for Facebook is clear. Not only do they get potentially billions of new
Facebook Statistics Number of monthly active users: 1.31 billion Number of languages available on the site: 70 $16 billion purchase in February 2014 of WhatsApp Shares went public 18th May 2012 Average time spemt per visit: 18 minutes
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An insight into Durham’s Consulting Society Ravi Morjaria talks to Oliver Lambert, President of the Durham University Consulting Society, about opportunities for students
Ravi Morjaria
What is the Durham University Consulting Society? The Durham Consulting Society is a relatively new but fast growing society. It was founded in 2010 and we now have just under 1,500 active members enrolled at Durham. We also have access to many Durham alumni who are now working within consulting, providing a great source of advice for current students. The Society has three key aims: to raise awareness of the consulting industry, to maximise the number of people who successfully gain roles within consulting and finally, to allow members who have roles in the industry to meet likeminded individuals at Durham.
port future growth. Technology Consulting firms include IBM and Accenture, but increasingly these firms are trying to move into the strategy and operational side of consulting. Human capital is another area focused more on the behavioural side of firms, for example you cannot successfully move office if none of your staff want to!
dents can help local businesses to improve. Through our access to a network of professionals, student advisory groups are trained in engaging with local businesses and supported through the experience. This is a real opportunity to put members’ skills to the test whilst making a positive impact to the local environment. An event that we are holding soon
do is also important. Undergraduate CV’s should 100% be on one page, consultants often have to summarise huge projects on one PowerPoint slide, it does not look good if you cannot do the same to your CV! It is also expected that you are an interesting and personable individual; it helps to have other interests in things like sport or to be active in other univer-
Who is the current executive committee of the Consulting Society?
As you’d expect for the consulting society, we have a very lean executive committee consisting of just six members. I have previously worked at Deloitte Consulting and Barclays Capital and am looking forward to joining Oliver Wyman as a Consultant next year. The rest of our exec have worked at many other firms including EY, Deloitte and a few other consulting firms based around the world, including New York, Chicago and Qatar.
“we run events with our partner firms such as Deloitte, Accenture and Oliver Wyman to provide an insight”
What is Consultancy and what are the different branches? Consulting can cover a broad range of careers. As a society, we specialise in Management Consulting. Management Consulting concentrates on helping firms’ management to improve their business; through growth; through increases in efficiency or through entering new markets. Problems can be technology focused in some projects, or analysis-heavy when deciding how to price a product or keep up with continual changes in the market place. Within management consulting there are four key areas: strategy, operations, technology and human capital. Strategy is about the high level ideas at board-level and dealing with the overall direction of the company. Firms within this field include: McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Oliver Wyman and LEK. Operations tend to focus on firms’ supply chains and work is more tangible and ‘on the ground’. Operational projects include putting companies through large ‘change programmes’ and improving their logistics. Firms famous with large operational practices include Deloitte, PwC and EY. Technology is very broad and is involved with all other consulting areas. It involves ensuring companies’ technologies are up-to-date and sup-
to be a placement in consulting. As I mentioned earlier, any kind of placement can be spun to make it relevant to consulting. It is important to understand whether consulting is right for you. Really research the industry and speak to as many consultants as possible because it can be a different lifestyle compared to other jobs. Equally as I mentioned earlier our outreach project aims to give members a brief insight into the kind of work you will be undertaking as a consulting graduate.
Durham University Consulting society London trip 2014 What events do you run? Our society runs three types of events. Firstly, we run events with our partner firms such as Deloitte, Accenture and Oliver Wyman to provide an insight into their firm and the type of consulting they specialise in. Secondly, the society runs informal networking events allowing members to meet Consulting professionals and other members. Furthermore, we host skills-sessions with our partnerfirms. These are invaluable in helping our members develop their consulting skill-sets.
“breaking into consulting is notoriously difficult and is up there with investment banking and corporate law”
We also run an outreach project in Durham where interested stu-
is a Consulting speed-dating type event. We plan to have a range of people at Durham who have secured placements in different areas of consulting on one side of the table and on the other side will be current members interested in discovering more about Consulting. How can students improve their chances of breaking into Consultancy?
Breaking into consulting is notoriously difficult and is up there with investment banking and corporate law. One of the good things about consulting is that any experience can be relevant. For example, if you have worked as a tour-guide you can use that to emphasise communication skills or if you have worked as an accountant you can use that to show your analytical skills. To get an interview it helps to go to a good university (like Durham), show you can spin previous experience into being more ‘consultingy’ on a well-formatted CV and show a clear motivation on why consulting and why you’d be good at it. Your degree subject is essentially irrelevant. Understanding how the industry is laid out and what consultants actually
Photograph: Oliver Lambert sity societies. Most firms do Case Study type interviews that are completely different to any other type of interview. You are given a company’s problem and must work through it logically to end up with providing tangible advice. In the past I’ve been asked how a quadbiking firm in the US should approach moving into the Brazil market, how a clothes retailer within the UK can increase short-term profitability and asked to estimate the total revenue of a two-day music festival. Interviewers are looking for a structured approach as opposed to a ‘right’ answer. We have a lot of information on preparing for case study interviews on our website. It’s harder to get consulting experience as an undergraduate relative to finance or law as firms don’t tend to offer first year internships and the summer internships are limited. I’d recommend attending as many Insight days as possible and get as many big brand names on your CV- whether it’s in consulting or not. For example, undertaking a summer internship at an investment bank in my second year helped me to get graduate interviews across the board in consulting. In terms of second-year internships, it obviously helps but doesn’t have
“graduates are invited to board meetings of FTSE250 companies”
You have an interesting career background; please could you tell us more about working in the industry from your own experience? I’ve loved my time in consulting. It is a really good place to gain international experience and as well as London I have worked in Chicago for three months. Consulting allows you to work with a lot of really interesting people who are all very bright. You get a lot of responsibility in the industry; it is not often that graduates are invited to board meetings of FTSE250 companies to help propose ideas that can change the whole firm. Equally it is high-paced, many firms have an up-or-out structure which means you can’t relax in a cushy position for a few years. Clients expect valuable insights in return for the high fees they are paying meaning there is a lot of ongoing learning required. Overall, you get rewarded well and gain great experience. To find out more about the Consulting Society, please visit: durhamconsulting.co.uk or fb.com/durhamconsulting.
