Palatinate 826

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Thursday 20th February 2020 | No. 826

Comment covers Scottish independence, reparations and safe sex

Indigo explores Durham’s hidden visual arts scene & mental health in DST

Stuart Corbridge to leave in 2022 Jack Taylor Editor-in-Chief

▲ Aggression Sessions 2020 ‘Spar 6’ raised £40,000 for the charity Papyrus and featured 24 students fighting over the night (Mark Norton)

70% of Durham students want strike compensation • 14 days of strikes begin today and are planned to continue into March • Palatinate polls over 3,000 students on the issue of compensation

Jack Parker, Toby DoneganCross, Jack Taylor & Tom Mitchell As UCU strikes start today, Palatinate can reveal that 70% of Durham students want compensation for cancelled contact hours.

Durham is one of 74 universities affected by the forthcoming industrial action, which has been organised by the University and College Union, a

trade union representing over 110,000 staff at UK universities.

Palatinate polled 3,168 Durham students, 69.7% of whom want the university to remunerate them for the disruption caused to their timetables.

Jon Bryan, on behalf of the UCU, said: “The movement amongst students to look for compensation from their University is an understandable desire. In many ways, it shows that our strike action is having a serious impact.

“These claims for redress

might help bring resolution closer.”

Durham University’s 2019/20 academic year lasts 145 weekdays, and costs £9,250 for UK and EU undergraduates. The average working day therefore costs undergraduates £63.79. Considering the UCU strikes have disrupted 22 of those working days, any compensation for strikes could total up to £1,400 for each UK and EU undergraduate.

Of those students who claim to want compensation, 68.6% want this to be in the form of a direct repayment of their student loan,

while the remainder favour the University providing extra funding for Common Rooms, the Student Union and societies.

One respondent commented: “After receiving no compensation for the strikes two years ago, I can’t believe I’m losing more time that I’ve paid for. I will have lost seven weeks of degree time by the end of the upcoming scheduled industrial action, almost an entire term I should not have had to pay for....

Continued to page 3

Palatinate has learnt that Durham’s Vice-Chancellor, Stuart Corbridge is to leave the University in August 2022.

The Senate, the University’s supreme governing body in all academic matters, was informed of the move in June 2019, at the end of the Easter term.

The University confirmed to Palatinate today that the ViceChancellor will not lead the University beyond August 31st 2022.

Professor Corbridge began working as Vice-Chancellor in September 2015, having previously served as Deputy Director and Provost for the London School of Economics (LSE).

This appointment was made for five years, until August 2020, with the possibility of a further term of up to five years.

When asked by Palatinate how this decision was made, the University stated that in summer of last year the Vice-Chancellor accepted the University Council’s invitation to extend his contract, which he did not wish to be longer than two years.

The search for a new ViceChancellor will begin in 2021.

Joe Docherty, Chair of Durham University Council, said: “Council has commended the Vice-Chancellor for his steadfast pursuit of the delivery of the University Strategy in a turbulent external policy environment. We are pleased he will continue to lead the University until 31 August 2022.”

The University, when approached by Palatinate about the future of expansion plans, commented that they were owned by the University Council and Executive. The Strategy is kept under regular review and is updated accordingly. The delivery of the controversial strategy will continue under the new Vice-Chancellor.

Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

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Editorial

I

Give us our money back

support the striking staff.

Universities’ failure to make suitable concessions on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads since the last round of strikes in 2017 meant that further industrial action was inevitable sooner or later.

Over the past few years, Palatinate has covered a lot of these issues in detail, speaking to staff about their experience of being an academic. This year alone we uncovered the serious underrepresentation of BAME and female staff at Durham, as well as the crisis of mental health among staff who feel the pressures of precarious, short-term contracts.

We are on their side.

However, the harsh reality is that students are being used as pawns in a dispute that is ultimately between staff and universities. The UCU’s calculation is that by disrupting our studies as much as possible, universities will make concessions to their demands. On the other hand, the universities’ calculation is that we students simply won’t care that much about missed contact hours, meaning that they can resist the staff’s demands without repercussions. In the meantime, we continue to pay our £9,250 per year into the university coffers, while the University isn’t paying its staff during the strikes.

This is why we should demand financial compensation. Since the marketisation of higher education, universities are run like businesses, with an increased focus on their bottom line. Demanding remuneration for the service that the University has ultimately failed to provide is our most effective method of applying pressure to the people in charge.

No number of statements of

solidarity, no amount of time spent standing on the picket will be as effective in forcing universities to make concessions than demanding they give us our money back. Far from distracting from staff’s demands, a clamour for compensation actually strengthens the UCU’s negotiating position.

We also have to protect our own interests. Since I started at Durham in 2016, this is the third time my studies have been affected by strikes. For third- and fourth-year students like me, there can be little doubt that our education has been negatively impacted, and that we won’t achieve the learning outcomes that were originally planned for our course of study.

We should not feel embarrassed to ask for compensation.

Although Durham claims that students’ prospects of graduating are unimpacted by the strikes, passing exams is not the only purpose of higher education, and the universities’ failure to recognise their staff’s grievances means that we have been denied the service for which we paid.

We should not feel embarrassed to ask for compensation.

Insofar as university education is now marketised, wew should receive a service for our money.

In no other sector could a supplier fail to deliver its product and not have obligations to pay back its wronged consumer. That our University doesn’t see it like this demonstrates a contempt for us, our money and our education that is perhaps only matched by its apparent disdain for staff

grievances.

In 2017, the strike action provoked a petition that was signed by over 5,000 Durham students demanding compensation, and the then Universities Minister Sam Gyimah weighed in, urging university bosses to refund students. That this has not been repeated this time around suggests a growing apathy and resignation at the apparent inevitability that our studies will be disrupted.

That is not to say that students no longer want their money back.

In today’s edition, we report that 70% of Durham students want financial compensation for cancelled contact hours, in most cases in the form of a direct repayment of their student loan. We also report on the joint statement made by the UCU and the University regarding casual contracts, which proves that strike action has the potential to be effective.

There are of course some upsides to the strike action – indeed, you can use the time vacated by cancelled contact hours to give Palatinate an even more thorough perusal than usual (!). In this edition, Stage talk about DST and mental health, while Sport features an article by Durham alumnus and sports journalist Nick Friend.

I hope you enjoy this week’s paper – as always, we are doing our best to hold the University to account and talk about the issues that are important to students.

Every student should do the same since apathy on our behalf helps nobody.

Support the strikes. Protect your interests. Demand your money back.

Inside 826 News pages 3-7 Comment pages 8-10 Profile page 11 SciTech page 13 Politics pages 15-17 Sport pages 18-20

indigo

Editorial page 2 Fashion page 3 Film & TV pages 4-5 Food & Drink page 6 Interview page 7 Features pages 8-9 Books page 10 Stage page 11 Visual Arts pages 12-13 Creative Writing page 14 Music page 15 Travel page 16

Vacancies We are currently advertising for the following positions.

- Visual Arts Editor Email editor@palatinate.org. uk for an application form and more information

Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Jack Taylor & Tom Mitchell editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Imogen Usherwood & Faye Saulsbury deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Will Hutchings, Jack Parker & Toby Donegan-Cross news@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Emma Lucia Felisi & Joshua Hurn deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk Investigations Editor Luke Payne investigations@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Jacob Whitehead & Pip Murrison comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Kiara Davies & Michael Knezevic Profile Editors Theo Golden & Tash Mosheim profile@palatinate.org.uk Science & Technology Editors Ewan Jones & Hannah Goldswain scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Marina Mestres & Patrick Stephens politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editor Sophie Farmer & Meera Navlakha Sport Editor Tim Sigsworth & Tomas Hill LopezMenchero sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Alana Ker Mercer, Hector Pearce & Matt Styles Indigo Editor Shauna Lewis indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Hugo Millard Sub-Editors Lizzie Murrall, Ruth Waterfield & Alice Latham Photography Editors Mark Norton photography@palatinate.org.uk Illustrations Editor Heidi Januszewski illustration@palatinate.org.uk Website Administrator Calum Johnston Advertising Officer Oliver Henry oliver.advertising@palatinate.org.uk

Tom Mitchell

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

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PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

News “Calls for compensation strengthen the UCU’s negotiations” Continued from front

We’re right around the corner from the SU Officer and Trustee elections, one of the ways we “do” democracy. As Durham students, we’re really into democracy – simply by having more student organisations than anyone can count, lots of us are used to husts, campaigns and elected positions.

There are always ways to improve how we do democracy, and something I really believe is that democracy is better when we all feel confident to say what we believe, and have an opinion. I’m not one for fence-sitting and I would encourage you all to embrace this democracy season by being open to being convinced, arguing the case for what you believe in, and changing your mind if you want to.

Whilst as Durham students we’re very accustomed to “doing” democracy, our University isn’t. It strikes me that we spend a lot of our time talking about student democracy, but not much time talking about the democracy of the institution we strive to shape. In recent meetings about consultation with students on changes to services in colleges, I have been struck by the extent to which student voice is not part of the equation. Even more noticeable is how me – the token student – being in the room gives decisions a supposed legitimacy, even when I disagree with the outcomes.

Part of the solution is to have more students in the room, and recently we’ve have had success increasing the number of students who attend Senate, the highest academic body, from three to seven. Crucially however, we have to remind ourselves that our education is ours to shape and own, and not a product we consume uncritically.

Remember this as we approach Officer elections, and also throughout the upcoming period of strike action. Your time at Durham is yours to shape, so have an opinion and own your education!

Tom Mitchell Editor-in-Chief Durham University and the UCU have reached an agreement regarding the future of casual work at the University.

A joint statement released by the two sides of the dispute said: “The University will review our current casual staff and, where appropriate, will transfer these staff onto employment contracts. It is antici-

“How the university can get away without being legally obligated to compensate, I don’t know.”

After the 2018 round of strikes, the University said it would put money into the Student Hardship Fund. Only 15 respondents to Palatinate’s poll favoured this course of action.

The financial effect of the strikes will be even greater for non-EU international students, for whom most courses cost £20,500, with some science subjects charging as much as £25,800.

The financial effect of the strikes will be even greater for non-EU students An International Relations postgraduate student from Norway, who pays £18,300 a year, told Palatinate: “The strike is affecting our education. This is massively unfair, and talking to other international students who pay the same or even more, I’ve become aware that this is the prevailing sentiment.

“In a time when education costs so much, missing vast swathes of time stings a fair bit.”

Durham Students’ Union President Kate McIntosh said: “Many students are missing a considerable part of the education they have paid an extortionate amount of money for, the burden of which will fall the hardest on working class students, international students, and people on one year PGT courses.

“We absolutely support the right of students to receive compensation, especially as it may strengthen the UCU’s power in negotiating for better pay and pen-

sions for staff. Demanding compensation from the University can help shift the impact of industrial action away from students and onto the University, thereby increasing the pressure on the University to seek a swift resolution.”

The industrial action originally centred largely around slashes to staff pensions. It is estimated that the average academic could lose £200,000 during retirement under plans to change the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which will make pensions subject to changes in the stock market.

However, in the latest round of strikes, other subjects also came to the fore, such as the ‘casualisation’ of work, the marketisation of the university sector, and BAME and gender inequality.

A number of students in Durham are supporting strike action by not attending contact hours

and joining staff on the picket lines.

If the current round of strikes are not successful, the UCU could take further national action. This could include a marking strike in Easter term.

“We should support the right of students to receive compensation” Alongside the strike, the UCU has called a period of Action Short of a Strike (ASOS), meaning staff will work to exactly what is written in their contracts. This form of action will begin on the first day of the strikes, and is set to continue until Monday 4th May – the first day of Durham’s exam season.

ASOS action could include not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action, and not carrying

out any voluntary activities. This could have implications for assessment marking, organising meetings, and replying to emails.

Commenting to Palatinate, Vice-Provost (Education) Alan Houston said: “Our hope is that this dispute is resolved as soon as possible and therefore we continue to encourage discussions between all parties to achieve this.

“At this point in time, we do not know the precise impact of strike action on individual students. At present we are focused on minimising the impact of the strikes on our students. We are putting in place measures to ensure that students can meet the learning outcomes of the programmes on which they are registered and working to ensure that examinations and other assessments are fair and appropriate.”

(Tim Packer)

Progress made on casual contracts pated that this will realise a significant reduction in colleagues engaged on casual contracts.

“We achieved this through industrial action” “At any time, casual staff may ask that their status as a casual worker be reviewed. Going forward, the University will proactively monitor and manage the use of casual contracts.”

In 2018, the University claimed that it would stop employing staff on nine-month contracts, following a protracted campaign by ‘Durham Casuals’, a group set up to combat the casualisation of staff in the University.

Later the same year, the UCU revealed that over half of Durham academics were em-

ployed on insecure contracts.

An academic that plans to strike told Palatinate: “Some members of our branch were on zero hours teaching contracts for up to nine years in one case. Hourly paid and short-term contracts which provide no job security are a source of anxiety and both emotional and financial stress.

“They mean people cannot plan for their futures – having a family, buying a house, receiving long-term medical care – all of these things are impossible on zero hours or short-term contracts. We know this because these are our colleagues, our friends and our partners.”

