Palatinate 830

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Tuesday 6th October 2020 | No. 830

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Features provides a guide to Durham’s societies and offers advice for new students

Politics speaks to CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward about women in journalism

Years abroad get long awaited go-ahead University Patrick Stephens and Max Kendix News Editors Durham students wanting to undertake a work or study placement abroad can now apply to travel, regardless of the destination. The decision comes after an open letter to the University,

signed by over 300 students, as well as new government and insurance guidance and advice.

Year abroad travel was previously categorised by the University as non-essential, and so not permitted to countries categorised as ‘high risk’ by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In a statement, Professor Claire O’Malley, Pro-Vice-Chan-

cellor (Global), said: “I’m pleased to say it has been agreed by the University Executive that students who wish to undertake a work or study placement outside the UK, including in countries that are not on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s exempt list, may now apply for permission to travel via the University’s placement and travel cover approval processes.”

She added: “Our commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of our students is our first priority.” While students conducting a year abroad in any country may apply, travel will only be endorsed by the University following a rigorous...

Continued on page 5

▲ Durham’s freps made new students welcome during a socially-distant freshers’ week (clockwise from top left: Imogen Usherwood, Josephine Butler JCR, Anni Deri, Michael Crilly & Izzy Hubbert, St John’s SJCR, Josephine Butler JCR, St Chad’s JCR)

The new normal: Durham’s Covid measures • All classes for Levels 2-4 undergraduates will be online until at least the end of Week One • Livers-in are assigned to collegiate households of up to 18 people • Bill Bryson Library open to bookings for up to two four-hour slots per week

Sophie Garnett, Martha McHardy and Max Kendix News Reporter and News Editors Covid-19 has forced universities around the country to work differently as they open their doors to students and staff this month.

Durham University has kept students updated with latest information regarding Covid-19 throughout the summer as the rules have changed.

The government recently announced local lockdown restrictions across the North East. These include a 10pm curfew on entertainment and leisure and a ban

on mixing households.

A number of Covid-19 cases have been confirmed within the Durham student community. All individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 are now in quarantine at Durham.

Some of the biggest announcements over the summer include moving all lectures online and the

closure of colleges to livers-out until at least the first week of Michaelmas Term, as freshers quarantined upon arrival for three days.

Palatinate has put together a guide for how Michaelmas Term will work at Durham University.

Continued on page 3

second worst for social inclusion

Keziah Smith News Reporter Recent data released by The Sunday Times shows that Durham University ranks as the second worst university in the country for social inclusion, whilst simultaneously ranking as the sixth best university in the overall league table.

The statistics reflect the fact that only 48.7% of Durham students attended state schools (non-grammar). This is despite 93.5% of UK students being educated in the public sector, according to the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

Durham’s suggested social exclusion is intensified by the knowledge that only 5.4% of its students are from deprived areas, in spite of University efforts to be more inclusive of young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

It also emerged that Durham has the nineteenth most expensive accommodation in the country. Thirteen of the eighteen more expensive accommodation prices are from London-based Universities.

The Durham University ‘Access Agreement’ of 2019-2020 states that the University has allocated £11.7 million for outreach purposes, student success, and partnerships with regional schools in the hope to increase the proportion of students admitted to Durham who are classified as being from low-income families.

Further analysis, provided by The Sunday Times, into Durham’s inclusivity reveals that the blackattainment gap is -14%, and all ethnic minority students make up only 11% of the student population of the University.

Continued on page 4

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

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Editorial

An uncertain time for us all

Y

ou don’t need a newspaper to tell you that we’re living in uncertain times. It’s everywhere you look - each day, we’re waking up knowing that a new notification, text message or email might change how we live our lives for the foreseeable future. In the last week alone, meeting another household indoors has become illegal, and most Durham students are in the middle of a week of online teaching.

Palatinate has not been immune to this uncertainty Typically, this editorial is the space in which a sage third-year Editor offers advice on now to navigate being a fresher based on their own experiences. Rest assured, neither of us profess to have much wisdom to offer, and this is an uncertain time for us all.

Starting university, even in normal times, can be trying. For many, it marks moving to a new city - or even a new country full of strangers who, whether you like it or not, are going to be your friends and classmates for the next few years. That person you meet on move-in day might become your Co-President of a society in your final year, or you might never see them again. The popular assertion that university will be ‘the best three years of your life’ puts huge pressure on freshers to enjoy every moment of what is, actually, a hugely nerve-wracking experience, pandemic or not.

In the last six months, you’ll have heard many people proclaim that ‘we’re all in this together’. At Durham, that remains true;

we’re all facing the name uncertainty. A year group of freshers are navigating a whole new city, and everyone is getting used to an entirely different way of learning and living at university. There is so much that students have to adapt to really quickly, this year more than ever.

Palatinate has not been immune to this uncertainty. What started out as an email telling us that no funding had been allocated for our print budget this term very quickly became a lot bigger.

Within days we had written an article and amassed hundreds of signatures for an open letter, among them Jeremy Vine and Bill Bryson. Palatinate was featured in national newspapers. The ITV presenter and Palatinate alumnus Dan Rivers started his own fundraising campaign, and we created a donation page which has now raised over £3500, enough to print this term.

Trying to manage this for the last month has been challenging for us both, as we found ourselves in the middle of a situation that demanded near-constant attention every day of the week. It is not an exaggeration to say that, collectively, hundreds of hours have gone into Palatinate 830; the time spent writing, editing and producing it, and working to make it happen at all throughout September.

It’s important to look after yourself during difficult times We are very grateful to the entire Editorial Board, who have written and commissioned so much fantastic content for this paper, and for our website all

summer. To everyone who made a donation or signed our letter, offered to help, or just asked us ‘are you okay?’ - we want to thank you, too. It’s really important to look after yourself during difficult times, whether that means switching off from social media, or asking for support when you need it - a piece of advice that our fresher selves could have done with, too.

It’s hard to comprehend how much space there is to grow and change during your time at Durham However, it is often through hardship that university life is at its most formative. It’s hard to comprehend how much space there is to grow and change during your time at Durham. Two years ago, we had no idea we’d end up here - both in the sense of being Editors-in-Chief, and living in a world where we can’t be within 2m of each other. Imogen spent her first term of first year as a very nervous Deputy Features Editor who was too scared to say anything in meetings, while it wouldn’t be until January of her second year that Tash joined Palatinate. Now, Imogen won’t stop talking in meetings and Palatinate is something Tash lives and breathes.

This term isn’t going to be like anything we’ve experienced before, not least because we have no idea how things will change.

Back in March, Palatinate kept students updated as Durham started to close down when coronavirus reached the North East.

Now, we will continue to be there for students, with reliable cover-

Inside 830 News pages 3-6 Comment pages 7-9 Profile pages 10-11 SciTech pages 13-14 Politics pages 15-17 Sport pages 18-20

indigo

Editorial page 2 Books page 3 Features pages 4-5 Food & Drink page 6 Film & TV page 7 Stage pages 8-9 Fashion page 10 Visual Arts page 11 Interview pages 12-13 Music page 14 -15 Creative Writing page 16 Travel page 16 age of this fast-changing world, and plenty of other features to distract you from it, too. Palatinate relies on its student editors, contributors, and readers - even when we have to run it from our bedrooms rather than an office.

We hope to see lots of you getting involved with Palatinate this term, whatever the world may throw at us.

Imogen Usherwood & Tash Mosheim

Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Imogen Usherwood & Tash Mosheim editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editor Toby Donegan-Cross deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Martha McHardy, Patrick Stephens & Max Kendix news@palatinate.org.uk News Reporters Richard Waters, Keziah Smith, Kiara Davies, Sophie Garnett, Saniya Saraf & Ella Bicknell Investigations Editor Luke Payne investigations@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editors Hazel Laurenson & Cerys Edwards comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editor Abigail Brierley Profile Editors Will Entwistle, Isabella Green & Izzy Harris profile@palatinate.org.uk Science & Technology Editors Ewan Jones, Faye Saulsbury & Elise Garcon scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Sophie Farmer & Aisha Sembhi politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editors Anna Shepherd and Lilith FosterCollins Sport Editors Matt Styles & Luke Power sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Ben Fleming & James Reid Indigo Editors Hugo Millard & Millicent Machell indigo@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Chloe Waugh & Naomi RescorlaBrown Photography Editor Mark Norton photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editors Beatrice Law & Amana Moore Illustrations Editors Amber Conway, Verity Laycock & Samantha Fulton illustration@palatinate.org.uk

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 email to editor@palatinate.org.uk

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PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

News

How will Coronavirus affect life at Durham University?

Continued from front

General health and safety measures Seun Twins So this is my first President’s column - exciting!

Welcome to all incoming students and welcome back to all those returning.

We embark on this journey under the most peculiar of circumstances but we embark nonetheless. It has been a rough start to the term, we inherited a global pandemic; just entered a recession; had that controversial A-level U-turn (remember that); and witnessed one of the most visible social justice movements in many of our lifetimes - and I anticipate a lot more surprises for 2020.

At the heart of this year are our blended education and our transformed wider student experience. I want to take this opportunity to first congratulate all student leaders from society and associations execs, to common room staff to freps who have demonstrated such tenacity and embodied a resolve that is nothing less than admirable.

To all the student leaders, who have been burdened by changing government guidelines, and the task of transplanting many activities online, due to this pandemic, you should all be so proud of what you have achieved. There would be no induction week without the continued hard work of these student leaders. No one has ever dealt with a pandemic like this before so there is nothing to reference, no precedent when preparing for the start of term but the efforts of student leaders in the past couple of days and weeks show a dedication to retaining some wider student experience.

This is all to keep the safety and wellbeing of students central. I urge everyone to look to these student leaders for best practice.

There are many who want to scapegoat students in this crisis and who want to misrepresent students as careless and irresponsible, but freshers’ week has expectedly proven these naysayers wrong. Let us continue to bust the myth that students do not empathise with the more vulnerable communities under the current circumstances. The majority of students are aware of their moral responsibility to their neighbours, peers, members of staff, and households. Never lose sight of that.

Good luck and, as always, I am only a DM away!

All University buildings have been reopened using a ‘5-tests’ model to assess whether it is safe to re-open the buildings.

Hand sanitiser will be made available in all buildings, and face coverings and infra-red thermometers will be available at reception points. Regular temperature checks will also take place.

The University will provide all students and staff with two reusable face masks, and the wearing of face coverings will be compulsory in all University buildings.

This will include communal areas in colleges and University chapel and prayer rooms.

University members are encouraged to not engage in conversation in circulation spaces, as this will limit people’s ability to socially distance.

The University is also working with BUPA, a private healthcare company, to offer free flu vaccinations to all staff and students, and is piloting a Security Community Response team that will be available seven nights a week.

‘Covid-19 stewards’ will also be placed around the City to explain social distancing measures.

In an email to students, the University has warned that breaches of the Covid-19 guidelines could result in expulsion, which is the most extreme penalty under the Non-Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Procedure.

Academic activities

The University has opted for a blended learning approach, meaning some teaching will be online, and some face-to-face.

For most subjects, lectures will be held online and seminars will be in person, with students being required to socially distance during in-person teaching.

However, this will not be the case for the first week of term, when all teaching for level 2-4 modules other than practical classes will be held online.

Face-to-face teaching will only take place for foundation students, those studying Level 1 undergraduate modules, and most postgraduate taught students during the first teaching week.

This arrangement will be reviewed at the end of teaching week one.

The University has indicated that exams for the 2020-21 academic year will take place online, but this will be subject to changing regulations.

University libraries, including the Bill Bryson Library, are open.

However, students and staff are required to book to use the Bill

Bryson’s ‘Stay and Study’ and ‘Browse and Borrow’ services.

Students will be able to book slots of four hours long to browse, check out books and study in the library, although only two bookings can be made per week, and booking must be made separately for different services. The bookdrop service for returning items to the library is currently open to all students and staff.

Bookings will be released for both services every Thursday, and library users will be required to wear a face covering when using the library.

On campus, University members will only be permitted to meet with people from their household, and can only do so in a group of up to six people.

College life and social activities

Undoubtedly, social life is going to look different for students this year, and the University has published guidance for students in line with current government regulations in order to keep students and the local community as safe as possible.

Colleges have been given approval by Durham County Council to form households of up to 18 people. If a member of a household is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, the whole household will be required to isolate for a two-week period.

Colleges, while acting as an epicentre for many activities and events in previous years, are now restricted to livers-in only. Students may not enter another college under any circumstance and access to students’ own colleges is also restricted.

Undoubtedly, social life is going to look different this year The University announced that livers-out will not have access to their college during freshers’ week or during week one of term unless given specific permission; this rule is scheduled to be reviewed at the end of week one.

The University will communicate with students should this rule change.

Though this means college bar visits will not be possible, pubs and bars in town are ready to welcome students back with many having online booking systems in place.However, these venues are required to close at 10pm as per national guidelines.

Colleges will be permitted to hold formals and open college bars within government guidelines, meaning college bars will operate a table service only and will close at 10pm.

As the North East is subject to local lockdown rules, students

must abide by the law against socialising between households - this applies to all settings, indoors and outdoors, including cafés, pubs and restaurants. This guidance is in addition to the national ‘rule of six’ which has been imposed. Students living in college will be advised by their college as to who comprises their household.

Although college and University-wide societies and sports cannot run in person currently, many have come up with innovative solutions such as online panels and webinars, while others are running Zoom craft sessions.