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Friday 14th March 2014| PALATINATE
Look out. You never know who’s watching Kenneth looks at the dangers of our obsession with living our lives online Kenneth Chan
Optic Nerve is the name of a spying program, newly revealed by the Guardian in a report based on secret documents revealed by Edward Snowden. US intelligence agency NSA and UK intelligence agency GCHQ collaborated to intercept webcam images from millions of Yahoo! users between 2008 and 2010. The spying program saved one image every five minutes from users’ webcams. All these users were ‘unselected’, meaning they were not suspected in connection with any criminal case. Nonetheless, citizens’ personal data, in this case webcam images, is stored in a manner which tells us that, to the NSA, we are all guilty. Of what? Apparently of being private citizens. Where is the warrant? There are no restrictions under UK law forbid-
ding the US agency from intercepting UK citizens’ data. Similarly, there are no restrictions under US law forbidding the UK agency from intercepting US citizens’ data. Therefore, there is nothing stopping them from spying on the other country’s citizens and then exchanging data, thus circumventing domestic law. When the Guardian first broke
of privacy’ has now become such a cliché, it probably does not mean anything significant to a majority of internet users. It is accepted by most that whenever you use the internet you have no reasonable expectation of privacy, and whatever you put online can never be removed. The scale of the operations now being continu-
the NSA/GCHQ domestic spying story, everyone laughed at the notion that our surveillance agencies may abuse their power and invade our privacy. Surely they would only tap the data of wanted targets. ‘Invasion
ously uncovered, however, cannot even be considered in the same realm of reality. Five years ago, who could have imagined being monitored by the government in all our communications, extending even
taurant in southern France. Goujon remarked that he considered this photography trend to be “poor etiquette.” He even went so far as to suggest that photograph of his dishes appearing on social network sites “take away the surprise, and a little bit of my intellectual property.” Certainly there is a fine line to be drawn. Should one treat a fine restaurant like a museum, where photography is often forbidden outright, or is a meal yours to do with as you please? Is it one’s right to be able to photograph fine dining experiences, or merely a privilege? Fellow chef Alexandre Gauthier certainly appears to harbour the latter view, as his restaurant’s menus include a “no cameras” icon. Whilst cameras are not banned from the establishment, Gauthier laments this fashion of photographing food instead of people. “Before, they were pictures of family, grandmother, and now we take pictures of food…We tweet, we like, we respond to comments, and the dish is cold.” This craze is not limited to restau-
rants. It would appear that just as many of us enjoy posting pictures of our own creations, from humble curries and breakfasts, to gargantuan cakes and desserts. Keen to discover more on the student perception of food porn, I posed the question to several Durham students. The overall opinion of the group was that what makes these pictures alluring is often the time and place of the snap, as opposed to the food itself. A picture of an exotic meal in an interesting country is something to be revered and envied, but a photo of your day-to-day lunch is boring and ignorable. The motivation behind this photo-sharing fad, it would appear, is simply to tell the world what an interesting time you are having, not just what food you are eating. This tendency to flaunt your lifestyle through your food sheds light on a whole culture of unashamed ‘showing off’ through photo-sharing. Just as an ‘Instagrammed’ meal might be dubbed food porn; a tweet from your Barcelona hotel room might be labelled ‘location porn’; a snap of your new iPhone 5 could
to camera surveillance in our own homes? 30-year-old Londoner Andrew Meldrum was convicted last week of three counts of unauthorised access to computer material and two counts of voyeurism for installing spying software while fixing the computers of three women, in order to watch them remotely through their webcams. He is still
Photograph: Sikoian guilty, right? When the domestic surveillance story first broke, many declaimed the government agencies’ actions as unacceptable breaches of citizens’
privacy. As more and more details are revealed, this is worth saying again and again. The Guardian quotes one document as saying “face detection has the potential to aid selection of useful images for ‘mugshots’ or even for face recognition by assessing the angle of the face… The best images are ones where the person is facing the camera with their face upright.” Surely, this is only to go after terrorists and other criminals? The more we find out, the more we realise how the government agencies view us. They are taking our mugshots before any crime is committed, or even suspected. In 2008, GCHQ also considered spying through the Xbox 360 Kinect. The new Xbox One’s Kinect sensor, with advanced camera and microphone array, is on all the time, whether the game system is on or not. If you are on your laptop, look up a few centimetres. There is a camera in front of your face this very moment. Smile.
Food porn: our new shameless obsession
Patrick Brennan
Last edition I looked at social media and the way we embellish our lives online. How does the new craze ‘food porn’ fit into this? When asked his opinion on the recent social media craze: taking photos of meals and sharing them with the wider world via social networking sites, my housemate responded; “I want to see pictures of people, not pictures of meals. It’s Facebook, not Foodbook.” ‘Food porn’, as the media has dubbed it, is probably something you’re very familiar with through the likes of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But would you think twice about joining in on it if you knew that you may well be endangering the jobs of the world’s top chefs? This bizarre, hyperbolic question arises following a recent statement by French chef Gilles Goujon, who runs a three Michelin-starred res-
be classed as ‘technology porn’. One might even go so far as to label all photo-sharing through social media under the umbrella term ‘lifestyle porn’. Maybe it is not so much the intellectual property theft, as the simple shamelessness of this trend that has led these top chefs to view food porn in such a bad light. Perhaps eating at a fine restaurant has simply become another way to advertise your high quality of life to your social circle. On the flipside, however, social networking offers massive free ad-
vertising potential. Vain it may be, but food porn provides a chance for thousands of people to see just how good your restaurant is – through the sepia-filtered eyes of countless Facebook friends. I say Messieurs Goujon and Gauthier should sit back, relax and embrace this new interconnected, social generation, whilst reaping the benefits. But they are also welcome to despair of our self-obsessed, narcissistic culture while they are at it.