The joint statement also says: “There will be equality of opportunity, with all roles advertised and a transparent, proportionate and non-discriminatory

recruitment process followed.”

In October, Palatinate revealed that only 7% of Durham staff are BAME, despite BAME candidates making up 23% of job applications.

The UCU and ‘Durham Casuals’ claim the statement represents a major breakthrough in one of their so-called ‘Four Fights’ against casualisation, low pay, changes to pensions and excessive workloads.

“Durham Uni has worked with us to make real progress on job security, pay, and working conditions” Dr Laura Chuhan-Campbell, Assistant Professor (Teaching) in the school of Modern Languages and Cultures, tweeted:

“Durham Uni has worked with us to make real progress on job security, pay, and working conditions for precarious staff. We achieved this through industrial action. It works. We can’t stop now though - workload, pensions and pay are still on the table.”

The statement concludes: “Durham UCU and Durham University are very pleased to have worked together to reach such a positive understanding, and look forward to the approval of specific recommendations and implementation for the 2020-21 academic year, along with further discussions related to fixed term and other casual arrangements.

“Further joint statements between UCU and the University will be issued as we make more progress.”

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Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

News

Students and locals unite in climate protest

Anna Marshall & Will Hutchings News Team On Valentine’s Day, 150 Durham University students joined local sixth-formers in the national YouthStrikes4Climate.

The protest was organised by Amnesty International in collaboration with ECO DU, and 16 Durham societies co-hosted the event,

(Anna Marshall) along with support from college environment committees.

A diverse group of students with varied interests came together for the strikes. One member of Durham University Labour Club said, “We had the Green New Deal which was very well-received and popular.

“Solidarity is at the core of our movement, and this is why climate is so important to us.

Regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, it affects everyone.”

Neve Ovenden, former president of the Working Class Association, spoke from the perspective of working class students’ interests. She said, “Climate change will have a catastrophic impact on working class people around the world.”

The strikes began outside the Bill Bryson Library, and then marched through town to join school students striking in Market Square.

ECO DU, a group which lobbies the University for better sustainability, released five demands ahead of the strike, as specific changes students want from the University.

“Climate change will have a catastrophic impact on working class people around the world” A Head Coordinator of ECO DU, Andrea Vismara, told Palatinate “These demands are possible, and to achieve them, we need the university to see that students want change.

“To achieve carbon neutrality, we need to change the university

Durham’s earliest known resident found Tom Saunders News Reporter Archaeologists from Durham University have discovered human remains from what they believe to be Durham’s earliest known resident.

The team from the University’s Archaeological Services unearthed bone fragments while excavating in Claypath, on a site which now houses private student accommodation.

According to the Archaeologists, the bone fragments came from a person’s skull, forearm and shin bone and have been dated from between 90BC and 60 AD. Natalie Swann, the Senior Project Archaeologist at Durham University said: “When we got the radiocarbon dates back, we were all very surprised to find how early they were.

The remains have been dated from between 90BC and 60 AD. This adds to our knowledge of the history of Durham, showing that people were living and dying here long before the well-known medieval occupation of the City.”

Dr David Mason, the Principal Archaeologist at Durham County

Council, agreed: “The earliest discoveries on this site are very significant and add to a growing body of evidence for settlement on the Durham peninsula and surrounding area in the Iron Age and Romano-British periods.”

The fragments are so badly damaged that the archaeologists cannot be sure whether the person was male or female and they are too delicate to be displayed publicly.

“To achieve carbon neutrality, we need to change the university structure” School strikes occurred simultaneously in 88 towns and cities across the UK, with the Durham strike being organised by sixth-former Leia and her friends from Durham Johnston school.

“Many of the schoolchildren gave really great speeches, then after an hour we heard this roaring echo from the distance, and suddenly all these students joined us and the whole energy of the protest was raised a notch higher”, said one local mother.

The protest in Market Square marked the one-year anniversary of school strikes, with the first Durham students gathering in the same location a year previously.

Leia told the crowd, “My dad

(Durham University)

(Durham University)

told me this morning there was no point being here, because everyone knew about the strikes by now, but nothing had happened. I told him that until something happens, that’s exactly why we have to strike”.

“We came here from Bishop Auckland, and it’s been so wonderful to hear so many voices here today. Fighting climate change is slow and can be so wearing, so it’s wonderful to feel inspired by events like this – it was worth the travelling”, said a representative from Bishop Auckland Climate Action Group.

(Marina Mestresl)

Storm floods boathouses Emma Lucia Felisi News Reporter

The bone fragments came from a person’s skull, forearm and shin bone.

As well as evidence of the Iron Age cremation, archaeologists found items from medieval rubbish pits and 18th Century streetfront buildings.

The discovery of the bones is explored along with some other finds at the excavation in a new exhibition: ‘2000 years of life at 18-29 Claypath.’

Gemma Lewis, Curator of the Museum of Archaeology at Durham University, said: “As well as introducing us to Durham’s first resident, ‘2000 years’ includes beautiful discoveries such as a Middle Age harness pendant.”

The exhibition is taking place at Durham’s Museum of Archaeology: ‘2000 years of life at 18-29 Claypath’.

structure, to reduce student and college consumption, adapt staff behaviour and most of all address the culture of the University. I believe that change is possible - but we have to act now”.

Storm Ciara came to the U.K on 2nd February, leading to the River Wear bursting its banks, and causing several Durham college boathouses to suffer from flooding.

The flooding has been stated by several colleges to be the worst flooding experienced in years. Several college boathouses have confirmed to have experienced very significant flooding, including at least Van Mildert, John’s, Grey, and Chad’s.

Chad’s commented on the extent of the flooding to Palatinate: “We thankfully didn’t suffer any damage, although our boat house did flood. It was the worst I’ve ever seen it. We’ve put up flood defences a few times this year, but water has never go in the boat house until last weekend.”

John’s experienced significant damage as a consequence of the flooding, saying: “The main effect the storm had for us, was the flooding of our boathouse. Luckily we realised this was happening, so we were able to remove electrics and other valuables from the floor relatively early on.

“We think the main conse-

quence has been worsening of pre-existing damage.”

A spokesperson for Van Mildert, whose boathouse was also affected, commented on the flooding being significantly worse compared to previous years, posing a threat the future of their boathouse: “Our boathouse did suffer some flooding too. Thankfully I can’t see too much damage as a result of the storm.

“However, it was the most it has flooded since I’ve been at the university, and our boathouse which is held up by Japanese knotweed, is in need of some repairs, so the flooding does present a risk of weakening it further.”

Sam Graham, President of Grey College Boat Club, said of the effects of the storm on their boathouse: “We had no permanent damage as such. We put down tarpaulin and sandbags in front of the shutters before the storm.

“The water still got in and flooded the boat house but we had moved all our equipment to the back and fixed it down, also tying down the boats so everything was okay.

“We had to shovel the sand and dirt that had been deposited all outside the boathouse for about three hours.”

Aidan’s and University college were contacted, but did not provide comment.

PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

5

News

Durham Students’ Union adds decolonisation to core principles Will Hutchings & Tom Mitchell News Team Durham Students’ Union has added decolonisation of the curriculum to its list of core principles after a vote at the most recent SU Assembly on the 6th February The issue of decolonisation is recognised by the SU as an ongoing issue, and its status will necessitate that future officer teams continue to work towards it.

The motion was proposed by current Undergraduate Academic Representative Sam JohnsonAudini, who listed decolonisation as one of the three key concerns of their platform.

“The SU’s position made me feel like at least some part of the Durham bureaucracy was listening” Johnson-Audini explained that decolonisation is about “combatting the way in which our curriculum, our worldview, our institutions (etc.) reproduce the values associated with colonialism and imperialism.”

They went on to explain that this project is important because “the ideas we decide to discuss

and the ideas we don’t is crucial.

The curriculum can end up reinforcing the same views without realising.

“It’s about who we value, and why we value them.”

Although the first to focus on the issue, Johnson-Audini is not the first Officer to introduce elements of decolonisation into the SU offices.

Working groups focusing on decolonisation-adjacent issues had been set up before, and previous Undergraduate Academic Officer Saul Cahill had a focus on “liberating the curriculum”.

Nailah Haque, President of Durham People of Colour Association, told Palatinate: “As time goes on there is a new cohort of students who are no longer reflective of the traditional, middle-class, white, private school educated population. Durham as a result has a responsibility to make sure the curriculum and space is adapting to these changes and being a lot more reflective of these shifts.

“Through decolonising, Durham will become a lot more open and more racially and culturally aware which will make the university a lot more safe for people of colour but also for other marginalised groups.

Haque continued: “The SU’s

position made me feel like at least some part of the Durham bureaucracy was listening to the demands of its POC students and also like we were finally making some sort of progress in making Durham safer and accessible for POC students.”

“It’s about who we value, and why we value them” “I think it shows that there is a demand for change that can no longer be ignored like it has been.”

The University is aware of the problems it has with race and students of BAME backgrounds.

In its Access and Participation Plan 2020/21-2024/25, the University acknowledges that it “has an access challenge around the ethnic mix of its intake”. On top of this, there is “a particular issue around the proportion of black students”.

Palatinate has previously reported in the past that Durham employs half as many BAME staff as the average for Russell Group universities, as well as a larger than average pay gap for BAME academics.

Against this backdrop, Johnson-Audini remarks: “How can we not talk about decolonisa-

tion? How can we sit by and allow a university to attempt to recruit BAME students, students of colour, and international students without representing them in the curriculum?”

Johnson-Audini’s approach differs from that of the University, with its focus on curriculum reform rather than student intake.

Whereas the University has set up working groups towards making BAME students feel more included, the decolonisation campaign

focuses on representing more voices of those from marginalised communities in the curriculum.

This motion is by no means the end of the decolonisation project.

A formal decolonise Durham network launch is expected later this term. The Students’ Union is also working with Durham University Library on a #LiberateMyLibrary campaign, encouraging students and staff to recommend items that will increase the diversity of its book collections.

(Durham University)

Students launch NSS boycott to combat “marketisation of education” The major arguments in favour of the boycott are that it feeds into the marketisation of higher education. Some studies have linked NSS scores to increases in tuition fees, whereas others have suggested that poor scores can mean cuts to courses or departments that universities worry are unpopular.

Furthermore, there are doubts about the efficacy and fairness of the survey. Some studies have suggested that NSS scores incorporate unconscious biases against non-white staff.

“The university does not listen to student voices.”

Toby Donegan-Cross News Editor A group of students have launched a campaign calling for the boycott of the National Student Survey (NSS) in Durham, which is open between the 6th January to the 30th April, 2020.

The NSS is a survey that UK universities send to final year

(Anna Marshall) undergraduates in which they are asked 27 questions to rank various aspects of their course.

These results form one component used to rank universities in league tables.

In order for results to be deemed representative, the NSS requires a minimum 50% participation rate. If departments do not meet this threshold, the NSS results would be deemed invalid for a year.

Those who defend the survey argue that it gives students the chance to say honestly what they liked and did not like about their courses. The scores can therefore help departments and the SU make improvements.

In turn, this can give prospective students the opportunity to make informed decisions about where and what to study.

The UCU is following a similar course to the students. The Union sent an email to its members asking them not to advertise the NSS to students.

Declan Merrington, the chair of the Durham NSS Boycott, said that “many of Durham University’s current policies hurt students, staff and the community.

The NSS promotes “unhelpful competition between universities.”

“The university does not listen to student voices in common rooms or the SU assembly. But it cares about the NSS. This makes it a perfect time to launch a boycott.”

Merrington argued that the NSS boycott formed one component of the Durham Student-Worker Solidarity group’s campaign to “stop unpopular staff restructuring, address the gender pay gap, support UCU in its national dispute and tackle student rents.”

Merrington encouraged students not only to boycott the survey, but also to write to their department heads to say they intend to do so. “This will place pressure on the university and benefit students.”

The NSS has also come under fire from Sam Johnson-Audini, the SU undergraduate officer, who wrote an article in January entitled ‘Why we won’t be promoting

the National Student Survey.’

In the article, they presented some of the benefits of the NSS, writing that “we want the University to be asking students what they think about the things that matter to them, and teaching, student support and resources are certainly things that matter!”

However, Johnson-Audini concluded that metrics such as the NSS promote “unhelpful competition between universities who are striving to be the best according to these narrow measures, instead of investigating whether every university provides an educational experience that supportively challenges and inspires its students to reach their full potential.”

An email sent to third years from Professor Alan Houston, the Vice-Provost (Education) at Durham, encouraged students to complete the survey. Houston detailed how the results were scrutinised by the Senate, governing Council, and academic staff from across the University.

In addition, the email provided some evidence to demonstrate how the NSS has made a difference, for example in increasing students’ data storage and expanding “student involvement in decision-making.”

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Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

News

SU elections: meet the candidates

Toby Donegan-Cross, Will Hutchings and Saniya Saraf News Editors and News Reporter Voting for the SU elections opens on 23rd February. In anticipation of the elections, Palatinate has interviewed all eleven candidates.

