Palatinate 822

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Palatinate Officially the UK’s Best Student Publication, 2018

Thursday 14th November 2019 | No. 822

Visual Arts goes behind the scenes of Lumiere

www.palatinate.org.uk | FREE

Comment writers cover climate protests and housing queues

7.8% of Durham graduates are from the North East Naomi Clarke & Tom Saunders News Editor & Deputy News Editor Palatinate can reveal that the average percentage of Durham University graduates from the North East over the last five year is 7.8%, This percentage is significantly less than other universities located within the North East of England. 23% of Newcastle University’s admissions in the 2017/18 academic year were from the North East and a Centre For Cities study reported that half of the students at Northumbria originated from the region. The North East of England has been identified by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) as the region where young people are least likely to access Higher Education. The latest Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) data, published in February 2017, confirms that the region also has the highest proportion of entrants from low participation neighbourhoods (LPNs), at 23.2% compared to a national average of 11.3%. Durham University has recognised that ‘the most significant access challenge is the participation of students from areas of lower higher education participation neighbourhood (LPN), lower household income and lower socio-economic status groups.’ Durham University has affirmed that the majority of their students are from ‘the highest participating in higher education neighbourhoods’, on average 52-55% over the past five years, comparative to 5-7% ... Continued to page 3

▲ The Durham Lumiere 2019 will run from 14th - 17th November. Pictured: I Love Durham by Jacques Rival (Mark Norton)

Durham UCU: “We would rather not strike but there seems to be no alternative” • Durham University set for 8 days of strikes from November 25th until December 4th • Staff nationwide are protesting changes to pensions, pay and working conditions • University: “We ask that you act on the assumption that classes will be held as scheduled”

Naomi Clarke & Jack Taylor News Editor & Editor-in-Chief Durham University is set to face eight days of strikes at the end of November, as the University and College Union (UCU) announce planned action. UCU members are set to strike from Monday 25th November until Wednesday 4th December. This comes after two national legal disputes, one over pensions and the other over pay and working conditions.

In a statement to Palatinate, the Durham University UCU said: “We, UCU members at Durham, would rather not strike but there seems to be no alternative.” 60 universities across the UK will be hit with this strike action unless universities ‘respond positively and quickly.’ Durham University said in a statement sent to all students that “Pay and pensions are subject to national negotiations, and, as one of a large number of employers, we have limited influence over the outcome, especially when many

other higher education institutions are experiencing significant financial challenges.” On their decision to strike, Durham UCU stated: “Universities UK (UUK) and UCEA (the group that represents Vice Chancellors) need to take the issues of equalities, casualisation, pay and pensions seriously, and listen to University staff. We still have time to avert the strike if UUK and UCEA come back to the table with sensible offers. The dispute centres on changes to the ‘Universities

Superannuation Scheme (USS)’ which, since 2011, have sparked action after analysis showed a typical union member will pay around £40,000 more into their pension but receive almost £200,000 less in retirement. The USU’s action has already initiated with ‘action short of a strike’ taking place outside these strike dates which included: working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, and refusing to... Continued

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