Photograph: `Naomi Ellis
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The Durham experience: ‘Nova’ be disappointed Iona reassures us that Durham offers the ‘uni’ experience just like everywhere else Iona Napier The Student Room forum website is both enlightening and alarming on the sweeping generalisation front. A perplexing section focuses on the demystification of Durham University. Welcome to a plethora of wild speculations containing high points such as ‘The Big Durham Social and Nightlife Thread’ and the endearing ‘Incredibly Nervous About University (Durham)’. Enormous anxiety is located in wasting one precious UCAS choice on an institution that is sometimes unflatteringly dubbed, due to its lacklustre nightlife, “not a real university.” The thread is littered with comments describing the city as full of “silly toff students” and the equally unfounded award for “the worst binge drinking culture of any uni.” Even the BBC has been caught in print claiming that “there are remote hamlets in the Scottish Highlands that could boast a wider range of clubs than Durham.” Are they wrong?
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are we ranked 20th globally for employer reputation becuase our future bosses can guarantee we will never come in to work hungover?
”
Are we ranked 20th globally for employer reputation because our future bosses can guarantee we will never come in to work hungover? However, Durham is rated the 5th best University in the country with
an 89% student satisfaction rate. Can we ignore an uncanny correlation between the haters and people who do not, in fact, live or study here?
“
expect a city containing only a handful of streets to rival London. At what point did this metropolis publicize its radical night scene, anyway? Why is it justifiable to trash
the library is consistently humming and 9am lectures are seldom deserted. It is not that we are not having fun, but we are not seeking it exclusively in intoxication
The bone of contention is this: the vast majority are still doggedly committed to bringing up the infamous FHM survey placing Durham’s Klute second in the dubious contest for Europe’s worst night club until, hilariously, the dive in Belgrade burnt down and we ascended to number one. Incidentally, the survey took place in 1996, a year of fascinating developments such as the world’s first clone (Dolly the Sheep), mad cow disease sweeping the UK and the legendary Ella Fitzgerald’s death, yet these topics seem to have paled into insignificance in lieu of this hackneyed piece of trivia. It is peculiar that anyone would
”
it for not offering the dimensions and, crucially, anonymity of Digital in our neighbouring city? To have a problem with Durham on account of its size is as pointless as seeking controversy with Danny DeVito for his height (clocking in at 5’0”). Like DeVito, Durham may be small, but it is far too interesting to care. The college system may seem alien to non-collegiate university students with concepts such as formals, college days and balls (surely more personal than the anonymity of university-wide events) conjuring up a Hogwarts-cum-Oxbridge image of the place. The contrary is true; college life allows for a community that
Photograph: `Ellie de la Bedoyere is not embroiled in the academic side of life and is thus less overbearing; whether you scorn or conform, your college reputation may precede you. Ideally placed, night owl mecca Newcastle is closer for us than the centre of London will be for many of those studying in the capital. For country bumpkins, a stroll along the river or escaping to some woodland on a clear morning can hit the spot for a change of scenery, and lakes and moors are never far. Kite surfer friends head to the spectacular Chemworks Beach or the Tees Estuary “depending on which way the
Photograph: Naomi Ellis
wind is blowin’” and, stash galore, the active nature of the student population is apparent from day one. The library is consistently humming and 9am lectures are seldom deserted. It is not that the people here are not having fun, but they are not seeking it exclusively in intoxication. The dinner parties abound and great food, nice wine and ambient music are not as ‘uncool’ as they might have been as a fresher. The argument is not really about Durham’s nightlife; it is about a Durham life in general. Balanced and fulfilling, the four years that I have spent here have been some of the happiest ones of my life. So, since Newcastle’s Digital markets itself as the planet’s most exciting church of electronic music, maybe Caitlin Moran’s quip that “a library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival” needs to be muralised somewhere in the Bill Bryson. If we are to be persecuted for the identity that is tirelessly projected upon us and our handsome city, we may as well embrace it and get on with our work and play; and yes, we do play.
