P771

Muslim students feel “isolated” in Durham (Pages 8-9)

Politics speaks to prospective parliamentary candidates

(Page 10)

Why they didn’t tell the University (page i3)

Durham’s independent student newspaper

Palatinate

www.palatinate.org.uk

No. 771

Thursday 19th February 2015 | FREE

Millie Tanner elected President by 11.6% of student body James Poole

Statistics provided by Durham Students’ Union have revealed that, across all of the student officer elections, approximately 18.5% of students turned out to vote.

Only 22.45% of undergraduate students and 3.6% of postgraduate students turned out to vote.

Millie Tanner, the current JCR President of St. Cuthbert’s Society, was elected President with only

7.29% of Stephenson College students, 6.22% of John Snow College students and 10.46% of St. John’s students voting in the presidential election.

Only 13.13% of students at University College voted in the presidential election, but, unsurprisingly, the best turnout figures came from St. Cuthbert’s Society, where 42.25% of students voted.

Speaking to Palatinate, Millie Tanner said: “I obviously

want to say a massive thank you to everyone that voted for me. It’s great to know that students have supported my ideas.

“The Union will be fun and relevant to students under my leadership and I can’t wait to get started.”

The election results were announced by the incumbent Students’ Union President, Dan Slavin, who described turnout as “really great”, adding that turnout had “smashed” last year’s figures.

Only 22.45% of undergraduate students and 3.6% of postgraduate students turned out to vote.

In a statement, Dan Slavin told Palatinate: “We are pleased that the number of students that have

voted in the Student Officer elections has increased by 15%. This is almost 500 more students than voted last year.

“We are continually working to engage more students in the democratic process and we hope to continue to improve yearon-year. Students still have the chance to vote in the Development Officer and NUS delegate elections next month.”

Continued on page 4

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Editorial Finally, something is being done. But why only now?

At long last something seems to be being done to counter the dreadful accidents that have happened over the past 15 months.

But why has it taken the deaths of three students for action to have been taken?

After Sope Peters drowned in October 2013, the County Durham coroner called for better riverside safety. He said, regarding the steps by Klute where Sope was last seen: “I have tried to negotiate those steps and it is difficult even when sober.”

After Luke Pierce died in May last year, there were more calls for improvements to be made.

Then in November, a student was assaulted on the towpath. I was at an angry Assembly meeting where students accused the Students’ Union of not doing enough to stop events repeating.

And then in January, Euan Coulthard went missing. His body was found later that month.

It is positive that something is finally being done that will try to ensure that these accidents are not repeated. Some of the ideas — student volunteers, building links with taxi companies, restarting the nightbus, establishing a “safe-zone” for vulnerable people, encouraging students to go home in groups for example — are good. A safety review will take place next month.

What is more concerning is that this week (p. 6) we learned that the council have decided to put barriers up in “high-risk areas”.

Last week, Chris and I walked along the river towpath at night. The railings stop after a few metres, after where the pavement narrows and you are walking right next to the river’s edge. Parts of the pavement are broken away.

The spot where Euan’s body was found is pitch black — you cannot even see your hands in front of you, let alone your feet. It was dangerous walking there sober.

Where the student

was assaulted along the towpath, a light had broken and has been for some time.

Of course fencing cannot be built all along the river — all groups involved have to be pragmatic and realistic about what is possible. But it is absolutely needed in certain parts. I was pleasantly surprised to hear listeners on BBC Newcastle the other day speaking in support of students and the calls for better riverside safety. One of the presenters told me (and later announced on air) that he wouldn’t dare take his children down to the towpath because it’s too dangerous.

The JCR President of Collingwood College, Jake Hooker, is absolutely right when he told our reporter:

All of this has come too late for three people. I hope that will be on the minds of all those involved in making sure people are safe.

“The stakeholders of the river have done a bad job in disseminating material.”

The Chief Constable — who is known for his bluntness — carelessly dismissed student calls for better safety measures.

His use of language to the media was unprofessional, unhelpful and irresponsible.

(And anyway, I haven’t heard of anyone calling for more police officers to be on the patrol along the river.)

He seemingly dismissed whole swathes of student opinion, and with the comments, the petition signed by over 15,000 people and 85% of students who called for better riverside safety in our last edition.

The coroner said at Sope’s inquest: “It may be a small comfort to the family knowing that someone is hopefully going to have a look at the situation.”

But it has come too late for three people. I hope that will be on the minds of all

those involved in making sure people are safe.

What is the point of the Students’ Union?

Congratulations to Millie Tanner for her victory in the Presidential election.

However as our front page points out, just over a tenth of Durham students voted for her (with just over 5% for Daniel Morgan-Thomas).

Why do people simply not care about the Students’ Union? That will be something Tanner will need to examine and remedy if next year’s candidate is to have a real mandate.

Freedom of speech is for everyone

Last week, we published a popular but controversial article written by the Durham Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society’s President titled “Has DICCU publicity gone too far?”

Most of the comments were critical of the article’s slant – which is good because it’s a sign of healthy debate.

However we received a few comments slamming our decision to put the article up online. One commented that it was too “onesided” (it was an opinion piece) and other criticised us for using a photo of some bonkers American protesters.

The photo was obviously not from Durham and it was chosen by the author to make a clear point. The author had every right to write what he did. If you disagree with articles we publish – or have an opinion you would like to express on anything - you have every right to your opinion. Send us an email with your thoughts: comment@palatinate.org. uk

Tom Fenton

Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

Inside 771 News pages 3-7 News pages 3-8

Profile page 9 Politics pages 10 SciTech page 11 Careers page 12 Comment pages 13-15 Sport pages 16-20

indigo

Editorial page 2 Features page 3

Film & TV pages 4-5

Visual Arts page 6-7 Travel page 8

Books page 9

Music page 10

Stage pages 11

Fashion pages 12-13 Food & Drink page 14

Creative Writing page 15

Letters to the editor

Want to see your name in print? We’d love to hear your opinion on our stories. If you have praise for Palatinate or a bone to pick with us, email editor@palatinate.org.uk.

Your letter could appear on this page in the next edition.

An apology

In our last edition we included a poem, a tribute to Euan Coulthard, written by Tuki Daniel, a postgraduate business student from Hatfield College. Due to an oversight on the part of the editors the author’s name was omitted.

We would like to offer our sincerest apologies to Tuki for this mistake.

Stories If you have any stories that you think we should know about or would like us to investigate, email the news team at news@palatinate. org.uk

Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Christopher Somers & Thomas Fenton editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editor Lawrence Holmes deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors James Poole & Henry Clare news@palatinate.org.uk News Features Editor Rebekah Wilson news.features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Josh Smith, Pippa Cole & Ryan Gould Politics Editor Alex Cupples & Ollie Hamlet politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editor Miriam Brittenden Careers Editor Toyosi Taiwo & Olivia Rosenthall careers@palatinate.org.uk Science and Technology Editor Sadie Bartholomew scitech@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Patrick Brennan comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Ellen Orange, Sandy Thin & Oscar Rocklin Sport Editor Nick Friend sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors John Evans & Kieran Moriaty Indigo Editor Kate Wilkinson indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Sraddha Venkataraman indigo.deputy@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Zosia Eyres feature@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Ellen Finch Food and Drink Editor Anisha Mohan food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editor Oliver Collard travel@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Travel Editor Naoise Murphy Fashion Editors Jessica Ng & Megan Magee fashion@palatinate.org.uk Film and Television Editor Jonathan Peters film@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editor Amy Price stage@palatinate.org.uk Music Editor Ana Symecko music@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Music Editor Will Throp deputy.music@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Atifa Jiwa & Florianne Humphrey books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Frances Marsh visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Creative Writing Editor Celeste Yeo creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Chief Sub-Editor Lucy Hart sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Morgan Hayden-Kentt, Marianna Mukhametzyanova, Ciara Murphy, Isabel López Ruiz, Ellie Mullan Online Editor Kat Hind online.editor@palatinate.org.uk Web Editor Ian Ager web.editor@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editor Venus Loi photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editor Rob Law and Dai-Khue Le-Duong Illustrations Editor Mariam Hayat illustration@palatinate.org.uk Blogs Editor Katie Winter blogs@palatinate.org.uk Publicity Officer Alexandra Fitzgerald publicity@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officer Jess Sham

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

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

Union President’s Column What a busy fortnight it’s been. I’d like to start by saying well done to all the candidates who ran in the Student Officer Elections. After a hard fortnight of campaigning, we were pleased to see voter turnout up on last year—with nearly 500 more students voting this year. Congratulations to the successful candidates: Millie Tanner (President), Esther Green (Community Officer), Benjamin Frost, (Academic Affairs Officer) and Kara-Jane Senior (Activities Officer) who will take over from the 1 July.

We have yet to elect a candidate to the role of Development Officer, so if you are interested, you can find out more information and nominate yourself now on our website (www.durhamsu.com).

You can also represent Durham students on a national level and help to set national policy by running to be a delegate at NUS Conference. NUS Conference is an annual event organised by the National Union of Students (NUS). This year it takes place from Tuesday 21 April until Thursday 23 April 2015 in Liverpool. As well as voting on national policy, you will vote to elect the President and five VicePresidents of NUS for the year ahead. It’s an exciting opportunity open to all current Durham students. Nominations close at 17:00 on Wednesday 25 February. Visit our website (www.durhamsu.com) to find out more and to download the nomination form.

I have also been working on ways to keep students safe at night. You may have seen the five of us out on Wednesday nights in Durham city centre over the last month, supported by some of the Common Room Presidents. We have been out between the hours of 21:00 and 02:00 to help students get home safe. Student volunteers will take over this service by the end of February. We have been providing this service in the interim whilst we work to develop the volunteer scheme with Student Community Action.

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News

News

@PalatinateNews

Fifty Shades of Grey premiered at the Gala Theatre last Friday evening, with screenings at 5:40pm and 8:20pm both reaching full capacity.

Photograph: Rob Law

Durham Alcohol reform alumnus to receives mixed release charity reception single

Concerned mother raises riverside safety funds

Photograph: Tom Ryder

Photograph: Joyce Uerpairojkit

Photograph: Josh Smith

Turn to page 6 to read more

Turn to page 7 to read more

DURHAM SET TO AWARD PRIZES FOR BEST LECTURERS

DUSTOPS LAUNCHES SECOND ANNUAL AWARENESS WEEK

UEA STUDENT UNION BUILDS ‘NAP NOOK’ FOR SLEEPY STUDENTS

Durham University is asking students to nominate lecturers that make “an outstanding contribution to learning and teaching” for the 2015 Teaching Excellence Awards.

The University will present the award to a maximum of three lecturers, with each lecturer receiving a £3,000 prize. For more information visit Durham University’s website.

Durham University Stop the Trafficking of People Society launched its Human Trafficking Awareness Week on Monday. On Tuesday, Professor Gary Craig discussed the recent Modern Day Slavery Bill in ER153 and tomorrow Xenia Murray, director of Finance Against Trafficking, will discuss eradicating trafficking from supply chains in ER141.

Students at the University of East Anglia are being offered the chance to catch up on sleep in between lectures in a “napping nook.”

Students are able to book a 40-minute slot or turn up on the day. The “nap nook,” which is the first of its kind in the UK, provides students with bean bags, sofa beds, and antimicrobial pillows.