College dining and University cafés

For those living in catered college accommodation, meals will also be affected by University and college guidelines. Assigned households will dine together during organised time slots, staggered to avoid mixing with others at the same time. Screens will be in place across dining areas to separate households, along with other measures to slow the spread of the virus.

In college, households will dine together With regard to college bars, the situation will vary by college; at University College, an app has been developed for booking tables in its college bar, which will operate with table service only for the foreseeable future. The bar in the castle itself could not be set up to follow ventilation guidelines, and a new tent has been erected on the green in its place.

For those not catered, there is usually a chance for a meal or a snack at one of the University’s 10 cafés and restaurants, based in teaching spaces, as well as in the Botanic Garden, Maiden Castle and on Palace Green.

These will work through a click and collect service on an app, with some seating available in the branded retail catering outlets managed by the Univer-

sity. Cafés will be offering the full range of packaged products, and both hot and cold beverages.

Durham’s Palatine Centre Café, located on the main Science Site, will be open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 3pm. The café will offer a range of sandwiches, snacks, hot and cold drinks to customers, with all payments now taken on a cashless basis.

What to do if you display symptoms

Should you develop Covid-19 symptoms, or recieve a positive test result, the University has provided guidance on actions students need to take.

The University is providing every household with temperature checkers which students are advised to use to help identify anyone displaying unusually high temperatures.

The University must also be informed of these developments - students can do this through a tab on banner self-service, accessible through DUO. Students must then book a test at the test centre in the Howlands car park, near Josephine Butler College. You must self-isolate until you are able to receive a test - further information on self-isolation can be found on the Durham website and has been emailed to students.

In addition to self-isolating, students living in college must inform their college duty porter by phone if it is out of hours. The college will then ask who you have been in contact with and inform them that they are required to self-isolate.

Students living out of college are required to inform their housemates and all members of the household must then selfisolate until they are able to get tested.

Isolation rooms have also been made available in each University building for University members to use if they are experiencing any of the three main Covid-19 symptoms.

(Amana Moore)

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Tuesday 6th October 2020| PALATINATE

News

Durham SU proposes to replace trustee elections with appointed “student leaders”

Martha McHardy News Editor Durham Students’ Union has proposed to replace student trustees with appointed “student leaders”, following the resignation of four student trustees after last year’s SU elections, which saw 58% of votes awarded to Re-Open Nominations (RON).

The student leaders will act as voting members on SU Board Committees, in lieu of studenttrustees. A recommendation will be made to the October meeting of the SU Board of Trustees by the Chair of the Board, along with the SU President who acts as Vice Chair, and one other trustee, as to who should be appointed.

“Understand the structural barriers to inclusivity and participation” Any member of Durham SU is eligible for appointment, including sabbatical officers.

Four student trustees elected in February 2020 subsequently resigned from their positions following the revelation that the 58% of first preference votes for RON had been removed entirely rather than transferred to the voter’s second preferences.

This was due to the disqualification of the RON option from the election after a campaign violation by a member of the campaign team for Re-Open Nominations.

In a statement published on their website, Durham SU said: “It will be very difficult to hold another election in autumn

2020/2021 to fill these vacancies and we want to respond to the call from students to review the election process, including providing better information on the election process and role of a trustee.

“It will be very difficult to hold another election in autumn 2020/21” “We will be working hard this term to get the election process right this year, and make sure that students have the best representation possible on the Durham SU Board.”

On the decision to replace trustees with appointed student leaders, one SU trustee who was elected in the February elections before resigning told Palatinate: “It’s pretty f****d up and I’m quite miffed, especially given my promise to contest a future election, which will go unfulfilled if this proposal is implemented”.

Another former trustee said: “I am disappointed and really frustrated. All of the trustees who ran and resigned said we would run again in a new election, but the SU said it wouldn’t be feasible due to covid. Obviously I understand that they couldn’t have planned for all this, but it would have been, and could still be possible to run a virtual election if they really wanted to, so it’s clear they don’t care about their own democratic process.”

Durham SU states on its website that there is precedent for its proposal given that the Chair of Durham University Charities Committee (DUCK) was invited to serve on the Board’s fundraising

committee last year.

Durham Students’ Union plans to carry out a democracy review, led by Durham SU Opportunities officer, Anna Marshall, to meet the “ambitious challenge set by student leaders this year”.

The review is being carried out to allow the SU to “understand the structural barriers to inclusivity and participation” in its democracy, which has, “in the past, limited the power of these students to influence our demo-

cratic structures and rules”, according to the official democracy review tender.

“It’s clear they don’t care about their own democratic process” According to Durham SU, the review will ensure that “the broadest range of student interests are reflected in our future.”

It is unclear whether elections

for Student Trustee will be re-run once the democracy review hasconcluded.

The current SU trustees have asked for a consultation process to be held on the SU’s proposals.

A consultation meeting will be held over Zoom, and will be hosted by Durham SU Chief Executive, Gareth Hughes, the SU President, Seun Twins and an SU Trustee, on September 29th at 11am. Any member of Durham SU can attend.

(Amana Moore)

The Times gives Durham 269/1000 for social diversity Continued from front The metrics used for these rankings are drawn from datasets published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Eightmeasures of social diversity are weighted and combined, before being converted to a scale with 1000 being the top score. Durham scored 269/1000.

In spite of Durham ranking as the second worst University in the country for social inclusivity, it has been ranked sixth overall in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020-21. It has moved up from seventh place last year

and has ranked in the top ten in the renowned league table for over ten years.

Part of the reason for Durham’s success in the Good University Guide’s rankings is the University’s success in this years National Student Survey (NSS), where it obtained a score of 87.3% for student satisfaction – the highest in the Russell Group of leading UK universities and surpassing the scores of all other universities in the North East of England.

48.7% of Durham students attended state schools (nongrammar) The Good University Guide also recognises the successes of

Durham Students as they begin their careers after graduating, as the University is ranked seventh in the UK for graduate prospects.

87% of Durham students are in postgraduate study or working in high-skilled jobs fifteen months after graduation.

“more than ever before to attract students from all backgrounds to consider Durham” In response to the University’s overall ranking, Durham University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, said: “To be ranked sixth in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 is a tremendous achievement for Durham University, our staff and

students.

“As for all universities, 2020 has been a challenging year for us, as we manage the impact ofcoronavirus. But we are continuing to invest in our student experience. We recently opened two new College facilities, including the brand new South College, and we’re looking forward to a new home for our Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science departments opening soon.

“We’re also doing more than ever before to attract students from all backgrounds to consider Durham. We are a world-leading, research-led, inclusive University, at the heart of the stunning beautiful and warmly welcoming North East of England.”

HEARD ANYTHING NEWSWORTHY? Email news@palatinate.org.uk

News Online “There will be no place for these individuals in our University”: Durham responds to leaked screenshots All indoor mixing between households to be banned in North East Durham Cosmologist recognised as being of “Nobel Class’ for work on evolution of the universe Sir Harold Evans, former Sunday Times and Palatinate Editor, dies aged 92

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

5

News

University doubles women studying computer science Martha McHardy News Editor Durham University has doubled the number of female students studying computer science degrees in the space of a year. 45 women are starting undergraduate study in the subject at Durham this year, compared to just 22 women last year.

This rise is thanks in part to an initiative led by Professor Sue Black OBE, a Professor of Computer Science at Durham since 2018, to persuade more female A-level students to study computing at university.

The initiative involved working with the Women in Tech group at Durham University, and taking female students to events featuring prominent women in-

volved in the technology sector.

The initiative also pushed for half of the academics and students taking part in events to be female.

The computer science department at Durham launched a scholarship, named after AnneMarie Imafidon MBE, Co-Founder of Stemettes, an organisation aimed at encouraging girls aged 5-22 to take up careers in science and technology. Imafidon is also a member of Durham University’s Computer Science Advisory Board.

The scholarship is available to at least one incoming female Durham University computer science student every academic year, who receives £2,000 per year to cover the cost of fees and living expenses, and any other purpose of the recipients choosing.

Professor Black’s efforts mean

that female students make up 30% of Durham’s intake of computer science students this year, compared to the national average of 16%.

This comes at a time when the number of students choosing to study computer science at GCSE level is declining. The proportion of female students choosing to study the subject remained low at 21% this year.

Women acounted for fewer than a quarter of total A-level entries However, more female students are opting to study computing at A-level. This year, there was an increase of over 20% in the number of female students taking A-level Computing - but

Year abroad change bittersweet for many Continued from front “This decision has been taken based on a number of factors including, guidance from our cover providers and from other partners; the changing situation regarding Covid-19-related risk, including the ability to assess the risk of travel to individual countries; feedback from our student body; new Government guidance on the year abroad; and Government advice on the likely duration of the pandemic.

“Students should be reassured that this policy enables them to travel abroad subject to approval, but does not require them to do so.

“For those students who do not wish to travel abroad or are unable to do so, we will be offering a significantly more extensive Year Abroad Alternative Programme, and ensuring that degree outcomes are not detrimentally affected while maintaining the high standards that characterise a Durham degree” In an open letter to the School

of Modern Languages & Cultures (MLAC) department, students had expressed doubt that they could achieve the same level of linguistic and cultural knowledge without spending a year abroad.

In addition, they criticised the alternative offered by the University at the time: “only offering films, podcasts or news as an alternative programme with two contact hours and office hours in place of a usually full-time work placement or actual teaching at a foreign university is unacceptable.”

“They have left us in a complete state of limbo” Professor O’Malley said that the University administration does “understand the frustration our students have experienced caused by disruption to their year abroad plans due to the effects of Covid-19.”

Harriet Gray, one of the organisers of the letter, told Palatinate: “We collected over 300 signatures and the university listened, completely changing their stance

on international travel. As students we have the power to make change, as long as we can band together.”

However, many non-MLAC students are understood to have already cancelled plans for a year abroad, for whom the decision has come too late. It also remained unclear whether it would be possible for those studying Chinese and Japanese to go abroad in Epiphany, with concerns over exchange rules forbidding the start of an educational year in January.

Iona, a student at St Aidan’s College who was meant to go to Japan this year, said the recent change iin policy “should have been a given from the start”, but expressed concern about the treatment of students of Japanese and Chinese: “The second semester of my exchange at Tokyo University has now been cancelled after the first semester was back in April [...] They have left us in a complete state of limbo with no actual support or clarity.”

DUS bar closed for foreseeable future Patrick Stephens News Editor

24s may reopen later in the term, and the closure will be subject to regular review.

The 24 North Bailey Club, better known as 24s, will be closed at the beginning of Michaelmas term, for the foresseable future.

The bar is run by the Durham Union Society which operates events in the bar, though the building itself is universityowned. Profits from the bar are invested back into the Union Society.

Palatinate understands that

“Profits from the bar are invested back into the Union” Covid-19 restrictions would have significantly reduced the capacity of the bar and thus its revenue. It was therefore considered financially unsustainable to run for the present.

The majority of college bars will be open this term, however

they will not be open to livers out for the week one of term.

Pubs and bars in Durham City will be open.

Some, however, will remain closed for longer such as St Mary’s College bar which was deemed to have insufficient ventilation. In accordance with County Durham Covid-19 restrictions, all bars will close at 10 pm.

The former Custodian of 24s gave no comment on the specific reasons behind the closure of the bar.

women still accounted for less than a quarter of total A-level entries.

Professor Sue Black told the BBC she believes this is down to the impact of technology andcomputing for school students, and emphasised that teachers should attempt to make the subject relevant to the lives of young people.

She said: “They’re walking around with computers every day because they’ve mainly got smartphones. And so the more we could link courses into what they’re doing on their phones, helping them to see that they could be creating rather than just using applications, the better.”

Information available on Durham University’s website, reported on by Palatinate, shows that

in the 2019/20 academic year, 61% of science students were male, compared to the Arts and Humanities department, where 61% of students were female, and the Social Sciences andHealth department, where 64% of students were female.

Professor Sue Black was a candidate in the 2020 election for Mayor of London for the Women’s Equality Party, but withdrew for health reasons.

Professor Sue Black OBE

Comp-Sci student creates superior timetabling website Ella Bicknell News Reporter A Durham Computer Science student, Adam Carruthers, has created a website that will automatically download a student’s lectures and seminars to their calendar and synthesise them into one place automatically.

Carruthers told Palatinate that he created the website out of frustration with the University’s current timetable checker system.

“The University is ignoring a lot of simple digital investments” Usually, every term, Durham students have to search Durham’s online timetable information for each individual module and copy them into their own calendar.

To save students time and avoid human error, the third year student thought that “computers could do it better” and created a substitute website.

A side project over the summer, it took the computer science student a month to create the website and for his friends to test out it and suggest improvements.

‘Durham calendar’ downloads selected modules “into a calendar file of your choice” and “lets you edit details, like selecting which specific seminar group you’re in, or which colour you want your module to be”.

Modules can be found using the search bar rather than scrolling through the entire list of those taught at Durham. Multiple modules can be selected at once for edit and download.

“Computers could do it better” Carruthers believes that Durham University’s online systems could easily be improved: “the University is ignoring a lot of simple digital investments that would do a lot to improve student experience”.

One example he gave was the “need to improve digital payments for JCR events” to save the “mountains of admin” required for formal sign up and JCR room bookings.

(Adam Carruthers)

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Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

News

South College welcomes first cohort of freshers

Richard Waters and Toby Donegan-Cross News Reporter and Deputy Editor South College, Durham’s 17th and first new college since 2006, has welcomed its first ever cohort of freshers.