P
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Europe and the Ukraine Philip Naylor
Europe is undoubtedly more secure now than it ever has been in the past. Relations between European states, which not so long ago were dominated by aggression and suspicion, are now built up on co-operation and consensus. Through projects like the European Union, the political landscape of our continent has been fundamentally changed for the better. However, the crisis in Ukraine serves as a warning that we should not take this security for granted. While the situation is unlikely to escalate in to anything resembling a conventional military conflict with Russia, the difficulties we have faced in seeking a unified response to the occupation of Crimea should be a serious cause for concern. World leaders seem to be caught uncomfortably between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, we have the option of punishing Russia through economic and political sanctions. Many have been quick to point out that sanctions may be counterproductive – Russia remains easily the world’s largest exporter of gas, and also ranks first in oil production. For many European countries, this energy supply is vital and the risk that it could be interfered with is an obviously unwelcome prospect for a continent still crawling out of deep recession. Yet even more unappealing is the idea that, as was the case with their 2008 adventure in South Ossetia, Russia goes unchallenged. Let us be clear – there is no justification for Russia’s actions here. Yes, there is a significant Russian speaking minority in some regions of Ukraine, and some people have demonstrated in favour of Russia. Regardless, even if a person speaks
Russian or has roots there it does not follow that they automatically wish to see the Russian army intervening on their behalf. There seems to be little evidence that ethnic Russians were being targeted in a way which requires the intervention of a foreign military. Ukraine is a sovereign state and its borders should be respected. Ukraine needs support, financial and diplomatic, to strengthen its institutions and ensure that the democratic process accurately reflects the will of its people – all of its people. The intervention has only served to interrupt this process and will likely only engender a sense of division and difference in Ukraine. It is hard to predict how exactly the situation will end, or prescribe a course of action. But regardless,
Illustration: Mariam Hayat we need to examine why we were so constrained and learn lessons from it. Of course, the best strategy for the future will not be to exclude Russia but to work diplomatically to ensure that all countries – including those in the West – show respect for international law. But this event has shown that, while much has changed in international politics, it would be naive to think that there are no dangers left. We need to be realistic and Europe needs to ensure that in the future, it has the unity and security required to act in situations like this. The United States should be seen as a model of energy security. Because of their investment in shale drilling, the US has begun a proc-
ess of transformation that will see it move from the world’s leading importer of oil to a net exporter. Remarkably, it will become virtually self-sufficient in terms of energy in about two decades. While it is not clear if Europe has similar potential to become fully independent, the dependence on imports could certainly be lessened. The move towards energy independence should be a cornerstone of our security. Reducing our dependence on other countries for energy would give us the confidence that, despite any potential threats or unpredictable events, we can maintain stability by ensuring we can never be held to ransom with energy. Lastly, we in the EU need to be aware that ultimately we are responsible for our own security. The United States has guaranteed the security of Europe through the Cold War and beyond, taking a leading role in the crises that have flared up on continent. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the burden needs to be shared. America has many priorities, and with a growing focus on the Pacific, we need to recognise that it will not be able to play its traditional role indefinitely. At the moment, EU co-ordination of foreign policy remains loose. The extraordinary summit of European premiers to discuss the situation was scheduled for the 6th March, almost a full week after the crisis has begun. Europe is not a state, and there are realities of being a political union, but we cannot maximise our potential as a Union if we are so slow to act. Admittedly, there are many worthwhile arguments against both shale drilling and European integration. But we live in an uncertain world, and we cannot always assume that someone else will guarantee our security.
Friday 14th March 2014| PALATINATE
Women in Westminster? Jade Azim
It was only half a century ago that the Houses of Parliament did not have toilets for women. Years later, while that most explicit icon of gender inequality has been dealt with, there is still a stagnant degree of an “old boys club,” as Ed Miliband put it in a recent Prime Minister’s Questions. Miliband probably walked in to the Commons that day, saw the front bench, and cheered: the front bench was very white, very male, and very Etonian, and even pretty Bullingdon Club. Miliband was confronted with an abundance of sexism, easily directed at the Conservatives to score Labour political points. It was also during the week that a number of women in government roles have experienced a purge of their jobs, being replaced with male counterparts. Not that there is anything commendable about point-scoring using women’s issues, but there is also something outright condemnable that Cameron was quick to dismiss Miliband’s queries on the matter. And there is something outright distressing that there are just over 40 Tory MPs who are women. The goto defence was of course, Thatcher, but she herself was just as guilty, if not more, of pushing the women below her even lower. She even referred to feminism as “poison.” Westminster is a hyper-masculine place. Where women have thrived, they have had to put up with many a “Calm down, dear!”, even being told to leave when in an elevator by a male MP. The criticisms of male MPs are largely policy-based. For women, it is her hair, her face, her ‘nagging’. There is little wonder so few women aspire to get involved in politics; it is not a gradualism thing, that this will ‘sort itself out in time’, it is because Westminster represents everything that a woman fears in a workplace. Forget about a glass ceiling, Westminster’s surrounded by a glass bubble. And it has become quite explicit in recent years that the modern day Conservative Party has a problem with women. David Cameron has been prone to blatant slips of the tongue in the direction of women, it was even pointed out that he recently greeted a businesswoman by asking
“Where’s your husband?” Miliband’s most potent dig came when he said: “You promised to modernise your party, but you are going backwards. You run your government like the old boys’ network – that’s why you are failing women across your party and across the country.” Not that, of course, any side of Parliament was the face of progression. There were few female faces on either side, even fewer of ethnic minorities. There is a phrase that Clinton used back in the 1990s with regards to the composition of the cabinet in the White House. His aim was for it to “look like America.” Whether he was successful is a matter of contention for another time (the answer would be ‘no’) but it is pretty hard to find any political leader or senior front bencher in the UK who exhibits anything close to that rhetoric regarding addressing disproportionate representation. Even lesser is there any movement to truly wipe clean the image of Westminster as the playground of white men. John Bercow recently touched on this image when he noted the hyper-masculine, public school boy jarring and screeching of PMQs, broadcast live on television. While Miliband’s attacks were valid, the aim needs to be not to score political points but to collaborate on remedying this issue, ensuring that the culture of Westminster politics is transformed to be less intimidating, less gendered, and more accessible for everyone. It made recent headlines that only one in four young people are registered on the Electoral Register. Perhaps with any campaign that is mobilised to push more young people into political participation, to reduce the alienation felt by marginalised voices in our society, we can also campaign to push young women into the political arena too, particularly those from ethnic minorities. We need to start with this generation; our millennial generation. We cannot be as marginalising as our parents. Our democracy depends on it.