All interviewees were asked the same three questions: Why are you running? What are your policies? and What would you do differently or the same to the current incumbent?

Turnout for last year’s elections was just 16.6%, - only a slight increase on the previous year, where it was 15.2%. The five positions being elected are President, Opportunities, Welfare and Lib-

eration, Postgraduate Academic and Undergraduate Academic.

The current officers are as follows: • President: Kate McIntosh • Opportunties: Jess Dunning • Welfare and Liberation: Amelia McLoughlan • Undergraduate Academic: Sam Johnson-Audini • Postgraduate Academic: David Evans

Opportunities Officer graduate student to affect change in the way she would like.

“Personal change is pointless if institutions aren’t willing to facilitate this change”.

Web-Exclusive Stories • • •

The SU’s vote on divestment from Barclays Bank An update on the working students’ survey An interview with David Evans, the Postgraduate Academic Officer

Anna Marshall Marshall, who is a History finalist from Grey College, reflected on how much she had benefitted from what the Students’ Union offered her, but also on how she didn’t have the time as an under-

President

Neve Ovenden When asked why she had decided to run, Ovenden said that we are now in a “make or break moment” for the University, citing issues of staff cuts, environmental complacency, and rent hikes.

Her experience as President of the Working-Class Students’ Association and as an environmental campaigner would mean that she could mobilise students to affect change. Ovenden’s programme was based on increasing representation for students, challenging house and college prices (including the regeneration of #Rippedoff), reinstating the Durham Grant, and involving working class students in the University’s decision-making processes.

Twins reflected on how, when she arrived at Durham, it was a “massive culture shock, and I felt that there weren’t enough spaces here that were preserved for me and my identity.” Having had a long-standing interest in minority voices and gender, and a “cohesive track record of student leadership”, Twins felt that, in 2020, the SU should have a student leader of colour,

When asked about why he had decided to run, Khatri reflected on his leadership experience before Durham at the University of Delhi. He viewed the SU presidency as a way to serve, saying “If you work for students, students pay you so much back” The programme Khatri is running on includes suggestions of an annual cultural festival to alleviate stress, giving students a chance to relax in a way that would make them “cheery and happy.” The festival, he suggested, would be a “once in a life-time experience.”

Khatri also argued that the SU should launch a University Press, funded by students, where “publications would matter and we will have a voice.” In addition, Khatri argued the SU should do more to fight against high accommodation fees.

“The role of a student oficer is to empower.”

Ovenden praised current president, Kate McIntosh, for her work on strikes. She summarised by saying that “The University, and its leadership in particular, have these incredibly toxic goals of growth and expansion, with a human cost for all their ambition.

The role of a student officer is to empower students to recognise that our struggle is one also of workers and local residents.

Beyond the climate emergency, a key priority was to change perceptions about the work of the SU: “the way in which the Students’ Union has appeared to students needs to change.”

expand and standardise student support, and build a safer campus.”

Pranjul Khatri

Her platform is based on four main ideas, including accessibility, student well-being, violence on campus, and decolonization.

Twins talked openly about her own experiences of mental health, and said that a key problem for students was knowing where to go. “It’s really hard to negotiate the idea that your mental health might be depreciating but you also have to get your degree.”

When asked about the current president, Kate McIntosh, Twins stated that she had done “an exceptional job. I think she’s honestly awesome, especially in view of the recent things that have gone on.”

“The way in which the Students’ Union has appeared to students needs to change”

Welfare and Liberation

Seun Twins

“It’s really hard to negotiate the idea that your mental health might be depreciating”

“I realised this is the purpose of sabbatical roles. You can dedicate time after your degree to trying to change your university.”

When asked about what needed to change, Marshall highlighted two issues. The first was the climate emergency, arguing that “If we going to call ourselves one of the top universities internationally, we have to act like the climate emergency is a real

thing and not just a case of ticking boxes.” In order to make progress, institutional rather than personal change was emphasised. “Ultimately,” she suggested, “I believe that personal change is pointless if institutions aren’t willing to facilitate this change.”

“If you work for students, students pay you so much back” When asked to reflect on the current incumbent, Kate McIntosh, Khatri argued that the SU should be more accessible to students. In order to achieve this, he suggested weekly meetings with college representatives.

Ewan Swift

“Reform housing and accommodation, expand and standardise student support, and build a safer campus”

When asked why he was running, Swift reflected on his four years in Cuth’s college welfare, and as senior welfare officer: “The thing that infuriates me the most is that my position in college is reactive… I’d have so many less people if the structural changes that I think need to happen were implemented.”

In this vein, his platform is based on three aims to “reform housing and accommodation,

When reflecting on his predecessor, Amelia McLoughlan, Swift said “What I really like about what Amelia does is that she thinks about minorities and what she can do for them.” However, he suggested that the SU must be more proactive in informing students about what officers are doing. To rectify this issue, Swift argued that the SU should be more active on Instagram inorder to achieve this. year, to embed a culture that means that “whoever you are, however you identify, wherever you come from, there is a space to be yourself.” She also aims to do a campaign on ‘de-pornification’,

Amelia McLoughlan McLoughlan, who is the current Welfare and Liberation Officer, said that she is running again because “there’s just so much more to do, and it was probably a slight naivety on my part to think that I could get so much done in my first year.” In addition, she said “it’s just a brilliant job, so why wouldn’t you want to run again?”

Her programme includes continuing the liberation strategy that she has been running this

“Whoever you are, however you identify, wherever you come from, there is a space to be yourself” Additionally, McLoughlan stated that two priorities would be a study on male mental health and constructing a more coherent housing reform programme.

When asked about the advantages of being a second-term officer, she said that the last year has taught her about the structures of the SU, which would make it easier for her to affect change.

PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

7

News

Undergraduate Academic

Declan Merrington

Nailah Haque

Bran Blackshaw

When asked why he wanted to run, Merrington said that “I do believe that when the SU works towards a common coherent goal, they can achieve quite a bit. I have been inspired in seeing what can be done.”

When asked what needed to change, Merrington highlighted three areas: the first was curriculum reform, stating that “We should give a platform to voices typically not seen on the curriculum: gender, sexuality, disability, age, marginalised communities.”

The second was a “Mass I.T. overhaul.” Merrington pointed out that DUO and Millenium, Durham’s I.T. systems, have been down at least seven times since the beginning of term, and so replacements should be considered.

Finally, Merrington highlighted the “nightmare” of central timetabling, which no other Universities have.

Haque, who is the current president of Durham People of Color Association (DPoCA), began by talking about her ambition to decolonise the curriculum, stating that over her time at Durham, she has felt that “this university isn’t made for people like me.”

Haque also stated that, so far, although the University has told departments that they need to decolonise, “they have not been given any resources or legitimate methods to use.”

When asked why they had decided to run, Blackshaw said “it hit me that I have a lot to offer and the role was something I was keen to pursue.”

The campaign they are running is based on four key areas: “Communication, Diversity, Value, and Advocacy.” In terms of communication, Blackshaw reflected on the perception that the SU doesn’t listen or represent students, saying “I want to change that. I want to be out there, meeting departments and meeting with academic societies, holding regular office hours.”

The “Diversity” part of their programme was largely based on the programme of decolonising the curriculum, while “Value” refers to study space, college fees and university expansion. Finally, “Advocacy” referred to issues they would lobby for, including environmental sustainability, support for students on year abroads, and Lecture Capture technology.

“I have been inspired in seeing what can be done” When asked to reflect on the current incumbent, Merrington said that “Sam has worked really hard and I don’t want to undermine the work that they have done on this, but it needs to be pushed forward.”

“This university isn’t made for people like me” Beyond this, Haque argued that the academic adviser role is not clearly defined and therefore ripe for reform. Since lecturers were already overworked, Haque suggested that departments should have an additional welfare team who would be properly equipped to help students and given training that academic staff did not have.

Reflecting on Sam Johnson Audini, the current incumbent, Haque was full of praise, however, she stated that “Because there’s been such a focus on Decol, there are other things that need more attention.”

“I have a lot to offer and the role was something I was keen to pursue” Blackshaw was full of praise for the current incumbent, Sam Johnson Audini, saying that they build on Audini’s success.

Postgraduate Academic

Ludovico Rella Rella said that, for him, the issue that needed most attention was the position of postgraduate teachers and teaching assistants.

In particular, this involved making it more uniform across departments, and raising the hourly wage.

Rella also looked to the future, anticipating difficulties for post-

Sarah McAllister McAllister said that her interest in postgraduate issues had grown over the last year through her position as Cuth’s MCR chair, as well as through negative experiences for postgraduates surrounding fee hikes and a poorly organised freshers’ week.

When asked what needed to change, McAllister highlighted four areas. Firstly, she wants to “give all students a voice,” suggesting that, given the plurality of types of postgraduate courses,

graduates on tier four visas in light of Brexit.

A third aim focused on inclusivity, saying that “It’s not only a matter of departments fighting against discrimination but also creating a proactive inclusion model.”

A broader component of his programme was to bring the SU closer to departments.

This drew on his experience as a student rep for the Geography department, where he had run an extensive campaign to collect the views of students which would have otherwise not been heard.

Rella praised the work of current incumbent, David Evans, saying that there were more things to “follow up rather than change or do away with.” each option – be it PhD students, MAs, MSCs, or more – should have a working group to properly represent them. In line with this, McAllister’s second aim was to created an ‘Integrated postgrad community’, to help problems of mental health and isolation many experience. The third aim regarded accessibility, particularly postgraduate fees, bursaries, and PhD students’ pay.

“Give all students a voice” Finally, McAllister suggested that Durham’s resources needed improving for postgraduates, highlighting that, in the plans for new colleges, there is little information about libraries. McAllister praised David Evans’ work on the hidden costs of postgraduate studies.

(Durham Students’ Union)

Common room finances reveal £170,000 gap in profits Luke Payne Investigations Editor Palatinate can reveal that the gap between the JCR with the most profit (St Cuthbert’s), and the JCR with the most loss (Hatfield) is £172,824.07. Whilst some common rooms’ wealth has increased considerably, others have suffered substantial losses.

Ten common rooms have increased their combined wealth by a total of over £310,000 over three years.

The biggest profits have been recorded by St Cuthbert’s Society JCR, whose wealth increased by over £100,000 between end of 2015 and 2018.

Part of this increased wealth comes from the fact that the Cuth’s JCR contains postgraduate as well as undergraduate stu-

dents.

St Cuthbert’s Society’s President, Elena Martin, said in response, “We view the profiting as an unintended failure. Our budgets have been overly cautious, and we expected our income to decrease as the university moved to an ‘opt-out’ system” for the DSO framework.

“We view the profiting as an unintended failure.”

Martin added, “We have invested £23,000 extra in sports and societies and our budget is undergoing an overhaul so we can better examine what we spend.”

Over the past three academic years Josephine Butler JCR has recorded profit of over £50,000, raising their funds from £39,000 to over £90,000. Castle MCR has

also substantially increased their bank balance from £18,000 to £43,000 over the same period.

Josephine Butler declined to comment on these figures.

In late November, Palatinate revealed that Castle MCR had historically profited thousands of pounds from its annual charity ball. This raises serious questions about whether all the methods common rooms are using to generate profit are in-line with university values.

Durham’s Responsible University Statement claims that “those in senior positions are expected to set an example in their conduct and to promote and support good ethical behaviour”.

Throughout its nine year history there have been a number of other major oversight and support failings by the university under the DSO framework.

In 2012 the JCR President of Josephine Butler was embroiled in a “corruption scandal” after he arranged to personally receive a cut of the income from the sale of freshers photos sold by an external company.

St Cuthbert’s Society JCR’s wealth increased by over £100,000 In 2016 Hild Bede JCR ended up in over £21,000 of debt due to financial mismanagement. More recently, Hatfield JCR exceeded its planned budget by £44,000 due to oversights and administrative errors.

The impact of these episodes can have a stark impact on their student members. Hild Bede SRC recovered from a bank balance of just under £4,000 at the begin-

ning of the 2016/17 academic year to over £45,000 at the end of 2018/19 by profiting £41,000 in the two years following their debt crisis. Hatfield JCR has lost 77% of its wealth in the past three years, having held a balance of £92,000 at the beginning of 2016/17 and ending 2018/19 with a balance of £21,000.

Significant losses are also recorded at other common rooms.

In the past three years the wealth of St Aidan’s JCR has fallen by £43,000 (38% of its wealth), George Stephenson JCR lost £51,000 (47% of its wealth) and John Snow JCR lost £50,000 (57% of its wealth).

Grey JCR, who are registered as an independent charity, lost over £40,000 in 2018 due to “an increase in expenses relating to fundraising events” and depreciation in investments.

Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

8

Comment

Is Parasite an Academy outlier?

Cerys Edwards

“I feel like I’ll wake up to find it’s all a dream”. As one of the film industry’s leading directors, one would be forgiven for thinking that Bong Joon-Ho could have used a more creative analogy in his Oscars acceptance speech. However, the quote succinctly captures the unexpectedness of this year’s awards; in a marked shift from the Academy’s usually predictable awards ceremony, South Korean film Parasite scooped 4 awards, including the coveted ‘best picture’ prize- the first non-English language film to do so in the awards’ 92-year history.

