Palatinate 836

Palatinate

Durham’s student newspaper since 1948

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | No. 836

SciTech reveal the science behind stress and its physiological effects

Food and Drink on how to destress in the kitchen during lockdown

Former student rejects compensation from University after transphobia controversy Kiara Davies and Martha McHardy News Reporter and News Editor A former Durham University student who made national news in a row over transphobia has rejected an offer of compensation of £1,000 from the University.

Angelos Sofocleous claimed he had been subject to “harassment

and bullying” by the Department of Philosophy after a post he shared on Twitter in 2018, which read “RT [retweet] if women don’t have penises”. It linked to an article in The Spectator on the same subject, and led to his removal as assistant editor of Durham’s Philosophy journal, Critique, his dismissal as General Editor of The Bubble, and, under mounting pressure, his

resignation as President-Elect of Humanist Students.

Chris Ward, former Chair of LGBT Humanists, described the tweet as “horrific” and “transphobic.”

However, Sofocleous also received support from figures such as journalist and former Director of the New Schools Network, Toby Young, who, in response to Sofocleous’ dismissal as from Critique, tweeted

“Shouldn’t you be encouraging debate about important issues rather than stifling it?”

Earlier this year, a letter of apology was issued to Sofocleous via the Student Conduct Office. In a statement to Palatinate Sofocleous questioned “how honest and heartfelt any apology is if it’s communicated via a third party”.

Sofocleous also claimed he had

been subject to “victim blaming”.

Sofocleous also filed a complaint to Durham Students’ Union (DSU) regarding his “unfair treatment”. The complaint was upheld and DSU apologised for his dismissal, stating that Sofocleous is “entitled to hold and express these views” and deemed his dismissal as “procedurally Continued on page 3

St. Chad’s furloughs support staff Patrick Stephens News Editor

▲ Durham Castle is bathed in crisp winter sunlight, with the Cathedral peeking out in the background (Suzannah Gilburt)

“Literally not the point”: students react to SU’s new RON rules Martha McHardy, Theo Burman and Max Kendix News Editors and Deputy Editor Plans announced by Durham SU this week for individual students to register as the head of a verified campaign for ‘re-open nominations’ have been met

with confusion and anger from students, including some within the Students’ Union itself.

The new rules, which claim to act on a University review of SU election procedure, will mean RON – historically the ‘none of the above’ protest option in student elections – will be treated as a recognised candidate, operating

under all the same rules and regulations as any other candidate.

SU Assembly, the representative body for students in the SU, will not get a vote on these changes.

RON would also be open to sanctions if the Returning Officer deems it in breach of election rules, as happened last year, when 58% of student votes for RON were

deleted. In the same year, a survey showed satisfaction with Durham SU was the worst of all 137 UK universities.

Joseph Gellman, the SU Representative for Josephine Butler College told Palatinate that the SU’s changes misunderstood the very nature Continued on page 6

St Chad’s College has furloughed student support staff despite concerns about what one student petition called “a growing student mental health crisis”. The staff were furloughed for financial reasons.

Ewan Swift, Durham SU Welfare and Liberation Officer, told Palatinate: “It’s clear that the decision to furlough support staff was an internal decision made to protect the financial sustainability of the college, however, in doing so this is sadly limiting the routes for Chad’s students to access support.”

“Given the growing student mental health crisis, routes to support should be opening up, not shutting down, and so we believe that the college should receive assistance so that it is able to provide its students equal access to student support.”

“Whilst the University has a confidential memorandum of understanding with Chad’s regarding funding, we believe that the University has a Continued on page 4

Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

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Editorial

Inside 836 News pages 3-6 Satire page 6 Comment pages 7-9 Profile pages 10-11 SciTech pages 12-13 Politics pages 15-17 Puzzles page 18 PalatiDates page 18 Sport pages 19-21

indigo

Verity Laycock

Durham should reimburse us for our tuition fees

Y

ou will call us snowflakes.

You will call us entitled and say we need to ‘be resilient’.

We are resilient, we are aware that everyone is suffering and we are proud that doing our degrees from home is saving other peoples’ lives.

But we know that whereas schools have cancelled exams because of missed education, we have been denied a No Detriment policy, so as to “protect academic standards and uphold the integrity of our degrees.” Boris Johnson has never mentioned us in his addresses to the nation.

Whilst those in the job market are having their salaries paid for, we must ourselves pay rent for private accommodation we legally can’t go to. The Russell Group ignored all 24 Russell Group student newspapers calling for a rethink on their compassionless policy.

It shouldn’t matter if the Uni won’t make money from us this year, as we are the ones who will have to repay our student loans for the next 30 years For all this talk about us being snowflakes and far too concerned with our own mental health, we actually are very strongminded. Most of us will continue to stay inside for the sake of our grandparents, despite knowing that the virus is far more of a threat to them than it is to us.

We will adapt to an onlineonly education and pitiless job market, with nothing but a mere few outbursts on social media.

You could say that we should be more optimistic; the vaccine is being rolled out, restrictions will get lifted soon and students ought to be using this seemingly infinite amount of alone time to crack on with their studies. In fact, we must stop moaning and start looking to the silver linings, for after all, everyone our age group is in the same position.

However, we are not in the same position graduates three years ago were, let alone graduates of last year were.

Nonetheless, we are compelled to pay the same £9,250 as they did. Past students were offered a real Durham experience, filled with sporting matches, live plays, orchestras, endless societies and crucially, in person, face to face teaching, critical for those on a practical course and those who do not have adequate equipment to study online.

