Comment’s mental health special edition
What next for Britain’s export of espionage?
Comment discusses mental health p.14
Indigo Film and TV takes a look i10
Durham’s independent student newspaper
Palatinate
No. 777
Thursday 5th November 2015| FREE
www.palatinate.org.uk
College mascots of all shapes and sizes get ready to get ready to welcome the Durham Freshers of 2015/16 Expect to see more stunning light displays when Lumiere returns to Durham next Thursday
Photograph: Durham University Photograph: Arne Kuilman
Students to hold the University to account on sexual violence policy
Daniel Fox News Editor Student groups, in conversation with Palatinate, have criticised the University on how it deals with claims of sexual violence. Emily Whiteside, a member of It Happens Here - a student group which campaigns on the issue of sexual violence - has listed three demands to the University. These are: mandatory staff train-
ing on sexual violence and dealing with disclosures, an official policy on sexual violence, and proper signposting for all students through the process. Speaking to Palatinate, all nine feminism societies at Durham have backed these demands. All nine societies also called on the University to introduce compulsory consent workshops for all its students. The student groups have prom-
ised to hold the University to account if it does not act on the issue. Stephen Burrell, a PhD student in the Durham Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse spoke to Palatinate on the issue. “Currently there appears to be a denial by universities across the country that sexual violence is affecting, and being perpetrated by, many of their students, and a denial that this is something universities have a responsibility to deal
with. “One of the excuses universities give for being so timid in relation to this issue is the 1994 Zellick report. “This leads to the ridiculous situation where they are willing to deal with less serious crimes but not ones such as sexual violence which are actually having the most damaging impact upon their students.” Continued on page 6
An Apology to Robinsons Estate Agents We’d like to apologise for the poor choice of image on the ‘Third year law student to take letting agent to court’ article on pages 3 and 6 of the last edition. Furthermore, we’d like to clarify that Robinsons Estate Agents are not involved in the court case and bear no relation to the article.