Turn to page 5 to read more

News in brief

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Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

Low turnout in

Students’ Union elections

Esther Green (left), Millie Tanner (centre) and Kara Jane Senior (right) were elected Community Officer, President and Activities Officer respectively. Benjamin Frost, the newly-elected Academic Affairs Officer for 2015-2016, was unable to attend the announcement of the results last Friday evening. Photograph: Dai-Khue Le Duong Continued from front page Dan Slavin also announced Benjamin Frost as Academic Affairs Officer, Kara Jane Senior as Activities Officer and Esther Green as Community Officer.

The Students’ Union was forced to readvertise for the position of Development Officer after the only candidate running for the position, Bessie Yan, pulled out on the first day of campaigning.

In the Academic Affairs Officer election, Benjamin Frost fought off competition from Asli Kandemir and Maria Neary, the Senior Man at Hatfield College, with only 3,062 students voting in total.

Benjamin Frost told Palatinate: “I’d like to thank everyone that voted for me.

“The first thing that often comes to mind when people are asked about their departments is some kind of grievance. It might be overly optimistic, but I hope that

2,188

The amount of students that voted for Millie Tanner by the end of my term progress has been made towards ensuring that isn’t the case.

“Engagement with the Union is an issue that both should be and is prioritized. Voter numbers did increase by around 15% compared to last year’s election, so things are heading in the right direction.”

In the election of a new Activities Officer, Kara Jane Senior beat Christopher Cook and William Pinkney-Baird, with only

3.6%

The percentage of posgraduate students that voted in the elections

2,930 students voting.

Speaking to Palatinate, Kara Jane Senior said: “I want to say thank you to everyone who voted for me. I’m really glad my message got through to people and I can’t wait to start representing students’ views and Durham’s fantastic societies.

15,384

with just 2,782 people voting.

Esther told Palatinate: “I want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote. I’m going to really enjoy the role and work really hard for students. This is my dream job so I’m really looking forward to it.

“As Community Officer my priority will be to work with the

City Safety Group to ensure that a workable solution is reached for Durham students.

“I will then look to establish an accredited landlord scheme that will ensure landlords are held accountable and help to prevent spiraling rent prices.”

The amount of students that did not vote in the elections “I really want to change the way people think about the Union. I want people to feel positive.

“When I was out canvassing people were saying that they weren’t going to vote because they simply aren’t interested in the Union. I want to change that.”

The only candidate running for Community Officer, Esther Green, beat votes to reopen nominations,

3,511 out of 18,895 students voted in the student officer elections

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

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Durham alumnus to release charity single Pippa Cole Durham alumnus, Tom Ryder, has written a song in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Ryder wrote the song ‘Silence Breaking Through Sound’ to raise funds and support for the charity, after both his father and grandfather were diagnosed with the disease.

A campaign was launched in mid-January appealing for donations to enable Tom to produce the song professionally, and to shoot an accompanying

“Last year I was knocked sideways by the news that firstly my Dad, and then my Grandad had been diagnosed with cancer.”

video. The campaign was entitled ‘Help this song raise thousands for Macmillan’.

Over £3,000 was pledged by public donations, which Tom described as a “fantastic achievement”.

The song was produced in West London, with session musician John Parker, who has also worked

with Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner, playing double bass on the track.

Speaking to Palatinate, he said: “Last year I was knocked sideways by the news that firstly my Dad, and then my Grandad, had been diagnosed with cancer.

“I had been going about my life in the slightly selfish way we sometimes tend to, when this news changed my entire perspective and made me think about what is actually important.”

When asked to describe the message of the song in five words, Tom replied: “Powerful, poignant, timely, relevant and urgent.”

He added: “It is not just a song about someone who has cancer, but a wider message about how events such as these can completely change the perspective of an individual, and what their priorities are.”

Future campaigns will include live gigs in the run up to the release of the song, as well as the sale of a limited edition t-shirt which has been made for the song.

Ryder graduated from Grey College in 2013, having read English Studies and worked as Sport Editor for Palatinate. He was also very involved in the music scene, performing at Vane Tempest sessions and Strum Saturdays.

Ryder now works as a journalist for business aviation magazine, ‘Business Air News’.

The song is set to be released on the 16th April on iTunes and Amazon, with hard copies available on Ryder’s website:

The single is set for release on iTunes and Amazon on 16th April Photograph: Tom Ryder

Durham student shortlisted for Mars project Ryan Gould A Durham University PhD student has been shortlisted to take part in a manned mission to Mars.

Hannah Earnshaw, a secondyear PhD student studying astronomy, was chosen as one of only eight people in the UK to be shortlisted for the Mars One project, which will put the first human being on Mars.

The project, which has the aim of setting up a permanent human

settlement on the Red Planet by 2024, attracted over 200,000 applicants since launching in 2013. The organisers say that the project will also be filmed as part of a reality television series.

The 100-person shortlist will now be whittled down to 40 people who will then leave for Mars.

As a privately funded, notfor-profit foundation, Mars One says its mother company, the Interplanetary Media Group, enables the project to secure funds from investors.

Hannah is part of a group of

“Putting a colony in Mars is just a small step in such a big adventure and that’s such an incredible thing to be a part of.”

50 men and 50 women who have been shortlisted to take part in the project, with candidates from all five continents.

Talking about the mission, Hannah said: “Putting a colony in Mars is just a small step in such a big adventure and that’s such an incredible thing to be a part of.

“I’m intelligent, creative, adaptable. I’m good at working in isolation and in tight spaces, and with small groups of people.

“To me, it’s not about being a perfect candidate now. It’s about

being willing to put the effort into the training and preparation to become the perfect candidate.

“I want, more than anything, to become someone that Earth would be proud to have represent them on Mars.”

The initial departure is scheduled for 2024, with the first passengers arriving on Mars in 2025.

More than 200,000 people originally applied to take part in the mission, which is backed by Dutch entrepeneur Bas Lansdorp.

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Thursday 19h February 2015 | PALATINATE

Collingwood JCR President defends council action

Josh Smith A forum on river safety took place at Collingwood College on Monday 16th February, which was led by JCR President, Jake Hooker, and showed students that the Council is taking action.

After reviewing the measures announced this month by the Durham City Safety Group, Hooker stressed: “There’s never been a stick-your-fingers-in-your-ears policy. Everyone is listening.”

Of much concern to students is the matter of barriers alongside the river. Palatinate was told that barriers have been erected over the last two years in high-risk areas.

Since the start of the academic year, JCR Presidents have been investigating student safety on nights out. This has taken place under the guidance of Durham Students’ Union.

At the forum, Hooker told students: “Opinions have been formulated much more quickly, and I don’t know if this is a good thing.”

Although some students have called for improved riverside safety measures, the City Safety Group meeting of 27th January had actually been planned for three months.

A participant in the forum supported the measures that have been announced, but condemned the “awful rhetoric” of the police and the “way they publicise the laws.”

Hooker agreed that the police have “a lack of experience communicating with the student body”, but their intentions were pro-student and pro-safety.

“Everyone recognises that alcohol is a problem. But what has not been done well is how to have that conversation.”

The council and police have been liaising with licensed premises, such as nightclubs, to tackle the availability of cheap alcohol.

Professor Joe Elliot, Principal of Collingwood College, confirmed that he was “pushing to have the bar’s hours extended to keep students in college.”

Hooker updated students on the Nightbus, which he said is already running again as “many of the problems in Durham are to do with people walking home alone… not just river safety issues.”

Following on from this, he praised the night volunteer scheme, which is now being run by Student Community Action (SCA), and whose equipment has been

fully funded by the council.

On the matter of education, Hooker told the participants of the forum that the Students’ Union tried to encourage students to plan their night out, but this failed, calling it an “overlooked scheme.”

By May, local authorities will be funding a ‘social norms’ campaign, to “consolidate people’s thinking”, which is set to cost £50,000.

The police have recently been criticised for announcing their enforcement of a law, which will fine students who are too drunk to walk home.

However, Hooker told Palatinate that this has been in place since 1872, and is the official law that affects all public places.

After initial confusion over what the law entails, Durham Constabulary released a statement with additional details.

“Any person who is found to be drunk and incapable (i.e. unable to get themselves home safely, people who are unable to stand unaided etc) could be arrested or be given a £60 fine for the offence, once sober.

“This is a recordable offence and could show up on any in-depth CRB (Criminal Records Bureau)

check.

“Durham is a DPPO (Designated Public Place Order), anyone consuming alcohol in public within the boundaries of the DPPO commits an offence if they do not comply with a request from a police officer or PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) to stop drinking.

“All this applies of course to anyone in the city, not just students, and there is no intention to deal with students differently to non-students.”

Charles Bodenham, a secondyear at Collingwood, expressed his strong disapproval for these measures in an email addressed to Professor Joe Elliot, Collingwood’s Principal.

“It shouldn’t need pointing out that merely using the ‘stick’ to curb the public displays of intoxication is a naïve and disgraceful misuse of power,” Bodenham said in the email.

“I for one am shocked that the implications of these policies could have been so incompetently overlooked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if more students now opt for the river

path on their way home, in the fear that they risk being fined, and jeopardising their future employability, should they come across a police officer in the safer, well-lit areas of the city.”

When asked what he believes would be the most effective way of preventing further accidents, Bodenham said the City Safety Group should look to “remove dangerous areas of the city, such as the unlit and unguarded river path” and implement “lighting and a sturdy fence.”

Some students, however, have supported these new measures, and have defended the police against the wave of criticism they have had.

George Evans, a second-year at Castle, disagreed with Bodenham’s email to Joe Elliot, and praised the police for finally taking action.

“The police were put under pressure to do something, and when they did they were criticised even more.

“I think it’s reasonable to pay a fine if a policeman has had to carry you home, but maybe a criminal record is too much.

“How many people do we know that have actually been too

Students at Collingwood were invited to take part in the forum, which took place on Monday evening

drunk to walk home? These new measures are symbolic of the Council and police’s attempts to make the city safer, and we should be glad that our calls are finally being heard.”

When asked what he thought would be the most effective way of preventing further accidents, Evans shared similar views to Bodenham.

“While the prospect of fines should have an impact on the most extreme elements of our drinking culture, ultimately, something must be done about the river.

“You have to ask yourself whether Sope, Luke, or Euan, would have been deemed ‘too drunk to get home’, or would have even caught the attention of a student volunteer. If not, they would have still walked alongside the river.

“Lighting and railings alongside the more dangerous parts of the river are crucial if we want to make Durham safer.”

P

For more stories visit www. palatinate.org.

Photograph: Wikipedia

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

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Concerned mother raises funds for riverside safety Henry Clare The mother of a Durham student has launched an online fundraising campaign, in the hope of raising £1,500 to improve safety along the riverside.

Janis Penn told Palatinate last Friday that the tragic death of Euan Coulthard, who drowned in the River Wear last month, prompted her to act.

“As a mother of a Durham student and having watched and read recent news articles, I was totally devastated and heartbroken by Euan’s death. But to then find out that two other students have also drowned over the past few years is totally unacceptable. As a parent, I felt I needed to try to help.

“I would like students to feel secure in what was once described

“As a mother of a Durham student and having watched and read recent news reports, I was totally devastated and heartbroken

by Euan’s death.”

as one of the UK’s safest cities.

“I was looking to make a dona-

tion toward any fundraising appeal that was in place in the local area, but was unable to locate any campaigns.

“I therefore decided to act sooner rather than later in order to try to avoid any further tragedies, and set up the crowd funding appeal.”

A number of parents of students at the University have made dona-

“I would like students to feel secure in what was once described as one of the UK’s safest cities.”

tions to the appeal, and Mrs Penn believes that they share her concerns.