We agreed to pay the thousands of pounds for a prestigious Durham education, we did not do so thinking we may as well have gone to the Open University – which charges £3,000 less than Durham.

It is not the fault of staff and lecturers; they have readjusted too and have worked hard to transform their classrooms online. But clearly an online setting enables more distractions, less collaboration, less attention and as a result, less motivation and engagement from students.

Yet still the University watches on, quietly pocketing our money when we are getting less value for it.

Whilst the government will not centrally refund or reimburse tuition fees to all university students, Durham could reduce our fees. It shouldn’t matter if the Uni won’t make money from us this year, as we are the ones who will have to repay our student loans for the next 30 years. Besides, a 189-yearold institution should have the reserves to cover one year of losses, especially as in 2019-20 Durham made a surplus of £54 million.

Compared to previous graduates, we have an inferior quality education and a substandard university experience

When the House of Commons debated the reimbursement of uni tuition fees, the Third Special Report of Session 201921 stated, “students have a right to seek a refund or to repeat part of their course if the service provided by their university is substandard.” Compared to previous graduates, we have an inferior quality education and a sub standard university experience. The University is thus taking advantage of our unequal bargaining position and inability to fund legal action.

We are keenly aware that there is a fine line between complaining

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

Letters to the Editor Disagree with something we’ve published? Want to put your views forward on an issue?

Think we’ve made a mistake?

Send us a letter at editor@ palatinate.org.uk and we will publish it in the next edition.

too much and being complacent.

We know that by asking, we will either be labelled as too entitled or too naïve.

Our cohort has been dubbed the Lost Generation. We’ve endured a patchy social life, tolerated missed milestones and seen job opportunities melt away so quickly The Resolution Foundation believes youth unemployment could rise to 17%, its highest in 40 years.

And so, when we are facing the worst recession in 100 years, we are undeterred from suggesting that unless we are reimbursed for our tuition fees, the sheer inequity will be the one thing that unites us all.

Tash Mosheim Editor-in-Chief

Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Alternatively, send an e-mail to editor@palatinate.org.uk

Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Tash Mosheim & Tim Sigsworth editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Toby Donegan-Cross & Max Kendix deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Martha McHardy, Patrick Stephens & Theo Burman news@palatinate.org.uk News Reporters Kiara Davies, Keziah Smith, Richard Waters, Poppy Askham, Orlando Bell, Isabel C. Davis, Josh Hurn & Jess Jones Investigations Editors Luke Payne, Heather Rydings & Katie Tobin investigations@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editors Cerys Edwards & Harrison Newsham comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Abigail Brierley & Ellie Fitzgerald-Tesh Profile Editors 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 & Lilith Foster-Collins Puzzles Editors Harry Jenkins & Thomas Simpson puzzles@palatinate.org.uk 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 Features Editors Elle Woods-Marshall, Immy Higgins & Aadira Parakkat features@palatinate.org.uk Creative Writing Editor Jemima Gurney creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editors Charlie Barnett & Issy Flower stage@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editors Emma Tucker & Carys Stallard visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Sol Noya & Millie Vickerstaff books@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editors Emily Potts & Erin Waks fashion@palatinate.org.uk Food & Drink Editors Meghna Amin & Constance Lam food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editors Gracie Linthwaite & Emma Johnson travel@palatinate.org.uk Film & TV Editors Madeleine Rosie Strom & Alex Rigotti film@palatinate.org.uk Music Editors Katherine Pittalis & Martha Lily Dean music@palatinate.org.uk Interview Editors Claudia Jacob & Aimee Dickinson indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk Podcast Editor Milly Minter podcast@palatinate.org.uk Chief Sub Editors Ishita Srivastava & Naomi RescorlaBrown chief.sub@palatinate.org.uk Sub Editors Chloe Waugh, Isobel Tighe, Mikey Canty, RJ Batkhuu & Susie Bradley Photography Editor Mark Norton photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editors Beatrice Law, James Tillotson & Adeline Zhao Illustration Editors Amber Conway, Verity Laycock & Samantha Fulton illustration@palatinate.org.uk Social Media Officer Sophie Dove social.media@palatinate.org.uk Finance Officer Sophie Garnett finance@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officers Alex Cowan, Amana Moore & Kate Pesenti advertising@palatinate.org.uk

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PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

News

Durham offers former student £1,000 after transphobia row Seun Twins

Durham Students’ Union President

Got some really exciting updates for you (well as exciting as an SU update can be in a global pandemic lol).

Assembly is finally open to any student who wants to come!

You can attend Assembly as an observer and continue to engage in SU democracy.

It is absolutely great that more students can attend assembly, but it is also vital we continue to respect online spaces and behave appropriately. We have unfortunately seen several instances of people violating online spaces with inappropriate behaviours and content. If we want assembly to stay online and accessible, then we must respect the space.

The Culture Commission has completed the first stage of research! As many of you know – this work has been a labour of love for the commissioners for quite some time now. It is a chance to really identify and dissect this sense of “Durhamness” that we are always referencing but find it hard to describe.

The engagement from students has been fantastic but there will still be many more opportunities for students to shape this report in the second stage of research.

I also implore any reluctant students to get involved and actively engage in this work so their views and opinions can also be documented. If 2020 taught us anything it was that social justice and climate change are urgent matters and we need to respect the art of disagreement.

It is important that we stay alert to these issues in this new year, though it is encouraging to see students still have an appetite for this work.