Its newly constructed site at Mount Oswald is centred around a ‘hub’ it shares with John Snow College. This includes a 300-seat dining hall as well as a gym, laundry, multi-faith room and music practice rooms.

“A living embodiment of collegiate spirit” Accommodation is organised into self-catered 12-bed town houses or more traditional flats, each with 5 or 8 rooms. Charges are in line with other self-catering colleges. Freshers are charged £5,526 for the year for the townhouses, whilst an en-suite room costs £6,016.

In the absence of an established JCR, 60 Durham students from other colleges joined the college as “pioneer scholars” to help to set one up, led by sabbatical JCR President Richard Freeman. The college now welcomes nearly 500 first year students.

South is headed by Professor Tim Luckhurst, an award-winning journalist with BBC News and former editor of The Scotsman. Luckhurst is no stranger to being a part of newly-created institutions, having been among the

first undergraduate students at Robinson College, Cambridge and one of the BBC editors involved with launching Radio 5 Live.

Speaking to Palatinate, Professor Luckhurst said that South “feels like a community – a living embodiment of collegiate spirit.

We are determined to make it the most welcoming, inclusive and ambitious community possible.”

He added: “South College offers the full range of opportunities that make studying at Durham so exciting and rewarding. Our sports clubs, music and theatre societies are ready to make their mark on this fantastic university.

“We have excellent volunteering schemes and we engage actively with our local community.

The democratic system of student representation in which we take great pride is up and running. We are proud to be part of the Durham’s proud history of collegiate life and scholarship.”

Professor Luckhurst’s excitement was echoed by South’s JCR Chair, Ben Bassett, who joined South as a pioneer scholar. Bassett told Palatinate: “It has been so exciting to launch South College as we started with a blank canvas and we were able to add our own vibe and personality to the site. With our Pioneer Scholars, it has been an amazing experience to bring the best bits of all the Durham colleges and more into one community.

“Our Freps and Freshers have been truly amazing, working hard during this strange year.”

(Durham University)

Message of respect during virtual matriculation ceremony Martha McHardy News Editor Durham University Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Corbridge encouraged students to “be an active bystander” in a virtual matriculation ceremony.

Matriculation takes place every year in Durham Cathedral during induction week, and marks the point at which freshers and new postgraduates officially become Durham University students. This year, Covid-19 forced the University to move the ceremony online.

The video, which was posted to the University’s YouTube channel, began with a message from Andrew Tremlett, Dean of Durham Cathedral. Lockdown this year marked the first time that the Cathedral was forced to close since 1649; the Dean commented on

how 2020 has been an “extraordinary year”.

Durham Students’ Union President, Seun Twins, commented on the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, describing 2020 as “surreal” and a year of “chaos, flux, and existentialism”.

Ms Twins also addressed topics including decolonising the academic curriculum, and commented that “social justice, privilege and equality have sure enough defined the zeitgeist”. She called on students to treat Durham University as a “venue in which vibrant dialogue may occur”, to “ask questions” and “find answers”.

The SU President was followed by the Durham University ViceChancellor. Professor Corbridge echoed Ms Twins’ comments, saying: “If you see misbehaviour, if you see examples of sexism or

misogyny or racism or classism, challenge. Be an active bystander, get involved”.

He also commented that “we must always treat one another with respect” and that “we need to be sensitive to differences”.

The video ended with a message from Jeremy Cook, Durham University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Colleges and Student Experience), who spoke about Durham’s collegiate system. He said: “your college is a ready-made family of people from different countries and backgrounds”.

These addresses come after a series of incidents in which screenshots of hateful comments made in group chats by Durham University students were posted online on the Facebook group Overheard at Durham Uni. The messages included concerns over

being accused of rape, suggestions of using female students for sex, and approving comments about the death of George Floyd.

The University condemned the comments as “abhorrent” and conducted an investigation into the screenshots, which resulted in one male student involved in the group chats having their offer of a place at the University withdrawn. However, two other male students implicated in the screenshots were able to keep their offers to study at the University.

In another incident last month, screenshots which led to Durham SU’s decision to ban the Durham University Conservative Society and the Durham University Free Market Association from operating as an SU-funded society, were posted on Overheard at Durham Uni and another Facebook group,

Durham Uni students – buy, sell and swap items.

Another video, also posted on the University’s YouTube channel, shows Professor Rebecca Gowland, Professor of Archeology, discussing with other students and staff how the Durham University community can remain respectful in an online environment.

Professor Gowland said: “Things can quickly get heated online and particularly on social media […] we want to make sure everyone at Durham feels they’re working in a safe, dignified and respectful environment”.

She added that we “need to advocate for each other, speak out when there’s hate speech or inappropriate behaviour […] we all need to work together to make Durham University a real community”.

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The problem of Durham’s lad culture Kate Pesenti This article was written before the leaking of screenshots that led to two Durham SU societies being banned in September 2020.

Is it surprising to anyone that Durham University is once again facing a sexist, racist and classist PR disaster? Like clockwork, this month’s new batch of screenshots from an incoming Freshers chat describe “posh lads competing on f***ing the poorest girl”, plans to get girls drunk because it was “the most cost effective” way to have sex

with them and a claim that George Floyd “had it coming”. These messages gained a national media spotlight, with the story appearing in publications such as Metro and The Times. But most who’ve studied here will know that this is just the tip of the iceberg in our university’s culture.

In the aftermath, some students defended the perpetrators. Their Facebook posts were met with a mixture of agreement and outrage, but – although I strongly disagree with their arguments – their concerns are, arguably, understandable. It is, after all, the classic freedom of speech argument: the murky balance between a word and an action, a

ladd i s h ‘joke’ and causing actual harm.

(Pexels via Pixabay)

First off though, let’s be clear: socalled ‘lad culture’ doesn’t need defending. It’s toxic, yes, but crucially it’s the norm – part of a never-ending cycle where it encourages, and is encouraged by, women being frequently harassed or abused as part of their everyday lives. Cornell University’s 2015 study found that 9 out of 10 British girls experience street harassment (including catcalling and physical assault) between the ages of 11 – 17. Legally, that’s 9 in 10 girls experiencing their first harassment when they are still children. In 2019, only 1.7% of rape accusations were convicted in England and Wales and since then the number has fallen to a new all-time low. Is it therefore surprising that rape can be joked about on student group chats, when as a country our legal system doesn’t take it seriously? Is it surprising that victims aren’t reporting rape when there are instances of it being treated as a joke?

The words spoken on the chat, whether intentional or not, trivialise assault and feed into this issue. It’s important to recognise that words aren’t just words to people who might have to face the consequences of them.

Similar manifestations of ‘lad culture’ can be seen in the situation

Warwick University faced in 2018.

Outrage ensued after a group chat containing comments such as ‘she looks like a rape victim’ became public. The students involved were ultimately banned from the University, but that’s not originally how it was handled.

It’s important to recognise that words aren’t just words to people who might have to face the consequences of them It soon became clear that the university leadership wanted to bury the issues, not resolve them.

The girls who came forward were first handled by the Warwick Director of Press. Initial ten-year bans for the perpetrators were reduced to one year, with no explanation, and it was only because of intense media scrutiny that they became barred from campus for life.

Durham also skirts around issues. From 2017-2019, it paid out £177,000 to students in nondisclosure agreements. Durham’s Instagram page posted a black square during a height in the Black Lives Matter movement, but it’s an empty gesture given that there was no outlining of policy change that would help prevent the RON campaign debacle earlier this year, or to tackle micro-aggressions on campus, to go with it. Time and time again, students see bullying

allegations or screenshots containing abusive language. The University is completely failing in handling this issue and, in doing so, failing to protect its students.

This is where the crux of the problem lies. Universities have a duty of care to students in both welfare and education and students likewise pledge to treat others with respect. The debate over freedom of speech is long and complicated and it would take many articles to do it justice. But it’s undeniable that these incoming freshers broke Durham’s code of conduct by not treating ‘all members of the community with respect’. As it’s commonly said, freedom of speech does not always mean freedom of consequence, and in this case it’s only right that there are repercussions for their actions.

Similar manifestations of ‘lad culture’ can be seen in the situation Warwick University faced in 2018 The bottom line is that our campus should allow everyone to study without fear of harassment, but that’s not the way it is – it never has been. It will only change if we start calling out this type of behaviour. Right now, students have overwhelmingly demanded action be taken. If Durham University wants to salvage its reputation, it should listen.

‘Slacktivism’: just another tool of Big Tech Theo Burman It’s not exactly a hot take to say that social media is a double-edged sword. Neither is it controversial to say that fake news damages democracy. The incredible information channels and connections that we’ve built are contaminated by toxic debates and bad-faith actors seeking to manipulate our lives; despite the narrative of the free press fighting for the truth, we’re letting them do it.

Students in particular are overwhelmed with open letters to sign, pages to like, and Zoom meetings to attend. It’s impossible to go on Overheard at Durham Uni without seeing a new initiative or call for change. In just the last few months, the Durham community has seen petitions on a huge variety of issues, ranging from the Vice-Chancellor appointment process to the resto-

ration of Palatinate’s print funding.

Have any of these detracted from activism that, arguably, could have been more significant? No. “Slacktivism” assumes that, given the choice between a real-life protest and liking a Facebook post, the average person will choose the latter and feel the same satisfaction.

It’s impossible to go on Overheard at Durham Uni without seeing a new initiative or call for change In reality, someone who is seriously considering going to a protest is not going to see any number of likes as a substitute. When there isn’t some other event to detract from, ‘slacktivism’ is an improvement in terms of participation.

Condensing contribution to complex issues into petitions or letters is, on paper, an excellent way to expand accessibility towards people that would not normally

feel any motivation to go all-in on activism. In an age of technology, convenience is the single most important factor to get people to do something, and social media provides that in spades.

The growing problems with ‘slacktivism’ and the use of social media for campaigning stem from institutional flaws revealed by the abrupt entry of national political campaigning. It normalises gathering money, supporters, and votes online, handing immeasurable power to the unaccountable tech companies that manage social media sites. These sites were not built with political campaigning in mind; they are not fit for purpose, which the rise of misinformation in the last few years has clearly demonstrated. Again, “Big Tech is bad” is not riveting news, but it’s important to understand the role that slacktivism has had in creating the online culture that allowed Cambridge Analytica and Facebook to do what they did. It’s a strange

situation where something is both entirely natural and extremely unhealthy. It was inevitable that social media would impact political campaigning, and it was also inevitable that it would irreparably damage our institutions. In an ideal world, slacktivism would stop at the local level. Durham has used online campaigning to great effect, spreading awareness about regional issues that affect us, and can be traced back to our own community.

It normalises gathering money, supporters, and votes online, handing immeasurable power to the unaccountable tech companies that manage social media sites The bottom line is that slacktivism is here to stay. We’ve only been experiencing the growing pains of it as technology has developed this decade, but ultimately our ap-

proach to social media will define whether online campaigning is good or bad for our already damaged democracy.

“

These sites were not built with political campaigning in mind

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Why university league tables aren’t gospel Aimee Dickinson

When I was choosing which universities to apply to as a fresh-faced 17-year-old, I am ashamed to say I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Too busy (or too lazy) to do any real research, I simply spoke to my friend who was also planning to study English and copied her university choices into my UCAS application.

However, many students who are more organised than me use league tables to make help them decide which universities to apply to. In light of the current pandemic, with many students unable to visit a campus or get a feel for a university in person, prospective students are increasingly turning to league tables to assist them in their university

decisions. But what information is used to determine these rankings, and how much should they be relied upon in the important decision of choosing a university?

A university’s rankings can differ widely in different league tables depending on the criteria used and the weighting given to different aspects of what makes a good quality education. In The Guardian’s UK university rankings, Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews have (predictably) maintained the top three spots in 2021, with Durham moving from 5th to 4th place. In contrast, Durham came 18th in The Times Higher Education UK university rankings, placing 149th in the world rankings overall.

Most respectable league tables use similar criteria, including teaching quality, graduateprospects, student satisfaction and staff

to student ratios to name a few.

However, these are given different weightings by different ranking systems, leading to different institutions receiving different scores.

The Guardian favours student evaluation, therefore giving heavy weighting to the results of the National Student Survey in which Durham performed well this year, seeing an increase of 2.3% in overall student satisfaction between 2019 and 2020.

However, this data is highly subjective, as student experience can be influenced by all kinds of external factors. The Times rankings are determined by more objectively measurable data,

particularly graduate employment and international reputation. Basically, how ‘good’ a university is can only be quantifiably measured and compared to a certain extent, as it largely depends on what students want to prioritise getting out of their education.

Different people look for diFferent things from prospective universities, and this will heavily influence which institution is best for them University rankings do have their uses in terms of initial research. They can help prospective students to ascertain which universities are best for certain subjects, in terms of research and staff specialisation. As unfair as it may be, some universities do also come with a name which can carry weight in specific fields of employment. However, there are many things which league tables can’t tell you about the wider student experience, in terms of extracurriculars, student accommodation and general ethos, to name a few.

The league tables also don’t explore the differing satisfaction levels of specific groups, such as international students, students from state schools, students of colour and many more. When Durham University bragged on Facebook last week that they had moved up in The Guardian league tables, the comments brought up (Mackem Magic via Flickr)

many complaints regarding issues ranging from accessibility to management and treatment of staff.

This clearly demonstrates that high performance in league tables does not necessarily reflect student satisfaction.