“I believe that most, if not all, parents will have similar concerns and that they would also welcome any amount of funds raised to be used towards the implementation of river safety measures.”

“No parent would want it to ever happen again, it’s a pointless waste of life and if just one person can be saved from a tragic accident it will be money well spent.

“An online petition calling for better riverside safety has attracted over 15,000 signatures, so there is definitely backing for this campaign.”

When the campaign ends in March, the money raised will be

Student volunteers will look along the river at night to help students get home

There has been great debate on how to improve riverside safety

donated to the City Safety Group, which has been leading the response to the deaths of three Durham students in 14 months.

So far, the majority of the City Safety Group’s measures have been focussed on ensuring that drunken students do not walk along the riverside late at night.

However, Mrs Penn believes that targetting the safety of the river, rather than the city’s ‘drinking culture,’ is the most effective way

Photograph: Durham Constabulary

to ensure the safety of students.

“My view is that Durham’s

“No parent would want it to ever happen again, it’s a pointless waste of life and if just one person can be saved from a tragic accident it will be money well spent.”

drinking culture is no different from that of numerous other univeristies and that other universities that have encountered similar tragedies have taken decisive action such as putting up fencing as a form of river safety measure, rather than blaming or ranting at students.”

Furthermore, Mrs Penn believes that, by donating, people can send out a very clear message to the councill.

“I hope that raising money will demonstrate to the Council that people want to make the riverside safer.

“Options for changes to the areas could include gates or barriers, blocking the key access points to the river that can be locked in the evening, especially next to some of the popular pubs and clubs that are located right next to the water.

“I understand that the local council and the University are accountable for maintaining a safe environment and all of the meas-

Photograph: Joyce Uerpairojkit

ures that they implement will of course help.

“However, I would hope to raise funds that would go above and beyond what the University and local authorities are able to provide but this will depend on how large we can make this fund.”

Although Mrs Penn would like to go towards improving safety along the river, she would be “willing to cede to the experts” when deciding the best ways to achieve this.

“I am happy for the money to go towards whatever is needed to imrpove river safety, this needless loss of life cannot continue”, Janis said.

“I understand that there are is-

“Options for changes to the areas could include gates or barriers, blocking the key access points to the river that can be locked in the evening.”

sues with the local community, but I am happy to be guided by the support group and those with more in-depth knowledge than me.

“I am sure that those people who donate are likely to want the money to be used as best as possible”.

To donate to Mrs Penn’s fundraiser, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/

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Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

Muslim students feel “isolated” at Durham Becky Wilson

Muslims are currently at the centre of a heated debate. Following the emergence of extreme right parties like UKIP, the recent attacks in Paris, and the huge leap in reports of ethnically-motivated violence, religious and ethnic minorities have been subject to scrutiny on the world stage.

In conversations with some Muslim undergraduates, Palatinate learned about their daily life in a secular university, and whether the global rise of intolerance has penetrated the Durham bubble.

“Durham University was a bit of a shock to me”, says one Muslim student, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“I knew there would be a lot of people from particularly sheltered backgrounds, but I wasn’t prepared for the extent to which people lacked experiences from different cultures and religions.”

Another Muslim student agreed. “Some people here seem to be unaware, or unfamiliar with the concept of a British Muslim, or a British, non-white person. The general demographic at Durham is people who probably haven’t had much contact with British ethnic minorities. It’d be different at a university in London, or Birmingham for instance.”

This year, 79.6% of full-time undergraduates at Durham are white, though race is clearly not indicative of religion.

At Oxford University the statistic is similar: 76.9% of undergraduates are white. This is, presumably, a result of wider socio-economic issues which prevent many ethnic minority students from applying to top universities. However, UCL for instance is far more diverse.

There, the undergraduate student body is only 59.2% white.

Perhaps as a consequence of the relative lack of ethnic diversity at Durham, some Muslim students told Palatinate that they have come across misconceptions about Islam.

“I think a lot of people here think Muslims don’t know how to have fun, just because we don’t drink mainly.”

“There appears to be an assumption that anyone who comes from a minority of some sort is international, which is obviously not the case.”

Another student agreed. “A lot of people think we’re foreign.

There’s a divide between us and the international Muslims too, as they don’t get our British sense of humour, or sarcasm.”

Despite the misconceptions, none of the students Palatinate spoke to had ever experienced Islamophobia at Durham.

One Muslim student said: “students are open-minded, generally not the type of people who are going to get riled up by articles on the Daily Mail. They always question things. I think older generations are the ones most likely to hold Islamophobic views.”

Another said that, while she had never been treated differently because of her religion, some of her friends had.

“I have had friends who started wearing the head scarf at Durham, and told me that they noticed people speaking to them differently, and becoming more reserved.”

Unfortunately, the lack of diversity at Durham threatens to become a vicious cycle, preventing other ethnic minority students from applying. One Durham student said she seriously considered other, more diverse universities which could provide her with a better social environment.

“Durham was actually quite offputting to me and other Muslims I

“Despite the misconceptions, none of the students Palatinate spoke to had ever experienced Islamophobia at Durham.” know. When you’re deciding on a university, you want to know that there is a group that you will fit in to which could also act as support .

“Because of this, cities like Leeds and Manchester seem much more appealing. It is difficult to express yourself and culture in a place which is not very diverse.”

In a statement, the University told Palatinate: “The University works hard to encourage students from all backgrounds to consider coming to Durham.

“We are committed to delivering a range of widening

Illustration: Mariam Hayat access and outreach activities, such as school visits, Sutton Trust summer schools, and the Supported Progression scheme. Included in this work are targeted interventions with schools and communities with large ethnic minority groups.”

Some Muslim students told Palatinate that they were initially deterred by Durham’s predominantly white student population.

“A lot of people said to me: ‘you’re going to Durham, it’ll be so different to home’. They tried to persuade me to go somewhere else.”

“I remember when I was applying that I didn’t want anything to deter me from what I wanted to achieve. I didn’t want to not have opportunities because I’m Muslim.”

However, things became difficult once they had arrived.

“If I was applying again, I’d rethink coming to Durham. In hindsight maybe I would’ve chosen another university.”

A common theme that arose

“If I was applying again, I’d rethink coming to Durham.”

from talks with the students was the problems of the collegiate system, which tends to split up religious and ethnic minorities.

While this makes each college

more diverse, it proves to be difficult for the individuals who often find themselves completely isolated from other Muslims.

“I think in some ways that the college system hinders friendships.

I felt like it would’ve been nice to have friendships with other

“It was the isolation I felt. I was completely alone”

Muslims as well as other students.”

Another student agreed. “It actually separates the little people there are of a religious minority, making it more difficult to regularly meet people from a similar background to you.”

One Muslim even considered dropping out as a result of her experiences in college.

“I just thought - I can’t do this. It was the isolation I felt, I was completely alone.

“If we were all together it would’ve been a completely different experience. Just to know that there were other people who were feeling the same.”

Mahshid Turner, Durham’s Muslim Chaplain, confirms that the university’s structure can cause problems for some ethnic minority students.

“The collegiate way has its positives and negatives.

The

positive is that, in colleges, students can feel at home. On the other hand, there may be isolation.

“This is why I have set up social activities for all Muslims and Interfaith groups. The programmes set up by the Islamic society have also been extremely helpful to bring Muslims together.”

The university itself does appear to be taking steps towards promoting a more positive environment for both religious and ethnic minority students.

In the past five years, the intake of ethnic minority students has increased by 7.8%. Colleges such as St Aidan’s cater for religious dietary requirements, and there are prayer rooms scattered around the campus.

Despite this, the Muslims interviewed unanimously agreed that the university could be doing more.

Chaplain Mashid Turner said: “the spiritual needs of Muslims need to be considered.

Some undergraduates are unable to attend Friday prayers due to lectures at that time.”

A student said “we pray five times a day, but there’s nowhere to pray on the science site at all. So we have to rush back home between lectures. We just wish that there was somewhere private to go.”

The students worry that little will be done to improve things, as there are not enough Muslims at the university to mobilise a successful campaign. However, as one student’s personal experience testifies, the small population of Muslim students should not be an excuse for poor facilities.

continued p. 9...

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

9

Profile

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Esther Rantzen: the celebrity campaigner Will Fremont-Barnes There is much to like, and even more to admire, about Dame Esther Rantzen.

Having argued passionately during her talk at the Union Society in favour of celebrity involvement in politics, the former television presenter and founder of ChildLine sat down with Palatinate to discuss her long and varied career.

For someone who has spent decades in the public eye, becoming a Dame in the Queen’s most recent New Year Honours for services to children and older people, it is striking that she never coveted television fame.

“It happened by mistake,” she reveals, explaining that her initial plan had been to pursue a career behind the cameras rather than in front of them.

“I was training to be a director and it was by sheer chance that a producer decided to put two researchers into a programme in the studio, and even then I didn’t think it was going to last, but one thing led to another.”

Given how well things turned out in the end, it would be reasonable

“I was training to be a director and it was by sheer chance that a producer decided to put two researchers into the studio ”

to assume that Rantzen’s career consisted of steady progress. Not so. Gender barriers obstructed her progress at first. “There were plenty of women about”, she recalls, “but they were things called secretaries, which I believe to be probably an extinct animal now, behind typewriters, which is an old fashioned machine that people Continued from page 8...

“At our sixth form college there weren’t many Muslims, but there were all the provisions for us.

“Coming here, I realised how much more the university could do to help.”

The Muslim students also discussed the drinking culture, which, they say, is a barrier between them and the wider student body.

One student told Palatinate: “There was nothing I could do in Fresher’s Week.

“When socialising only means going out to get drunk, it takes you a lot longer to click with people who often did after their first night out. First year was very lonely for me because of this.”

used to write with.” This tongue-incheek description of life at the BBC in the 1960s, explained in jest for the benefit of our student readership, illustrates both her longevity in the media industry and the “prejudice” that existed towards women when she started out.

“There were huge challenges,” she continues. “The producers were absolutely clear that they didn’t promote women. In spite of the fact that I did a research job quite well on a satire programme, the next job I had was as a filing clerk, filing black and white photographs. Nobody would have given that job to a man.”

So how were these impediments overcome? “It was only when I went to Desmond Wilcox’s department that I began to get responsibility, and then started to train as a director. He gave women the promotions they’d been denied in other departments.”

Working with Wilcox, the documentary filmmaker, was significant both for Rantzen’s professional and personal life. After a few years working together, they married in 1977.

By then, That’s Life! was already something of a national treasure.

Rantzen identifies the variety offered by the show as the key to its success. “People like to laugh and cry,” she explains. “Shakespeare did tragicomedies, and I think the British taste in entertainment has always been to have a mixture.”

That in itself, however, presented unique challenges. “We had to learn how to change gear. When you are talking about the life and death of a toddler who could only be saved by a transplant, you couldn’t immediately then go into a song and dance, or a talking dog”, a reference to the canine sensation who achieved stardom for uttering the word ‘sausages’ on air. “It’s quite difficult,” she acknowledges of this balancing act, as is evident from the fact that “nobody else has tried it.”

The hugely popular show, attracting viewing figures that today’s BBC executives could only dream of in a fragmented

“We pray five times a day, but there’s nowhere to pray on the science site at all. ”

marketplace, meant that Rantzen’s social campaigns have had the most extraordinary national impact. It is amazing to think just how far public awareness of child abuse has come since she established ChildLine in 1986, having previously highlighted various cases on her show. She was absolutely appalled by the way society viewed the issue.