Some more news to look out for: Sarah’s PG or Not to PG campaign; Ewan successfully lobbying on the housing front; Anna taking ECO DU brilliant demands to UEC and the joint meeting of Senate and Council to reignite environmental sustainability in Durham postCovid-19; and me joining the Students United Against Fees – Campaign alongside a national network of SU sabbatical officers.

It is important to highlight silver linings in this strange time so watch this space. As always, your SU president is here for you just email me at su.president@ durham.ac.uk Take care, Seun

Continued from front incorrect” and “unfair and undemocratic.”

Following his appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), Sofocleous has now been offered compensation of £1,000 and another letter of apology to settle the case before it goes to a full review by the OIA.

“Durham University is opposed to any form of discrimination”

The letter, which was issued from the Head of the Philosophy Department, stated “While this [monetary compensation] will not make up for your negative experience, I hope it will go some way toward compensating you for your distress and inconvenience”.

A Durham University spokesperson said: “The offer of

compensation to Mr Sofocleous was made solely in recognition of a concern he had raised that a complaint could have been handled more swiftly and appropriately.

“This offer is in line with the guidance of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, which has reviewed this case.”

They also said: “Durham University is opposed to any form of discrimination. We are striving to build a more equal and inclusive University where all members of our community can thrive and where all staff and students feel welcome, safe, supported and valued.

“To reassure our community that we do take decisive action the University now publishes a list of sanctions and the type of offence on our website.”

Further information can be found using this link.

(Amana Moore)

SU seeks right to prohibit student groups’ external speakers

Martha McHardy News Editor Student groups will be required to confirm all their external speakers with Durham SU under a new freedom of speech policy which will be presented to SU Assembly this evening According to the policy, student groups will be required to inform Durham SU of any event that involves external speakers at least two weeks prior to the event, and any requests for external speakers that are “controversial or higher risk” will be required to be requested with four weeks’ notice. This will apply to events held on and off campus, and both digital and in-person events.

Student groups will not be permitted to confirm or publicise any events involving external speakers until a request has been approved by Durham SU.

“Freedom of speech is not the freedom to say anything evil”

The policy will give Durham SU the right to cancel, prohibit or postpone any event involving an external speaker, if the policy is not adhered to or if risks cannot be mitigated successfully.

In order to reduce the level of

risk, the policy also gives Durham SU the right to appoint an independent chair for the event, or require additional security or stewarding or extra speakers at the event to provide “a balance of perspectives.” Speakers may also be required to submit a copy of their speech to Durham SU for approval in advance.

Durham SU will consider a speaker to be high-risk if they are part of a terrorist organisation or if they are considered to hold extremist views that may cause harm to specific groups.

A speaker also may be considered high risk if they are “widely regarded as controversial,” or if the speaker is likely to cause “fear or alarm to the student body,” or “unrest and overcrowding.”

An Opportunities Coordinator will review requests by student groups by carrying out online research of the speaker and their organisation. The speaker’s social media pages will also be reviewed. Any higher risk speakers will be referred to Durham SU’s Opportunities Manager and Director of Services for approval. Requests they do not approve will be referred to the Durham SU Chief Executive.

Durham SU oversees approximately 250 student groups whom it is legally responsible for. Students groups

(Amana Moore) that are not affiliated with Durham SU such as the Durham Union Society will not be required to adhere to this policy.

One SU Representative told Palatinate that “there is a level of ambiguity” in the policy, including the definitions of terms such as “controversy” and “fear.”

However, they said they were not “overly concerned about the policy being used to stifle open discussion at the University,” although they warned that this is something “we must be wary of.”

In a recent interview with Purple Radio, Durham SU President Seun Twins explained that anyone with a “financial or legal” connection to anyone linked

with controversy will be subject to a risk assessment by Durham SU, and reiterated that “freedom of speech is not the freedom to say anything evil,” in line with the policy which states that “the freedom to express views must be balanced with the need to secure freedom from harm for students and communities.”

If a student group disagrees with the decision taken by the SU, it will have the right to submit a complaint under the Durham SU Complaints Procedure. However, this will not reverse the decision until the complaint is resolved.

The freedom of speech policy will be passed onto the Board of Trustees for approval.

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Thursday 4th February 2021| PALATINATE

News

Chad’s furlough: the college lost around half of its expected income last year Continued from front

responsibility to all its students to ensure that they have equal access to student support.

Therefore, we would like to see the University provide financial assistance to Chad’s to

mitigate against the need for the furloughing of support staff, and I have already engaged with the University about this.”

Dr Margaret Masson, Principal of St Chad’s College, told Palatinate: “We have partfurloughed or furloughed a number of staff across our teams.

This includes staff who have student support as part of their remit (but not the only part), and in their current working hours, these staff are prioritising student support.”

“We do believe that there is sufficient welfare provision for our students; it’s something which we see as very important – and particularly in such difficult times. If we see that the demand is greater than our current capacity, then we will bring staff back out of furlough. We appreciate your concerns that student welfare representatives are not unduly burdened at present, and are checking in with them regularly.”

“There is sufficient welfare provision for our students”

Tom Wright, the college’s Senior Welfare Rep, said: “In terms of demand, we haven’t had an increase in demand so far but I expected it would increase. We continue to do biweekly drop-ins so people can still contact us and it might increase as the summative season continues. In terms of provisions from college, College Support Staff have done an amazing job for us in supporting us and talking to us about any concerns we have in our weekly meetings. I feel confident that

if I, or any of our team, had an issue, that they would be able to support us.”