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PALATINATE | Friday 14th March 2014
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College sport
VARSITY RESULTS: by Lawrence Holmes follow us @palatiSPORT
Durham win inaugural Varsity College sport became university sport on Sunday 2nd March in the inaugural Durham-York Varsity event. Durham’s best college teams travelled to York to take on their best in eight different sports in sixteen matches. The sports involved were men’s and women’s football, men’s rugby, mixed basketball, mixed volleyball, netball, mixed hockey and mixed doubles badminton. Considering Durham’s much more well-established college system, the contest was much closer than many anticipated, with York taking it to the final match. With five points for an A match win and three for a B match win, Durham led 14-3 at the lunch-break before a strong afternoon performance from York brought them back into the contest. With a win in the final game, Durham clinched victory 37-27 with nine wins to York’s seven. Palatinate spoke to York’s sport president Cassandra Brown and Durham’s head of college sport Tom Newman to get their thoughts on the day’s events. How did you feel the event went overall? CB: For the first event of this kind, I thought it went very smoothly. We could have done with some nicer weather but it can’t be helped! It would have been great to have a larger programme of fixtures to get even
more people involved, but inevitably as it was the inaugural tournament, we have to start off smaller and expand from there. TN: It was a great success! We won which was great and it gave us a chance to give our college teams the chance to show what they are made of and go up against some really tough competition.
What did you make of York’s performance? CB: I’m absolutely delighted with our performances, which are testament to York’s fantastic and evergrowing sport programme. The Durham sides got off to a flyer in the morning, but we had an amazing comeback in the afternoon. Getting a draw would have been fantastic, but overall we’re happy. TN: I wasn’t expecting it to be as
close but all credit to York they were brilliant. The thing we didn’t really anticipate was that they play their mixed sports normally, so they play well as a team. Watching the basketball, they were a very tight unit and they knew what they were doing whereas we had never played together before. Did any performances stand out in particular? CB: There were so many amazing performances but my favourite result was the badminton A game between Wentworth and Josephine Butler. It was so intense, and York just managed to win by the narrowest of margins. TN: I was impressed with everybody really and we came home with a nice load of silverware which is great! I was really impressed by Trevs volleyball and both our rugby teams were fantastic and very professional. I had never seen the standard of our college badminton but I watched their games and they were very good. York had a special qualification weekend to work out which teams would take part whereas Durham just took the top two from each league. Did one method work better than the other? CB: I don’t know if it was better, but ours was intended to give the top four sides from each of the winter leagues the chance to play, so
With fifteen of the sixteen games played, Durham’s strong performance in the morning had been pegged back by York in the afternoon, reducing the margin to only five points. The scores stood at 32-27 with Durham agonisingly only half a point from overall victory. It all came down to the final match, the women’s netball A match, which saw Van Mildert take on Halifax. Had York won the match, they would have secured a draw overall. In future years, should the contest end in a draw, the current holders of the competition will be crowned winners. However, with this year’s event being the inaugural competition, there were no contingency plans in place had it ended in a draw. Luckily, Van Mildert led the game from the start, winning 38-28 in a
tense fixture and securing overall victory for Durham. Despite the outcome of the whole tournament resting on their performance, Van Mildert player Sally Evans said the girls were helped by the fact they did not realise the importance of the match at the time. “We did not know the competition was that close so we were just playing to win really. We found out how huge it was after and it was definitely a relief to have won!” The standard of the match was high, but Durham benefited from a dominant start which saw them take an early 5-1 lead, giving them a springboard for the rest of the match. “We played really well against a strong York team, who had loads of university players representing them. “It was a tight match, but an early
lead set us up brilliantly for the rest of the game.” With all the other matches having concluded, the spectators, mainly York students, flocked to watch the deciding fixture, further increasing the pressure on Durham’s players. “The atmosphere was great because lots of people came to watch the match. That amount of support made it a lot harder for us though, as we were lacking fans.” However, the girls never really looked troubled throughout the match. The first quarter ended 12-4 in Van Mildert’s favour, but a more even second quarter saw York reduce the deficit to five points at halftime, with Durham going in to the break 19-14 ahead. Van Mildert reasserted their dominance in the third quarter. taking a 31-21 lead into the final quarter and
“It’s such an exciting and unique event, the first of its kind in the country” Cassandra Brown, York university’s sport president
that they could prove they were the strongest side from each sport. The qualifying weekend also served as a great opportunity to build up hype about the main event. TN: I think rewarding the top two teams is a good way of doing it. We only came up with the idea in October so by the time we had finalised things it was a bit late to tell the captains because they were already half way through the season. What can we expect from next year’s event, due to be held in Durham? CB: It definitely has the potential to become an integral part of the sporting calendar for both York and Durham. It’s such an exciting and unique event, the first of its kind in the country to provide this sort of platform for college sport. We’ve started off relatively small, but I have no doubt that it will snowball year on year, elevating the status of college sport and establishing what I hope will become a highly anticipated rivalry between York and Durham. TN: It was good to se how they planned it out and how we’ll do it differently. We will put a few more fixtures on with more sports, and put them on together as well. We will also try and maybe do individual sex rather than mixed. We will shorten the day as it was quite long day for everyone there, and our facilities allow us to do that.
Mildert netball win in tense decider
10:15 Men’s football A match Hatfield 7-2 James Durham +5 10:15 Men’s rugby B match Hatfield 49-0 Halifax Durham +3 10:30 Mixed basketball B match St . Mary’s 39-41 Langwith York +3 10:30 Netball B match Hild Bede 37-31 James Durham +3
11:30 Mixed volleyball B match Trevelyan 3-1 Alcuin/Wentworth Durham +3 13:00 Women’s football A match Trevelyan 8-6 Langwith Durham +5
13:30 Mixed hockey A match Hatfield 6-3 James Durham +5 13:45 Mixed doubles badminton B match St .Cuthbert’s Society 2-7 Goodricke York +3
14:00 Mixed volleyball A match Josephine Butler 0-3 Wentworth York +5 14:00 Women’s football B match Ustinov 1-6 Vanbrugh York +3
15:00 Men’s rugby A match Hild Bede 19-7 Derwent Durham +5
15:30 Mixed hockey B match St. Cuthbert’s Society 2-0 Goodricke Durham +3 15:30 Mixed basketball A match Ustinov 60-65 Wentworth York +5
15:45 Men’s football B match Collingwood 1-2 Halifax York +3
they never looked back, winning 3828 and achieving overall victory for Durham. Reflecting on the day as a whole, Evans was positive. “It was a well-organised event and the idea was really cool. It was a shame a lot of people did not stay for the closing ceremony but we got great stash out of it!”