“The stigma of abuse was such that even if a child disclosed that she

“The producers were absolutely clear that they didn’t promote women”

was being sexually abused, she was disbelieved. It was unthinkable, so there was this whole taboo area.”

Rantzen’s desire to dispel the myth surrounding another stigma, old age loneliness, prompted her to found The Silver Line in 2013. She suggests that a sense of hopelessness, a lack of worth, is more common among older people than is often realised.

“With loneliness, I think it’s often a question of pride. Older people, who have been relied upon in their families, needed in a job, find as they get older they’re less and less wanted, less and less needed, feel that they have no social value;

Image: Twitter

“I do recognise that there is a risk

but that is not the case. What happens is that people [around

them] are reluctant to intrude.”

Rantzen, whose professional life has been devoted to the business of communication, outlines why a phone line was necessary to combat abuse and loneliness.

“We’re quite a private nation.

That’s why, in both cases, a phone line was the answer, because it’s safe, it’s anonymous, and you can talk about the way you really feel.”

Yet for all that has been achieved so far, particularly in terms of dealing with child abuse, Rantzen is adamant that the job remains far from complete.

“I still think that our legal process is weighted against children. I know of cases where children have broken down under the ordeal of cross examination and the trial has been stopped.”

That said, Rantzen is mindful of the rights of the accused as well as of the accusers in these situations.

Other students described their similar experiences.

“Every social activity is centred around drinking. Obviously we can get involved, but at formals, for instance, it feels really odd because we’re the only sober people. So you wonder what’s the point, and end up not going.”

In one case, a Muslim student was told she was not allowed to participate in any of the Fresher’s events, even the ones that did not involve alcohol.

This was because she did not want to purchase an expensive wristband sold by her college to get freshers into clubs.

“I asked the Freps, but they said I couldn’t go to anything. That was

really hard, and isolating. Coming from a background where people are so understanding, then being here a few days and encountering something like that was shocking.”

Because this particular case happened over a year ago, with a since changed Exec, no one from the college in question can comment on this student’s experience.

The current JCR President told Palatinate: “I can only offer my own experience, but this year our Freshers Reps were extensively trained.

“Our freshers wristband was not compulsory and never pushed as such. Our daytime events never included alcohol and every evening event which

did ran in parallel with a wellattended non drinking event.

“During my time as Senior Man, the Exec and I have made it our priority to involve all members of the college community.”

Until the difficulties facing Muslims at Durham are resolved, many of the students Palatinate interviewed are keen to engage in discussions to challenge perceptions of Islam.

“I would really like to be asked about my religion more.

Perhaps students are too shy, or they think we’ll get offended.

“But no - ask us questions about anything! I’d like to explain. Maybe I should wear a sign on the street, saying ‘please ask me questions!’”​

“We’re quite a private nation. That’s why a phone line was the answer because it’s safe, it’s anonymous, and you can talk about the way you really feel.”

“With loneliness, I think it’s often a question of pride”

that people’s whole lives can be tainted by allegations that are never proved in court. We know of public figures who have been on police bail, sometimes for years, and then charges have been dropped. We do have to proceed with caution.”

It is an entirely fair-minded consideration, one that is consistent with her unwavering support for children. “We must continue to listen to today’s children, and we must find ways of protecting them more effectively.”

Rantzen’s balanced outlook on safeguarding has justice for all parties at its core. .

10

Politics

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Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

@PalatinatePol

Palatinate meets the Durham City candidates Miriam Brittenden spoke to the candidates running in Durham City this general election about how their policies would affect Durham.

Labour

Conservative

Green

Lib Dem

UKIP

Candidate: Roberta Blackman-Woods

Candidate: Rebecca Coulson

Candidate: Jonathan Elmer

Candidate: Craig Martin

Candidate: Steve Turner (Middlesborough)

What are the other key issues that you see for Durham in this election and how do you seek to tackle these?

What do you think is the biggest issue that needs addressing in the Durham area and how do you aim to tackle it?

What would be different about Durham if it had a Green MP?

On the divide between residents and students; there is an appreciation amongst residents within the city centre of the benefits that students bring to Durham.

I work hard to ensure that addressing student needs and addressing the needs of permanent residents are kept in balance.

There is a real issue in Durham with the extent of the cuts to local government funding. Durham County Council has seen its annual budget slashed by almost £250 million, and this is having a real effect on the front line services provided by the local authority. The ongoing effect of the scaling back of services will be a key issue in this election, with the people who rely on these services the most bearing the brunt of the cuts.

Also the bedroom tax has had a huge impact on some people from my constituency.

If Labour wins at the next general election we will look to abolish the bedroom tax, increase the minimum wage and reintroduce the 10p tax bracket. We will also look to reduce student fees.

Issues surrounding housing and planning have caused much angst and anger in Durham over the past few years. The council refuses to deal with these things in a systemic fashion; our Labour MP seems unable to help except by calling meetings, and promising to write letters.

Photograph: www.twitter.com, @robertabwMP

“Issues surrounding housing have caused a lot of anger”

The university is at the heart of our city, and unregulated landlords and private developers are taking advantage of this.

We urgently need a collaborative overall approach to deal with the relationship between students and residents. Talking with, and being more aware of each other is key: we all live in and care about the same place. As a local resident, and a member of the university community (I’m a tutor at both Castle and Chad’s, and do some music work for Chad’s) – I see a lot of cohesion happening, but I agree we need much more.

Photograph: Creative Commons @rmlcoulson

The Green Party, in terms of the things we want to do with regards to the economy and democracy and the environment, are so dramatically different from the other parties.

The Green Party believe in devolution of power. We believe that people in communities should have the right of self-determination - greater powers, for example, for local tax raising and local legislation as well, so that they get the opportunity to make the changes that they want as a community, whereas at the moment that doesn’t happen very well at all.

I think that’s one of the big reasons that people are so disaffected from politics; they just don’t think it makes much change at a local level and to their lives. I have to say that right now, because of the system we have, they’re quite right.

Change does need to occur with regards to democracy and local empowerment, and with a Green city, a Green MP, one of the things I would most certainly be doing is implementing the sorts of structures and measures that enable a much, much greater level of local determination.

Photograph: www.twitter.com, @JonathanElmer

What do you personally feel are the most important issues for Durham City in this election and how do you aim to tackle these?

Generally the big issue is housing. The issue of student housing is an important issue for local people particularly, a lot of locals feel like there are too many students coming into the city. What we really need to do is to set up a better dialogue between the university, students and residents. One of the biggest problems is that we don’t have an overarching policy on student housing and that’s what’s causing all the problems and the county council needs to step up and do that.

I wouldn’t agree with capping rent prices because it would be a nightmare to regulate, we’d end up with landlords going off and offering people all sorts of deals under the table.

What really needs to happen is a strong student union, university and county council, to get involved with the rent situation. Vetting landlords, making a list of the best rated landlords, and making sure that the authorities publicise the quality so that students can make an informed choice on what they’re getting.

Photograph: www.twitter.com, @CMartinLD

What do you see as the most important issues for the North East in this General Election, and how are you going to tackle these?

We’ve got to start breaking down this North-South divide. For every twelve jobs created in the South, only one job is created in the North.

“For every twelve jobs created in the south, only one job is created in the north”

There is too much investment going into the South of England, and the problem you’ve got is that when they do talk about North they talk about Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool.

People tend to overlook the North East, and that these people also deserve the same opportunities that are being given down South.

Photograph: Ryan Gould

To read the interviews in full visit us online www.palatinate.org.uk For all of the latest updates, follow @PalatinatePol

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

SciTech

Reader’s Scigest A QUICK LOOK AT SCIENCE

CORE BLIMEY! By studying seismic waves, energetic shockwaves generated by earthquakes, to probe the internal structure of our planet, a team of scientists from the Universities of Illinois and Nanjing have discovered that the Earths inner core has a further unique region within it – a core of its own. They found that the alignment of iron crystals changed in direction from North-South in the very centre to approximately East-West when about halfway through the inner core, marking the boundary between two distinct sections. The findings could be vital to gaining further insight into the history and evolution of the Earth.

POPCORN PHYSICS Scientists have found the solution to a long-standing mystery – why popcorn makes a popping noise.

Emmanuel Virot and Alexandre Ponomarenko investigated kernels using a microphone and a highspeed camera. They found that the distinctive sound is a result of moisture inside the kernel turning into water vapour and escaping rapidly as the pressure becomes too high, leading to a sudden pressure change that makes the cavities inside the popcorn vibrate, producing a ‘pop’, much like when removing the cork from a champagne bottle. They also deduced that almost all (96%) of kernels will pop once they reach 180°C, regardless of the size and shape of the grain.

(DON’T) BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE It’s a question that many students have pondered: will listening to my favourite tunes while revising affect my ability to remember the material I have been reviewing?

A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology has come to a comforting conclusion; when trying to remember names, young adults performed equally as well when listening to non-lyrical rock music or musical rain as when in a silent environment. However, older adults recalled ten percent fewer names with music when subject to the same test. The researchers attributed this to the decline of associative memory and the increasing difficulty of concentrating against background noise with age.

11 www.palatinate.org.uk

Why ‘three-parent babies’ are making the headlines Harry Jenkins Tuesday 3rd February was a momentous day in science. It saw the initial step towards the United Kingdom being the first country to allow a revolutionary medical technique: three-parent in-vitro fertilisation (TPIVF) as it passed through the House of Commons with an overwhelming 254-vote majority.

TPIVF is a procedure that is designed to prevent the passing down of various mitochondrial diseases caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mDNA); these mutations can cause debilitating conditions such as muscle weakness, dementia and even early death, and affect 1 in every 6,500 babies born.

During the process of fertilisation, it is only the sperm’s nucleus (containing the father’s DNA) that eventually enters the egg – the rest of it is shed – and therefore all of the

mitochondria inherited by the child are from its mother. This means that mitochondrial mutations can only be passed down by the mother, so it is only the mitochondria in the egg that must be altered to prevent the inheritance of disease.

TPIVF can be conducted in two slightly different ways, both ending in the same result.

Both methods consist of obtaining two eggs, one from the mother (who has faulty mDNA) and one from a donor (with functional mitochondria).

The first method (mitochondrial spindle transfer) consists of removing the nucleus of the donor’s egg and implanting the nucleus from the mother’s egg, creating an egg with healthy mitochondria and the intended mother’s DNA. This egg is then fertilised by the father’s sperm and implanted via the traditional IVF techniques.

The second method (pronuclear transfer) involves fertilising both

Illustration: Sadie Bartholomew

the mother’s egg (with the father’s sperm) and the donor egg (with any sperm); the fertilised donor egg’s nucleus is then removed and replaced with the fertilised mother’s egg’s nucleus, forming a healthy zygote that can then be implanted.

Children that will be born from this procedure have been sensationally named ‘three-parent babies’, a title obviously designed to attract the eye rather than promote scientific accuracy, yet it does contain some truth.

Since the mitochondria in the new child do contain the DNA from an individual distinct from their parents, it can be argued that the child has three genetic parents, however the amount of DNA present in mitochondria contains approximately thirty-seven genes compared to the 22,000 found within the nucleus, leading some to remark that, at most, they should be renamed ‘2.001-parent babies’.

In addition to this, none of the genes found within the mitochondria code for any of the child’s characteristics apart from metabolism; these children will look and act like their parents as much as any other child does.

As happens with many scientific breakthroughs, the concept and possibility of this treatment being put into action sparked controversy, primarily from religious groups, however all for various different reasons.