There have also been issues with misleading statistics. In an article earlier this month, The Guardian explained their graduate employment data for the 2021 league tables had been measured fifteen months after graduation rather than six and had been obtained by an external agency, in order to “address concerns that universities were gaming their performance by mis-classifying their graduates’ occupations or offering them temporary employment during the survey period.”

So many things that make up a university experience are impossible to measure and compare.

Different people look for different things from prospective universities, and this will heavily influence which institution is best for them.

While league tables can help you to compare different universities in terms of reputation and academic satisfaction, reading posts from or speaking to current students is still one of the best ways to get a sense of actual student experience at a university.

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Don’t blame the young for a second wave Sarah Matthews Young people have always been known to have a somewhat turbulent relationship with mainstream media. As students, we’re often portrayed as irresponsible and flaky, and it’s easy to laugh at memorable headlines detailing the horrific ways we tend to stray from tradition. However, with coronavirus cases on the rise, it’s no surprise that the media has once again turned to demonising the young.

But are we really to blame, or are we being used as a cheap scapegoat to distract from the government’s failings?

In an interview with the BBC, health secretary Matt Hancock said that a “really important message is that younger people spread the disease, even if they don’t have symptoms.” Despite being factually correct, the framing of this sentence places emphasis on how younger generations spread Covid-19, while ignoring the swathes

of other people who’ve been flaunting lockdown restrictions. Maybe I’ve misunderstood Hancock’s intentions here, but it seems to me that he’s blaming one generation, while ignoring the fact that the government’s Covid-19 schemes put young people at risk.

Dave may still deserve praise for managing to package so many points within one minute Despite being low risk, young adults have, arguably, been the hardest hit by coronavirus. The country is speeding into its largest unemployment crisis in decades, and thousands of school leavers and university graduates have been left with a dried-up job market.

With 24% of the UK workforce at risk of unemployment, many young people have been forced to work in part-time employment to make ends meet.

In this case, we should take a closer look at the nature of parttime employment. Supermarket,

warehouse and postal workers, for example, were lauded for keeping the country running while putting themselves at risk throughout the pandemic. Here, contact with the public was guaranteed and many cash-strapped students returned home to these jobs due to their relatively low pay and lack of requirement for professional experience.

However, since pubs and gyms reopened, many young people have been able to return to work there. The average age of pub and restaurant workers is 29, inside the age group with the highest amount of cases. This was inevitably going to increase contact with the virus further, but it’s no surprise that cases only recently started to rise in September, in the aftermath of the government’s Eat out to Help Out scheme.

As much as we all enjoyed cheaper meals and socialising, pub and restaurant workers were overrun by customers, and worked incredibly hard to get the economy back on track in a safe way. Unfortunately, the scheme could have acted as an incentive for people

to ignore symptoms to get a cheap meal. So, to blame young people for a rise in cases which was, for some, forced upon them because of increased contact from the general public, is ludicrous. If the government is going to prioritise the economy over the health of the public, they should consider their own responsibility before scapegoating young people.

Another comment from Hancock reads, “Don’t kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on”. This is laughable, because any person with half a brain will already be aware that the virus spreads even if you’re not showing symptoms. Young people are stuck in a Catch-22: going to work would “kill your gran” but unemployment isn’t an option. All these mixed messages and blame throwing makes it very confusing for a young person to decide what to do, especially when you take the current mental health crisis into account too. While no one knows the right way to handle coronavirus, alienating a generation is definitely not the way to go.

Hancock and the media shouldn’t be producing a singular narrative, blaming the youngsters for a state of National crisis, and should instead focus on diminishing the generational divide already intensified by Covid-19. In my eyes, battling coronavirus is about following government guidelines, and being sensible; if you’re really looking for a group to blame, it’s people who lack common sense.

Young people “are stuck in a

Catch-22: going to work would “kill your gran” but unemployment isn’t an option

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A call to arms: the battle for sustainability Sophie Tice Time is the most precious commodity we have, and living a sustainable life requires more of it. To research the ethics of the brands we support; walk or cycle instead of pumping carbon; visit charity stores, peruse eBay or scroll through ethical fashion sites instead of the brightly enticing website of any fast fashion brand – all require time and effort we cannot get back. Perhaps, despite our enthusiasm for environmental causes, most of us simply do not have enough free time to spend on such environmentally-friendly processes – or so we tell ourselves.

But, if we’re being honest, is this really true? As much as we love to complain otherwise, the most basic building block of student life does not necessitate a day-to-night schedule. Indeed, it provides a relative abundance of time compared to the adult working life of those with kids and a mortgage. Most of us create our own busyness, privileged to fill in the gaps from academia with socialising, extracurricular activities, YouTube and poor time-management. Most of us have enough flexible hours outside academia to spend a small number of them researching and operating more sustainable options – if, of course, we care enough to make the effort.

It is often easy to forget that every time we buy that cute flouncy top from Topshop, throw away that plastic lid from our Starbucks coffee or purchase that £20 return for a weekend trip to Eastern Europe, that we are directly contributing to the destruction of the planet and subjugation of the global poor.

We only have a General Election every five years – for which one

vote hardly counts. Yet, each tap of a debit card provides an opportunity to cast a vote towards social and environmental justice, to manipulate the unfair tendencies of our capitalist system towards those brands working towards a positive potential future. Do you choose deforestation, modern slavery and devastating flooding or fair pay, clean water supplies and the continuing existence of our coral reefs? Every time you make a consumer choice, even between an unaccredited, virgin-wood toilet paper supplier versus the recycled, living wage commitments of another brand, you are casting your vote for one or the other.

Each tap of a debit card provides an opportunity to cast a vote towards social and environmental justice Sure, the system is against us.

The world of Instagram and (prepandemic) social events seem to necessitate a much bigger, more varied and changing wardrobe than the ‘one good dress’ availability of old. Unseasonable products imported from all corners of the earth litter our supermarkets and sense of normalcy. Our growing global population and the shocking food waste of mostly developed countries necessities chemical-intensive farming, reducing our topsoil to nutrient-deficient dust. The stress of modern life encourages retail therapy and impulse buys, as we attempt to cover our loneliness and anxiety with a momentary spike of joy. The relative cheapness and quickness of air travel allows for increasingly frequent and expansive trips abroad; aeroplane tickets are sold with pretty borders instead of the images of destruc-

tion seen on cigarettes.

So yes, it is difficult to live a sustainable life when we have grown up and exist within this environment of destructive normalcy. But there comes a point when enough knowledge has been acquired, as has long been the case with climate change, that we have to recognise that people make systems and sustain environments; that instead of blaming past generations, we must actively and personally work to reverse our increasing ruination of the natural environment.

This does not require instant perfection or the forgoing of the little luxuries that make our day: I love my morning coffee as much as anyone else. Instead, we must gradually work to implement small changes: decrease our use of carbon-intensive transport, eat less and better meat, shop organic if we can, reduce our fast fashion consumption and help others to do the same. The small actions of an individual can, as a collective, become wondrously and radically transformative. As if often (and probably mistakenly) attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change that you wish to see in the world” and, in the words of Tesco, “every little helps”.

As was excellently discussed

by Mary Atkinson in her recent article for Palatinate, intentional ethical consumerism is impossible for many from low-income backgrounds. There are those, including Durham students, for whom the importance of ethically and sustainably sourced food must be put second to the necessity of eating at all; for whom spending time researching conscious brands would not sacrifice the time spent watching yet another TV show but the shift necessary to pay their rent.

It is important to note that, by necessity, these underprivileged in-

dividuals may be among the most sustainable among us, given the greater likelihood of reliance upon cheaper second-hand clothing, a lack of international travel and cost-saving electricity consumption. The sustainability influencer’s life of oat milk lattes and yoga is not necessarily the most effective.

It is difficult to live a sustainable life when we have grown up and exist within this environment of destructive normalcy Nevertheless, both the sweatshop workers who manufacture fast fashion and low-income individuals in the UK are downtrodden by a capitalist system that rewards the luck of birth over hard-work and societal contribution. The celebration of poorly-paid key workers over lockdown has never made this fact so clear.

Many Durham students, though still i n

desperately varying circumstances and on student budgets, are fortunate to be outside of this handto-mouth position, attending a top University and probably backed by some parental income. It is always the poor who suffer most from social disaster – and climate change is already no exception. It is the special responsibility of those of us with this privilege – myself included – to use our consumer power wisely: to recognise that we have won the lottery of capitalism at birth and thus must use our absently-earned income to create a fairer society for those who were not so lucky. For those in this position, being a student is no excuse: buy better, and together we can change the world.

(Marcus Loke via UnSplash)

Student journalism gives us the voice we deserve Jonny Tiplady

I have always had a passion for writing stories which aim to influence people. Words seem to come more naturally on paper than when actually speaking. My first taste of student journalism is still a vivid memory; the very first society I signed up to at the freshers’ fair was Palatinate. Finally, I had the opportunity to try and ignite my passion. Now, following Durham SU’s decision to cut the budgets for print editions this term, and possibly beyond, the importance of student journalism has been severely undermined. It is vital now to show that student journalism holds a key place in the university experience.

Joining different sections of

Palatinate gives you the opportunity to voice your opinion on any number of hot topics. These could range from student issues to global phenomena.

It builds a bridge between local journalism and world news; covering stories local to Durham ensures that these smaller stories don’t get swept into the shadows by updates from across the globe.

Every size of community has the chance to make their voice heard.

In this world of clickbait, the smaller stories are often left by the wayside.

Perspective is key for student publications: you could turn a worldwide discussion of race into an account of how these problems affect students at university.

There is no discrimination about who gets to write. In that sense, it is a great leveller. The Oxford Student has been heralded for

introducing its ‘Pink’ and ‘Identity’ sections, giving the LGBTQIA+ and BAME communities a platform to spotlight prevalent issues. Inclusivity is inherent in student journalism, especially important when compared with such a lack of diversity in the upper echelons of global media.

Being given this freedom to challenge the status quo provides invaluable education for life after university. Without this free voice, we would be left with something dangerously close to an Orwellian dystopia. Just look back over the last year, when Palatinate reported on the University’s plans for online degrees. Having a body that is independent from the University is crucial to confronting institutional actions.

This past decade has the seen the rise to prominence of ‘fake news’. The autonomy that pub-

lications like Palatinate boast stops students from succumbing to this phenomenon.

Without student publications, a very vocal generation would miss the chance to have their say Likewise, one of the most welcoming aspects of writing for a student publication is the freedom you are given to write what you want; every section invites students to pitch their own ideas.

Not everyone who writes for their student press will necessarily become a journalist after graduating, but they will have the chance to voice their opinions on matters which they’re passionate about.

Good journalism is about taking into account as many points of view as possible. Without the glut

of student publications across the country, a very vocal generation would miss the chance to have their say on current affairs. Simply put, reading student publications is attractive because it is aimed at a student audience.

They are run by students, for students. The fact that their stories are picked up by larger news outlets shows that we can, and should, have a voice.

Going back to the image of my fresher-faced self walking up to the Palatinate panel in my first week, I would not have joined if I didn’t have faith in the newspaper’s influence. Now, more than ever, is time to demonstrate student journalism’s importance to the wider community and to kindle that flicker of hope for the next fresher who decides to carry the torch.

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“Nothing that you did, wore, or drunk could possibly implicate you” Durham Survivors on ‘lad culture’, providing safe spaces and the stigma behind sexual assault and researchers making progress all the time, Durham lacks the encouragement to talk about sexual assault in ways that other universities do.”

“We have realised how little discussion around consent plays into everyday actions and narratives”

Isabella Green Profile Editor Content warning: this article addresses issues of sexual assault which some readers may find upsetting.

Durham Survivors is an Instagram account which was set up in July 2020 to provide a safe space for survivors to share their stories of rape and sexual assault in Durham. The account is run by four individuals, themselves survivors of sexual assault, who act as admins for the page. They said, “we are all survivors, and have very different journeys, but what unites us is the motivation to create a community to enable survivors’ voices to be amplified as a result of their courage.”

Durham Survivors is one of many hoping to draw attention to the pervading culture of rape and sexual assault at UK universities.

The admins were inspired by St Andrews Survivors, who recently made national news for their work. The Durham team said they could no longer stand to watch such incidents go unnoticed in Durham. “When the university system doesn’t offer the full support a survivor needs, there should be a community that they can relate to, that will listen, and that will offer light when no other route will. We believe this light can be, but should not stop at, Durham Survivors.”

“Sexual assault is everyone’s problem. As survivors we’ve become hyper-sensitised to boundaries being crossed all around us and have realised how little discussion around consent plays into everyday actions and narratives.”

One of the admins has recalled their own experience. They said, “my accused party told me that they were not capable of sexual assault. This divides the world into people who are evil sexual predators, and those who are their victims. This dichotomy is universally damaging. Everyone is capable of sexual assault and everyone is capable of surviving an incident. Until we realise this, its prevalence will not decrease.

By allowing survivors to own and claim their stories in a safe space, we are creating a vehicle for empowerment.”

“As survivors we’ve become hyper-sensitised to boundaries being crossed all around us” Durham Survivors hopes to “generate conversations and discourse on sexual assault that will enable other survivors to connect, understand their journey, and feel as if they are part of a community.”

Recently published messages from a pre-freshers group chat expressing sexist and potentially harmful views has caused Durham University to come under scrutiny once more for its lack of action in cases of sexual misconduct. Does Durham Survivors believe there are certain factors present at this university which enable and normalise this behaviour?

“Put simply, yes. Durham has a culture of toxic masculinity, classism and failure to recognise privilege. Changing the discourse around sexual assault within this university is paramount.