Dr Masson continued: “the University has been very supportive to the College, but we do not need extra financial support from them at this stage. We are being financially prudent, given the significant losses we have sustained over the last year due to Covid-19, and we do believe and trust that, with careful management, and thanks to the generosity of our alumni in our recent fundraising campaigns, we are sustainable in the long-term.”

Jeremy Cook, Pro-ViceChancellor (Colleges and Student Experience), said: “We’re working very closely with St Chad’s, and the College has reassured us that the current welfare provision available to students is sufficient to meet demand. As would be expected St Chad’s have reassured us that, if demand changes, they will reassess the situation.”

“We are being financially prudent, and we do believe that we are sustainable in the long term”

The furloughing of staff follows an emergency appeal launched

by the college over the summer where it raised over £90,000, allowing the college to adapt its facilities to create “social bubbles.”

The fundraising appeal stated that the college lost around half of its expected income in the last academic year as a result of the pandemic.

In terms of the broader adequacy of Durham’s welfare provision in the face of current challenges, Ewan told Palatinate: “Although the University has lots of entry points to student support, we know that there are lots of pressures on staff and services and so would always push for greater funding for student support, especially to match demand during the pandemic. For example, we maintain communications with the Counselling Service who are able to outsource staff this term to match increasing demand which is much welcomed. “ “One issue we do see, however, is that virtual fatigue is leading to a lot of students not accessing the support groups, wellbeing classes, or direct support opportunities on offer. As always, the University needs to better promote its support offer and keep looking at how they can remove any barriers to reaching out.”

(Image by Adeline Zhao)

Offer deferrals rose by over 60% in 2020 Patrick Stephens News Editor A Freedom of Information request by Palatinate has revealed that the proportion of undergraduate offers for 2020 entry which were then deferred was over 60% higher than in the previous year.

The data refers to applicants who received offers to begin their studies in 2020, and then had their offers deferred so that they would start the following year.

1.8% of applicants had their offers deferred, compared to 1.1% in the previous year and between 1.0% and 1.2% for the three years prior to that.

To place that in context, in 2018-19, the last year for which data is available, Durham received over 20,000 applicants for study at undergraduate level. Almost 72% received an offer. Less than 17% of the total applications led to a “registration”, which indicates that they began their studies at Durham.

For international students

applying for undergraduate study, the relative increase was larger because fewer international students typically defer their offers. Around 1.4% of international students applying in 2019/20 had offers for 2020 entry deferred, compared to 0.4% in the two previous years.

The University does not hold data on how many students requested to defer their offers.

As a proportion of undergraduate applicants, deferrals were 60% higher this year For postgraduate students, deferrals among applicants in 2019/20 were over 70% higher than in 2018/19, with more than 10% of offer holders deferring their applications, compared to 6% in the previous year.

Postgraduate applicants can defer only their application, not their offer, which means they are then reconsidered for an offer in competition with the other

applicants in the cycle they have deferred to.

Among international postgraduate students, 11.5%

deferred their offers compared to 6.4% in the previous year.

Applicants for 2021 entry are permitted to request to defer

(Aubrey Stoll via Flickr) an offer, not just an application, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

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News

Durham’s £330,000 LFT scheme returns just 37 positives from 10,593 tests Heather Rydings Investigations Editor A Palatinate Freedom of Information request has revealed that 10,593 Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) have been taken by students so far in the 2020-21 academic year.

The total number of individual students that have taken a LFT is 6,486.

This suggests that around one third of students participated in the pilot scheme, based off student population statistics given by the University as part of their Covid-19 case reporting.

This figure increases from 31.6% of students having taken a LFT to 36% when taking into account that 2,500 students were estimated to have been studying solely online during Michaelmas Term and were therefore not present in Durham.

Additionally, these figures indicate that the average number of tests taken by an individual student was around 1.6.

This means that some students were likely not taking the recommended two tests advised by the University and its partners in the pilot.

This number of tests was recommended, particularly for students intending to return home over Christmas break, due to the nature of the LFT devices.

The devices are used to detect individuals with high levels of the virus. Multiple tests are advised to ensure that a second test has the opportunity to pick up on a viral load that may have been too low to be flagged after the first test.

37 of the tests taken by students returned a positive result, meaning that 99.7% of tests taken were negative and consequently did not require a student to self-isolate or take a follow-up PCR test.

Palatinate can reveal that £246,328 was spent by Durham University on the Lateral Flow Testing Pilot during Michaelmas term, ending 15th December 2020, and a further £84,451 was spent up to 20th January 2021.

This makes the total spending on the pilot scheme £330,779, including staffing costs.

The initiative was developed by the University in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care, the University of Oxford and Public Health England. The University did not receive any money to participate in the pilot but did receive testing equipment and personal protective equipment from its

partners.

Before Christmas the total testing capacity across all three sites – Maiden Castle, The Racecourse, and Palace Green – for the full duration of opening hours between the dates 23rd November and 16th December was 32,400 tests. The total daily capacity amounted to 2,070 tests.

The University informed Palatinate that these figures were based off a “slightly reduced capacity” which “built in the flexibility to accommodate safely more booths if peak capacity was being reached.”

The pilot LFT cost over £330,000

This would have allowed another 9,936 tests to be added to the testing capacity, if needed, during the opening of the scheme, which would have resulted in a peak testing capacity of 42,336 pre-Christmas.

The University is continuing to offer LFT to all students during Epiphany term.

Participation is voluntary, but the University encourages all its members to “take advantage of this opportunity to test for their own benefit and for the benefit of those around them.”