The objections range from the Catholic Church protesting pronuclear transfer due to the destruction of a fertilised nucleus to the idea of crossing ethical boundaries leading down a slippery slope to the creation of ‘designer babies’ and even the possibility that this could be classed as a form of eugenics.

However the prime concern is the lack of knowledge in this area of science as mDNA is not completely understood and so it is possible that problems could occur when the child is older or even generations down the line. Any complications that do occur will only be known once the procedure has been performed for real.

A rebuttal against this argument could be given in the form of the existence of Alana Saarinen and around forty others like her.

Alana is a ‘three-parent baby’ born in the US via a now-banned fertility treatment known as cytoplasmic transfer, a technique developed in the late 1990s which is similar to TPIVF due to the fact that cytoplasm (which contains mitochondria) is injected into the egg.

This means that Alana is alive due to a donor’s mitochondria and contains DNA from three individuals.

Alana is a happy and healthy teenager, and due to other clinics performing this procedure before the ban, it is believed that around thirty to fifty ‘three-parent babies’ currently exist.

Cytoplasmic transfer did not occur without complications, with two miscarriages and one child with a possible disorder related to autism in a group of around twelve foetuses, yet it is impossible to know whether these occurred by chance or as a result of the procedure.

TPIVF has the potential to reduce the anguish and suffering of a mother burying her own child.

Through proper regulation I believe that the possible benefits outweigh the risks, and personally I will warmly welcome the new generation of so-called ‘three-parent babies’ into our world.

Mathlab tutors are handpicked experienced postgraduates from a wide range of departments.

This interdisciplinary team is led

by Thomai Tsiftsi and James Edwards, two postgraduate researchers in the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Mathlab operates from the Palatine Centre on Tuesdays and Elvet Riverside on Fridays.

There are even Mathlab tutors present at Queen’s Campus with weekly sessions at the Foundation Centre.

Furthermore, Mathlab offers access to an information bank full of

resources to support students outside of the drop-in centre. To find information about the schedule and to access Mathlab’s pool of knowledge, just visit http://www.maths.dur. ac.uk/mathlab/.

Mathlab is part of the Academic Skills Program which is a university-wide service run by the Careers Centre; more information about the Academic Skills Program can be found here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/ academic.skills/.

Have a question? Send an email to maths.dropin@durham.ac.uk and we will arrange for one of our tutors to assist you!

Mathlab: a cure for your Maths and Stats nightmares Thomai Tsiftsi A revolution in Mathematics support at the University has quietly been developing in the guise of Mathlab.

A postgrad-led initiative, Mathlab is a new, confidential drop-in centre offering Mathematics and Statistics support to students across the University.

Whether you have a question about population trends, carrying out a t-test on research data or determining the response of electrical circuits or investigating long-term market fluctuations, the Mathlab tutors

are waiting to offer technical assistance throughout your calculations.

For many, working mathematically can be a harrowing experience.

If Maths is your nightmare, it seems that Mathlab could hold the tonic to set you free.

Students who attend a Mathlab session take their questions and lecture notes to the appropriate tutor and receive a 15 minute informal consultation to identify the problem and discuss ways to overcome it.

For many this proves sufficient to continue alone but students can also return to the drop-in centre if the problem persists.

12

Careers

Toyosi Taiwo

www.palatinate.org.uk

Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

Good news for 2015 graduates!

High Fliers Research shows more jobs and higher graduate salaries this year

As the first intake of students charged the new £9000 university fees in 2012, many politicians, economists and students alike cast worrying light on what their financial predicament would be upon graduating in 2015. ‘You won’t be able to buy a house’, ‘When I went to university the government paid me’, ‘The job markets are so bad’ – all this may sound familiar. However, latest figures by High Fliers Research shed an optimistic light on the graduate market, making the foray into the real world in a few months all the more exciting.

High Fliers Research say that both graduate vacancies and graduate salaries are increasing at fast levels for 2015, so much so that they believe this year will be the best year for graduate jobs in more than a decade.

Leading employers are said to be increasing their graduate intake by just

over 8%.

Starting salaries had remained stagnant since 2009 with an average of £27,000 being offered even by leading firms. After tax and student loans this would be a take home salary of just over £20,000 per annum.

With the cost of living and education increasing year on year, especially in

“A small number will tempt their recruits with ‘competitive’ salaries in excess of £45,000”

London, the stagnant wages were a serious cause for worry. It has been calculated that it is cheaper to live and travel from Barcelona to London everyday to work than to work and live in London at the same time.

Encouragingly, the median salary

being offered for 2015 graduates is now up by £3000 to £30,000. A quarter of firms will offer above £35,000 and a small number will tempt their recruits with ‘competitive’ salaries in excess of £45,000 (you guessed it - investment banks! Also a few other industries). Aldi, for instance will be providing a starting salary of £42,000, although this will remain locked for about 4 years before you see an increase.

Teach First will have the greatest number of graduate positions available, with their forecasts expecting 2000 positions to be filled this year.

Additionally, banking, finance, retail and armed forces sectors had particularly strong forecasts for the future.

In addition to increased salaries in permanent graduate roles, there has also been an increase in paid internships and work experience. Industries that previously wanted their graduates and students to work for free (journalism, fashion, publishing and more) are now offering competitive pay for their time.

80% of the organisations studied

by High Fliers Research are to offer paid work experience in 2015, creating over 13,000 opportunities between them. Considering the importance that is placed upon experience when applying for jobs, this would enhance the CVs of many who could not previously afford to work for free.

“They believe this year will be the best year for graduate jobs in a decade” Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, offered his view on the company’s findings: “It’s great news that students leaving university this summer who’ve paid higher tuition fees for their degrees will be emerging into the most graduate job market for over a dec-

bouyant graduate job market for over a decade, with a wider choice of graduate vacancies at the country’s most sought-after employers and better starting salaries.” We concur; it is great news, but it needs to go even further especially for firms in London where living costs are soaring. Still, many leading firms, which take the most graduates, still only offer mid-high £20k salaries, the research findings may be skewed by the big banks, law firms and a few strong companies that have significantly increased their starting salaries.

All in all, this is welcome news that should encourage many Durham University graduates this year and should be looked at when reviewing graduate options.

Would you like to write for the Careers section? If so, please email: careers@palatinate.org.uk

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Comment

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Thursday 19th February 2015| PALATINATE

India: why we must look East Hannah Sanderson on why we must educate ourselves about India, a country filled with cultural, spiritual and economical riches

Hannah Sanderson

We are ill-informed about the world around us.

Those of us who have experienced the British education system are severely limited when it comes to knowledge of the non-Western world. This is only to our, and our country’s, detriment. In a world which is growing ever-smaller, we must force ourselves to take notice of what happens outside of our Western bubble, and a good start would be to focus on India.

Barack Obama’s recent appearance in Delhi at the Indian Republic Day celebrations is significant. Never before has a U.S. Head of State been given this honour, and it is a sign of things to come. Strengthening relations between Washington and Delhi is now a high priority. Once shunned by the U.S.A for being part of the

‘non-aligned movement’ during the Cold War (America allied with, and sponsored, India’s historical enemy Pakistan) relations with India are now improving dramatically, with countries from all over the world vying for India’s affections. Britain is no exception. The difference, however, between Britain and America is that while Modi will visit America, drawing a crowd of 19,000 at Madison Square Garden – a hefty feat for any rock star let alone a politician – the Indian Prime Minister has never visited our shores. This reflects the diminishing status of the UK in international affairs.

The perception of India as a lacklustre nation is a relatively recent phenomenon. Boasting riches culturally, spiritually and economically; this ‘jewel in the imperial crown’ has historically represented a huge opportunity; first for the East India Trading Company, and later for the British Empire. The cycle of history is repeating itself as the world once again becomes interested in India.

Whilst India is rich in culture and di-

versity, the main reason the world is turning its attention towards India is due to its growing economic strength and prospective growth. It is predicted that by 2050, India’s economy will be the same size as America’s. TATA is just one of the Indian conglomerates dominating the economy globally, with its acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover one of the many notches in its belt. Bangalore is often compared to Silicon Valley for its technological innovation.

So what does this mean for us? Its population of 1.25 billion represents around 25% of the future global workforce. It is an advantage for us to understand their cultural and historical background.

As global citizens, we must take it upon ourselves to fill in the vast holes in our Western-centric education. Read a book, or better yet, travel to India. The UKIERI Study India Programme is a government sponsored opportunity to experience of this vibrant

country, and one that I couldn’t recommend highly enough. Spending two hectic weeks in Delhi and one in Mumbai gave me a glimpse of what this glorious country has to offer. Meeting High Commissioners, numerous politicians and businessmen, leaders of NGOs and the children I spent a week teaching gave me an albeit brief, but fulfilling and emotional, insight into the highs and

lows, challenges and opportunities India has, and will continue, to face.

Knowledge of India will help almost any career you wish to pursue, and you never know, it might make you a better-rounded person in the process.

Photograph: Sandeepa Chetan

Ukraine: a Russian perspective

Sofya Grebenkina explores the difficulties faced by the Russian people as a result of the conflict in Ukraine Sofya Grebenkina

If you have not yet been acquainted with the tragedy of the war in Ukraine, then perhaps the recent developments in terms of NATO involvement will shake you into awareness. This tragedy began with the sovereignty crisis in Crimea, a public outcry in the form of Euromaidan, which eventually resulted in unrest in the Eastern parts of Ukraine, and particularly in Donbass. Over 3,000 have become casualties of this violent conflict in the area, including civilians, and the world is willing and quick to apportion blame for a war that has managed to affect so many countries, even if indirectly. As Western media engines struggle to keep up with the constantly-moving crisis, the Western world points a finger at Russia and demands its head on a plate. It is easy to believe that blame

lies here, but it is better to take off the blinders, even if only for a moment, and take a look around at the tendrils of damage that have spread and infiltrated even such a seemingly stable country as Russia.

It is true that the current Ukrainian government, and one is nowadays forced to be perpetually concerned about its durability, upholds the view of the Russian government as the culprit. In a recent speech at the Munich security conference, Petro Poroshenko, the acting president of Ukraine, held up the passports of those who have become known as the ‘lost soldiers’. According to him this has become a well-known paradigm of Russian forces affiliated with the rebels, who when caught by the Ukrainian government fully equipped with munitions, claim that they have wandered across the Russian-Ukrainian border unawares. Nevertheless there is only so much that can be affirmed by an assortment of Russian passports, considering the rumours circulating among Russian citizens that their documents will be confiscated by border control, if not ripped

up in front of their faces, if ever they feel the inclination to enter Ukraine.

This cannot be sufficient proof, as much as showing a Russian-made weapon would prove direct Russian military involvement in the crisis

“

The Western world points a finger at Russia and demands its head on a plate

”

zone. Documents, like any evidence, can be falsified, especially when the stakes are this high. However it made for an effective and eye-catching per-

formance.

Now as the storm still rages on in Ukraine, gusts of wind are daily felt in the Russian capital and beyond.