Bong’s dark capitalist satire is clever and arresting; set in Seoul, the film is an upstairs-downstairs account of the predatory Kim family who, by posing as various household staff positions, infiltrate the wealthy mansion of the Park family. With a shocking plot twist, the narrative discloses the equal dysfunction of both families and raises wider questions of wealth and class.

Parasite’s success marks a seminal moment for the film industry.

While Bong contends that “we never write [films] to represent our countries”, he adds in the next breath that “this is the very first Oscar for South Korea”. It is an ac-

colade which marks an intensely personal victory for South Korea.

President Moon Jae-In tweeted that Bong had brought “pride and courage” to the nation and has promised to increase government support for filmmakers, while the Korean film council has allocated a 32% increase in funding for film development. Success at the Oscars is, in many ways, the final recognition of South Korean cultural talent, which is universal in its appeal as shown by the international success of K-Pop.

“It is arguable

whether this opportunity will be grasped by the Academy and indeed the wider film industry.

”

With a tradition of honouring Western (indeed, LA- based) films, Bong himself has previously claimed that “the Oscars are not an

international film festival. They’re very local”. The Academy now has an opportunity to reverse this reputation, and to usher in a new era of internationalism which is reflective of the film industry itself: global box office figures have steadily increased from 50% in 2000, to 73% last year, while South Korea is the 5th biggest film industry by sales.

Surely, in this period of globalisation, language should be increasingly obsolete within film; international films such as Parasite contain universal themes including class and wealth which permeate and transcend boundaries.

To quote Bong again, “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to many more amazing films”. This message must be heeded by the Academy, which should be keen to embrace more international films, not only from South Korea but also Japan, Bollywood and Nollywood, to name only a few.

However, it is arguable whether this opportunity will be grasped by the academy and indeed the wider film industry. This week’s awards are evocative of a similarly momentous 2017 ceremony, when Moonlight, a gay coming of age tale with a predominantly black cast, won ‘best picture’. Many thought this was indicative of a new era of change; however, with only one person of colour nominated for an acting award this year, diversity remains an issue. More cynical is the

suggestion that one reason for Parasite’s success is voters attempting to prove their inclusivity in an Academy which, despite recent improvements, is still two-thirds male and five-sixths white.

As suggested by producer Kwak Sin-ae during his Oscars acceptance speech, the triumph of this film presents ‘a very opportune moment in history’. We would be foolish to waste it.

(Tomdog via Wikimedia)

We’re falling out of love with safe sex Kiara Davies One person is diagnosed in the UK with an STI every 70 seconds.

Six in ten of all STIs diagnoses are from people aged 15-24.

Coming at a time when talking about sex is improving with shows like ‘Sex Education’ hailed as a breath of fresh air.

One person is diagnosed in the UK with an STI every 70 seconds So why is this still happening?

Young people are statistically more likely to worry about pregnancy than the contraction of a sexuallytransmitted infection (STI). 58% of young people in a YouGov poll

said they use contraception to prevent pregnancy, while 29% said they use condoms to prevent STIs.

How can we revive the movement back towards safe sex?

This can mean that young people use contraception that prevents pregnancy but not STIs. There is evidence to support this conclusion - NHS sexual health services have seen a spike in the uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) like the implant, injection and intrauterine devices (IUDs, or better known as the coil).

These options avoid us having to remember to buy or correctly apply them in the dark and are seen as the more effective option.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of anxiety around condom usage. Firstly, the pressure to go and buy them in

the first place.

But the pressure for men during sex while using a condom has resulted in experts dubbing it condom-associated erection problems (CAEP). Triggers include nerves or the condom being too tight or loose. The same issue exists in a form with women too, as women can experience soreness from condom usage. All these issues are not talked about during sex education, instead it is deemed something someone must find out for themselves for the first time.

This moves us on to why sex education in this country is still poor.

The government is consistently making new strides towards effective education and are set to make major improvements; from this spring, there will be new requirements for secondary sex education to include STIs, pregnancy, contraception and miscarriage.

The downside of this is that parents can still specifically request for their children not to be involved, and as we saw with the introduction of specific relationship education that includes LGBTQ+ families, different communities can be in conflict about what their children should be exposed to.

STI checks should not be viewed as ‘dirty’ but part of a sex positive mentality So how can we revive the movement back towards safe sex? Sex education, which should be a compulsory part of all young people’s lives, needs to focus on what sex is actually like – the positives and negatives – rather than scaremongering about pregnancy for girls and a ‘look at all these horrible diseases’ attitude for everyone.

Condom usage should always be promoted, but with an emphasis that there are a variety of sizes, textures and types that will eventually work for everyone, rather than just the push to use them in the first place.

STI checks should not be viewed as ‘dirty’ but part of a sex-positive mentality that puts emphasis on keeping yourself, and partners, safe.

Perhaps one day sex education will appear less as we once knew it, and more like the opening page to a fully detailed instruction manual.

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Comment

It’s time to discuss Scottish independence Hazel Laurenson The question of Scottish independence was certainly not resolved with the results of the 2014 referendum. When the details of the referendum were being negotiated, Nichola Sturgeon, SNP leader, orchestrated the question that would appear on the ballot paper to be advantageous to her. By this, I am referring to how it is generally easier to persuade voters to opt for a positive, as opposed to a negative, option. The carefully constructed question that was put to the electorate – “Should Scotland be an independent country?” - thus reflects the astuteness of the key actors behind the current Scottish nationalist movement.

The neglection of Scottish issues by Westminster-centred parties has resulted in them becoming unprecedently weak in Scotland The referendum’s outcome (55.3% for ‘No’, 44.7% for ‘Yes’) demonstrates the drastic oversimplifications inherent in the question “does Scotland even want to be part of the UK?”. This is one of numerous comments I have heard that illustrate the overwhelming misunderstanding, possessed by fellow students, that Scotland is a unanimous bloc. I have found that many people in England view ‘Scottish people’ as a collective, unilateral force, whose political views align with the sentiment embodied by Mel Gibson dramatically shouting “Freedom!”

Quite frankly, this baffles me. The reality is far more complex than this rather insulting two-dimensional image suggests.

At this point, I am conscious that I do not want to appear hypocritical: I am aware that not all English people take this view. Unfortunately, however, it is the stance of the majority of English-born students with whom I have recently discussed this issue. The question of independence has created, revealed, and magnified cleavages in Scottish communities in a way that many people south of Greta Green do not realise. Independence is a complicated topic emotionally, as well as socially and economically.

Its roots run deep, gaining nutrients from modern developments.

The 1,617,989 voters who put a cross in the ‘Yes’ box in 2014 certainly did not do so based solely on romanticised notions of Scottish heritage. The momentum of contemporary Scottish nationalism is attributable to far more than invocations of idealistic memory.

There have been many recent eventualities that undermine the attractiveness of the United Kingdom for Scotland. The neglect of Scottish issues by Westminstercentred political parties has resulted in them becoming unprecedentedly weak in Scotland. In the 2019 general election, Labour won one seat in Scotland. Ian Murray, the Labour MP who held his seat for Edinburgh South, is unique in his recognition and concern that the existence of Labour in Scotland is under threat. He has quite righty stated that “straddling those two constitutional issues [Scottish independence and Brexit] means we don’t stand up for anything”. It is largely the absence of a coherent

alternative that compels swathes of the Scottish electorate to tick the nationalist box come voting day.

ours.

In India, 30-35 million people are believed to have died from starvation during British occupation, in large part driven by harsh taxes, mass food exports to Britain, and an indifferent response to these famines from the British when they did occur. The British Empire was by no means alone – other European powers such as the Belgian in the Congo, and the French in Algeria, are also noted for their imperial brutality.

But the injustices haven’t stopped, even if they are nowhere near as explicit as previously. Cobalt – found in phones, tablets and laptops – is mined by 40,000 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 3.5 million Bangladeshi workers work up to 16 hours a day for £45 a month making clothes, and the list goes on. European powers in the colonial era benefitted greatly from the raw materi-

als and food extracted from colonised nations: with these former colonies now dependent on selling cheap foods, raw materials and goods to their former invaders, it is clear why they accuse Europeans of engaging in neo-colonialism.

There have been many recent eventualities that undermine the attractiveness of the United Kingdom Sturgeon campaigned in 2014 on the premise that it would be a

“once in a generation” opportunity.

Since then, she has changed her tact, demanding that her party’s domination last December warrants a second referendum. To me, this seems contradictory. Fortunately for Sturgeon, however, it is the sole tenuous argument she has made in a long time. Since moving to England, Sturgeon’s ethos has appealed to be in an unanticipated way. I have realised the true extent

to which Scotland is regarded an extension of the United Kingdom, part of ‘outer Britain’, rather than a valued region. Previously staunchly opposed to independence, I remain far from unequivocally swayed.

However, recent domestic developments, in combination with public rhetoric and Sturgeon’s political authenticity, have led me to consider the future, and Scottish nationalism’s role in it, in a revised way.

(fw42 via Flickr)

Time to pay reparations for colonialism Christopher Caden YouGov polling shows that 59% of the Britons believes that the British Empire was something to be proud of, while 49% believe that colonised nations are now better off having been colonised. Bearing this in mind it is no surprise that the Empire is a thorny political issue for Prime Ministers whenever it is brought up, with Prime Ministers on both side of the political divide condemning aspects of the Empire, but seemingly always shying away from apologising. Despite this, the UK needs a Prime Minister who recognises it is our moral duty, for both past and present injustices, that we pay reparations to former colonised nations to combat the climate crisis, if not for their sake then selfishly for

There is no way we can deny or undo these historical injustices But why should these nations be expected to pay reparations, and reparations for the climate crisis specifically? Some argue that it is unfair to make the current British population pay for something that happened so long ago in the past, neglecting the fact that it was Churchill who said it was the Indians’ fault they experienced the Bengal Famine of 1943 for ‘breeding like rabbits’, or with Macmillan’s ‘Wind of Change’ speech

only being given in 1960. Others argue that instead of reparations the British should be thanked for all the development we brought to the colonised nations, ignoring the fact India’s share of the world economy fell from 24% in 1700 to 4% in 1950 while GDP per capita flatlined. There is no way we can deny or undo these historical injustices, but we can help these nations tackle the biggest threat facing them looking ahead – the climate crisis.

Of the ten most at risk nations in the Maplecroft Climate Change Vulnerability Index, nine were colonised by European powers.

These countries have been made more vulnerable to climate change through stunted economic growth as a result of (neo)colonialism and poor governance resulting from the undemocratic institutions left behind by former colonisers, all despite the fact some of them are the lowest polluters.

At a time when the UK and other former colonial powers are seeing their CO2 emissions decrease, it only makes sense to invest in these nations the green infrastructure needed to combat the climate crisis.

At the very least if not as a form of apology for past and ongoing injustices then for the selfish sake of self-preservation, because in a world on track to exceed 3 degrees of warming at least by 2100, the way of life people in former imperialist countries have become accustomed to will be under severe threat

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Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

Comment

How to best support striking lecturers April Howard

Anxiety and even frustration at the recent announcement that 14 days more of UCU strikes will take place between the 22nd February and the 16th March are rife among student populations up and down the country. This is understandable.

The decision to strike falls during a time laced with stress for students as summative assessments loom over our heads. This, however, is exactly what strikes are meant to produce: disruption.

The fact of the matter is that the university is the one failing you and not the striking lecturers. Lecturers often do not want to strike, but feel the need to. Universities have a responsibility to their employees and they are not listening to their needs. A Guardian article from 2017 pointed out that university pension funds are a whopping £17.5bn overdrawn yet Durham University’s ex Vice-Chancellor Chris Higgins retired with a lump sum of £270,000 plus £90,000 a year. This inequality is staggering and must be confronted. Employer’s representative UUK (Universities UK) have proposed to end the Superannuation Scheme (USS), which would leave a typical lecturer £10,000 a year worse off in retirement. Sally Hunt, the UCU general secretary, said that staff ‘feel let down by Vice-Chancellors who

seem to care more about defending their own pay and perks than the rights of their staff’.

9 out of 10 universities pay male employees more than female employees The UCU are also concerned about gender and ethnic pay gaps, precarious employment and falling pay. Between 2009 and 2019, pay for university staff has decreased by 20%. On the other hand, the pay for Durham University’s then ViceChancellor increased by 34% between 2007 and 2014. Pay inequality is another big issue. 9 out of 10 universities pay male employees more than female employees. The median pay gap is 13.7% on average in UK universities, which is higher than the national average of 9.1% (as of 2018). It is worth noting that Durham University has the widest gender pay gap of any Russell Group University. There is also a high bonus gender gap in many UK universities with a bonus gap of 80% at the nearby Newcastle University. This outrages me and should outrage you too. Employees of all genders and races should be paid the same for the same work.

One must realise the importance of industrial action in the face of these issues. However, the strikes have the potential to be disruptive yet useless without the support of the student body. So, here is my advice: do not uselessly vent your anger at striking workers by post-

ing disgruntled ‘Durfesses’ or calling the strikes pointless, get out there and direct their anger to the power structures of this university who are allowing strike action to go ahead by refusing to meet UCU’s simple yet necessary demands.