Students who intend to return to Durham at any point this term are strongly advised to take a LFT on the day of their arrival back in the city, then on day four and day seven of their return.

However, the University and UK Government advice remains to stay at home “wherever possible.”

31.6% of all students have taken an LFT test, rising to 36% of those studying in Durham during Michaelmas

Jacqui Ramagge, Executive Dean (Science) at Durham University, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and the wider community is always our first priority. Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) is one of a range of measures we’ve implemented to support a healthy campus and we are grateful to students and staff for their participation in the programme and their efforts to protect themselves and our community.

“LFTs are voluntary. We encourage all students who are in Durham to test regularly, at least once a week, and we have made accessing the LFT programme as easy as possible. LFTs are

available, at no cost, seven days a week at multiple locations in Durham and some Colleges.

We’ve also worked closely with student leaders to develop communications campaigns to promote the benefits of regular testing and encourage uptake.

“Lateral Flow Testing aims to identify people who are infectious but do not know it. By identifying these asymptomatic people and asking them to self-

isolate, we can help break the chain of transmission and protect our community.

“The programme aims to test students and staff regularly to find and isolate positive cases swiftly, and to determine how we might test contacts of positive cases regularly to identify those who are not infectious and avoid the need for self-isolation.

However, Ramagge also told Palatinate that “No test grants

(Amana Moore) immunity to Covid-19 and we urge our entire community to continue to follow government guidance to help reduce the spread of the virus.”

“No test grants immunity to Covid-19”

Further details on LFT and information on booking a test can be found on DUO.

SU criticised for advertising “luxury” student accommodation

Theo Burman News Editor A motion to end the advertising of unaffordable housing by the Student’s Union will be discussed at the upcoming Assembly meeting. It comes after the SU provided adverts for private student accommodation this term.

The motion, which defines luxury accommodation as “accommodation for which the rent is significantly higher than the average student loan”, encourages the SU to end the advertisement of this kind of student living in all circumstances.

It also calls for an end to any other accommodation whose providers contradict the Union’s campaign policy. This would mean the SU would not advertise

for providers that refuse to forgive rent or let students exit contracts during the pandemic.

One of the accommodation providers the SU has advertised is Fresh Student Living, whose rooms at Dun Holm House range from £8,313 to £12,189 a year, at an average of £201 a week.

The SU would not advertise for providers that refuse to forgive rent or let students exit contracts

This is higher than both the national average student expenditure (£126) and the average for London students (£182), according to statistics from Times Higher Education.

The motion also calls attention

to Fresh Student Living having the most expensive rooms out of the six largest accommodation prtoviders in Durham.

In a recent interview with Purple Radio, SU President Seun Twins noted that the motion would potentially prompt “a financial restructuring” within the SU, as the funds generated from the advertisements are used to maintain services such as the Night Bus. The Assembly, which is due to meet on Thursday 4th February, will also discuss policies concerning external speakers, the Assembly’s transparency, and the implementation of an “Intersectionality Week”.

Registration to observe the meeting can be found Registration to observe the meeting can be found here.

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

News

Durham students use £50,000 donation for investment fund, pledge profits to scholarships

Poppy Askham News Reporter Durham students have launched an investment fund with the aim of providing the University’s aspiring financiers hands-on market experience.

The Durham University Student Investment Fund (DUSIF) describes itself as a “student-led long-only value-focused fund” and is fully managed by a team of 25 student analysts and advisors.

Analysts will receive training in fundamental analysis, financial

modelling and stock pitching, which they will be able to use in their handling of a real-life global money portfolio, providing them with the skills and credentials to succeed in their future careers.

Currently, the DUSIF portfolio consists of investments into Urban Logistics Reit plc, CIR Group, Babcock International Inc. and Hongkong Land.

A £50,000 legacy donation to the University was used to launch the DUSIF, but in the future students hope to become selfsufficient by creating profitable returns that can be reinvested

into the fund. As the DUSIF grows it hopes to attract sponsors to become ‘honorary shareholders.’

The DUSIF cites funding scholarships for disadvantaged university students as one of its core aims.

A proportion of the fund’s future profits will be put towards the Durham Inspired North East Scholarships initiative, which assists around twenty local students from low-income backgrounds to attend the University each year.

Sustainability and the social impact of their investments is a

key concern for the team behind the DUSIF. To ensure the fund upholds the strictest ethical standards, the executive team will have a member solely dedicated to matters of Environmental Social and Corporate Governance (ESG).

The DUSIF has also pledged to maintain transparency in its work, committing to regular public publications of research alongside quarterly/annual reports and performance data.

Students will be supported in their endeavours by an alumniled governance board made up of

experts and professionals in the financial sector.

DUSIF President Tyler Thomas told Palatinate: “Over time, I hope for the fund to build a reputation amongst investment professionals as a high-quality organisation that develops talented analysts they’d like to recruit.

If we can achieve this, alongside our annual donations to the Durham Inspired North East Scholarship, then I think the fund can benefit generations of Durham students to come.”

New RON rules see no Satire student consultation Moving in the RON direction Continued from front of RON as a “none of the above” option. He also said: “I really don’t like the idea of RON being considered a candidate.

“The whole point of RON is that it represents a position of being unhappy with all the candidates and desiring nominations to be reopened. Considering RON as a candidate is thereby oxymoronic.”