The US and the EU have done all in their power for sanctions, which fall short of military intervention, to become felt for its citizens. On the one hand, this means a shortage of French cheeses on shelves of supermarkets, yet if we look at the more far-reaching consequences this has gradually transformed into the genesis of the collapse of the Russian economy. As the price of oil, which Russia is incredibly dependent on, and which is a chief export, has fallen due to a shortage of demand, so has the ruble (the Russian currency), begun to experience a drastic devaluation. For the rich this has meant fewer foreign holidays in St. Tropez, and it is understandably difficult to sympathize with something that most would laugh at calling a ‘predicament’. Yet for the main section of the populace in Russia this has meant that most foreign goods have become unaffordable. In a globalised world this is a painful blow. Busi-

nesses, inevitably raking in less profit, have further increased their prices or have begun to cut their losses by firing their workers. This is not only a self-perpetuating, aggressive cycle which brings financial damage, but also a strike on the country’s self-esteem and morale. It is a hazard for a region this large to become destabilized in any way, but with the recent turn of events this may soon become an inevitability.

I am not here to excuse those who have wrought havoc in Ukraine, be they Russian or of any other nationality. This is merely an admonition of those who feel that Russia does not suffer too. Russia is a fragile Faberge creation, a complex system of clockwork, which cannot be discounted as simply an emblem of brute force - one which disregards the desires of a neighboring nation. Most nations have had their say, and more, in this conflict, and I strongly believe that therefore most nations are equally culpable. We must remember to first remove the beam in our own eyes, before we dare to point out the mote in those of others.

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Al Murray: a laughing matter?

In true British tradition of politics and comedy, ‘Pub Landlord’ Al Murray has announced that he will stand for Nigel Farage’s constituency in May. James Colville asks: ‘Why?’ James Colville

In a typically British tradition of mixing politics and comedy, the award-winning comedian Al Murray will be standing for election in the constituency of South Thanet this May. One can only assume that by campaigning under the guise of his über-nationalist, xenophobic and bigoted alter-ego The Pub Landlord, the highly intelligent Murray is attempting to hold a satirical mirror towards the other joker standing for South Thanet, Nigel Farage.

With policies that include “bricking up the channel tunnel with British bricks” (although possibly having to get some Poles in to carry out the actual labour), Murray’s Free United Kingdom Party (FUKP) appears to have an even tougher stance on immigration than UKIP. But what about more local issues?

What will life in Durham be like with the Guv’nor at the helm of British Gov’norment?

In honouring a key pledge, the price of a pint will be slashed to one penny, so the cost of your Friday night out will depend largely on what size pizza you pick up on the way back, and the brand of cigarettes you choose to smoke in line with the “smoking in pubs to be made compulsory” policy.

In any case you will have a lot more money in your pocket as the pound will have been revalued at £1.10.

You won’t have to worry too much about the queue at the bar, as most of Durham’s population will either be locked up on the charge of being unemployed, interred at a footballing concentration

camp in an attempt to win the next World Cup, or be forced to carry out National Service on the basis that they didn’t want to do it in the first place.

It’s all a bit of a laugh of course, an unwritten but time-honoured British tradition stating that any constituency election must contain at least one novelty act from, as described in Blackadder, the “Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party.” As is always the case with the Monster Raving Looney Party or the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (whatever happened to them?), I’m sure the Publican will score a few crosses next to his name from the odd nutter who genuinely believes that a good example of foreign policy is “fight Germany if they’re up for it.” I’m not so sure, however, he’s going to steal any votes from under the nose of “Mr Farridge.”

The problem with Al Murray’s little joke is that it’s unclear who or what is at the butt end of it. If it’s the character himself then the whole FUKP campaign is just a clever marketing

Photographs: Wikimedia Commons

strategy to sell DVD’s and pack out arenas. If it’s British politics then the joke is old and tired and if it’s Ol’ Nige himself, then it’s just not that funny.

UKIP has grown in support rapidly over the last few years and in South Thanet in particular, an area steeped in economic difficulties, the chances of securing a seat for the hard-right is a very real one. Waving a pint around, dreaming up some farcical policies involving Spitfires and then believing you are somehow ridiculing a legitimate political party isn’t just naïve, it’s highly risky.

If Al Murray gets a considerable number of votes then it’s going to be protest votes from people who are disillusioned with the three main parties but tolerant, open-minded and informed enough not to vote for the hard-right. Tempting though it is to assume, UKIP supporters are not all racist homophobes and they are certainly not all idiots. I cannot see how many will be swayed by some light hearted lampooning.

Many hardworking people are genuinely afraid of the disadvantages unchecked immigration is perceived to bring; such as wage compression, overcrowded schools, and a shortage of social housing. The key word in that last sentence is perceived. The truth is irrelevant, people still feel they are

“

It’s all a bit of a laugh of course, an unwritten but time-honoured British tradition stating that and contituency election must contain at least one novelty act

either ignored by the Conservatives, overlooked by the Lib Dems or misrepresented by Labour.

Al Murray is an Oxbridge and public school educated individual of aristocratic descent; very far removed from the comic persona he portrays but not all that distant from a disproportionate number of successfully elected Parliamentary representatives.

South Thanet doesn’t need a

”

comically confusing novelty candidate to split the vote any more than it already is.

If Mr Murray was serious about leading the country away from the perils of a hard-right government, maybe instead of placing The Pub Landlord in the voting line he should stand proud as himself - Alastair James Hay Murray.

P

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The name shame of Durham students Wesley Milligan points out the awkward faux pas that plagues us all Wesley Milligan

Part of the insular charm of Durham life is the fact that it’s nigh-on impossible to take a walk to the supermarket or to the library without encountering at least one person that you know. It can be quite uplifting, strolling to lectures, to have greetings and

salutations thrown at you by every passerby. It’s slightly like being a star striker stepping out onto Old Trafford, high-fiving the fans on the way to the pitch. A damned good way to start your day.

Sadly, one consequence of this is that you inevitably find yourself being regularly approached by people whose identities are a complete mystery to you.

You know the situation; up strolls the chap, bright and convivial, beaming from lobe to lobe, he greets you by name and asks you how you are.

Quickly, you rifle through your men-

Photograph: Tom Reading

tal Roledex, desperately hoping his name and face will be stored in there somewhere, only to find yourself coming up completely blank. “Oh, hello...you,” you respond. Naturally, you feel embarrassed and rude, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if the person you were speaking to was rude themselves, or obnoxious, or overbearing, but no.

Of course he’s just about the most friendly person you’ve ever met.

Despite your inability to even bother to remember what his mother tagged him at birth, he seems completely up to speed and deeply concerned with every intimate detail of your life. “Still playing football?” he says. “Did you resolve that situation with your uncle?” he asks.

“Did that scrotal rash ever clear up?”

Obviously, the rational way to deal with this would be to smile, bite the bullet and ask him his appellation. Obviously, the way you deal with it is to ignore the problem completely, and proceed every time you meet from then forth to continue in this nameless hell, hoping that he doesn’t notice or get sick of you calling him “mate, buddy, chum, friend, kid, dude.”

Six months later, you’re living together. Still, you’re none the wiser as

“

Quickly you rifle through your mental `Roldex, desperately hoping his name and face will be stored in there somewhere, only to find yourelf coming up completely blank.

to his monicker. Five years on and he’s your best man, he’s just finished a wonderfully moving, personal and rousing speech at your wedding reception. The rest of the guests fill the room with raptuous applause, tears rolling down their cheeks, silence falls and all eyes turn to you in expectation. “Thanks...pal,” you mutter ashamedly. Ten years on and now he’s the godfather of your children..

Oh God, what have you done?! When will this madness stop?!

Well, fear not. As I see it there are two possible solutions to this problem.

1. We introduce a two month ‘grace period’ - up to two months from the first meeting, we deem it

”

completely acceptable and polite to ask a person their name. No offence can be taken. None at all. The response may only be a casual and polite statement of title.

2. Compulsory name badges Every student at the University shall be forced to have their personal identity stapled to their chest at all times. Refusal to do so will result in expulsion...from a cannon above the Cathedral.

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‘Three-person babies’ a monumental decision Emma Yeo explores the morality of using scientific advances in the ‘three-person baby’ case Emma Yeo

At the beginning of February a monumental decision was made in Parliament that may pass most people by largely unnoticed. For those who carry genes for mitochondrial diseases, the legalisation of ‘three people babies’ will be life changing. The ability to have their children born happy and healthy should not have been denied to them for so long.

Scientific advances such as this improve lives and should be celebrated, showing what can be achieved by modern medicine.

While I have luckily never suffered the torture of watching a much loved family member suffer from such a disease, I have health problems myself and would wel-

come any measures that could remove them. In my view, preventing more lives from being claimed by mitochrondrial diseases such as Leigh’s disease necessitates the use of what some may perceive as morally objectionable practices.

To stop more mothers giving birth to children who are born facing certain death, with no action able to save their lives, is a worthy cause.

“

I cannot imagine what that must be like, especially if you were not aware that you were a carrier of the disease until your child was born.

Of course, these measures are going to be controversial and that is something which is difficult to address. The views of those who see the use of science in such a manner as unnatural should not be ignored and it is also true that members of

This creates a difficult situation in which morality must be weighed up against the great good that could be done by the use of science in this manner

”

certain faiths are against the use of embryos in scientific research. As one method of the creation of these ‘three person babies’ requires the use of embryos, it is understandable that they may be opposed.

This creates a difficult situation in which morality must be weighed up against the great good that could be done by the use of science in this manner. People will obviously have strong personal opinions on this and I have the utmost respect for MPs who voted both in favour or against the measures. It is hard to make decisions like these.

One argument that I am more strongly opposed to is the argument that people who are carriers of devastating diseases should instead adopt. While adopting a child is an amazing choice to make, trying to force adoption onto a family as the only choice they have would be wrong.

While there is not perhaps a ‘right’ to have children, it is something

that many people wish for. Denying women the opportunity to give birth to a healthy child as there are children already living who need parents is unfair. Adopting, for the sake of yourself and more importantly the child, should not be a decision based in desperation or resentment at your own situation.

Especially when there are measures that can be taken to make it possible for you to give birth to a healthy child yourself.

The issues of morality surrounding the issue of ‘three person babies’ are so complex that it is difficult to be sure of the exact view I hold. I can respect and understand the views of both sides, which is a challenge.

However, my viewpoint would be completely different if I was the mother of a child who was suffering due to a mitochondrial disease. Perhaps it is the perspectives of those women, and their families, who should be considered above all else in this debate.

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Exclusive: Teams revealed ahead of second College Varsity Nick Friend After the success of last year’s inaugural College Varsity Day against York, the white rose university shall be coming north on Sunday 1st March as Durham play host to a multi-sport extravaganza at Maiden Castle.

Following a similar layout to that of the Festival of Sport -Durham’s own inter-college sporting feast the competition will feature twelve sports, with the first and second placed teams from the College Premiership tables representing their respective university.

Due to Team Durham’s remarkable success in the BUCS leagues during the past decade – especially compared to other universities in the northeast of the country, Durham’s recent superiority has made the concept of a Varsity contest impractical.

Although York already take part in the Roses Varsity against Lancaster University, similar circumstances to those of Durham saw York’s previous Varsity match, the White Rose Varsity against the University of Hull, come to an end after just three years, with York questioning the organisation and future of the event.

However, this new venture looks set to thrive, with Tom Newman, Col-

lege Sport Manager, optimistic about the future of the event.

“There is absolutely no reason why College Varsity shouldn’t become a constant event in the college sporting calendar. The event was a huge success at York last year and we are hoping to showcase what we can offer up in Durham on March 1st.

As awareness grows, I would hope that teams view being selected to play in College Varsity equally as prestigious as representing Durham in BUCS competition.”

With all sixteen colleges to be represented in at least one sport, the day promises to be one to remember.