Though the University support system has excellent academics

Although the admins acknowledge that ‘lad culture’ is an “an overly-performed phrase”, they consider it useful to explain what is going on at Durham. “It helps to identify the desperation to fall into camaraderie through forcing yourself into a group.

It’s an excuse for insecurity, as we all come to university desperately grappling to work out who we are, what to eat in the morning, and how we can get laid. It’s natural that we all spend some time desperately trying to work ourselves out, but this desperation must not be offloaded onto someone else.”

“Toxic cliques and a fear of not being believed allow rape culture to exist so strongly at Durham. Unfortunately, through our own circles and learning from the Durham Survivors community, it is rare for a survivor to gain the knowledge of the formal processes needed to reach justice against their perpetrator. The more courage, open conversations and listening ears that can be available to other survivors - the more likely we can eradicate rape culture at Durham.”

Many of the stories on the page are a stark reminder to stay alert on nights out, both for our own safety and that of other people. The admins emphasise the importance of intervention as a bystander. “Being a bystander means that you are a witness to incidents of sexual assault. If such a situation should arise, please intervene - whether you know the perpetrator, the survivor, or they are unknown to you. If the situation is too unsafe, and puts you at risk, try to find another way of stopping the incident, such as speaking to a bouncer, college staff, or calling the police.”

“Everyone is capable of sexual assault and everyone is capable of surviving” If a survivor makes a disclosure to us about their experience of sexual assault, the admins

urge us to hear their story by recognising, acknowledging, and validating. “Don’t judge, or tell them what you’d do: just listen, and ask what they would like you to be for them. In your own time, familiarise yourself with what their story involved, read up, and find resources useful for their specific case. Your role is to be there to recognise and help them celebrate the small victories in an often long process of coming to terms with trauma. Lastly, look after yourself and seek to ease their load, not take it on yourself.”

Over the past two months, the account has amassed a growing audience of over 1,800 followers and has received very little backlash. The admins expressed that “hopefully this just goes to show how impatient people are for change, and how these conversations must now finally be brought up to the surface.”

“Durham has a culture of toxic masculinity, classism and a failure to recognise privilege” However, while the page has been ostensibly well received, Durham Survivors shared that women still make up around 80% of those followers. The admins suggest that the imbalance in their gender demographics could be due to the fact that women have a higher capacity for tolerating the stories shared because they are more aware of how common these experiences are.

“The very fact that men don’t engage in these issues, even if most want to, is the problem.

It’s simply not social convention to do so. We cannot emphasise enough that this is not a female, or feminist issue. Encouraging men to engage with these issues is the only way we can all collectively work together and put an end to the culture that enables sexual assault on campus.”

Durham Survivors is working on improving their resources to “culturally change the way some men engage with sexual assault” and challenge the stigma. “Many survivors are men, non-binary, or trans,” the admins stress. “Not all perpetrators are men. To those male survivors who have been trapped by the gendered culture of this conversation, we’re sorry.

We wish that you could have felt more able to speak out, to your friends, to feel comfortable enough to be believed and not ridiculed. We’re trying to change

these conversations, and we’re here for you.”

“Toxic cliques and a fear of not being believed allow rape culture to exist so strongly at Durham” Finally, to any survivors of sexual assault who may be doubting their experience or blaming themselves, the admins spoke about the importance of looking after your mental health and wellbeing. “These negative feelings deserve your self-love.

Let yourself off the hook - if you want to cry, laugh, ask for an extension - that’s okay, no reaction is normal. Never blame yourself. It’s something that’s happened to you, not because of you. Nothing that you did, wore, or drunk could possibly implicate you.

“One of the first things you can do is write down your words and look at them. Prove to yourself that they are real and your story deserves to be heard. If you feel able to, try to tell someone whether that’s a friend, family member, partner, college welfare, or our page. Coming forward can look different for different people.

Telling your story on a platform like ours isn’t for everyone, but reading other stories may help you get one step closer to seeking your own form of justice.”

If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this article, help and support is available.

Durham Nightline Find the contact number on DUO or on the back of your campus card.

The Meadows Sexual Assault Referral Centre 0191 301 8554 Durham University Counselling Service 0191 334 2200 Rape Crisis 0808 802 999

To see more interviews, visit our website at palatinate.org. uk You can also get in touch via email at profile@palatinate. org.uk

11

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

Profile

“Clubs will have to work to bring the fans back” Exploring the changing nature of football fandom amid the pandemic with Robbie Lyle, fan-led media pioneer and AFTV founder

Will Entwistle Profile Editor Football is not the same without the presence of fans. For better or worse, they are synonymous with the beautiful game. Television coverage charitably masks empty seats with artificial crowd noises including goal-scoring cheers, fouling jeers, and the occasional ‘wheey!’. Yet, viewers with fond memories of matchday atmospheres are haunted by this innovation; “it just isn’t the same”, Robbie Lyle remarks.

The Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ marked the return of football in England, allowing Liverpool’s first league triumph in 30 years, albeit in a deserted Anfield. Arsenal’s record 14th FA Cup win was similarly strange without the red-half of Wembley cheering whilst Aubameyang eventually held the cup aloft. So, do these hollow atmospheres highlight the importance of spectators and, therefore, wider fanbases?

“AFTV teases out the elation, anger and intelligence within each post-match assessment” Lyle founded Arsenal Fan TV (AFTV) in 2012, dedicating its social media presence to empower fans’ voices. AFTV has amassed 1.24 million subscribers on YouTube while bolstering its following elsewhere since its conception, notably with 444,000 followers on Twitter.

AFTV’s reputation is affixed to brutal honesty. AFTV, in part, represents the extent of a fan’s emotional attachment to their club by teasing out the elation, anger, and intelligence within each post-match assessment.

Lyle suggests that AFTV’s aim is to provide a platform for all fans; it is ‘by the fans, for the fans.’

AFTV, then, appears particularly relevant during this behindclosed-doors period.

English football, particularly within the Premier League, hosts fiercely loyal fans each accustomed to paying too much for too little. Crucially, Robbie alludes to the German Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule which enfranchises each fanbase with the majority vote, effectively permitting each member a direct influence over the club’s internal affairs. Each fan, for instance, can affordably attend games while

voting to determine the club’s future, including deciding their presidential elections.

The rule deliberately protects the fans’ interests by reflecting the Bundesliga’s pre-1998 nonfor-profit era, during which clubs strictly prohibited private investment and curbed attempts from outsiders to usurp fans’ influence.

“AFTV’s aim is to provide a platform for all fans; it is by the fans, for the fans” “Fans”, within their respective clubs and “in the Premier League, don’t have a say”, says Lyle.

Anguished fans are powerless to intervene with the apparent dishonesty present within their beloved clubs. For instance, AFTV captured the impassioned responses from fans directed overwhelmingly at Arsenal’s former chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, during the 2016/17 Premier League campaign which affirmed the club’s slump under his dubious oversight. The question, then, is neither how nor why fans are overlooked by the Premier League and their clubs. Instead, we must ask if the league and clubs can afford to continually overlook the fans. “I wonder that when football comes back”, says Lyle, “will fans have more of a say?”

“The whole dynamic has shifted because of Covid-19”, answers Lyle, when asked if fans deserve greater respect from clubs and league alike. “There will be people who went to football matches each week for years, almost habitually, that have had this habit broken”, Lyle adds.

Attending football matches is a habit which, like any other, needs relearning when interrupted.

Fans might reconsider attending, when officially sanctioned, for fear of infection. Indeed, “some might think”, Lyle suggests, “that ‘I don’t think I need to go every week!’”

English football, particularly within the Premier League, hosts fiercely loyal fans each accustomed to paying too much for too little Football behind-closed-doors has exposed clubs’ reliance on matchday revenue, much of which derives from ticket sales. Arsenal are particularly reliant on ticket sales since they charge the most

for regular and season tickets in Britain. In this case, fans are an indispensable commodity. So, will clubs like Arsenal consider giving-back to the fans?

“The whole dynamic has shifted because of Covid-19” When asked this, Lyle responds immediately, “I don’t think so.

They’ll just lay some people off instead!” He refers to Arsenal’s recent announcement detailing plans for 55 staff redundancies alongside wage cuts to existing employees, including a cut to newly promoted Mikel Arteta’s wages of 12.5% in April. Despite the aggressive restructuring, we do not know if the club plans to ingratiate itself with its fanbase.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund’s CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, suggested that the “German spectator traditionally has close ties with his club…And if he gets the feeling that he’s no longer regarded as fan but instead as a customer, we’ll have a problem.”

While Watzke refers to fans within a German context, the suggestion is nonetheless relevant to Lyle’s argument.

“In the Premier League, anguished fans are powerless to intervene with the apparent dishonesty present within their beloved clubs” Lyle, amongst others, personifies the latter part of Watzke’s claim as he acknowledges that his value to the club is as much financial as it is sentimental. “The majority of the Premier League fans are treated as customers”, he laments.

Despite plans to usher fans back into the Emirates during October, Lyle hints that clubs “will have to work to bring the fans back… it won’t be automatic.” After all, many will hesitate to pay unattractive prices for tickets amid inauspicious economic conditions.

Fanbases could, paradoxically, reform from within because of the behind-closed-doors period.

“It’s been a leveller”, says Lyle.

The current restrictions have confined us “to our homes—we’re all armchair fans”, he adds. As such, fanbase hierarchies are now irrelevant; it renders arbitrary markers of “real” fandom, like long-running attendance, redundant. “We’re all in the same boat”, he summarises.

Lyle insists this attitudinal shift extends to fans based overseas. “I used to have a backward attitude to foreign fans”, he confesses, often “calling them tourists.”

Now, Lyle thoroughly dismisses that perspective recognising that foreign fans are “sometimes… even more passionate than those over here.” He recalls meeting Arsenal fans while visiting Australia, realising the additional sacrifices each make to follow the club. Lyle mentions that “they’re awake at ridiculous times to watch the team play”, claiming that “their knowledge is sometimes better—some know everything about the club!”

Football behind-closed-doors has clarified that “real” fans are fictitious. The pandemic, then, has revealed the truth underlying the excesses of the Premier League. Namely, that fanbases are essentially egalitarian because they are bound by the same sentiment;

the love for one’s club. “No fan is less important than another”, Lyle stresses. Comparably, no club is more important than its fans.

“Surely, they must now realise just how important fans are.”

“

Attending football matches is a habit which, like any other, needs relearning when interrupted

”

(AFTV)

12

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

13

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

Science & Technology

Biden endorsed by Scientific American caused Scientific American to speak out.

Faye Saulsbury Science & Technology Editor

There is little evidence that endorsements have much inlfuence on election outcomes

“Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly.” So wrote the editors of Scientific American in their October 2020 edition.

“The most devastating example of Trump rejecting science] is his dishonest and inept response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives.”

“The pandemic would strain any nation and system, but Trump’s rejection of evidence and public health measures have been catastrophic in the US.” It is not uncommon for newspapers and magazines to endorse political candidates, although there is little evidence that endorsements have much influence on election outcomes. In the last election,

Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic caused Scientific American to speak out The prestigious US magazine, which attracts 5.5 million unique readers to its website each month, urges them to “vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment.”

However, it is clear that the decision is as much a denouncement of the incumbent president as an endorsement of his Democratic rival. The editorial statement devotes seven lengthy paragraphs to Trump’s failures, but only three to Biden’s strengths.

“Vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans” Although Trump has openly denied the existence and effects of climate change, it was his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that

57 of the US’s 100 largest newspapers endorsed Hillary Clinton, while only two endorsed Donald Trump.

The endorsement of Biden

by Scientific American is nevertheless notable because of the magazine’s history of remaining separate from politics, and the specificity of its reasoniwng. The editorial concludes: “it’s time to move Trump out and elect Biden, who has a record of following the data and being guided by science.”

There is no such thing as apolitical science In breaking its political silence, Scientific American has made one thing clear: there is no such thing as apolitical science. Science is shaped by government policies, funding opportunities, and public support, all of which are, in turn, shaped by current affairs.

Whatever the outcome of the presidential election, Scientific American will certainly be remembered for its bold defense of evidence-based policy making.

(Illustration: Amber Conway) GOT AN IDEA FOR A SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARTICLE? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Send your thoughts to scitech@palatinate.org.uk

Scientists create tiny, alcohol-fuelled robot Elise Garcon Science & Technology Editor Scientists clearly took inspiration from freshers when creating the RoBeetle. A tiny robot capable of navigating environments that are inaccessible or too dangerous for hu-

mans has been a long-term goal for scientists. However, finding

ways to keep them powered and moving has been impossible to achieve until now.

The RoBeetle is said to be the smallest and lightest fullautonomous robot ever created.

It weighs less than a gram, and is able to retain this m i n i s cule size by using methanol as its fuel.

Methanol holds more energy per unit volume than traditional batteries. The RoBeetle can carry more than its own body weight in fuel.

Alloy wires in the legs of the robot, described as ‘tiny artificial muscles’, contract and relax just like ours do. Platinum powder covers the wires and speeds up methanol combustion, shortening the legs of the bot, which then reextend after cooling, giving a walking movement.

Scientists clearly took inspiration from freshers While power remains one of the main constraints on robots, the RoBeetle represents a significant step towards alternative fuels.

While batteries are widely used and convenient, they are known for their poor energy density.