This sentiment was echoed by several students online, including Joshua Dexter, a third-year chemistry student, who said: “This is just an attempt to try to frame a vote of ‘Re-Open Nominations’ as an official party/ candidate option, rather than the ‘none of the above’ that it is supposed to represent.” Another wrote: “literally not the point of RON”.

Jack Pearce, President of Cuth’s Ripped Off, argued that the new system would not encompass all the reasons people might vote RON, saying: “Making it so that RON has to have a registered campaign team sort of defeats the point of having the option.

“Many people vote RON for different reasons, whether an objection to the way an election has been run, to express dissatisfaction with an institution or to expressly demand to have a new selection of candidates.”

However Yash Raju, the VicePresident of Durham People of Colour Association, felt that the policy was a step in the right direction.

“I’m sceptical about the degree of success that creating an official RON campaign will have with regards to keeping a check on much of the harm we saw last year. But given the impact of the last campaign it is clear that regulation is warranted.”

The official RON campaign

would have to “appropriately seek to influence an election” and “focus on the merits of the manifestos of individual candidates”.

RON also has to be specific to an individual election, so an SU-wide RON campaign which covers all candidates running in the election like the one seen last year would not be possible under the new rules.

This redefinition of RON means that secondary votes cast under the single transferable vote (STV) system will be properly allocated to the correct candidates.

The SU were unable to do this last year due to technological limitations after their decision to disqualify the unofficial RON campaign for rules violations, meaning second and third preferences for the 58% of Durham who voted RON were deleted completely.

During the election process, concerns were raised about the treatment of some candidates on social media. This prompted several representatives from a campaign supporting RON to sign a letter apologising “to everyone that has been made to feel unsafe and received abuse” as a result of the campaign.

Since then, the SU has carried out a Democracy Review in a contract with private consultancy firm MiraGold, which found that the students most dissatisfied with the SU are opposed to “protecting minority voices and creating spaces in which they thrive”.

The recent statement stresses that “the changes to our 2021 elections are not the result of the Democracy Review research”.

The changes will be followed by a Q&A open to all students, the date of which has not been set. The SU campaign period will start on 15th February, with voting taking place on 21st February.

A conversation between two great democracies

“Hyelo?”, Vladimir chimes down the line. “Is anybody there?”

“Hello old friend, SU speaking” comes the response.

“I need help. I’ve tried everything.

Poisoning and arresting political dissidents, more topless shots of me on a horse, a new type of Botox. But nothing seems to work. I think I’m getting fat and my democracy is in tatters. All the press is just ‘Navalny this, Navalny that’.”

“Oh Vladimir, that sounds so difficult. I’m sorry.” The SU responds. “The press does that.

Have you tried cutting their funding?”

“Yes, haha. It felt good, so good.

I blamed it on Covid, like you said.

I think they bought it.”

“Good” the SU grins, “Very

good. As for your ‘democracy problems’, I think we could help you. Have you considered trying to launch a Democracy Review?

We know a place, old mate of mine works there. They do this great investigation, recommendations, the whole shebang. All for just £7,000!”

“What if I come out badly?”

Vladimir responds.

[The call crackles] “Where are you, Vladimir?

Are you in your underground ice hockey rink?”

“Haha, you know me so well. I hope you’ll join me here soon. But tyell me, reassure me, comrade.

There’s no chance I will come out badly from this democracy review? It won’t damage my reputation?”

The SU sighs. “There’s no chance. It is by definition impossible. What is it we have in common? What am I always saying? When your approval rating is so low, your reputation can only improve.”

“Ah, yes”, Vladimir responds.

“You make sense. Anyway, enough about me. How are you?

“Well, the RON stuff is still being a pain.”

“Who is Ron?” Vladimir asks.

“No, no, Vladimir. RON isn’t actually a person. But we’ve solved that now. Now we’re pretending he really is a person, he can be more easily eliminated, just as you suggested.”

“Not just a pretty face then,” Vladimir responds, grinning.

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

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Comment

Durham social traditions: nostalgic or shameful?

Izzy Harris Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault and rape which some readers may find upsetting.

As social secretary for my college boat club, passionate attendee of college bar crawls and someone who gave herself whiplash by dancing so enthusiastically at a ball last year (although that might have had something to do with a ball pit), it would be fair to assume that I have been missing Durham’s many social traditions during the pandemic. However, even if we wear gowns to our formals, penguin suits to balls and the most ridiculous costumes to socials, it’s not possible to dress up the darker social norms at Durham University.

During Freshers’ week 2019, a crowded hall of students in my college were told (without a trigger warning) that we should be pleased by reports of Durham’s high levels of sexual assault as it shows that people feel comfortable disclosing it to the University. In my first year, it quickly became apparent that this was not the case and that I had landed myself in a cesspit of lad culture and misogyny. This issue is, at the best of times, ignored or passed off as youthful promiscuity and drunken mistakes and, at the worst of times, lauded and applauded by sections of the student population.

Recent scandals, including the very public freshers group chat where a group of boys set themselves the challenge to sleep with the poorest girl, brought this to light for those without firstor second-hand experience. But stories like this, where evidence is provided by screenshots, are the tip of the iceberg of sexual deviance and classist attitudes among students. Often the perpetrators of these crimes walk among us; when living in college they eat in the same halls as their victims and could be friends with their friends. I never thought that at university I would find myself having mutual friends with rapists.