16:15 Mixed doubles badminton A match Josephine Butler 4-5 Wentworth York +5 17:00 Netball A match Van Mildert 38-28 Halifax Durham +5
Final score:
37-27
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Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
Fun run hosted for Zambia charity Amy Ellerker Loud music blaring out, excitable cheers, the presence of a dancing badger and 800 lively school children from 14 primary schools and you’re probably thinking what could this possibly be? On 7th March Maiden Castle was brought to life with the presence of local primary school students taking part in the Zambian fun run. The run is an annual event held at the Durham University Sport complex designed to raise money for Sport in Action Zambia. This charity is a NonGovernmental Organisation based in Lusaka in Zambia, which aims to enrich the lives of young people and promote social messages through sport and physical activity. Each year the Wallace Group, which includes the universities of Stirling, Northumbria, Loughborough, Bath, Cardiff Metropolitan, St Andrew’s and Durham, send students to Zambia to work in orphanages and compounds teaching netball, football, volleyball and basketball. In addition, the students also assist with PE lessons in schools and afterschool clubs. The primary school
students at the run paid an entry fee of £2 with some pupils gaining additional sponsorship to raise money for the organisation. The money raised from the run will go towards purchasing equipment for the charity, which will then be loaned out to local schools and compounds to improve the quantity and quality of sessions that can be run. Last year £2,227 was raised and this year it is hoped that this amount will be beaten. The event was a huge success with local sixth form sport leaders and University volunteers helping out at the event, bringing together the local community and University students. For the first time at the event, Purple Radio made a guest appearance; their commentating entertained the many pupils and spectators, while the music created a fun and exciting atmosphere. This year Durham students going to Zambia are Amelia Wilkinson, Ellen Blackwood, James Coupland and John Keary. A big thank you to everyone who got involved with the event, including the participants, the volunteers and the Team Durham staff members, without whom such a fantastic day wouldn’t have been possible.
MOVE OVER MO: One of the competitors takes to the track
Photograph: Natasha Douglas
Altoft leads the way for swimmers Emily Beech With 45 members and training five times a week at early and late sessions, University swimming is not for the faint-hearted. However, with only three BUCS events in a year and training way over in Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre rather than at Maiden Castle, its presence is perhaps a little less felt than other clubs in Team Durham. Yet a few weekends back, it was time for the swimmers to step into the spotlight as they competed in the BUCS Individual Championships. After the disappointment of not making the finals of the team swimming competition this year, the Palatinates were keen to make it a memorable
meet. It certainly was for first year English student Leah Altoft who took home bronze in the 100m fly. However, not content with a medal, Altoft also broke three Durham University records and made two further finals. Palatinate spoke to Altoft and Club Captain Tom Stuart after Durham’s relative success at the Individual Championships. Despite finishing some way behind swimming giants such as Bath and Loughborough, the amount of records broken (eight in total) illustrates how Durham swimming is progressing in the right direction. Despite competing at national level before coming to Durham, Altoft was surprised to finish on the podium saying it was “a massive PB and being just outside the top ten going
into the final I didn’t expect to medal”. It requires years of dedication to medal at BUCS; Altoft has been swimming competitively for ten years. She spends most of her training at Derwentside, a local swimming club posting about eight sessions a week rather than with Team Durham, who do not offer enough training sessions. “I knew one of the coaches before coming to Durham so that’s how I became involved”. The club also welcomes swimmers from Northumbria University, but Altoft is the only Palatinate who makes the extra journey. Stuart, in his third year studying Engineering, also commented on how the facilities perhaps “inhibited” the swimming club’s performance. Having only three lanes in a 25m
pool which is not owned by the university makes finding amiable training times difficult. It is certainly unusual and surprising that Durham, despite its prowess in other sporst, does not have a swimming pool down at Maiden Castle. Compare this to Bath, which boasts its own impressive 50m pool and even attracts swimmers such as 2012 Olympic silver medallist Michael Jamieson to train there. With this sort of backing, Bath’s success is unsurprising, making Durham’s achievements at the Individual Championships even more merited. The lack of specific facilities for individual (rather than team) sports is arguably reflected in the poorer share of BUCS points being attributed to sports such as gymnastics, swimming and athletics.
In the BUCS league, Durham outstrips all its rivals in team sports. However, in individual rankings Durham is 871 points off overall leaders Loughborough. Nevertheless, “friendly, competitive and dedicated” were the three words used to sum up DUSC. Training hard is a necessity in order to compete, yet despite being an individual sport both Altoft and Stuart were keen to stress the club’s strong sense of community. Looking forward, the club has no further BUCS events this season but is set to compete in the National Masters, which offers a more casual event for all swimmers aged 20 years and over. To read more about DUSC’s success at the Individual Championships visit www.palatinate.org.uk.