With the 2015 introduction of mixed squash, mixed lacrosse, women’s rugby and mixed darts to a fixture list that already includes men’s rugby, men and women’s football, mixed hockey, netball, mixed volleyball, mixed basketball and mixed badminton; Durham and York are pulling out all the stops to establish this particular Varsity competition amongst the very best.

The sheer breadth of facilities at Maiden Castle means that every sport shall be played on site – unlike the more disjointed setup in York whereby the competition took place all across the city.

The carnival atmosphere shall be

enhanced by Spotify’s presence as music providers for the event, allday entertainment, as well as food vendors and Maiden Castle’s bar.

Among the star attractions on the day will be Josephine Butler C as they fly the flag for Durham’s darts team in the Maiden Castle Café.

The darts event, originally suggested by York, is sure to capture the attention of fellow students. Sched-

uled to be amongst the final events to reach a conclusion, a bumper crowd is expected in anticipation of the closing ceremony.

The event will, of course, have much to live up to after the thrilling conclusion to last year’s dramatic comeback from York. 32-14 down with just 32.5 points needed for victory, York won the next 13 points to

sit on the brink of one of the most stunning sporting revivals.

However, Van Mildert held their nerve in the deciding basketball match, claiming the six points on offer to give Durham victory.

If Sunday 1st March can live up to the excitement levels set by last year’s drama, Durham will have pulled off one hell of a show.

Newman is optimistic that Durham can outdo York’s 2014 efforts both in organisation and, of course, in competition.

“Our goal is to retain the silverware”, he reminds me. “It is, after all, the way we like to do things at Durham. We will always enter into this event as the favourites, based upon our reputation as a top sporting university.

“Last year’s competition was, in fact, far closer than I had naïvely imagined so we cannot approach this year by underestimating York!

“I am confident in the strength of our teams and I hope that with the home crowd supporting us, we will be able to pull through.

“I would urge everyone in Durham to venture down to Maiden Castle to support our athletes in what promises to be an exhilarating day of competition.”

Varsity Team Selection Men’s Football: - A – Collingwood A - B – Hild Bede A Women’s Football: - A – Stephenson A - B – Van Mildert A Mixed Badminton: - A – Trevelyan - B – Cuths Mixed Lacrosse: - A – John’s A - B – John Snow A Men’s Rugby: - A – Collingwood A - B – Castle A Women’s Rugby 7s: - A – Mildert & Butler - B – Cuths A Mixed Hockey: - A – Castle - B – Hatfield Mixed Basketball: - A – Ustinov - B – Chads Netball: - A – Hild Bede A - B – Hatfield A Mixed Squash: - A – Hild Bede - B – Grey Volleyball: - A – Mary’s - B –Queen’s A Darts: - A – Castle A - B – Josephine Butler ‘C’

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

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Growing up, goals and gags

Palatinate spoke to lifelong Hartlepool fan and Soccer Saturday presenter Jeff Stelling, discussing growing up in County Durham, the cult status of Soccer Saturday and Anthony Vanden Borre.

Charlie Taylor-Kroll Aside from an illustrious reputation as a sports journalist and broadcaster, Jeff Stelling shares the same passion for football as the millions who tune in to Soccer Saturday. First and foremost, he is a football fan.

He talks with what some might see as misplaced optimism about his hometown side, Hartlepool United, and their chances of staying in the football League – they currently sit firmly at the bottom of League Two, six points adrift.

However, as he observes, “You never know - if they could win three in a row to get back in it, then there’s a possibility, but when you’ve only won four times this season, it’s mighty difficult.”

‘‘They were piling on top of each other, giving each other love-bites and it was just brilliant’’

He concedes, that “it would be a pretty major miracle.”

Sixteen miles south, there is far more realistic optimism amongst Middlesbrough supporters - a team that Jeff knows well from his early career, having began his career in journalism covering the club.

This is a town he has often admired, most notably defending the area one Saturday afternoon during Soccer Saturday, following a report claiming it was the ‘worst place to live in England’. Jeff shares Boro fans’ hope that the side might rejoin the elite of English football – “I think they can go up. The manager has got them extremely well organised.

They’ve bought some terrific players and I think that they have a fantastic chance.”

He laments being unable to be in the exhilarating atmosphere of a live game as much as he would like - whether at Middlesbrough’s Riverside stadium, Hartlepool’s Victoria Park or even Wembley.

“There’s nothing like a live game”, he admits. “It gives you a completely difficult perspective.”

However, hosting Soccer Saturday makes up for this and he speaks with gratitude about the role at Sky that he has worked so hard to achieve – “I do miss it [seeing live games] but I have to balance that with the fact that

‘‘Jellyman’s thrown a wobbly’’: Stelling’s one-liners and fervent support for Hartlepool have made him a cult favourite

I’ve probably got the best job in the world. I can’t feel hard done by.”

The Sky Sports presenter can’t help but contrast his job to that of his father - a steel worker in Hartlepool in the 1980s.

There’s no doubt that Stelling Jr’s job is stressful. He will often have a director, producer and a couple of other people in his ear while, as he points out, “you’re trying to watch a few games and you’re trying to talk to the boys and interpret scores.”

Yet, Jeff refutes the idea that the two types of work are even remotely comparable.

“I remember the days when I was a kid, when my Dad used to walk home covered in all sorts of stuff. He was absolutely knackered. I never think my job is hard because I always think back to what he did.”

His appreciation for tough industry in the northeast doesn’t stop with his father.

This type of “manual work”, he concedes, made the northeast a tough place to grow up for his generation.

“I didn’t appreciate it at the time but it was a pretty tough area and people did have to battle for a living, just as they do now.”

Alongside pundits including Messrs Merson, Le Tissier, and Kamara, the name Jeff Stelling has become synonymous with Soccer Saturday and the show has gained a cult status amongst football fans.

Indeed, the show’s mounting popularity is largely down to him and it’s no surprise that he has been voted The Journalists’ Association’s Broadcast Journalist of the Year in four consecutive years for his work

on the show.

The fact that catchphrases such as ‘Unbelievable Jeff!’ have become part of football folklore is testament to the show’s ever-mounting popularity over the last decade.

“We tapped into a market before anyone else did”, the Hartlepool-born presenter explains. “There wasn’t really any sort of results service and at the time when it started 20 years ago, there was nothing remotely like it.”

The way in which scores are delivered to the audience is also fundamental to the show’s success.

“We treat the game as being important but entertaining as well, so whilst there will be heated debates, there will also be a lot of fun.”

Jeff says that he has Sky to thank for this.

“They gave us the latitude to do that - to be opinionated, to say what we want. Thankfully my bosses have had the belief and trust to know we are giving an honest opinion and I think people find that refreshing.”

Even after all this time, Jeff seems surprised that other broadcasters have never reached the dizzy heights achieved by Soccer Saturday.

“I think other broadcasters have produced watered down versions of it. They haven’t been bold enough.

No one has the bottle to go out and copy us.”

He’s also quick to praise the Soccer Saturday team. “I think they work well together”, he explains. They bounce off each other; they’re different characters but they complement each other.”

One man on the panel, in particular, has gained Jeff’s admiration - fel-

low northerner, Chris Kamara.

Jeff, who chuckles even now when retelling the story, reminds us of Kamara’s failure to notice that Anthony Vanden Borre had been sent off at Fratton Park.

“That has achieved cult status over the years - but then again most things that Kammy does fall into that category.”

He can’t hide his pleasure in Kammy’s bloomers. “We have a bit of fun with it”, he says.

But it is not just the panel that

“County Durham was a pretty tough area and people had to battle for a living, as they do now’’

provides the show’s humour. Stelling himself is known to be partial to a gag.

“You have one or two of them that are there and waiting. Some of them just come to you when it happens”, he admits when discussing the origin of his one-liners.

When asked for his favourite gag, Stelling proudly talks to us about Gareth Jellyman, the then Rushden & Diamonds player.

“I was desperately waiting for Gareth Jellyman to be sent off, but he’d been booked once in thirteen years

Photograph: Sky

so I couldn’t believe my luck when he was finally sent off. I was sat in the studio punching the air when it came up on the videprinter.”

“Jellyman’s thrown a wobbly” would eventually become the title of Stelling’s autobiography.

Jeff’s highlight from his time on the show is – unsurprisingly – the remarkable finale from the Premier League season of 2011/2012 when Manchester city stole the League title, coming from 2-1 down against Queens Park Rangers to win the game and the rob the title from United.

“Paul Merson’s description of the closing stages at the Etihad will just live forever”, Jeff reminisces, “The panel were piling on top of each other, giving each other love bites and it was just brilliant. It was the most amazing day in Premier League football.”

Jeff also welcomes and acknowledges the evolution of the show over the years. As punditry advances, so does Soccer Saturday.

“Football punditry in general has become much more sophisticated over the years. People see things and explain things that they didn’t used to.”

So what of the future?

While he remains non-committal, he offers a tantalising clue. “There’s a TV show that I may get involved in this year. It’s a revival of an old TV quiz show. It’s a possibility but I would say not necessarily a likelihood.” Only time will tell. Until then, he will get on with the “best job in the world.”

See you Saturday, Jeff.

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The rise and fall of Durham Was Continued from back page...

John Frederick James Smith, known simply as “Icy”, was a local businessman who would go on to become one of the forefathers of British ice hockey.

Smith made his fortune running an ice business out of Bishop’s Mill, selling blocks of ice to the public, most of whom didn’t have a fridge.

Come the late thirties, as fridges became more common, Icy’s business was rendered far less profitable than it had once been.

He decided to move away from ice production, but stuck with what he knew, devoting his time and money to the construction of an ice-rink on the bank of the Wear.

Full construction of the Riverside Rink was hampered by the lack of manpower in war time, and so Icy made do with a massive marquee which, legend has it, was one of the largest in the world at the time. The new rink was hugely popular among locals and Canadian pilots alike.

Come the end of the war, Icy was finally able to construct a more permanent rink, famously using coffin wood to construct the stands.

emerged, formed by an ex-Canadian airman, Michael Davey, and a handful of his countrymen who had made their home in Durham. The rest, as they say, is history.

Peter Johnson was born in the same year that the Durham Wasps were founded. Jonker, as he became affectionately known, is something of a legend in Durham.

A member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, Jonker enjoyed a forty year career with the Wasps, first as a player and then as a coach.

As a child growing up in Durham, iceskating and ice hockey quickly became the done thing, ice ran through the city’s veins.

From the age of ten, Jonker would make his way down to the rink almost everyday after school. “There was nothing else to do”, he says. The rink was not only popular among kids, but adults as well. Head down on a Friday night, and such were the crowds that Jonker guarantees that “you wouldn’t be able to see the ice.”

After making his way through the youth system, Jonker made his debut for the Wasps at the age of sixteen, a moment that he describes as “everything I ever wanted.”

Jonker was an early product of a youth system that would become

John ‘Icy’ Smith, the man behind ice hockey’s boom in Durham Photograph: Andrew Walker

In 1946, the Durham Wasps

known nationwide for producing

quality, homegrown talent.

In the words of Andrew Walker, a life-long Wasps fan who has been at the forefront of attempts to revive the team, the youth system was

crowds. Hockey season ran in the winter months, with games taking place on Sundays. Even though tip-off was at 6:30, from as early as 10:00am, a queue would be forming

pride, the team with whom the Wasps held the strongest rivalry were the Whitley Bay Warriors: “When you went to Whitley,” Jonker says, “you knew you were going just

The Durham Wasps side of 1992 celebrating yet another trophy during a golden era for the club.