It feels like there is an imbalance in the number of men who would claim to know of a rapist in their college compared to the number of women who do. This is an interesting phenomenon given that the same ‘lads’ who are the first to deny the University’s rape culture are often the givers of nicknames such as ‘rapey (first name)’.

nightlife in college events, pubs and clubs, this social norm has not necessarily gone away. Women have noticed and reported a growth in street harassment, stalking and flashing of female students in Durham. Last term this prompted the creation of a mass group chat of women living in the Viaduct area in case they needed to call for help. However, the difference between this issue and the sexual assault epidemic is that the latter is ignored and accepted as a part of life at university, particularly because many incidents are perpetrated by members of a victim’s college

and university community, which can make it feel much harder to report.

Despite all of this, I cannot wait to be back out dancing, eating and drinking with my friends in Durham when the pandemic no longer gets in the way. The fact that my trauma and experiences in my one year at this University can physically wind me when I am in certain places in college or the city doesn’t mean that I don’t want to have fun. I know that my experience is a shared one with many other students around me, especially in my college, but that shouldn’t make people feel guilty

in enjoying Durham’s rich social traditions. It should, however, make us take a stand against rape culture in the University so that its traditions can be enjoyed by all without fear.

If you have been impacted by any of the issues in this article, you can seek help through the University by reporting it officially or by requesting support anonymously. Externally, you can report to the police, which can be anonymous. There are numerous support charities and help lines in the North East and nationally for advice and counselling.

(Verity Laycock)

Traditions should be enjoyed by all without fear

This behaviour does not need to be linked to Durham’s social traditions which should allow for fun with friends and memories in your college. However, until rape and assault are no longer linked to these traditions through women’s lived experiences, they cannot be disentangled.

While the pandemic has put a stop to Durham’s traditional

Toxic romance depicted on screen is not healthy Phoebe Abruzzese A quick Google of ‘toxic relationships on TV’ will reveal a myriad of top 10 style lists about the public’s most loved unhealthy relationships, from Noah’s classic emotional manipulation of Allie in The Notebook, to the endlessly cringey Leonard and Penny from The Big Bang Theory (whose primary audience seems to be those semi-misogynistic 14-yearold boys at school who think they’re better than you because they play Magic: The Gathering).

Recently, period dramas The Great and Bridgerton have hit headlines, not only because of

their steamy sex scenes but also because of the toxic romances at the heart of the plot. People are now asking questions: is watching unhealthy relationships glorified on screen changing our perception of romance and, if it is, will screenwriters and directors take the action necessary to negate any harms?

Wrapping toxic relationships in hot, glamourous, usually rich, celebrity packages stops us realising what they really are – emotional and sometimes physical abuse. The effects of this can carry over into our real romantic lives. Often, the target audience of the worst offending shows is teenage girls.

The ever-ridiculous but wholly addictive Riverdale is nearly entirely watched by young

women who are still in their formative years when it comes to learning about relationships. By watching teenage relationships filled with bad communication, raging arguments, cheating and, you know, the classic Riverdale murders coming at a dime a dozen, expectations of love can be warped. Patterns of behaviour can emerge at this age that will persist well into the future, such as ignoring obvious red flags from their partner or thinking that emotional manipulation and abuse are completely normal things to endure.

Sure, it’s a good plot point, keeping an emotionally invested audience caught up in tendrils of toxicity and conflict, but it’s undoubtedly doing more harm than good by altering people’s

perception of what romantic love is supposed to look like. Often, audiences are vulnerable and have little real-world experience, so creating a fictional relationship where attractive and successful characters engage in toxic behaviour, but somehow still end up happily together when all the other story lines are wrapped up, such as Daphne and Simon in regency romance Bridgerton, can normalise and romanticise toxicity. In the age of streaming, when multiple seasons of shows are available (and devoured) instantly, separating the sensationalised fiction from what a typical relationship should look like is increasingly difficult.

Do I think anything will change? No, probably not – at least not a change big enough for

us to consciously recognise. Toxic relationships have been featured in literature and entertainment since the arts were invented; see Zeus and Hera, Rebecca and Max de Winter, alongside every single character in Titus Andronicus. A happy, stable relationship isn’t dramatic enough to capture and retain audiences, whereas the conflict of a turbulent relationship couple can.

The answer, I think, is not in censorship but in increased education. Providing warnings of toxic relationship portrayal just as those for adult language or flashing lights is a good place to start, in addition to increased numbers of healthy, loving relationships to act as the foil to Peter and Catherine, Daphne and Simon, or Veronica and Archie.

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

Comment

The working-class reality of remote university Joshua Guillen

There is something offbeat about virtual Durham. Navigating the treacherous nature of Zoom seminars – often fertile land for fresh social awkwardness – is hardly the problem, per se. The devilishly arduous DUO pages, with all their dead-ends and disjointed hyperlinks, transform pre-lecture reading into an endless intellectual pilgrimage.

In truth, this too amounts to a mere inconvenience. Conscious of the precarious state of public health, contending with online learning is, for the time being, a frustratingly necessary sacrifice.

After all, prudent behaviour will, with good time, curb the danger of coronavirus sooner.

These sentiments, despite conforming to the realities of a resurgent pandemic, highlight a uniquely disfigured actuality to which we are now accustomed to. Take this account, for

example: a Durham University undergraduate (me), fresh from a nauseatingly protracted period of A Level studies, still finds himself trapped in a place he had grafted so hard to leave. Paradoxically, he is both present in Durham and remote from it, symptomatic of the virtual learning deployed by the University in seeking to stunt the spread of Covid-19.

What I am trying to demonstrate through this characterisation is, lamentably so, my duel against social immobility, something that the nascent strain of the virus has compounded. As a working-class son to a single mother and a Mexican father, implicit reminders of social paralysis are coated across my home neighbourhood. A fleeting glance at a foodbank, customary whilst taking my younger sister to school, is an unmistakable indication of that.