Palatinates reach national finals
After Wednesday’s Championship semi-finals, see which teams will be representing Durham at the national finals over the Easter vacation Visit www.palatinate.org.uk or follow us @palatiSPORT on twitter
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PALATINATE | Friday 14th March 2014
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Why not give clay pigeon shooting a shot? Matthew Lavender The organisation and management of any sports team or club poses a challenge to those brave enough to assume such a responsibility, but few have to start from such basic foundations as the new leadership of Durham University’s Clay Pigeon Shooting Club. The club, which is the focus of the third in a series looking at the more unusual side to Team Durham, had existed for many years until, at the end of last year, it effectively died out after its leaders graduated and failed to oversee a transition of management into the hands of younger members. However, after spending several months dormant, the club is now firing up again, after it was ‘re-founded’, by Ross Morton and James Blanshard. At present, the club has around fifteen members, most of whom have prior experience of shooting, who shoot every Sunday and occasionally on a Wednesday. The real focus, however, is on the future, and what a rejuvenated club can achieve from the start of next academic year. “We are hoping for a big influx next year by having a stand at the fresher’s fair,” explains Morton, the Club Secretary. “In December we ran a trial shoot which about twenty people came to; many of whom had never shot before. We really want to get new people coming to try out the sport”. In its present state, the ‘club’ is
Team Durham PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
College Varsity, BUCS quarter and semi-finals, Grey Sports Formal, Collingwood Invitation Formal, Team Durham President interviews, Zambia Fun Run – Team Durham life is full of variety! The introduction of the College Varsity against York University colleges was a huge success. The tournament enabled college sport participants to represent their university and college away from home turf. Durham did not disappoint and we are proud to be the first winners of the Varsity trophy! Durham will host next year. 44 Durham teams competed in the BUCS quarter finals – a record for Durham but also a record for any university in Britain! Maiden Castle was awash with palatinate, and Purple Radio created a winning atmosphere. 33 victories is an impressive statistic! The Palatinates are cetainly well on their way to ‘turning the road to
better described as a small collection of enthusiasts who go on informal shoots once or twice a week, but the ambition is to form a more structured society, comprising experienced and inexperienced shooters and competing in competitions for the University. “This year has been a bit sparse on the competition front as we have had to organise everything from scratch again,” explains Morton. “But we hope to go to several competitions next year, including BUCS”. The hope is that an increase in membership would have a domino effect of raising the club’s profile, and thus finances, which would open up the possibility of partaking in more competitions, making the society an integral – and diverse – part of Team Durham. “The club is entirely funded by members at the moment, although Team Durham does help out from time to time with one-off deals, such as the use of a bus,” Morton says. “But transport is a real problem for us at present. If we can get more people interested then we will be more likely to get hold of transport, for competitions, and we can progress from there”. Though the club clearly faces many obstacles at present, it appears that the attraction of new members would be the remedy to many – if not most – of its current ills. With this in mind, the club is offering training to anybody who wishes to try out, and potentially join the club, but has never shot properly before. “Jamie Blanshard, (Club President) the BUCS finals palatinate!’. Tom and I were honoured to be invited to present the awards at the Grey College Sports Formal. An event such as this highlights how vital sport is to college and therefore university life. It was a pleasure to celebrate Grey’s sporting successes so far this season. The student Event Management Group did a brilliant job at arranging our annual Fun Run. This event involved local primary school children who raced around Maiden Castle to raise money for our Sport in Action Zambia projects. I am looking forward to experiencing first-hand how this money supports the Zambian communities as I will be joining the project in July.
Hannah Lowther
and I will take beginners out shooting the first few times to make sure they are safe, and from there we offer people the chance to either improve themselves or we will give guidance on how they can improve,” explains Morton, who has been shooting casually since the age of thirteen. On a cold and very blustery Sunday morning at Spennymoor and District Clay Pigeon Club, just outside of Durham city, I discovered firsthand what the sport, and the club, offers to those without any previous experience, such as myself. My initial fears that half the morning could be spent listening to safety and theory talks were quickly dispelled, as getting practical experience of actually shooting was undoubtedly the primary focus. The shooting itself is a surprisingly
simple process, even if hitting the flying clays is not quite so straightforward a task. But when you do destroy a clay in mid-flight, you instantly discover the sport’s addictive quality. “It’s very obvious when you get it right, and seeing a clay shatter into many pieces is very therapeutic,” contends Morton. Contrary to preconceptions, the shooting is in no way repetitive, and the desire to try ‘just one more’ shot grips you from the outset. Clay pigeon shooting really does offer something very different from other sports, due both to its independent nature and the specific attributes it requires for success. “The skill of deflection shooting is what makes clay pigeon quite different from other target sports. You
have to anticipate where the object will be when your shoot gets to it, what with the clay being a moving target”. The structure of clay pigeon shooting, as a sport, is one of the most favourable to new members wishing to try out a new pursuit, because you can begin with the easiest targets and work your way up through the difficulty levels, and thus you rarely find yourself facing a challenge either too easy or unattainable. Combined with the fact that the club at Durham is one of the most upand-coming in the University, with strong ambitions for progress and a plan of action to match, it is certainly one that would be strongly recommended to those with a disposition to try something new.
Photograp
Illustr
Photograph: Patrick Bennett
Water polo stronger than ever Tom Morcom Water polo games are usually tense affairs, with end-to-end goal trading, brutal tests of fitness and occasional casual violence. However, Durham Men’s 1sts’ crushing victory over Bath proved to be an exception, with the southern visitors crumbling to a 23-6 defeat when faced with the fitter, more clinical home team. In front of a packed out crowd at Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre, the team, captained by Alex Gabriel, overpowered their opponents from the beginning of the first quarter, scoring with their first attack and maintaining their stranglehold on the game till the final whistle. However, Durham’s victory was by no means certain before the match began; Bath are a swimming powerhouse with their own 50m pool, who also narrowly defeated the team in last year’s BUCS semi finals, so there was a distinct desire to set the record straight now that the Vikings were playing on home turf.