By running on ethanol, the RoBeetle can overcome this problem. It needs no additional power sources, and is able to propel itself up inclines, and across various surfaces such as glass and concrete. However, even at full capacity, the RoBeetle can only last for 2 hours.

The main challenge currently, is managing to continuously power the robot over longer periods. Other downsides are that it can only walk forwards, not backwards, and its speed cannot

be controlled. Scientists hope to program it to communicate with the human operator in order overcome these challenges.

Artificial muscles contract and expand just like ours do If they are successful, the RoBeetle could act as an artificial pollinator, filling the gap in natural pollinators that global warming leaves. Microbots could also be used in search-and-rescue operations after natural distasters.

(RoBeetle via CreateDigital)

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

14

SciTech

Work of Durham Cosmologist recognised as “Nobel class” Richard Waters Professor Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics at Durham University, has been announced as one of 24 Clarivate 2020 Citation Laureates.

Clarivate recognises highlycited researchers whose work is deemed to be of “Nobel Class”.

This is assessed by analysis from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).

54 researchers listed in Clarivate’s Hall of Citation Laureates have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize.

Professor Frenk’s work focusses on cold dark matter, a mysterious substance thought to make up a large part of the universe. He uses powerful supercomputers to investigate its formation and evolution.

The intermediate

square in the image (top right) is just under a million light years across. The bottom left square is the deepest zoom: it is only 783 light years across, equivalent to 500 times the size of the solar system.

“The study of the evolution of our universe is about as fundamental a subject of research as there can be” Professor Frenk has already been recognised internationally. He holds the Royal Astronomical Society’s highest honour, the Gold Medal for Astronomy.

Previous recipients include Albert Einstein, Charles Babbage and Edwin Hubble.

(Durham University)

Ewan Jones Science & Technology Editor One of the biggest science stories in the last couple of weeks was thankfully unrelated to Covid-19.

Instead, it involved the detection of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus.

Unlike other gasses that are often used as ‘biosignatures’ - signs of life on other planets - such as methane (which can also be produced geologically), phosphine gas has no known non-biological source, implying that some form of life may have been involved in its production.

Phosphine gas has no known non-biological source On Earth, microbes release phosphine gas in oxygen-starved conditions. In order to produce the amount of phosphine observed in Venus’ atmosphere, these terranic microbes would only require 10% of their maximum productivity, however other routes of production, such as through volcanic eruptions or

meteorites, would provide levels of phosphine 1,000 times lower than those observed.

Interestingly, Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s twin”, since both are almost the same size, have the same mass, and have almost identical compositions. In fact, computer modeling of the planet’s ancient climate by NASA suggests that Venus may have once been habitable for up to two billion years of its early history, with water oceans that produced a thick cloud layer to protect the nascent planet.

However, modern conditions on Venus are incredibly hellish, with temperatures above 450oC, little water, and immense clouds of sulphuric acid; most likely due to a runaway greenhouse gas effect as a result of a carbon dioxide buildup in its atmosphere. Although conditions on Venus may now seem incredibly anti-life, it is possible that organisms having evolved during its Edenic period may have clung on as the planet warmed, struggling to this day.

However, if the detected phosphine gas was created by these forms of life in such grim conditions, we may need to reconsider

Professor Frenk said: “Cosmology – the study of the contents and evolution of our universe – is about as fundamental a subject of research as there can be in science.”

“To share this honour with researchers in the life sciences whose work has contributed to drug and vaccine development, or to personalised approaches to cancer treatment, is a reflection of the richness of this great human endeavour that we call science.”

Joel Haspel of Clarivate said: “This year’s Laureates have advanced humanity’s understanding of topics as varied as the gender pay gap, nanocrystals and how galaxies are formed.”

David Pendlebury, Senior Citation Analyst at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate said: “To be cited 2,000 times or more is a rarity.”

Professor Frenk’s research is in the top 0.01 per cent of 50 million research papers appearing on Web of Science since 1970 that have been cited 2,000 times or more by fellow academics.

just what we designate as ‘life’ in the first place.

Unfortunately, the conditions on Venus may be so extreme that the presence of life must be ruled out, and the use of phosphine as a biosignature should be reconsidered, with these findings implying an as-of-yet undiscovered pathway for phosphine synthesis in the absence of life.

Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s twin” ... they have almost identical compositions However, all may not be lost a paper published by Seager et al. in the Journal of Astrobiology proposes a life cycle for a Venusian aerial biosphere whereby microbial life survives in a ‘dessicated’, or dried-out, form in the lower, uninhabitable atmosphere, and are then propelled upwards into the clouds via diffusion to be rehydrated and continue their life cycle. This ability to dessicate is not restricted to science-fiction either: the tardigrade, an Earthly microbe, is able to completely dry itself out in or-

der to survive incredibly extreme environments - even the vacuum of space!

We are constantly discovering new niches filled with life where we never would have expected it, such as undersea vents and boiling lakes, so an organism that has evolved to survive in droplets of sulphur isn’t too big of a stretch!

Luckily for us, we won’t even need to wait for a Venus mission to be launched before we can physically collect samples of the phosphine gas for ourselves - in a complete coincidence, the Euro-

(Image via Labroots) pean Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency had already planned a Venus flyby next month as part of their BepiColombo mission to Mercury, which launched in 2018. Could this be the moment we discover extraterrestrial life?

GOT AN IDEA FOR A SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARTICLE? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send your thoughts to scitech@palatinate.org.uk

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

15

Politics

In conversation with CNN’s Clarissa Ward Sophie Farmer talks about being a woman in political journalism with the Chief International News Correspondent at CNN

Sophie Farmer Politics Editor Politics and journalism – what do they both have in common?

Aside from the tenuous relationship between public-pleasers and oligarchical monopolies, it’s clear that they are both male dominated industries. While believers in the status quo may claim that the world of politics and journalism is ‘gender-blind,’ I am fond of the principle of having a 20/20 approach in recognising sex, race and identity as elements to bind us and celebrate, rather than sweep under the carpet.

I interviewed CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward. asking her about her most remarkable experiences On All Fronts, as her recent autobiography implies.

Above all, I wanted to pose the unspoken question: would Clarissa’s career have worked out differently, if she was a man?

“I would like to see more mothers covering war

”

Do you have any important life lessons or advice from the industry which you would impart on young journalists?

“The most important thing for young journalists starting out today is that they maintain curiosity and retain judgement, and be open to listening. I think it is very important to listen in this day and age.

Some of that has been lost. Some people see listening as a form of weakness. Listening to someone doesn’t mean that you agree with them, doesn’t mean that you condone their ideas, it doesn’t mean you’re weak or they have the upper hand — it simply means you are willing to hear someone out.”

It was at this point where Clarissa apologised for the noise of her two-year-old chirping up in the background, but this instilled a sort of comforting normality about the interview. I recognised the marvellous reality that an award-winning international correspondent could be interviewing the Taliban one day, and picking up her children from nursery the next. On the one hand you

are immersed in the fast-paced nature of journalism; the thrills and demands of field work spurring you on, only to find this is paralleled by the extraordinary experiences of parenthood.

“I think it is very important to listen in this day and age, some of that has been lost” “Our job as journalists is to listen. A big part of our job is to be curious. The minute you stop being curious and start being judgemental, I think that is when dangers can creep in. I also think young journalists today have to be incredibly tough, but incredibly careful about the landmines that have been put our way with the rise of social media, the constant disparagement of journalists and mainstream media. That is to say the curse of fake news.

“Naturally, there is this inclination to respond to that angrily.

My motto has been to tune out the noise and stick to the facts, keep doing your job and don’t get drawn into these battles with people on Twitter who have an egg as a profile picture and 15 followers.

They only exist to perpetuate this idea that there is no such thing as truth, which is a real threat to journalism more broadly speaking.”

What is your proudest moment as a journalist?

“A triumphant moment for me was my work during the Syrian uprising, particularly the first couple of trips where very, very few other journalists were able to get there.

I really felt like I was giving a voice to people who didn’t have an outlet to tell their story otherwise.”

“One of the first projects I began working on was a trip to Afghanistan to spend time with the Taliban. Working with a wellrespected Afghan filmmaker, we were able to secure an invitation from the militants, offering us unprecedented access to their territory. It is a world that has largely been shut off to westerners since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and, having come of age as a journalist in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I was desperate to see how that world had changed.”

“It took months to come up with a security plan that CNN felt comfortable with, but eventually I set out with my then producer Salma Abdelaziz and the filmmaker Naj Qureishi. From the moment we met up with our Taliban guides, I had the impression Salma and I were invisible. The men were intimidating figures, with their large turbans wrapped partially around their faces. Their eyes

were lined with kohl. They did not look at us or address us and were reluctant to even answer our questions, unless we asked through Naj. It was jarring and unpleasant but, despite the hostility, I was not worried about the threat of kidnapping. Our invitation came from the highest ranks of the Taliban’s leadership, and we had brokered the terms of our visit through village elders.”

How does being a mother affect your line of work?

“There is definitely a stigma about motherhood and conflict reporting, people expect you to stop doing it when you have children, in a way they probably wouldn’t expect fathers to. By now I have become used to the question.

When people learn that I have a two-year-old son and a newborn, their faces light up with warm enthusiasm. “That’s lovely,” they say. “Congratulations.” - then the inevitable follow-up: “I guess this means you’re going to be doing more studio work?” It’s a gentle— albeit not terribly subtle—way of probing. The question they really want to ask is, “Surely you’re not doing dangerous assignments anymore, now that you’re a mother?!”

“However, I think there is a great opportunity with motherhood; I find that I am more compassionate, more porous and sensitive to the suffering of others — particularly children.

“I also think there is a great opportunity as well that I am more compassionate, more porous and sensitive to the suffering of others, particularly children. I hope that that empathy and heightened sensitivity makes my journalism more urgent, more compelling. I would like to see more mothers covering war, I genuinely believe that if we had more mothers covering war, maybe there would be fewer wars.”

“There is definitely a stigma about motherhood and conflict reporting, people expect you to stop doing it” Would you say your experiences would be different if you were a man?

“I think for the most part, I would not say that my career or assignments or treatment or experience in the field would be terribly different as a man.

Of course, there are definitely small, insidious, systemic biases

(Adam Dobby) against women that still exist.

“I have been called ‘pushy’ on a couple of occasions by male bosses, where I would imagine a male colleague would be called ‘ambitious’. There are leftovers from a different era that are still present. But for the most part, I feel that there is broad equity and women have the same opportunities as men in the field.”

After my conversation with Clarissa, I was left with the lingering question in my mind of what it meant to be a woman in politics. The likening of mothers to preservers of peace was the most striking maxim I came across.

Women in political journalism go above and beyond the issues of equality; mothers, in Clarissa’s words, could prevent warfare. And why not? Seeing more ‘mothers covering war’ should be no more shocking than the idea of fathers covering war. But for now, what we can do is be open to the unexpected, write about the world around us, and when we think we might have covered it all —take a step back and find that there are countless inspiring people left with their own accounts to tell.

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

16

Politics

Dynastic politics: Joe Kennedy III’s election failure Aisha Sembhi Politics Editor In the 1962 Massachusetts Senate election, Ted Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy, stood against Edward J. McCormack Jr. for the Democratic nomination.

In a debate, McCormack famously stated his opponent’s candidacy ‘would be a joke’ if he had run using a different surname. Kennedy’s rivals did not shy away from the narrative that by using his family name and sibling relationships, he was propelling himself into an elected office he would not adequately fulfil. Despite these challenges, Kennedy won the primary, and eventually the Senate seat.

Over 50 years later, it would seem as though this driving force that comes alongside the Kennedy name has diminished. Unable to replicate his great-uncle’s resistance to accusations of nepotism, former Representative Joe Kennedy III lost his bid to secure to Massachusetts Democratic Senatorial nomination in early September. He is the first Kennedy to lose an election in the state, bringing an end to an almost uninterrupted 73 years of the family’s presence in elected office.

He announced his bid one year ago, catalysing what has been

Donald Jr. and Ivanka, giving speeches at this year’s Republican Convention, despite having little to no background in politics or legislative procedure, illustrates this normalisation of dynastic politics, nepotism, and the undeniable potential of family connections dictating future leaders.

Compared to Markey, Kennedy is another unremarkable centrist

Kennedy’s advantage was not solely hypothetical, nor solely in name. He had financial backing that came through family lines, something few candidates to elected office have the luxury of. A Federal Election Commission filing recently confirmed that Kennedy’s father, Joe Kennedy II, donated $2 million from his own old 1988 campaign account to the ‘New Leadership’ PAC which exists

in relation to Kennedy III’s candidacy. Though Kennedy had previously denied any knowledge of family funding into his campaign, the extent to which this contribution is ‘fair’ will certainly be up for debate, as most spending scandals are. What is undeniable, is the immense and sudden financial advantage Kennedy had which exists only because of his family’s long-lasting success and legacy.

To the young Democrat electorate that secured Markey an almost guaranteed consecutive term in the Senate, Kennedy’s campaign reeked of entitlement. In an era where anti-establishment among young voters is more pronounced than ever, Kennedy’s tactic to capitalise on his family name and legacy fell short.

Nepotism has been an endemic within the United States since its inception.

The Adamses, the Roosevelts, the Bushes – power being passed through generations is not a new phenomenon and is certainly not exclusive to the Kennedys. Donald Trump’s children,

edge the role that global warming has played in the wildfires; a disregard for the climate emergency which appears to be a recurring theme with the President elect.