Avoid attending lectures during the strikes and avoid crossing the picket line if you can. Indeed, do one better and join your lecturers on the picket line. There has been

increased marketisation of universities over the last decade or so, which has greatly profited senior figures in the university especially in terms of pay. This, in turn, makes each of us more of a customer than a student, who have paid for a service which has not been delivered. So, email and write to the vice- chancellor (https://www. dur.ac.uk/vice.chancellor/) asking for a refund, and sign petitions

calling for compensation for students, because this hits the university where it hurts the most: their pockets. Furthermore, talk about the strikes and your solidarity with them, get angry and noisy. You have every right to be, and so do the staff striking. The university must listen to labour demands and we must make them listen.

(Durham Student-Worker Solidarity)

Can we still have children in the climate crisis?

Charles Bland

It is at once beautiful and horrifying that we have the ability to procreate. Through an act evolved to be as swift and automatic as possible, nearly all of us can start the process which leads to new life. Thereafter, we will dedicate our lives to ensuring that our child is comfortable, happy, and that it will outlive us.

Probably, we pray that our child will come to make the same kind of decision which led to its own existence, and that, swarmed by grandchildren in the twilight of our lives, we can rest proud and glad of having done our genetic duty. But perhaps this is all wrong – perhaps this most natural and unquestioned desire to reproduce is one we should resist.

What is wrong with having children, then? Quite simply, it is that by having children one brings more consumers – of pow-

er, of manufactured articles, of food – into the world. One study, by geographers Seth Wynes and Kimberly Nicholas, has estimated that an individual having one fewer child will save 58.6 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, whereas avoiding air travel saves only 1.6 and eating a plantbased diet 0.8 tons per year. If these astonishing figures are taken seriously, it is abundantly clear where our real duty to reduce emissions lies.

Having one fewer child relieves the planet of an entire lifetime of greenhouse gas output The study calculates the effect of having one fewer child by holding an individual responsible for half of his children’s emissions, a quarter of each grandchild’s emissions, and so on. Admittedly, this has been criticised for ‘double-counting’ the emissions of each child, since it imputes responsibility for the emissions

both wholly to the child and also partly to each parent. Regardless, the point of the study is clear enough: reducing air travel, say, cuts down on one’s own emissions, but having one fewer child relieves the planet of an entire lifetime of greenhouse gas output.

Therefore, the environmental imperative for humans to be less fruitful is clear. Once one has seen it, it becomes the elephant in the room accompanying every discussion about climate change. Of course, questions and objections remain. How far must we go in limiting the size of our families?

Is it enough to imitate the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have vowed to have a maximum of two children (or, as the Sun headline put it, ‘Not one sprog more at Frogmore’)?

The answer to this must be that, the fewer children one has, the better. It is akin to the situation with meat-eating: being a carnivore only one day a week is better than being one full-time, but it is, so we are told, even bet-

ter to give meat the chop altogether. Thus the ideal choice is to remain childless.

It is no good objecting that our children will live more sustainably in the future, as technology improves, and thus that their impact on the environment will be negligible. You, the average reader, might start having children in ten years’ time, and probably no more than twenty years from now. It is far from certain that the lifestyle you will pass down to your children will be a carbonneutral one.

Should we be obliged to think so coldly and abstractly about one of the most personal and emotional decisions we will ever make? Should one give up a deep desire to have children for the sake of something as nebulous and remote as ‘the future of the planet’? The rational answer seems to be yes.

Whether this is too tough to swallow is up to the individual.

But, whatever you decide to do, I implore you to think about it first.

“It is far

from certain that the lifestyle you will pass down to your children will be a carbon neutral one

”

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Thursday 20th February 2020| PALATINATE

12

Profile

James Middleton: “I don’t know anyone chasing a body who is that happy”

Profile speaks to the Durham alumnus and fitness coach about maintaining his physical and mental health, the stererotypes of the fitness industry and the rugby culture during his time at Durham Tash Mosheim Profile Editor James Middleton is far from being the typical fitness coach.

Achieving 9 A*-As at GCSE and graduating from Durham in 2015 with a 2.1 in Philosophy, he has always been very driven. Today, his Instagram boasts over 90k followers and he is currently working on building his own fitness app, with the aim of helping “hundreds of thousands, hopefully millions. I’m hoping it’s going to be a global thing.”

What sticks out to Middleton as his fondest memories of Durham?

“I was very fortunate, I played for the first fifteen for all three years, so rugby was a very serious part of my time at Durham. And I think the socials. We did some ridiculous socials that probably wouldn’t be allowed today.

They just always involved a lot of drinking, a lot of fancy dress.

Gosh we had so many I probably should be able to remember. We didn’t do anything that was racist or sexist. We never did anything like that. It was very creative, looking back, a lot of time and thought when into it.”

“We used to do some ridiculous socials” Middleton reveals that the drinking in the rugby culture “was pretty intense, being the youngest guy in the team. I used to get a lot of teasing and forced to do a lot of drinking. I’m not going to lie, when I first went I was a bit overwhelmed.”

Middleton’s degree “plays a big role in what I do now because everyday I give people advice on how to be fit and healthy, but being fit and healthy is obviously a lot more than just the physical, it’s also mental. A lot of the people that I train and coach online need motivation and support with their daily lives. You often end up helping them with a lot of things outside of the fitness space.”

James, an advocate for mental health, explains “when you exercise, it’s a chance for you in your day, to completely focus on yourself. Nothing else in the world matters. You switch off from the world around you. And

it’s a chance for you to be at one with yourself, whatever it is that you’re doing, whether it’s a run, in the gym, or you’re doing yoga. I think that escape is so important today because life is so busy, it’s non-stop with social media. It’s hard to get away.”

“For me, when I lost my younger brother, about 6 months ago, he was only 18 years old, that was obviously a massive, a massive, tragedy in my life. And something that really threw me.

I think what really helped me get through that and is still helping me get through it, is the fact that I have my interest in keeping fit and healthy, because I go to the gym and no matter how bad I’m feeling, I know that once I exercise, I’ll feel better. I think that’s the most important thing.

It can just be a 15-20 minute workout, but you’re always going to feel better once you do it.”

Exercise, for Middleton, is “the anchor in my life, it really helps me focus. So I would say that’s a big thing on the mental side of things. And people don’t actually realise the value of it until they do it, so if you’re ever thinking about the reasons to start exercising, don’t think about it, just go and do it. And you’ll see how beneficial it is.”

Why does Middleton take responsibility for making sure others stay healthy? “It relates back to relationships, it helps you sleep better, it can improve your sex life, it can improve your thinking ability, your clarity.

You obviously have the physical benefits, being healthy, better cardio-vascular fitness.

“But the benefits that people don’t realise is, when you’re active, moving and are healthy, your energy levels are higher”.

“There is a correlation between being a fitter, more active individual, and having a better sex life” He notes that “there is a correlation between being a fitter, more active individual, and having a better sex life, because you’re more engaged with your partner, you’re more attracted to them. And you sleep better when you exercise because you’ve obviously used a lot of energy.”

How would Middleton like to see the government tackling the obesity crisis and getting people out and exercising?

“The government need to make healthier food more accessible to perhaps people with a lower income or who can’t afford it. I think there’s a connotation, at the moment, that healthy food is expensive, which it is, but it doesn’t have to be and just making people more aware of it, through the news, through educational programs, that would be a great start. Another start would be to hold workout classes that are free for people in local communities, and maybe every Saturday they could come down and work out.”

“The government needs to make healthier food more accessible” How does he feel about sponsored content online?

“There are two sides. Primarily, it’s a great thing if there are good brands that want to reach a targeted audience. There’s a lot more investment going into sponsored content now on Instagram and that’s for a very valid reason, it’s effective.

“These people with big audiences, they buy into the influencer and so long as the influencer is promoting a product that’s genuine, good and might help people, then I’m all for it.

The problem is that you have a lot of people out there, with big platforms, who get thrown a lot of money by brands that aren’t necessarily very healthy, like diet drinks and weight loss tablets, and they are selling to a very impressionable young audience, almost naïve audience.”

“People are buying these harmful products because they think that it works. At the moment, the ASA, the advertising agency for Instagram, is clamping down a lot.”

Is it hard dealing with online criticism? “I’m very fortunate in the sense that I hardly get any trolls or online criticism. My own approach to it is I just ignore people that do it. Every so often, I will reply, and give someone a piece of my mind, but it’s to stop them from doing it elsewhere.

The thing with trolls and online

bullying, is that it comes from a bad place within that individual.

They must be very upset, sad, or something must be wrong in their lives to go on to someone else’s profile and portray that kind of anger and bitterness.”

“You just have to ignore it and you do become very immune to it after a while. It still hurts a little bit but you can’t dwell on it otherwise you end up being quite upset.”

James confesses that “a big stereotype in the fitness industry is that everyone’s big, strong and muscly. It can intimidating. But that’s all on the surface. Once you get to know people, you actually realise they’re all lovely, genuine people and the fitness industry is a great place. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of bullshit that’s in the industry aswell. People just out there to make money and exploit people doing so. But amongst the good coaches, it’s great. Also you don’t have to be knowledgeable and you don’t necessarily need to fit the stereotype of having a six-pack or being lean. I know so many people who are incredibly fit and healthy who don’t have these things. For me, it’s more about just being happy with what you’re doing, rather than trying to chase a body. I don’t know anyone

who is chasing a body who is that happy.”

“Never give up following your passion” What would James tell his younger self? “To never give up following your passion.

Particularly in university and school, you get told you have to do certain things to get to certain places, to get certain jobs, and I think as long as you are doing something that you enjoy, just keep doing it. Don’t listen to what other people are trying to make you do or tell you to do.

And if someone says you can’t do something, it’s rubbish. I got told that I would never play in the 1st XV for three years at Durham, and I did. And I got told that I would never make it as fitness coach because I didn’t have enough knowledge and expertise, and here I am. I think you get a lot of discouragement along the way and things throw you back, but you’ve just got to keep going. Just keep going.”

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PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

SciTech

Genetically modified killer moths set free Dasha Scanlan-Oumow You will have heard of GM crops: plants capable of dealing with drought, floods and heat waves.

The new ‘it’ word in the world of science this decade has been heralded as GM insects. Already the British Biotech company, Oxitech, working in conjunction with the World Health Organisation has attempted to reduce mosquito spread diseases such as malaria, dengue and the zika virus by introducing genetically modified mosquitos into a range of countries including Brazil and India.

The moths wipe out billions of dollars of potential income for farmers These GM mosquitos are all male, and within their genetic coding hides a lethal gene which codes for death in any daughter mosquito. This ensures that half of the next generation is killed off, with the male offspring passing on the gene until the gene wipes itself out. Whilst this method of disease control seems futuristic and improbable, it has already

been used in cities in Brazil with seemingly positive results.

Oxitech now has its eyes set on an even larger project, which if solved would remove a $5 billlion per year cost in damage to crops.

The enemy? The diamond backed moth. Plutella xylostella, of the family Plutellidae, is a crop pest which targets plants in the Brassicacae family such as cabbage and kale. The moth recognises chemicals called glucosinolates which are released by Brassica vegetables and open leaf plants; these chemicals stimulate oviposition in the moths.

Once the eggs are laid, the larvae hatch and eat the majority of

the plant and can destroy entire crops in a short period of time, destroying billions of dollars of potential income for both the US and China. The diamond backed moth evolves resistance to pesticides extremely rapidly and this has caused major issues for farmers around the world. As well as resistance to general pesticides, the diamond backed moth also developed a tolerance to the Bt toxin, Bacillus thuringiensis, which targets infestations of moths, from a spontaneous mutation of an autosomal recessive gene.

Oxitech proposes releasing a batch of male P. xylostella into the wild which have an extra two

genes added in. One gene only activates in females and so can be passed into native populations; it makes the moth susceptible to pesticides and will kill it.

There may be a range of unexpected secondary ecological impacts

The second gene codes for a red fluorescent protein which enables scientists to track the spread of the gene through the generations.

Just like the mosquitos, the gene will have a short lifespan and as it is negatively selected for - most likely it will disappear within a few generations meaning more moths will have to be released.

Although the concept of crop protection in the form of GM insects seems ingenious, there are many ecological impacts which have seemingly not been thought through. There has also been a significant amount of research done into alternate ways of controlling the moths, without releasing mutant insects into the environment that could potentially cause a cascade of other issues.

Many farmers use crop rotaWill this decrease the pest population? (Amber Conway) tion, and plant other vegetables

in order to disrupt the natural egg-laying seasons of the moths.

Wintercress too has been used as a deterrent, as it releases similar chemicals that encourage egg laying but do not provide the necessary sustenance for the hatched larvae.

Some small-scale farmers even introduced higher numbers of the moth’s natural predators, such as lacewings, Chrysoperla carnea, in order to keep the numbers of moths under control. Although the methods of controlling the diamond backed moth population are numerous and all seemingly contentious, the cause of the spread of this moth is certain: climate change.