This involved identifying and shutting down Bath’s star player, for which special credit must go to Patrick Bennet, who - despite struggling with injury - denied Bath their main attacking threat and forced wild long-distance shots. The attacking play was also impressive, with Durham capitalising on the opposition’s sluggish swim speed to convert a huge amount of break-away goals. Top scorer went to Arthur ‘TJ’ Lewis, who due to his opportunistic play style and natural suspicion of passing, put an impressive eight shots in the back of the net, to the increasing despair of their keeper. The team have now qualified for the semi-finals in Leeds which took place yesterday against Bristol, Loughborough and Cardiff. With a rigorous regime of last-minute training, DUWP men’s hope to once again make it to the BUCS finals, as was the case last year. The addition of two GB under-18 players, Matt Calvert and Jack Skerritt, has certainly helped this cause,
alongside increased gym time to compliment sessions in the pool. Furthermore, the men’s 2nds and women’s 1sts have also progressed greatly this year, both also having reached the quarter-final stage in their respective leagues. This year also saw the introduction of a women’s 2nd team due the increasing popularity of the sport, and after an incredible uptake and turnout for training, this new team has begun playing its first local matches. While often dismissed as obscure and niche, water polo offers the opportunity for both fitness and physicality. Frequently topping lists for the toughest sport in the world, it provides a unique challenge for those interested in trying something new. In fact, due to the club’s rapid growth in recent years, more and more beginners are taking up the sport, and with both skill and fitness sessions available to players of all levels, there has never been a better time to get involved.
Sport
Friday 14th March 2014 | PALATINATE
Unusual Sports
Matthew Lavender investigates clay pigeon shooting p.19
College Sport
Summary of Durham’s win at the College Varsity p.17
Water polo
The rise of Durham water polo p.19
Ultimate frisbee reach nationals Emily Beech
Youngsters take part in the Sport in Action Zambia fun run at Maiden Castle, read the article on p.18 Photograph: Natasha Douglas
Netball celebrate best season Emika Berry
It was a successful finish for DUNC’s season, with three out of four wins for the club and a promotion for the 4th team in their final round of BUCS league fixtures. The results demonstrated that the hard work of all the teams this season has really paid off and it was a well-deserved send-off for the finalists, who will be missed on and off the court next season. The highlight of the week was the 4th team’s 39-27 victory over Sheffield Hallam. Having lost against them in a tough match last term, it was essential for the team to secure a win in order to get promoted, and they did not disappoint. It was a close match with both teams desperate to finish the season victorious; this was reflected in the feistiness of the game. By the final quarter there was no preventing a Palatinate victory, with brilliant play from Laura Taylor in defence and a strong middle court including Julia Stichbury. The ball constantly made it into
the circle where it was more often that not converted into a goal thanks to some outstanding shooting from Emily Houston. The victory capped off a successful season for the side who won a well-earned promotion as a result of the victory. Next up on court was the 2nd team, including six squad members for whom this was to be their final match for DUNC. Despite some ankle niggles for a couple of the players, the performance from the Palatinates was a deserving send-off. GD Rosie Smith continually put pressure on the opposition securing some great turnovers for Durham while captain Maxime Rowson was superb in centre court getting some excellent interceptions - much to her
Netball Season 2013/14
1st team Northern 1A (Runners-Up) 2nd team Northern 3B (4th Place) 3rd team Northern 5B (Runners-Up) 4th team Northern 7B (Winners)
opposite number’s annoyance. Meanwhile, the shooting duo of India Wadham and Katie Boon made sure the team stayed ahead throughout the match. The final quarter was at times a nerve-racking experience for the home side, as Durham maintained just a one-goal lead. However in the final few minutes they managed to pull away and secure a 45-40 victory. The 1st team could not continue the club’s success with an away loss against Liverpool University, despite some good periods of play. Despite a step up in quality for the side, it wasn’t enough to overcome Liverpool and their partial umpires. The Palatinates showed that they were the greater team in the last quarter, winning it 14-7 thanks in part to the impressive movement and calm approach of shooters Rebecca Hazell and Sarah Parkin. The final score was 45-38 to Liverpool, with Durham ending a fantastic season, where they finished second in their league. Finally, the 3rd team were also in action away to Hull. Despite some questionable umpiring, which at
times prevented Meg Rutherford and Lydia Woodward showing their shooting skills, the team managed to secure a 38-29 win over their opponents, also finishing second in their league. Defence duo Hennie Young and Nicole Weir worked brilliantly against their players while finalists Liv Hovington and Tash Barrington’s feeds into the circle were spot on, ending their DUNC careers on a high. Yesterday saw the 4th team seek to continue their success in the Conference Plate at home against Leeds; you can see how the side got on at www.palatinate.org.uk. The club wish to thank the strength and conditioning team, coach Natalie Connor and Cameron Henderson for all their efforts in training the club.
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Ultimate frisbee is a sport that has seen its popularity reach pandemic proportions. From its beginnings in the USA during the late 1960s, the sport has grown so much that in 2012 5.1 million people were playing across America. Over on this side of the Atlantic, although sometimes on the receiving end of ‘sport snobbery’, the game is undeniably an enjoyable hobby for many across the University, requiring speed, skill and agility to navigate an often boggy and sodden pitch. Perhaps due the widespread participation at college level, University ultimate frisbee is thriving as the DU team finished first at the recent Northern Regionals.
5.1 million
the number of ultimate frisbee players in the USA in 2012
This means the club now qualify for the Division 1 Nationals, taking place in late April. Here, the top sixteen teams in the UK will battle it out to be crowned National Champions. The Palatinates managed to beat Manchester University which, according to Tom Bennett (who is in the enviable position of calling himself Durham’s Ultimate Captain) is “a pretty big deal, as Manchester have dominated the North in recent years”. The Manchester side also finish comfortably in the top four nationally making the Palatinate’s victory even more promising as the club are given their first ever opportunity to earn BUCS points for their university at the upcoming Nationals. To watch the heroics of that final, head to Youtube where the last point of the match was caught on camera.
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