Trump’s stance on climate change has been mostly unwavering since 2017, when he notoriously pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, the world’s largest climate agreement to date, which currently commits 189 states to keeping a global temperature rise this century below 2oC. Trump has claimed the current wildfires are simply a “management situation” and that “it will start getting cooler...

just watch. I don’t think science knows, actually”. However, climate change is almost impossible to deny in the face of the abundance of evidence presented by the world’s leading scientists.

The US has seen an unprecedented number of storms in the Atlantic this year - over five are currently active in the Atlantic which is only the second time on record there have been that many active storms at the same time.

Along with the wildfires, nature has and is still currently causing devastation beyond belief, and as evidence shows, nature knows no boundaries. The blazes are spread-

ing across all states, and are being described as the worst in 18 years.

Clearly, the climate needs to be a top-tier issue on both of the candidates’ priority lists. But Trump consistently fails to acknowledge the issue of climate change, or have any sort of climate plan ahead of the election in November. A recent survey from Yale and George Mason University discovered that climate change has become the 11th most important voting issue for registered voters, although for Republicans specifically, climate change still hasn’t broken the top ten priorities. However, the report claims that a third of Republicans would support declaring global warming a national emergency; a statistic which perhaps Trump should pay more attention to if he is to win the election.

A survey released in February

by The Atlantic, conducted by Climate Nexus, revealed that climate change is the number two issue for Democrats in 26 states, second only to health care. The survey also revealed that for self-proclaimed liberal Democrats, climate change is now the most important issue. Anthony Leiserowitz, a senior researcher at Yale, told The Atlantic “this is the first time in American political history where climate change is not just a top-

perceived as a referendum on the acceptance of political dynasties in the United States. As the grandnephew of a President, the grandson of a Senator and the son of a Representative, Kennedy’s sudden Senate campaign certainly had an advantage in name recognition. Despite this, his opponent, incumbent Senator and the newfound face of progressive politics, Ed Markey, won the primary comfortably by a margin of ten points.

As the campaign drew to a close, and Markey’s support showed no signs of decline, Kennedy made reference to his family name and the significance it carried, going so far as to publicise a picture of himself alongside his grandfather.

Over 50 years later, the driving force of the Kennedy name has diminished

career politician, building a career on the flimsy promise of compromise and bipartisanship that a frustrated electorate is not interested in. If Markey had been an ineffective legislator, and Kennedy had a genuine want to represent the people better, the candidacy may have stood a chance. But instead, his campaign reeked of entitlement and self-fulfilment. His decision to seek out personal advancement has had only one single benefit – exposing a growing pattern of discontent with and disinterest in dynastic politics. ( Fast Families via Flickr)

The electoral cost of ignoring the US wildfires Georgia Golding The United States has seen some of the worst wildfires in their history this year, with at least 36 people having been killed since early August, and almost two million hectares of land affected in California, Oregon and Washington state.

The UN has warned this week that the years 2016-2020 will most likely be the world’s warmest period ever recorded. The climate emergency undeniably demands action, and deserves to be a top priority for both presidential candidates. However, this week Trump has once again failed to acknowl-

tier issue—it is the top-tier issue”.

Biden described Trump as a “climate arsonist” after his remarks about the wildfires, and passionately pleaded to the nation to vote Trump out to avoid “suburbs being burnt by wildfires and neighbourhoods being flooded out”. Biden has been vocal about the climate emergency, especially in light of recent events, and has attacked Trump for his lack of action during his presidency in battling the emergency.

If any voters are undecided and are vaguely aware of the climate emergency, or have been affected in any way by the wildfires, storms or other climate change-induced phenomena, Trump will be an extremely unappealing candidate.

From liberal Democrats to conservative Republicans, every eligible voter in the US will most likely have been affected by the climate crisis. Unless Trump begins to acknowledge and prioritise the ever-growing climate emergency, he could potentially lose the faith, and votes, of many Americans.

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to politics@palatinate.org.uk (FolsomNatural via Creative Commons)

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6 October 2020

17

Politics

Brexit’s effect on a university education Sophie Mowbray With the deadline for the postBrexit transition period looming, the fate of universities both within the UK and the EU is still uncertain.

When considering the ever growing effects of Brexit, the impact on universities may not be your first thought, however a lot is going to change. EU students hoping to study in the UK from 1st August 2021 onwards will no longer benefit from home fee status. Universities will instead set their own individual fees for EU students.

In England, EU students will no longer be able to access financial support from Student Finance England and in Scotland they will no longer benefit from their free university fees. For EU students wanting to attend Durham in 2021 they will now face a yearly increase of nearly £15,000 with tuition fees skyrocketing to £23,500 per year.

A post-Brexit education is not only limited by cost but by accessibility This dramatic rise in cost along with the removal of support from Student Finance England means the opportunity of studying in the United Kingdom for many EU stu-

dents will no longer be feasible.

A post-Brexit education is not only limited by cost but accessibility alike. New immigration laws and Visa requirements beginning 1st January 2021 will require all full-time students coming from the EU to apply for a student Visa before entering the UK. These restrictions paired with rising fees are likely to deter students wanting to study abroad and attract them to other European counterparts.

This situation is only further worsened by the pandemic.

Many students are now facing ever-changing quarantine periods when entering the UK and the uncertainty of more lockdowns.

All of this alongside a shift towards online learning is making a £23,500 per year tuition fee look less and less appealing.

Of course there is always another outlook which refers to the ideal that Brexit will allow universities to charge higher fees to EU students, helping grow the economy and funding for universities.

This mentality, which the government currently holds, while aiming to benefit the UK as a whole, will subsequently disadvantage those from poorer backgrounds as it does not consider the effects it will have on students’ access to higher education both within the EU and the UK. Regardless of the UK’s popularity amongst EU Students, in-

creased fees will expectedly cause a decrease in those choosing the UK and in turn we may see a big change across our campuses.

Durham University currently has 1,300 EU students. In recent times, universities lacking in diversity have faced sustained criticism and the changes under Brexit are only likely to hinder future change.

This situation is only further worsened by the pandemic However, it is not only UK uni-

versities that may see a change on their campuses, but EU universities alike. Recently, the government has come under criticism for voting against a bill that would have required them to negotiate their membership of the Erasmus scheme after the Brexit transition period.

The Erasmus scheme is a widely popular option for students due to its affordable nature with 53% of students studying abroad through Erasmus. Potential plans to scrap the Erasmus scheme would drastically limit the accessibility for students to study within the EU as

costs would increase and connections between universities may be lost. To many, studying abroad is a vital and exciting part of their degree and something which, without Erasmus, they may never have the opportunity to do.

One thing is certain: whether you’re a UK student or an EU student hoping to study abroad, Brexit will make it much more difficult.

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to politics@palatinate.org.uk

( Silvia Camacho)

The Czech Republic defies China Rj Batkhuu Amid a growing backlash against the Chinese government’s actions, Milos Vystrcil, the President of the Czech Senate, led a delegation of Czech politicians and business leaders to Taiwan. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China regards it

as part of its own territory. Any recognition Taiwan receives elicits swift retaliation from the Chinese government. China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, called the visit “a despicable act” and suggested the Czech Republic will pay “a heavy price” for its actions. The trip signifies growing Western unease towards China – but what, if any, change will occur as a result?

In a speech given to the Taiwanese parliament, Mr Vystrcil echoed President John F. Kennedy’s famous phrase “Ich bin ein Berliner” and said, “I am a Taiwanese”. For Mr Vystrcil, the trip was an opportunity to showcase the Czech Republic’s support for liberal democracy, in stark contrast to Eastern European despots, like Viktor Orban and

Alexander Lukashenko who brazenly suppress their own people.

Mr Vystrcil will have also raised his own domestic political stock by supporting Taiwan: according to Pew, an American thinktank, some 57% of Czechs hold an unfavourable view of China.

This stands in sharp contrast to the official Czech government’s China-friendly policy, cultivated by the incumbent president Milos Zeman. This bodes well for Mr Vystrcil as he positions himself for a presidential run in 2023.

The trip signifies growing Western unease towards China

( Ak Pk via Fllickr)

Many governments will no doubt be wondering if a small nation such as the Czech Republic can defy China and walk away without facing any serious consequences, what is to stop them from doing so? Zdenek Hrib, the liberal mayor of Prague, has pointed out that “The world is seeing that China can do little to hurt the Czech Republic”, but this is not necessarily true for everyone.

Two reasons have meant the

Czech Republic has escaped Beijing’s traditional policy sticks. Although a prominent political figure, Mr Vystrcil does not represent official Czech policy, and many analysts have also pointed out that the Czech Republic is unique among European nations in that its economy is far less dependent on China for goods and services.

As a result, the Czech Republic is unlikely to pay a heavy price.

It will be tricky to ascertain whether this trip will have any meaningful policy impact. Some argue it simply crystalised the European Union’s change in China policy which has begun since the start of the pandemic. Before, the EU had been wary not to get caught up in the superpower dispute between the United States and China. As the EU’s attitude to China hardened, Mr Vystrcil’s backing of Taiwan suggests he was following the crowd in EU policy rather than leading.

We may look back on Mr Vystrcil’s “I am a Taiwanese” much as we look back on President Kennedy’s speech – but for now, solid policy change across the West has yet to follow.

18

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

Sport Sport

Durham Saints: wellbeing in American football Luke Power talks to one of the best university American football teams about working hard, welfare and chicken wings

Luke Power Sport Editor In November 2019, Ben Sharp began a transformative journey.

Roughing it up as a striker for St. Mary’s in the bottom division of college football, he yearned for change. He therefore set a new ambition, one aiming beyond the confines of college sport: to play for the Durham Saints, one of the best American Football teams in the British university system.

“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever taken up in my life,” Sharp tells Palatinate. “My mental and physical health have improved.

I can’t express how welcoming the club is and how much more structure I have to my life. This year I had my deadlines done quicker than ever before, despite all the training and gym sessions!”

“My mental and physical health have improved. I can’t express how welcoming the club is and how much more structure I have to my life” Sharp’s story is truly inspiring.

He speaks openly about how mental health issues have been his biggest demon, causing him to drop out of university in 2017.

Now entering the final year of his degree after restarting in 2018, he credits the Durham Saints for giving him a new lease of life and applauds the club’s values of kindness and inclusivity.

“Everyone mingles. My first fundamentals training session was taken by an American scholar who spent an hour oneon-one with me. You would think that somebody who has played since the age of eight wouldn’t have time for somebody who has hardly played at all, but he did, and that sums up the club.”Sharp is quick to underline other appealing highlights to being a Saints player. “The socials are really lovely. Every Sunday, we get together in the Library Bar and watch the American Football games. And we eat chicken wings!”

Such friendliness is both natural and fostered. The squad combines experienced players who have had trials at NFL clubs with accidental players who initially attended training thinking it was rugby. Such an apparent polarity could be a problem at most teams, yet Club President Will Evans emphasises the conscious effort to nurture and value every player.

“We’re going through a paradigm shift as a club. There has been a substantive effort to change how we view training and interaction. Yes, we’re a highperformance club, but anybody can join. It doesn’t matter where

Sam Bird (middle), last year’s Club Captain, and Will Evans (second from right), the Captain for 2020-21 (Durham Saints)

you’re from or what you’re like or what experience you have,” says Evans.

Evans once had doubts about his own suitability for the sport, having previously competed in cross country and tennis.

“Back home in America I would never have dreamed of playing football just due to my body size.

At the beginning, every single day, I felt like I was the weakest in the weight room. But the Head Coach, Jonathan Rooney, encouraged me to keep going, and it’s totally different to the American stereotype of jocks and lad culture. Nobody is pressured to drink to their grave or go on aggressive nights out. Senior players would come up to me all the time and support me with my training. It’s a family.” Fast forward one year, and Evans is the club’s President.

“I’ve struggled a lot with body confidence and wasn’t sure I was cut out for it, but it doesn’t matter if you’re nine stone or twenty stone of pure muscle” The camaraderie within the club has bred results on the field.

Last season, the Durham Saints won the Premier Division North for the second time in three seasons. This qualified them for the national playoffs, where they dispatched the University

of East Anglia Pirates 33-0 in the quarter-finals. They were due to host the Birmingham Lions for a chance to qualify for the national final in Nottingham, but Covid-19 got in the way.

The curtailed season also meant that Sharp did not get to make his debut. “Although I didn’t get a chance to get off the bench and play, I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience. It’s a very intellectually challenging game because you’ve got to learn the plays and tactics. It can be hard at times. Can you imagine somebody taking up universitylevel rugby at the age of 18? It’s unrealistic for a new guy to walk in and be an instant star, so I’m just happy I’ve been around the team and look forward to playing in future.”

The season ahead promises to be very different, with no competitive matches being played before 2020. During Easter Term, the side will play local fixtures against teams from different tiers. But last year’s President, Sam Bird - affectionately known as “Birdy” - is full of positivity for the restructured season ahead.

“This year there are opportunities to develop homegrown talent because we’re in a local league. We’re not having as many American scholars coming in this year so we have open spots to develop homegrown talent. This is a year where we can get everybody’s skill sets to a much higher level by giving them more game time,”

says Bird.

“We have some of the best coaches available. Our success almost amplifies as a culture that we work to make people feel welcome and hopefully we can integrate new talent this year. I’d encourage freshers to give it a go and get involved.”

“This year there are opportunities to develop homegrown talent... This is a year where we can get everybody’s skill sets to a much higher level by giving them more game time” President Will Evans is working hard to upkeep the team’s connection with each of their players. “We’re working on a comprehensive training plan for each player with exercise targets at home based on experience and body weights.” While technical training sessions will go ahead, squad members will only be able to train with others in the gym once per week, so communication is vital.