The moth has been able to spread rapidly due to climate change Increasing global temperatures have allowed the crop pest to spread far beyond its native range, creating problems for more and more farmers and harming both local and global economies. Which pest is next?

Shoelaces: it’s knot what you think

Tarek Schoehl What connects the flower of the bastard hogberry, light, and mathematics? Knots, of course! A recent study has revealed that the flower of the bastard hogberry, a plant native to Central and South America, has a complex surface structure that gives it special properties which makes its surface reflect light in a special pattern. Researchers were able to use this optical phenomenon and adapt it to plastic fibres, resulting in a fibre that changes colour when under stress.

This development allows mathematicians to directly observe the amount of tension a knot is experiencing, offering a way to check if their calculations match reality. This ability also applies to knots such as your shoelaces and sailor’s knots. Using these newly developed fibres one can easily rank knots according to strength even if they are very difficult to understand from a knot theoretical point of view. Using this experimental data, the researchers were able to come up with new simulations and models to describe knots, findings which they hope will soon help them find new ways to tie and twist them. But why do we even care

about knots?

We learn how to knot You may have heard of a somewhat wellknown example our shoelaces when we’re young and we remember for the rest of our lives, yet it all becomes muscle-memory, and we don’t have to give it a second thought. But in fact, there is a whole area of mathematical research dedicated to knots: ‘Knot Theory’.

What connects the flower of the bastard hogberry, light and mathematics?

But what are the differences between your shoelaces and a ‘mathematical knot’? What a mathematician calls a ‘knot’ slightly differs from our everyday experience. See, ‘knot theory’ is a subfield of topology, a field in mathematics where you study the dynamics of geometric objects like a sphere or a doughnut.

In these studies, you allow the shape of the objects to deform and stretch, as if they were made of Play-Doh. You may have heard of the somewhat well-known example that topologically speaking a doughnut is equivalent to a mug, because both of them only have one hole and you can deform the

mug continuously into a doughnut (very funny, I know). Anyhow, the point is that if you are allowed to deform and change the object, for example shoelaces, you can easily undo the knot and are left with essentially just a long piece of string. Because of this, mathematicians require their knots to be closed, so if you want to think of your tied shoelaces as a ‘mathematical knot’ you would have to glue the loose ends together.

Knots have been of interest to humans since the dawn of time for various reasons. They were used to tie things, record information and they were aesthetically pleasing. Later on, sailors were required to know a whole array of knots, each one having a different purpose due to its strengths and weaknesses.

ferent knots are actually identical, and there have been great efforts in trying to classify as many knots as possible.

You may have heard of a somewhat well-known examples Knot theory has hugely benefited from the invention of the computer, which allows mathematicians to compute more and more difficult knot invariants and even use neural networks to au-

tomatically classify knots. Knots also play an important role in biology, helping to understand how DNA and proteins twist and unravel. We’ve been steadily realising that knots are not as useless as they may seem, and interesting findings like the colour-changing fibre only further confirm that we need to continue studying this field.

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Knots are not as useless as they may seem The mathematical theory of knots would have to wait until the late 1700s when AlexandreThéophile Vandermonde first noted properties of knots connecting them to topology. Since then there has been tremendous progress in the field: there are several different criteria by which you can tell if two seemingly dif-

A whole new perspective on tying the knot (Sandt et al)

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PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

15

Politics

Tourism and sustainability in Bhutan Patrick Stephens A landlocked nation of 750,000 perched in the stunning, almost mystical valleys of the Himalayas, Bhutan is a place of natural beauty. This is exceptional even in a region with such treasures as Tibet, Nepal, and the Kashmir valley, and to many outsiders, the country is perceived as a modern Shangri-La. Such a view has been driven by government policies: to aim to increase happiness rather than maximise GDP; and to have ‘high value, low quantity’ tourism to protect its natural beauty. The latter policy, however, is increasingly under threat.

For a few years now, Bhutan has charged foreign visitors the eyewatering sum of $250 per day,

including a visa and sustainable development fee, to visit. As a sign of goodwill to its close neighbours, including India, the country waived this fee and allowed Indians to visit the country free-ofcharge. But in recent months, not only has it become increasingly easy to visit Bhutan from India, it is also now in vogue with famous cricketers, Bollywood stars and bikers posting their holiday snaps from the country on social media. In 2018 alone, the number of visitors rose by 10%: and almost all of these tourists were Indian.

In response, the Bhutanese government has announced that Indian tourists will now have to pay $17 per day as a significantly reduced version of the sustainable development fee. This ostensibly is to compensate for the required protection of the environment that

their visiting makes necessary.

This policy combines two aims.

On the one hand, it evokes the principle that tourists should have to pay for any damage they cause, which itself seems justified. But the new policy only applies to the most popular regions in western Bhutan, and visitors to the underdeveloped eastern region are exempt. It is clear that such a principle alone cannot be the only motivating factor if it does not apply nationwide.

The tourism industry has strongly protested against the move, suspecting – and rightly so – that it will lead to a decline in tourist numbers (a claim the government denies), or at least a slowdown in the rate of increase.

But that is exactly the point; ‘high value, low quantity’ is official government policy, and the

(tokyomurena via Creative Commons)

rapid increase in numbers represents a rise in quantity at the direct expense of value. And this threatened principle is part of the government’s self-appointed raison d’etre: to maximise happiness, not economic growth. The second, tacit aim of the policy is therefore simply to cut numbers; an aim the reduced fee is grossly insufficient to achieve.

The more tourists that flock to Bhutan, the more the economy becomes dependent on them The more tourists that flock to Bhutan, the more the economy becomes dependent on them as debt is incurred to invest in greater tourist facilities. Such debt can only be paid off in an isolated, landlocked country by increased tourist expenditures, something improved facilities encourage even greater numbers. If the number of tourists rises significantly, it will become economically catastrophic for their numbers not to continue to rise to pay off debt. Bhutan will be stuck in an ecologically destructive vicious cycle which would ultimately make it less attractive to tourists.

If the government wishes to protect the incredible ecology of Bhutan, as it claims, then the sustainable development fee is too low to significantly decrease the number of tourists entering

Protective parents and Welsh sex education Meera Navlakha On January 21, the Welsh government announced that religious and sex education will now be compulsory, meaning parents will no longer have the means to withdraw their children from these classes. This will be tested in a trial run in 2021 but will become statutory in 2022.

Wales is set to be the first place in the UK to implement the arrangement. Up until now, parents in the area have been granted the right to use the ‘opt-out’ rule.

Up until now, parents in the area have been able to ‘opt out’ According to the BBC, Education Minister Kirsty Williams said black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) and other faith groups will be integrated into the process of developing the curriculum. This promises the treatment of a ‘sensitive matter’

with the due diligence given to a range of communities. Williams acknowledged that the subjects will have to be handled carefully.

The new curriculum will be renamed Religion, Values, and Ethics.

Gabrielle Raw-Rees, a third-year from Grey College, recalls her experience with RE during her education at Wales. At a small Welsh primary school, her religious studies teacher would provide lessons once or twice a month.

She doesn’t remember these classes being particularly intense.

“It was quite relaxed overall but I do remember that any religious education I got was skewed quite a lot towards Christianity and Islam,” she notes.

“I didn’t know there was an opt-out rule though,” said RawRees who identifies as an atheist.

HIV and sexual health advocates have received the news positively, with many suggesting that this will improve the collective understanding of sex, relationships, and sexuality. The charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, tweeted that this is “great news for young people in Wales.”

Debbie Laycock, the head of

policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, told The Guardian, “until now far too many young people have learned about sex through whispers in the playground. This decision by the Welsh government will go some way to fixing this.”

This will be tested in a trial run in 2021 When it comes to religious education, those who uphold that compulsory classes are beneficial for students have similar beliefs. Most suggest that this is the best route for young people to learn about all faiths, rather than having knowledge solely concerning their own views.

But religious and secular groups have their respective concerns. Humanists UK, which advocates for secularism, said that the problem with compulsory religious education (RE) is that “schools will still be able to teach the subject from a faithbased perspective.” According to a tweet from the organisation, this is a notable concern when it

comes to faith schools, more so than community schools. A representative for the group said that RE can lead to “young people being indoctrinated against their or their parents’ wishes.”

On February 8, the BBC reported that the Welsh government is in danger of being taken to court over this decision. Sir Malcolm Evans, a legal expert, warned that the policy could be a breach of human rights that parents could take legal action against.

According to the Durham Law Review, Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 revolves around the “right to respect private and family life, his home and his correspondence,” and Article 9 pertains to the “freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” The Welsh government may find these aspects difficult to combat should be they taken to court. Sir Malcolm suggests that this would only occur if the curriculum is not wholly inclusive or holistic.

“In my view having an opt-out is very much a safety valve,” he told the BBC.

the country, most of whom are extremely wealthy anyway. It is perfectly possible to decrease numbers while giving some special status to Indian visitors, for example by waiving the visa requirement. But ultimately, in a region of rapidly growing prosperity and improved transport to Bhutan, this unique country will be forced to make a choice. Either it makes it more expensive for tourists to enter, or imposes a quota, and thereby does not yield to the short-term interests of the growing tourism industry which would destroy the country’s ecology. Or it abandons its uniqueness, allows a vicious cycle of burgeoning tourism and debt-traps that would destroy its ecology and social fabric. In doing so, Bhutan forgets its happiness-maximisng aims respected across the world and damages its long-term economic and social prospects through environmental degradation and the destruction of the scenery tourists so crave. Pick one or the other; you cannot have it both ways.

Thursday 20th February 2020| PALATINATE

16

Politics

Trump stirs the pot as Palestine seeks peace to boost his votes among evangelical Christians, who generally support Israel as the Jewish state.

Any genuine plan for peace must involve both Palestine and Israel and take into account the rights and lives of civilians: surely the key people we must protect.

And a solution for the crisis is also one rooted in people. The conflict is not simply one of states but it is embedded on the microlevel in religion, identity and norms.

The conflict is not simply one of states but it is embedded on the microlevel in religion, identity and norms.

( ilirjan rrumbullaku via Flickr)

Lilith Foster-Collins Once again, the US shows utter disregard for the subtleties of conflict in the Middle East with a simplistic and ineffective solution; Trump’s plan for Israel-Palestine peace is obviously flawed and cannot be actualised. What is more interesting is how this plan reflects a change in US policy and the implications for peace in Palestine.

Trump’s plan redraws the boundaries dividing Palestine and Israel, with large areas of land around Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley given to Israel and Jerusalem as the ‘undivided capital’ of Israel. The proposed state of Palestine includes new territories near

the Egyptian border intended to compensate for the loss of other claimed territories. Israeli settlements, declared illegal by the United Nations, are to be legalised and annexed, connected to Israel through roads and tunnels hauntingly reminiscent of the division of Berlin.

The plan violates international legal prohibitions against annexation and undermines the principle of self-determination.

The plan violates international legal prohibitions against annexation and undermines the principle

of self-determination.

But not only is it unjust and unlawful, it is also ineffective. The Palestinian people, and the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, have made it resoundingly clear that they will not accept such a plan. The militant group Hamas also shows no signs of reducing attacks. So far the main result of the plan has been an upsurge of violence. Three Palestinians killed in the West Bank, twelve Israeli soldiers hurt in Jerusalem, and further Israeli air strikes triggered by militants’ firing of mortars. The long term consequences of the plan should not be underestimated either. The legitimisation of Israel’s actions by an outside power is likely to

stimulate tensions in the area.

The plan displays a simplicity that has come to characterise Trump’s policies.

The plan displays a simplicity that has come to characterise Trump’s policies.

It is a statement: designed not to have any real effect but instead as a show of strength domestically and on the world stage. Netanyahu’s election is upcoming and it is possible Trump chose this moment to announce the plan to increase Netanyahu’s chances of re-election. Furthermore, Trump’s thoughts may be on his own office and the opportunity

A resolution is only possible if attitudes change in the citizens of Israel, Palestine and the international community. Changes in power configuration indicate the possibility of progress: China and India obtain greater prominence on the world stage, and Europe and Russia, more directly affected by the instability than the US, are likely to play a greater role.

The US is not likely to retain its free hand in the Middle East, and looking at the direction in which its foreign policy is headed, we may be glad of this development.

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Pablo Escobar’s hitman ‘Popeye’ had killed 257 men Yasmine Zong Pablo Escobar’s notorious hitman died at the age of 57 on 6th February, all while the drug wars in Latin America continue.

Jhon Jairo Velásquez, nicknamed ‘Popeye’, passed away at the age of 57 in a hospital in Bogotá on 6th February 2020, as a result of esophageal cancer. For those who are not familiar with this name, Velásquez had been identified as one of the most important hitmen of Pablo Escobar, the legendary ‘King of Cocaine’ who monopolised cocaine trade between Colombia and the US back in the 1980s. The death of Velásquez may serve as a lasting remembrance of Escobar’s legacy. However, it also reminds us that despite the end of these big-named drug lords, the threat of drug wars still hang above the heads of millions of Colombians

and Latin Americans to this day.

According to Popeye’s own claims, during his career he had personally killed 257 men, among these victims were many prominent politicians and public figures.