Photograph: Keith Jackson

a “production line, right from the age of three, four years old all the way right through breaking into the team… It was junior self-sufficiency.”

Both Jonker and Walker agree that the constant stream of local talent was one of the main reasons why the Wasps were so successful, not only on the ice but also in garnering such support.

“The majority of the kids [playing for the Wasps] were from Durham”, Jonker says, “British kids playing for the fun of it.” People came out to watch the Wasps, it seems, because they were truly the team of the city.

Great home grown talent was complemented by world class foreign players. Under league regulations, teams were only allowed to have four foreign players, called imports, on the books at any one time.

The Wasps were notoriously ruthless with imports. One season, Jonker recalls, the team brought in thirteen imports. “If they farted when they came in Smithy [Icy Smith’s son who was manager at the time] threw them out. If one came in and said, “I’ve got a bit of a bad knee”, he’d be on the plane home the next morning.”

It was a tactic that paid off for the Wasps, as throughout the years quality imports were brought in who not only had a massive influence on the team at the time, but also how ice hockey was played in Durham.

“We started bringing the good imports in and they started teaching us how to play hockey. Before the Canadians [the imports] came we used to just chase pucks around the rink”, says Jonker.

As the Wasps grew, so too did the

outside the rink.

By five o’clock the queue would “be wrapped three times around the car park”, with three to four thousand Durhamites united in an air of excitement about seeing their beloved Wasps take centre-ice. Once the doors opened, people would stream into the ramshackled building that became locally known as “the Shed.”

“It was an old place”, Jonker recalls, “but people loved it because it had real character and spirit.” “It was shite but brilliant”, says Walker.

From a player’s perspective, Jonker says the atmosphere was unmatchable. “I used to love playing in front of that crowd. They were great.

Once you stepped out on the ice, the roar went out. Everyone was scared of coming to Durham. Singing, chanting. Everyone used to join in.”

One corner of the rink in particular stands out to Jonker. “Hecklers Corner. That’s where everyone used to stand. You used to have a dog in there behind the goalkeeper. When the opposition came into the corner, the dog came in and bit the opposition’s shirt.”

While the Wasps got great crowds for every match they played at the Riverside Rink, by far and away the most well attended were local derbies.

Many of these derbies happened during the Castle Eden Cup, a tournament that featured the big teams in the North East. Durham were the dominant force in the Castle Eden Cup, winning the competition nine times in as many years from 19861995.

While all of the Castle Eden Cup games were a matter of regional

for a good fight.”

It had begun as a sibling rivalry involving the Smiths. Soon after building a rink in Durham, and seeing how successful it had become, Icy Smith built another in Whitley Bay. He ultimately split the two amongst his sons, with John taking Durham and Tom taking Whitley Bay, setting the stage for a passionate, intense, but ultimately respectful rivalry.

Walker pinpoints the 1992 season as the beginning of the end for the Wasps.

Even though during 1991-1992 the Wasps were, according to Walker, “at their absolute peak”, winning seven major trophies in a two year period, at the end of the ‘92 season a number of key players left the side.

Of note were the Cooper brothers, Durham born and bred they were “as good, if not better than the imports” says Walker. At the end of the 1992 season, the Cooper brothers left Durham, poached by the new big money club in the league at the time, the Cardiff Devils.

A couple of months later, Mike Blaisdell, a Canadian national team winger who had been a first round pick in the 1980 NHL Draft was sacked amidst murky circumstances.

As a result, the 1993 season was a write-off: “We finished bottom of the league. The only reason we didn’t get relegated was because the league got expanded the same year”, says Walker.

The Wasps coasted for the next few years, however. British Ice Hockey was transforming and they were struggling to keep up.

PALATINATE | Thursday 19th February 2015

19

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sps: the north-east’s finest team

The Riverside RInk, the home of the Wasps, was a social hub in Durham City and made ice hockey a huge part of the community

Spurred on by the booming popularity of ice hockey around the country, huge arenas started to pop up in the big cities. The contrast between “new teams being put in these next generation arenas and Durham playing in this shed of a rink”, as Walker put it, couldn’t have been clearer.

The impact that the changing face of British ice hockey had on the Wasps was compounded by a deteriorating rink that the Smith family couldn’t afford to maintain.

Therefore, when in 1996 one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the North East came knocking with a big money offer, things changed forever.

Sir John Hall is not a popular man in Durham. In the early ‘90s, while still owner of Newcastle, Hall had plans of creating a sporting empire moulded on that of Barcelona.

While best known for their football, the ‘FC Barcelona’ brand also has basketball, futsal, handball, roller hockey, ice hockey and rugby teams.

Envisioning something similar in Newcastle, Hall began to buy out teams from across the North East.

In rugby union Newcastle Gosforth became the Newcastle Falcons, in basketball the Newcastle Comets became the Newcastle Falcons, a motor racing team from Surrey was bought out and named the Newcastle United Racing Team and the Durham Wasps were to become the Newcastle Wasps.

Hall’s master plan was to develop a massive sporting complex just west

of Newcastle’s city centre at Leazes Park.

The Wasps were to move into a purpose built modern arena, a step above ‘the Shed’. While planning permission was being obtained, the Wasps were moved to Sunderland.

However, after a petition signed by 38,000 was submitted in opposition to Hall’s proposal to develop Leazes Park, the vision of the Newcastle United Sporting Group collapsed.

The Wasps were left in limbo, the people of Durham had lost their team and Sir John Hall did not have his empire.

“It was devastating”, says Jonker speaking about the sale, “it was the lifeblood of this city, gone. The fan base was split”, says Walker. “Half went to see them in Sunderland, and the other half stayed.”

An attempt was made to replace the Wasps with a new team called the Durham City Wasps but the damage had already been done - the Wasps had lost their sting.

With all of the players gone, and half the fan base off in Sunderland, the new City Wasps only managed to go for a season until “the rink was in such a bad state that they [the Smiths] couldn’t feasibly maintain it.’

The Smiths sold soon after, the ice-rink disappearing and being replaced, on one side by a bowling alley, and on the other by a fitness club.

It has been 19 years since the Wasps left Durham but local residents haven’t forgotten them. According to Walker, there is a “strong

desire for an ice rink.

You still have families from Durham taking their kids all over the country just to play ice hockey. Thousands of people have signed petitions saying that they want one back in Durham.”

In 2009, they very nearly got one.

A local businessman, Jan Eskildsen, went as far as announcing the construction of a new rink at a Wasps reunion game only for plans to fall through soon after.

Since then attempts at reviving the Wasps have been next to non-existent, with Walker citing “money and land” as the biggest issues, “there’s no shortage of desire.”

Speaking about life after the Wasps, Jonker adds: “I cannot understand where kids go to now. What do they get up to after school and at night? They had everything at the ice rink. There’s nothing for leisure over here anymore.”

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this story is the fact that now the Riverside Rink is gone, there no longer exists any physical sign that the Wasps ever existed, let alone were as successful as they were.

Every physical remnant of the Wasps, it seems, has disappeared, even the trophy haul that the team amassed in their fifty-year existence.

“Nobody even knows where the cups are,” says Jonker, “in John Hall’s era, all the trophies went missing and nobody has seen them since.”

Photograph: John Crosby

Mario Belanger, a Durham Wasps designated foreign player, on front cover of the Ice Hockey News Review Photograph: Andrew Walker

Sport

College Varsity Preview

Thursday 19th February 2015 | PALATINATE

Sport previews the annual Varsity competition against York p. 16

Jeff Stelling exclusive Sport talks to Jeff Stelling p.17

Durham Wasps

Isaac Abraham investigates the success and demise of the northeast’s most succesful sports team p. 18-19

The rise and fall of Durham Wasps: the north-east’s finest team Isaac Abraham

Unbelievable Jeff: Palatinate’s exclusive interview with Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling on p19

Photograph: Sky Sports

Butler claims unlikely BUCS win Nick Friend

Last weekend saw a major shock in the first set of fixtures of the BUCS Northern Indoor Cricket league.

With the MCCU side unavailable for the weekend of the meeting, Josephine Butler A – the top side in the College Indoor Premiership – were called up to represent the university .

This unusual move was prompted by the fact that failure to fulfil the series of matches would have resulted in a greater loss of BUCS points than a last placed finish.

The team, made up of wicketkeeper and captain James West, Rob George, Michael Roy, Rowan Bird, James Priest, Joe Colebrook and Hild Bede’s Matt Withers, enjoyed a fantastic Team Durham debut.

Having struggled against Newcastle – being dismissed for 87 before watching their opponents easily reach their target, the college side went on to win their next four

games, leaving Butler just a victory against University of Northumbria away from a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament.

A key aspect of the side’s run was the parsimonious bowling attack who only conceded a three-figure total on one occasion – in the threewicket victory over Edinburgh.

Colebrook starred against York St John, taking three cheap wickets to restrict Durham’s opponents to 70 – a score that never looked like sufficing.

An equally resounding victory followed, with player of the tournament Rob George’s 32* leading Butler to a competitive total of 96.

Thanks to some superb bowling, Sunderland could only crawl to 43, giving Durham victory by 53 runs.

Then in back-to-back matches against Edinburgh’s two sides, Butler faced their only real test.

Facing the Scottish university’s first team, the college side chased down Edinburgh’s 133 with ease, George’s 29* guiding Durham to a three-wicket success.

Rob George then continued his

terrific form on the day with a virtuoso all-round display in making 41*, before recording figures of 4-26 in a 51-run demolition of Edinburgh’s second team.

Captain James West was understandably delighted with the opportunity to represent the University.

“We’ve all really enjoyed the chance to step up and test our skills whilst representing the university.

“I’ve also been pleased with how we’ve reacted to losing our first game - we weren’t good enough in that first fixture but we learnt quickly and followed it up with four resounding victories.”

West also reserved special praise for all-rounder Rob George, whose match-winning performances against Edinburgh led the way in an outstanding team effort.

“It really was the Rob George show against Edinburgh. He scored 70 runs without getting out and took five wickets, which in indoor cricket is quite spectacular.

“I don’t think saying that is taking anything away from the rest of the team, who all played well, but Rob

was standout amongst us.”

Victory against Northumbria will see Josephine Butler qualify from the North and Scotland Division.

Saturday 28th February 14:00 Durham University 1st vs Northumbria University 1st

P

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Half a mile from Durham Cathedral once lay a building that held almost as much, if not more, significance for those that call this city home.

From the outside, the building was nothing in comparison to the Norman works of human ingenuity that dominate the landscape.

Made out of corrugated steel and concrete, it was a grey, dull structure that, if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t look twice at. On the inside, however, it was the lifeblood of Durham.

Prior to its controversial demolition in March of 2013, when it was replaced by a new block of offices, the Riverside Ice Rink had been home to the greatest sports team many around these parts would argue the North East has ever seen: the Durham Wasps.

From 1982-1992, the Wasps were the dominant force in British ice hockey.

Five league championships, four British Championships, four Autumn Cups (the annual season-opening cup) seven Castle Eden Cups (a competition between the major teams in the North East) and a ferocious crowd quickly cemented the Wasps’ position as one of the best-known names in British ice hockey.

To trace back the fascinating story of the Wasps and their Riverside Rink, one has to look to the Second World War. Just south of Darlington lie a swathe of RAF airfields, which airmen from the Royal Canadian Air Force called home during the war.

During their stationing, the Canadians were understandably keen to partake in their country’s national pastime.

However, this being North England as opposed to North America, ice skating rinks were hard to come by. That’s when “Icy” Smith stepped in. continued p 18-19...