But what about flimsy-muscled skeletons, such as the one bashing away at this keyboard?

Surely a sport as physical as American Football couldn’t possibly accommodate somebody who last set foot in a gym for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award?

All three vehemently dispel my misconception.

“There’s a position for anyone and lots of diversity in body types,” says Sharp. “I’ve struggled a lot with body confidence and wasn’t sure I was cut out for it, but it doesn’t matter if you’re nine stone or twenty stone of pure muscle. You don’t have to come in with superhero fitness. It’s just about being willing to learn.”

This sentiment is echoed by Bird, who calls himself a “big guy” at the opposite end of the spectrum. “I’m naturally strong but I’d never been to a gym. I still dread the lifting sessions every week because they’re not natural for me. But we’ve built an atmosphere where everyone can be their best self.”

“The way the sport is, the big guys play against the big guys on the field and the little guys play against the little guys. Somebody like Will isn’t going to be tackled by somebody like me very often at all. Okay, maybe once in a blue moon, but how often do they come around?”

The stage is set. While it is unclear whether sports trials will be on any time soon, I’d urge potential sportspeople to reach out to Durham’s clubs and find out how to get involved. The personal benefits are numerous and, who knows, maybe one day you will lift a trophy as a club President.

For more information about Ben’s experiences, you can listen to a three-part podcast on Purple Radio on Demand: ‘From D team to DU’.

19

PALATINATE | Tuesday 6th October 2020

Sport

A love letter to college sport in uncertain times Matt Styles Sport Editor It was March 2020 and the college sport season was drawing to a close. Plenty was left unresolved in various league and cup competitions as hundreds of teams looked forward to finishing their seasons in style, with finalists in particular excited to cap off years of rigorous planning, physical toil and emotional investment. Then, along came the coronavirus.

For a short time matches continued at Maiden Castle amid speculation of a nationwide lockdown, which saw a surreal period of tentative hand-shaking at the final whistle and a sense of dread buried latently in the mind, until Durham students eventually got their marching orders, swiftly packed up their belongings, and returned to their respective corners of the globe.

College sport is, without question, one of Durham’s crowning jewels, and for many its finest institution It was a devastating blow.

College sport is, without question, one of Durham’s crowning jewels, and for many its finest institution. With its countless benefits on physical and mental wellness widely documented, you quickly run out of superlatives when describing its profusion of positive qualities.

However, the endurance of a certain pandemic represents a major threat to this joyous and colourful landscape, the likes of which it has never encountered before. It would be a crying shame if incoming students were unable to enjoy a full college sport experience, though tragically it seems as though its complexion will be radically altered this year.

With government advice changing like the weather, the coordinators of college sport have endured a logistical nightmare trying to shape plans for the coming year. They are consequently unable to give out concrete information, however Experience Durham director Quentin Sloper was able to tell Palatinate: “all things being equal, we are really hopeful that college sport can be a shining light for many students this term – we are doing all we can to get there!”

We can only hope so, because college sport is a truly unique and special thing, possessive of a transcendental quality which few things in life are able to replicate. It is the lifeblood of the University and, Covid or no Covid, consistently proves a ‘shining light’ for the overwhelming majority of the student population.

Right now, it is fruitless to dwell on the uncertain and ever-

Maiden Castle, Durham University’s sports park on the bank of the River Wear (@TeamDurham)

changing present, so let’s take a trip into the past as a means of shining a light on what will hopefully be reclaimed in coming months, and pin down exactly what has made students fall in love with college sport over the years.

Quite simply, no one combines sporting and academic excellence like Durham. With a student participation rate of 75%, the university has a higher percentage of physically active students than any other institution in Britain, along with the largest internal participation programme.

There are over 700 teams across 18 sports, ranging from mixed lacrosse to rowing to ultimate frisbee, which makes the college sport structure one of the largest and most diverse intramural programmes in the world, with recreational activities, open to both staff and students, engaging a further 2,000 participants.

No one combines sporting and academic excellence like Durham College sport directors take pride in the programme’s inclusivity since there is a warm embrace of all abilities and no major financial barriers.

Varying levels within each sport mean that there is genuinely something for everyone, and this is immaculately demonstrated

by Collingwood’s 14, (yes, 14!) men’s football teams that stretch

from the As right down to the Ns. Every weekend, like clockwork, thousands of students ordinarily hit the tracks, crumbs asphalts and sports halls down at Maiden Castle – the University’s sports park – which boasts state-of-theart facilities following around £35m worth of refurbishments in recent years. These facilities are shared by DU teams, many of whom compete at the highest level of their respective sports, and is also now home to Durham Women’s FC, who are in the process of having a new purposebuilt stadium built on site.

Removed from the city centre, Maiden Castle provides the perfect form of escapism from any academic pressures which may build up throughout the week.

The scenery couldn’t be more picturesque, with the River Wear slicing directly through the heart of it. The site is also overlooked by a thick forest of towering oak trees, which was utilised as a promontory fort during the Iron Age. Centuries later, Maiden Castle remains synonymous with battle, with Durham’s collegiate system making sporting fixtures all the more fiercely contested. If you look closely you will find ageold rivalries between particular colleges and exciting narratives found therein, with such a competitive spirit extending out to the annual varsities against York and Loughborough.

The best part about all this is that you can spectate in the stands and spur on your college

in events such as the Floodlit Cup, which invariably generate carnival atmospheres. Dirt cheap cider in hand, you blare out chants from the college hymn sheet, puffing out sub-arctic clouds of air while you do so, as frost begins to coat the surface of the artificial turf. You watch members of your college etch their names into folklore and, when all is done, flock back the cosy fug of the college bar as celebrations continue long into the night.

Action on the pitch is invariably supplemented by an incredible social scene off it, which only catalyses the process of making friends. There exists a real camaraderie and community spirit in college sides, and very quickly you begin to feel a real sense of belonging and selfworth within a team unit.

Ultimately, college sport provides the ideal conditions to come out of your shell and develop leadership skills, which makes it no surprise to learn that a Sheffield Hallam study estimated that students who participate in college sport earn an average of £5,824 more than those who don’t.

College sport provides the ideal conditions to come out of your shell Having been involved in college sport for three years now, this editor cannot recommend getting involved enough, as it

can only enrich your Durham experience and accelerate your personal development. From late comebacks to odds-defying cup runs, I simply cannot articulate some of the emotions I have experienced down at Maiden Castle.

A real community spirit ... you begin to feel a real sense of belonging But please, don’t take my word for it. Pandemic permitting, I implore you to go out and experience college sport for yourself, exploit it for all its riches and immerse yourself in the culture of your college. Even if you don’t play a sport, there are ample opportunities to coach, volunteer, officiate, or even just support, so go boldly and feast on the wide menu of possibilities, take the bull by the horns, step outside your comfort zone and discover new talents you never knew you had.

I am aware that this call to action comes with a sizeable asterisk for now, but don’t let the uncertainty deter you from signing up to as much as you can at freshers’ fairs in anticipation of a better tomorrow. While it pains me and so many others to see the coronavirus cast a dark cloud over something so vital to the Durham student experience, fear not. One fine morning college sport will return in all its glory, so just make sure that you’re there when it does.

Tuesday 6th October 2020 | PALATINATE

20

Sport

Durham Saints: wellbeing in American football

Luke Power talks to one of the best university American football teams (page 18)

A love letter to college sport in uncertain times

Matt Styles pays tribute to his favourite thing about Durham (page 19)

A guide to local sport in Durham and the North East James Reid Deputy Sport Editor Live sport has been hard to come by in recent months. Sports fans across the country have been starved of any action as clubs up and down the country, regardless of size, had to close their doors and stop their turnstiles as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and this has never been truer with the loss of live sport over the past few months. While it is great to have competitions like the Premier League on the TV, many have noted how it is not the same without fans. There has come the realisation that there is nothing that quite beats watching live sport in the flesh.

There are signs of hope, too, for those who crave those freezing cold December afternoons watching a drab 0-0 draw. Lowerlevel sports matches are now often able to accommodate a small number of fans, with plans to expand this to greater numbers and higher levels.

While the bright Premier League lights of St James’ Park

remained out of bounds for football fans, the north east of England still has plenty of the beautiful game to offer that you can go and watch in the flesh. Durham has four teams bearing its name this year.

Durham City AFC, the oldest of the four, play out in Willington. Closer to home, Durham United play at New Ferens Park, having been founded in 2018. Two new teams have been founded this year too, with Durham FC and AFC Durham debuting in the Wearside League this season.

Lower-level sports matches are able to accommodate a small number of fans Durham Women have recently moved to play at Maiden Castle, the University’s sports facility, with a new stand being built as part of a bid to attract student supporters. No fans are allowed at the moment, though this may soon change. In the meantime, all of their matches are being streamed on FA Player. Slightly further afield, non-league sides such as Spennymoor Town, Gateshead and Darlington are all competing for

promotion in the National League North.

If a more egg-shaped ball is more to your fancy, then Newcastle Falcons have just been promoted to the Premiership once again. There are no concrete plans in place for fans to return just yet, though there have been trial events planned. Their home, Kingston Park, is easily accessible via the Metro. Durham City Rugby Club are yet to get playing again since lockdown began in March but play down at Hollow Drift in the centre of Durham so be sure to get down there once they open their doors again.

International cricket has returned with a raft of exciting games over the summer, though the doors to Durham’s ground at Chester-Le-Street remain closed. There have been trials at county cricket matches since July, however there has been little progress towards a long-term return of fans. It may well be that it will be a while until fans return to witness leather on willow in the flesh, though those in Durham in the summer may be able to witness both Durham’s fixtures and even the rare England game

Durham Women FC (George Ledger/ Durham Women FC)

once normality resumes.

Finally, Newcastle Eagles are the most successful British basketball team. They’ve recently moved into their new home, the Eagles Community Arena. The 3,000-seater is just a 20-minute walk from Central Station, so is easily accessible. Plans for a pilot event to have fans return were shelved after a rise in coronavirus cases in the North East, so fans

may have to wait for a return to courtside.

It seems, then, that sports fans in Durham may have to wait a little longer before watching any live games. Only non-league football remains open in limited numbers. However, what its absence has shown us is just how much we all miss it. So, once it’s back, make sure to get out there and show your support.

On the rise: different sports to try at Durham Ben Fleming Deputy Sport Editor As students return to Durham for the new academic year and, despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding daily life and ‘the new normal’ (as cliché as that has become), there is still plenty to be excited about. Whether you are a new student coming here for your first year, or a returning student keen to make the most of your time, sport has a lot going on.

There is a plethora of different sports available for students, should they wish to try something to which they have not been exposed Free from the chains of secondary school, university students are no longer beholden to the rudimentary set of sports such as football, netball and rugby. And while these sports are still very

much a focal point of Durham and ones which operate very successfully on a University and college basis, there is a plethora of different sports available for students, should they wish to try something to which they had perhaps not been exposed prior to university.

For those seeking a new aquatic challenge, then look no further than water polo. The sport, growing in popularity each year, is a great idea for anyone looking for something perhaps more exciting than the traditional trials and tribulations associated with swimming lengths. The sport is sevena-side and requires huge amounts of strength and teamwork. The Durham University Water Polo team are one of the most successful teams in the country, with the men’s squad having won the BUCS title for the past two seasons, while their women’s team were BUCS runners-up in 2016, so if you’re looking for a successful waterbased venture then look no further.

Back on land, there are plenty

of other options for students to try out. If Alexander Povetkin’s recent brutal knockout against Dillian Whyte inspired you to pick up the gloves, then perhaps consider the Durham University Amateur Boxing Club.

The Durham University Water Polo team are one of the most successful in the country Whether you are simply looking to get in shape via the sport or wanting to compete in amateur bouts for the University, there is something for all interests and abilities. Furthermore, if you want to help raise money for charity, keep an eye out for Aggression Sessions, the University’s annual fight night, which sees students compete in amateur bouts to raise money for charity. Hopefully, restrictions permitting, trials and signups for this event will take place early in Michaelmas term so keep an eye out.

However, if bruising physical encounters aren’t up your street, perhaps have a look at getting involved with some of the less physical sports that Durham has to offer. Ultimate Frisbee is played at both college and University level and offers a great alternative, albeit whilst being surprisingly physically exerting.

Players aim to catch a disc in an American football-esque ‘end zone’ with the added difficulty of not being able to run whilst in possession of the disc. If Brodie Smith’s trick shots have caught your eye, be sure to get down to Maiden Castle to try it for yourself. However, spoiler alert: it’s harder and more arduous than it may appear at first.

Finally, touch rugby is another alternative for those seeking to return to a happier memory of rugby, one not tainted by the nightmares of rucks, mauls, and a seven-foot number 8 player careering around a scrum and running straight at you. Durham’s touch rugby has a growing and

social community, and it’s easy to learn the rules, meaning it’s certainly one that can be picked up quickly by any newcomer.

If not for the intrigue of trying a new sport or the social aspect, the mental health benefits of sport cannot be understated There are far more sports that could be mentioned in this article, something which only serves as a testament to the sheer depth and breadth of sporting opportunity that this university offers. What is crucial though is to ensure every student gets out there and tries something. If not for the intrigue of trying a new sport or the social aspect of meeting new people, the mental health benefits of sport, especially in these trying times, cannot be understated. Palatinate encourages everyone to try and get involved in some manner.