The threat of drug wars still hang above the heads of millions of Colombians and Latin Americans to this day.

He had also helped to arrange more than 3000 killings, as well as the bombing of Avianca Flight 303 in 1989 which killed 110 people. The career of Velásquez had been a testimony to the power of Pablo Escobar at his height, and to the sheer scale of the drug wars in Colombia and Latin America: the gangsters and drug lords were far more than underground criminals of the unstable societies in which they lived in; on the contrary, they

were able to become important political actors on the basis of their wealth and influences, able to become major enemies or allies of the weak national governments, paramilitary insurrection groups or even sometimes US agencies.

With renewed effort from the Colombian and US governments, drug trade in Colombia fell to an all time low in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Since his own surrender to Colombian justice in 1992 and the death of Escobar in 1993, Velásquez had served 22 years in prison, and after receiving probation in 2014 had turned himself into a YouTube personality and memorialist, before being arrested again in 2018. The old estates of Escobar were turned into tourist attractions, and for some years it seemed like the age of drug barons reigning like feudal lords would be remembered only in local legends and TV series such as Narcos. But in recent years, with

economic crisis and civil conflicts rising in several Latin American countries, the drug trades are prevalent once again, led by a new generation of drug barons operating even closer within the political systems and with more flexibility.

Meanwhile among Latin American politicians, accusations of old

connections or alliances with Escobar still haunt the headlines of newspapers.

Individuals and even dynasties of drug barons will come and go, but it seems like the presence of drug barons and their wars are going to last much, much longer.

( rebcenter-moscow.ru via Creative Commons)

PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

17

Politics

Have Sinn Féin changed the game? Editors’ points

Ronan Burke

Following the Irish General Election result, Sinn Féin are undoubtedly the largest party on the island of Ireland. With 37 seats and 24.5% of the vote, the highest vote-share of any party, leader Mary Lou McDonald has transformed Sinn Féin from the bogeymen of Irish politics to a potential governing party in waiting. This result is unprecedented, especially when you consider that this is the first time in recent history that neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil, Ireland’s two dominant, centre-right parties, have topped the polls.

Varadkar’s Fine Gael, the governing party since 2011, won only 35 seats, while their main rival Fianna Fáil won 38. Given that Sinn Féin only fielded

42 candidates however, this seat-share does not fully reflect how dominant they were.

Ireland is now a three-party state. But how did we get here?

This is the first time in recent history that neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil have topped the polls.

British commentators have cited the rise of Sinn Féin as a result of either Brexit or populism. Both could not be further from the truth. First, one percent of voters cited Brexit as their most important issue in the RTE Exit poll, so that’s just false.

As Guardian columnist Peter Geoghegan argued in his “Memo” to British political pundits, “Ireland’s election isn’t about you”.

Ellis O’Hanlon of The Telegraph wrote of how the Irish are ignoring the “true danger” posed

by Sinn Féin’s “populist surge”.

Comparing Sinn Féin’s rise to that of AfD or Le Front National, though, is laughable.

Rather, Sinn Féin represented something very much amiss in British politics: a credible left-wing alternative. Amidst public anger over housing shortages, skyrocketing rents and homelessness, Sinn Féin presented themselves as a voice for change in an Irish political landscape, which has previously been so conservative. McDonald did not just throw around easy solutions like the populist mantras of Trump and Le Pen. Rather, it proposed meaningful social policies which included building 100,000 council homes, costing €6.5 billion, to deal with said housing shortages; all within a fully costed, progressive manifesto. While Sinn Féin voters were mobilized by anger against the ‘big two’, it is rash to dismiss such a historic result as a result of mere “antiestablishment” sentiment. This was a vote for progression.

Sinn Féin represented a credible left-wing alternative

( Bob A Fox via Creative Commons)

The months and weeks ahead will see endless negotiations to establish a government in the Republic. Under Ireland’s PR-

STV system, no one party will ever surpass the 80-seat number required for a majority, meaning coalitions are inevitable.

Feasibly, there are four options.

The first is a coalition between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and other independents. This would leave Sinn Féin in opposition though, surely playing to their future advantage. Second, a left-wing coalition led by Sinn Féin and other progressive parties (such as the Greens) is possible, but not too likely to reach 80 seats.

A left-wing coalition led by Sinn Féin and other progressive parties is possible Third, previously ruled out by FF leader Micheál Martin on the campaign trail, a Sinn Féin and Fianna Fail coalition, alongside some independents, would be enough to form a government.

While somewhat feasible, this would likely be the product of months of tough negotiations given the party’s differences.

Fourth, after months of deadlock, the parties may decide to have another election. At the time of writing, all options are very much up in the air.

During the campaign, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Sinn Féin were “not a normal party”. It seems, Mr. Varadkar, that this wasn’t a normal election.

Philip Schofield and the media Oscar Duffy Why was it that on Friday last week, Philip Schofield announcing that he is gay caused such a shockwave in the British press and on social media?

We are lucky enough to live in a country that is generally accepting towards different sexualities. Indeed, much of the conversation surrounding the issue revolved around statements of support. The hosts of This Morning all gathered around Schofield to encourage him during the episode where he made the announcement, and there was an immediate outpouring of praise, both on TV (Dancing on Ice had a short segment congratulating his bravery) and on social media (it trended on Twitter for 24 hours).

It’s clear that the public doesn’t necessarily have a problem about his sexuality. That’s not what the tabloids were arguing, but it still made headlines anyway.

Part of this is due to the nature of

the announcement, and particular circumstances unique to Schofield. It is true that Schofield’s coming out story is not the most usual kind. He is much older than most. The average age of coming out is now 17 for millennials,

ment to it, and the release of a long statement online and on the television meant that they set the bar for how big this story was going to be. There was no attempt to make the issue more subtle or brush it under the carpet.

It was made explicitly in the

open, and thus was bound to cause some form of reaction.

There is something to be said that as a society, we still tend to see coming out as a major announcement, thus to an extent still “othering” homosexuality.

He is much older than most.

The average age of coming out is now 17 for millennials Highlighting that as we become more accepting as a society, there is a greater impetus to announce one’s sexuality before reaching adulthood.

Also, Schofield has been married to a woman for 27 years, and part of the story revolved around the reaction of his wife and the implications for his relationship. Even though the fact that he is gay was not taken against, some debated the position this placed his wife in.

It is also the case that This Morning devoted a whole seg-

My Feminist Rant Brazil: ‘Adolescence first, pregnancy later’ Women support women.

Or do they? A female Brazilian Minister has proposed that abstinence is the best solution to Brazil’s teenage pregnancy problem.

Yes, definitely, not informing young adults about safe sex, contraception and STI’s and keeping them in the dark is a better solution than making prevention more readily available.

Damares Alves, the minister turned-celebrity due to her notorious quotes such as ‘boys wear blue, girls wear pink’ or ‘eminists fight their struggle by introducing a crucifix into their vaginas’ (and meanwhile we think Love Island is extreme), claims her religious convictions have no role in this campaign, and ensures it is a well researched decision, as ‘a 12 year old girl is not ready to be possessed’. The Minister for Women (I promise this is not a joke), is one of only two female ministers in Bolsonaro’s government, although reading her opinions, we can hardly call that a victory.

Brazil has chosen the path of fear, rather than the path of consent and empowering women to know their bodies. When asked about his thoughts on the much -criticised ( I wonder why...) campaign, Bolsonaro had his personal reasons: ‘Does anyone think that I want to have my 9 year old daughter pregnant next year?’. The President clearly has the wellbeing of Brazilian women at heart, reason why the country is (only) fifth in the world’s rankings of femicide.

It is time we understand sex education doesn’t imply more sex, but safer sex and well-informed choices. Brazil is stepping back 40 years, taking on a policy impulsed by an evangelical Christian pressure group. But hey ho, let’s just keep watching Love Island.

Marina Mestres Segarra Politics Editor (bi0xid via Creative Commons)

Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

18

Sport

“Forget Kafka’s theories of journalism, get out there and do it”

Former Palatinate Sport Editor and journalist for The Cricketer Nick Friend gives his advice on getting into the industry Nick Friend I landed in Lahore three weeks ago ahead of the final leg of a journey that would leave me in Lodhran, a small countryside town in the South Punjab region of Pakistan.

It is a tough part of a country on the road to recovery; there are few employment opportunities and little infrastructure.

Yet, among the swathes of cropland that stretch for miles on either side of a solitary highway that ultimately leads back into the nation’s urban hubs, sits a cricket ground. There is not much to it; we are beyond the height of summer, and so the grass has lost its lush sheen. An unpretentious sign hangs over the entrance and tucked away in one far corner of the field stands a single bathroom.

The facility is home to a cricket academy doing incredible things in the area; it has given the young people of Lodhran a raison d’etre and a home away from home. The objectives are twofold: to open doors in a community where they have often been slammed shut and, in a glittering utopia, to see this speck in the rural wilderness produce an international cricketer.

I’ve been home for a fortnight now. To say that I’ve been to Pakistan feels a remarkable privilege. I’m humble enough to admit that I knew little heading into my trip. I wish I had known more. But I return having enjoyed the experience of a lifetime.

And if this reads like a selfindulgent sojourn down the lane of a recent memory, then perhaps that’s because, in part, it is.

But there is a wider point I want to get at. Sports journalism, I think, is about saying yes to opportunities. It is a phenomenal job and one that I’m hugely fortunate to wake up to each day. It was a dream that properly began at Durham, where Palatinate took a punt on me.

I was sent to Lahore by The Cricketer, the world’s oldest cricket magazine, and where I have worked since joining the publication a week before last year’s World Cup. I can’t lie: it is a dream job – a magazine I had been buying for years and a sport I love almost too much.

As you can imagine, those initial weeks were frenetic, all culminating in the day of all days, when Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer clinched a maiden world title for

England’s men. I’ve been assured by colleagues that it simply won’t get better than that, that I’ve seen cricket’s greatest day. I guess that depends on what you’re looking for.

I was the sports editor of this student newspaper for two years, before graduating in 2017 with a degree in modern languages.

I was set on a career in sports journalism long before I first took on the role at the beginning of my second year, but I had been encouraged by writers I’d spoken to that I was better served studying something I knew I would enjoy at undergraduate level and then taking things from there.

It is a decision I would wholeheartedly endorse seven years on from starting out at Hatfield. Four years later, I began a Master’s in sports journalism at St Mary’s University. Once again, I would recommend it to anyone – a terrific course with superb lecturers and a vocational focus. Forget Kafka’s theories of journalism. Instead, get out there and do some sports writing. And I’m so glad I did.

It’s by no means the only way in – nor, necessarily, the typical route. Press Association run excellent courses, as do News Associates; others too.

I’m 25 years old and I certainly do not hold all the answers, nor would I speculate over what they might be My first job came with SportsPro, a sports business magazine and website. If England were to win the World Cup, that wasn’t really a story for us. But when England would partner with a major brand, then that was our bread and butter.

It might sound dry to some, but I learnt a huge amount. I’d go as far as saying that without understanding the business of sport, it is difficult to truly understand sport itself. Sport is business. Big business. I spent eight months there, writing news stories and features, while getting out of the office to source my own interviews.

That approach has its roots at Durham. Ever since sitting down with former Newcastle defender Olivier Bernard in my first week as Palatinate Sport Editor as a petrified 19-year-old, features have been my major focus.

They’re great fun to do. Athletes are human beings – society often lets us forget that. I remember sitting in Bernard’s office, his feet up on an adjacent chair, chatting with the Paris-born leftback about his honorary Geordie status, his work with anti-racism charities and his ambitions for Durham City FC, where he was chief executive at the time. There was a starstruck moment – why am I here? But then, it felt natural.

Over the next two years, I spent afternoons with Rafa Benitez and Gabby Logan; there were interviews with Chris Kamara, Jeff Stelling, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and Lennox Lewis.

What I’m trying to say is that this is all possible. Who knew? I definitely didn’t. Receiving a reply from the representatives of some of these people was a thrill – even in rejection.

If you want to go for it, go for it.

Blog, podcast, throw yourself into student media. Tweet and email journalists and editors; ask if you can spend a week shadowing them or, better still, working on their sports desk. Get a taste for it and see for yourself whether it’s for you.

Discover a favourite writer and read him or her religiously.

And then follow others. Pick up styles that you like and others that you don’t. If you like a long read, subscribe to The Athletic.

It’s awash with quality football writing.

When I moved on from SportsPro, it was to join CNN. It was a tremendous chance to work for one of the most reputable names in the industry and to experience life in one of the busiest newsrooms going.

It’s quite a place. To say that I’ve written for their enormous global audience is a thrill; to say that my features – long thought out and meticulously researched – have stood front and centre on the homepage of their website is a quite surreal feeling.

All that stems from Palatinate.

George Bond, my deputy editor in my final year at Durham, is a sports journalist at MailOnline.

Ollie Godden, another deputy alongside George, is completing his own Master’s in sports journalism. Charlie Taylor-Kroll, a deputy in my first stint in the role, is now a business reporter with Merger Market alongside Ryan Gould, who was my editor-inchief. And Tomas, who I worked with in my final year, is now in charge of this section. Kishan

Vaghela, once a deputy himself, now freelances with MailOnline and The Independent, having worked for four months with me at The Cricketer.

If nothing else, that chain should provide hard evidence of the pathway that exists and, indeed, the value of student journalism. It is not the be-all and end-all by any stretch – I have university friends who have gone into the industry without ever touching student media during their studies.

If you want to go for it, go for it. Blog, podcast, throw yourself into student media I’m not convinced that there is a single piece of advice that is more important than any other.

But jumping at opportunities – no matter how far outside your comfort zone – is definitely a start. I spent the first week of December 2018 holed up in a Prague hotel, covering the World Floorball Championships.

I had never heard of the sport until I had a flight booked and my accreditation approved. It’s indoor hockey with plastic sticks and a hollow plastic ball, by the way.

It pays to stand out from the crowd. What can you do that makes you different? Chase stories, be bold and build up a portfolio.

Palatinate gave me the chance to do all three, doing so in the knowledge that I was contributing to a publication that has seen some fine names pass through it.

Mark Pougatch, so generous with his time when we interviewed him in my second year, is a former sports editor of the paper. He, of course, fronts ITV’s football coverage. George Alagiah, the great news presenter, was the editor-in-chief many moons ago.

Hunter Davies, the journalist and author who has ghostwritten the autobiographies of Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne also contributed as a student. And then there is Jeremy Vine as well.

It is embarrassing company, but also a reason to put everything into it. Hindsight is terrific and, at times, I wonder whether I could have put less into Palatinate and perhaps made more of other areas during my time at the university. But then, I know what I learnt from the approach I took.

Sports journalism is no 9-5 job.

It’s weekends, it’s evenings, it’s news breaking just as you were planning to leave the office for a pint. That’s the nature of the beast.

But it’s also terrific fun. Some would say that I’m far too willing to take work home with me. But work doesn’t feel like work.

If you’re even slightly thinking about it, you should give it a go.

And then, all of a sudden, you’ll be stood in your very own Lahore – be it Wembley, St Andrews, Silverstone or Twickenham, doing something you never once thought you’d do, covering an event you never once thought you’d cover, breaking the news you never once thought break, interviewing the superstar you never once thought you’d interview.

Nick Friend with then-Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez as Sport Editor

19

PALATINATE | Thursday 20th February 2020

Sport

Only way is up for pool as women claim BUCS Trophy Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Sport Editor It has been some year for pool at Durham. In December, the Cue Sports club clinched the 9-ball pool championship in their inaugural appearance at the tournament, overcoming a lack of resources to bring the title home. Then it was the women’s turn as they conquered the 8-ball competition in Great Yarmouth earlier this month, with Charlotte Elliott’s side winning the Trophy and the captain herself earning bronze in the individual event.

The talk around the club is that they have contributed more BUCS points to Durham than rowing so far this season, a phenomenal achievement for a sport which is not usually considered one of the University’s strongholds. When you factor in that this was the first time the club fielded four teams at the 8-ball championship and the first time all teams made the knockout stages, you can see why people are starting to get excited about pool in Durham.

Women’s captain Charlotte Elliott was in spectacular form at the championships and was particularly proud of her team’s performance, which took on added significance given they were absent from last year’s edition.

“Having won the championship the year before that, it was sad to not send someone to defend the title,” she tells Palatinate. “This was the first time that all three players in the women’s team had ever competed at BUCS which

The Cue Sports Club won the 9-ball championship in December and added the women’s trophy to their haul in Great Yarmouth this month (Cue Sports Club)

I think made it extra special to all be new on the scene and do so well. Hopefully, the women’s success will encourage more women to start playing pool and expand and add depth to the women’s squad.”

The women’s route to the final was fraught with tension.

Having finished fourth in their group to qualify, they swept past the University of Strathclyde’s first team in the last 16 with a resounding 4-1 victory to make sure they would be back to play on Sunday. A nail-biting tie ensued in the quarter-final against York’s second team as a 3-3 draw went to a decider after an impressive tactical frame. In what would become a common theme, Elliott stepped up to wrap

up the game.

It was almost exactly the same story in the semi-final against Lancaster’s second team as Elliott and co. took the 3-3 draw to a decider. The final was a much more standard affair, as a thumping 4-0 victory over St Andrew’s seconds ensured the title came home.

Elliott’s run to the semi-finals in the individual event was just as impressive in her inaugural appearance at the tournament.

She had to endure a two and a half hour, seven-frame slog to make it into the last four. There she met Phillippa Orme, a St Andrew’s student and previously a finalist for the past three consecutive years. Although Elliott was disappointed at losing a tight

battle 4-3, the bronze medal means she is likely to be invited to represent English universities in a competition later this year against the Home Countries.

“On reflection I’m frustrated at the way I lost in the semis,” she says. “But also immensely proud of reaching the semis given it was my first time at BUCS. Hopefully I’ll be back next year to go one or two better.”

Great Yarmouth was also notable for the 4s’ maiden performance in the competition.

The team went unbeaten in a group stage which included one university first team, two second teams and a third team.

That included a huge 6-2 victory against Stirling’s first string which confirmed them as group

winners and which represented the highlight of the tournament for 4s captain Ben Dickinson.

“It felt really good as a fourth team to be able to go toe to toe with, and eventually beat, a university first team,” he says.

“The winning margin of 6-2 also really highlighted the fact that we were there to play, not just make up numbers.”

Dickinson’s side went on to lose to Liverpool’s second team in the first knockout round of the Vase, but their performance had wider ramifications. Having won their group in Great Yarmouth, the 4s will be entered into the first tier competition at next year’s edition -- all the more remarkable given most universities only field one or two teams.

DULTC conquer Northern Premier and National League Matt Styles Deputy Sport Editor It has been a stellar couple of weeks for Durham tennis. Last Wednesday the Men’s 2s won the Northern Premier League, which came off the back of the M1s securing the title in the National League.

Speaking to tennis co-ordinator Paul Midgley, he reflects on the strength of the men’s teams this year.

He notes how six out of eight of DULTC’s top two teams have recently graduated from college tennis in the United States, with all of these squad members having achieved high national and international rankings.

The club’s top men’s and women’s players are all exceedingly well seasoned and also compete professionally outside of BUCS matches.

Their credentials are undisputed, as seen by club member Henry Patten reaching the quarter final of a professional $25K tournament this week.

Durham are also top of the National Premier League, a separate LTA event, which helps to “create widespread publicity and further enhances the image of the programme.”

They blew Leeds Beckett out of the water with a 12-0 victory It comes as no surprise, then, to learn of the 1s and 2s indomitable form so far this campaign.

They completely whitewashed the National League and have managed to stay unbeaten throughout the entirety of the season.

In the process they have made it a one-horse race and totally

dominated Nottingham, who have acted as their only competition.

Each player in the top four won key matches and, to top it all off, were placed fourth out of the top six in the BUCS individuals rankings.

The Men’s 2s’s season was not so clear-cut, with the race for the title going down to the last day where they were able to pull off a miraculous final day league clincher.

Under pressurising circumstances, they blew Leeds Beckett out of the water with a 12-0 victory. Nottingham, who were two points ahead going into the final match, drew with Loughborough to allow Durham to bring home the title.

Achieving this feat came by no accident, which is evident in their rigorous training schedule.

“It is very intense,” says Midgley, “with three 7am practices a week and a minimum of five tennis

sessions each, along with weights and track sessions."

“The boys are extremely motivated this year to compete outside of university matches, which has made a big difference to the level of the team.”

Beyond practice and sheer quality, Midgley recognised the role that team morale played in the men’s respective successes.

“Both the M1s and 2s had incredible team morale this year, and that has definitely made a big contribution to such a successful season.”

“The central factor to success this year was great team chemistry and motivated players who love tennis.”

When talking about the strategies for maintaining this form and atmosphere in the club, he believes that it boils down to “maintaining the high standards of the programme in both training and matches.

Next year the aim is to maintain and go beyond these core principles.

There is no reason why DULTC can not meet and indeed exceed the standards they have set next year.

Midgley believes the benefits to this are manifold. He expects to see greater participation in tennis next year.

“Inevitably, such a successful year creates a snowball effect which has already allowed us to recruit an extremely strong line up for next year.”

The club has six men’s and five women’s teams, and hopefully the men’s 1s and 2s dominance can be spread across the club in years to come.

DULTC will be looking forward to their second of two ‘super weekends’ in Roehampton this weekend, we wish them the very best.

Sport

Thursday 20th February 2020 | PALATINATE

Breaking into sports journalism

Sport Editor emeritus Nick Friend gives his advice for budding writers (page 19)

Two titles, four teams and... more points than rowing?

The inside track on Cue Sports as women win 9-ball Trophy (page 18)

Indoor cricket lay down marker ahead of new season with Trophy triumph Hector Pearce

Deputy Sport Editor

Durham Women right-back Kathryn Hill is set to be named the North East Football Writers’ Association Women’s Player of the Year (Durham Women FC)

Postgrad wins North East FWA player of the year Tim Sigsworth Sport Editor Durham University postgraduate Kathryn Hill is to be named the North East Football Writers’ Association Women’s Player of the Year at their 40th annual dinner on Sunday 23 February.

Hill, a tough-tackling right-back, plays her club football for Durham Women Football Club, a team flying high in second place in the second tier of English women’s football, the FA Women’s Championship.

She follows in the footsteps of teammate Beth Hepple, who won the award last season after rising through the academy ranks and then breaking into the firstteam squad at New Ferens Park.

The event will see Hill collect her award alongside Newcastle United’s Fabian Schär and Sean Longstaff, who have been named Men’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year respectively.

“It’s nice to be recognised as an individual but also nice as it

reflects the team and how well we are doing,” Hill told Palatinate.

“It’s been hard at times as we train a lot and dedicate a lot of time to football but it’s also been good as it allows for an escape from working. I think it’s fine if you can find a good balance and obviously getting a degree too.”

Having started her career with childhood club Glasgow Rangers and after playing international football with Scotland’s youth and senior sides, Hill moved to the US in 2015, joining Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, on a scholarship.

She played for the University’s football team for two years, captaining them during 2016 and winning a host of awards during her final season.

Named the team’s most valuable player, her sporting and academic achievements meant she also added all-Conference USA honours, C-USA All-Academic First-Team honours and C-USA Commisioner’s Academic Medals to her name.

In 2017, Hill returned from

across the pond to join Durham Women as part of the club’s link to the University. As part of the sports scholarship scheme, which has also seen the likes of Iris Achterhof and Molly Sharpe sign for the Wildcats, she has combined playing in the Championship for her club and in BUCS for her university with a master’s degree in education over the last two years.

“I think in terms of the Championship it’s definitely a competitive league. Every game is difficult and that’s what I like about playing in England.

“I loved America but felt it was focused more on being an athlete and not technically as good.”

Durham have enjoyed a stellar campaign so far this season, winning 10 of their 14 games with an attacking brand of football seen in games such as a 5-1 away win at Leicester City on the opening day of the season and a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace.

What was set to be their biggest game of the season − a promotion six-pointer against the unbeaten

league leaders Aston Villa − was postponed on Sunday 9 February due to adverse weather conditions.

At the time of writing, that game is yet to be rescheduled, and Hill and her teammates are not letting the Villans’ form unnerve them − they are together as one and focused on getting more points on the board.

“Having a good team spirit and wanting to work for each other,” Hill answered when asked what the key factors behind their high-flying campaign have been and what’s next for the team.

“It’s much easier to go out [on the pitch] on a Sunday when everyone’s on the same page and wants to win for each other.”

“I think just one game at a time, and focus on winning and seeing where that leaves us at the end of the season.”

Such sentiment is a favourite of managers and players keen to urge caution against overexcitement and overconfidence, but it’s a mantra which has been to Durham and Hill’s benefit this season.

University cricket success might seem an odd headline at this time of year, but the strength of the indoor squad means it is in fact an inevitability.

Indoor cricket, a modified version of the summer sport, is a great opportunity for the team to develop their skills over the winter. The format is played with just six players, rather than the usual 11, with scoring decided according to the different areas of the sports hall the ball is hit.

Durham MCCU have laid the foundations for success early in the new year with a succession of comprehensive wins in the preliminary rounds during Michaelmas term. This ensured the team progressed to the knockout stages of the competition, where they defeated De Montfort University 2s, Sheffield Hallam 1s, and Nottingham Trent 1s.

Notoriously strong in this format of the game, the Durham 1s, captained by Tom Price, who has just signed a professional contract with Gloucestershire Cricket, showed their class in progressing to Finals Day last week. The squad of Price (c), Joe Cracknell, Alexander Thomas, Jonathan Conolly, Ollie Price, Simon Fernandes, and Sam Perry consists of six first-year students, itself testament to the strength of the current squad at the University.

The Durham 1s travelled to Leicester for the final day of the indoor BUCS competition, where they were placed in a group with Sheffield Hallam, Portsmouth, and Cardiff. They successfully progressed through the group stages, and ultimately won the indoor competition.

This success in the Men’s Trophy Final is a massive boost to the team’s pre-season training, and a marker for all competitors before the beginning of the BUCS summer leagues.