Explaining it to my sister is even more discomforting. Privileged as I am, I had hoped attaining a place at an elite institution like Durham University would symbolise

merited upward progress. It undoubtedly still does. Yet, the sensory ramifications of learning remotely have had a pacifying effect on the unbridled optimism I had initially envisioned. This is the disfigured reality to which I refer.

The sobering intricacies of home-based study together with the febrility of a dangerous disease make for a powerful combination. Although jarringly constrained from freely immersing myself in student social life, being stranded at home has provided sharp perspective at a time when adopting shortsightedness is a tantalisingly easy path to take.

Whether it be creating an ad hoc desk or dancing around family members between seminars, there is a peculiar novelty in attending university from the ambience of the familial dining room table.

The distinction between study and relaxation is often blurred, heightened by the reality of being simultaneously present and

absent from Durham – an oddity exemplified by the transitions between synchronous seminars on busy days. But it is through setting up shop in-house that a more profound reflection has been gauged. That is, of course, a financial one.

usually be shared amongst the broad coalition on the left.

Suddenly he was ‘woke’, extreme, socialist – all words that spark fear in the Republican heart.

Indeed, if anyone is guilty of treating the opposition as an irredeemable monolith, it’s not Biden in his treatment of Trump voters, it’s a broad swathe on the opposition in its treatment of Biden.

For all the inflated expectations, Biden will probably fail to heal the divisions of America. If the insurrection at the Capitol is anything to go by, then tensions in the country are at a breaking

point, and are not something that can be necessarily tamed.

Trump still looms in the wings, and, despite no Twitter account to vent his frustrations, the media will no doubt continue to nurture the unapologetic addiction they have for whatever he says or does.

The former President even promised his supporters he would be back, something that could manifest itself in a 2024 re-election bid if the second impeachment doesn’t result in a senate conviction. Die-hard supporters, like the ones who claimed vote-rigging and stormed

I’ve found a new ambition for self-improvement

Explicitly speaking, paying for university is hardly a preoccupation. After all, the University has been exceptional in its bursary provisions; I have, as have those with similar dispositions, been gratefully aided by the Covid-19 Fund. In truth, I try not to fall into the trap of pondering whether the costs of first year have been merited – I retain confidence that attending Durham University will be invaluable in kick-starting a strong career. Yet, with the state of the economy as it is, there is a renewed sense of self-sufficiency.

In many respects, it has been

an inflection point. One would imagine that with stretched finances and unprecedented uncertainty, any current family savings should not be partitioned to me. It would be grossly unfair on my siblings’ futures to do so. The trade-off in paying for university was always clear, yet, following a tragic ten months, this is now of elevated importance. Studying from home has reinforced this stark financial truth and in a peculiar way, I am grateful for it.

Attending an elite university remotely is both an empowering and preoccupying experience.

I am concurrently reminded of my academic achievements and, by bewildering contrast, the financial juggling of my parents and the relative depravity of my neighbourhood. However, this juxtaposition, I think, is powerful.

As much as I’d like to return, in blending online Durham with my current surroundings, a renewed ambition for self-improvement and success is vigorously conceived.

Biden’s inauguration: condemnation or conciliation?

Oscar Duffy

Last Wednesday, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States.

One couldn’t help but notice an altered atmosphere at this event, compared with ones that came before.

Though it sent the internet ablaze with Bernie Sanders and Lady Gaga memes and served as a hub of some spectacular pant-suits, Covid-19 and Donald Trump cast a rather large shadow over the proceedings. Masks, the National Guard, and no audience of cheering supporters made it a comparatively muted affair. Yet, as Gerard Baker wrote for The Times two days later, one could not help but hear Democrats and the media release a huge sigh of relief knowing that there was a return to some sort of political normality in Washington.

However, nothing, even without Trump in office, is normal. Baker affirmed this, describing how “fragile” Mr Biden’s mandate was with only a four per cent margin of victory, although he then proceeded to argue that there would be no effort on the side of the new President for reconciliation, despite the measured nature of his speech. Indeed, he was acutely aware of the fact that even without his predecessor in

Washington, Trumpism remains a malignant force in USA politics, so much so that instead of opting for the divisiveness of Trump’s inauguration comments on “American carnage”, Biden’s words were explicitly geared towards ending the “Uncivil War” that had been unleashed.

Baker seems to have missed this sentiment. Citing Biden’s immediate overhaul of Trump’s most controversial policy decisions by executive order, his thesis seems to be that the new President is painting Trumpism with a broad brush of condemnation, in a manner not unlike the narrative of the cancel culture that is such a favourite scaremongering technique of the right-wing press.

Tensions in the country are at a breaking point

But if Biden’s speech did anything, it was meticulous and exhaustive in its attempts to foster “unity” rather than divisiveness (he even said the buzzword nine times in all). Of all the Democratic candidates that put their name forward for nominee, Biden is the most uniquely suited to this turbulent era. He’s an old moderate, something that the hardest left of the Democrats condemned in their support for Bernie Sanders.

At the moment he received the nomination, Biden somehow absorbed criticisms that would

(Verity Laycock) the Capitol, will hardly come to accept the legitimacy of a Biden presidency, let alone support it.

But, despite this, to argue that his inauguration deliberately stoked division is a ludicrous posture. The speech was nothing but reassurances that even if Biden doesn’t succeed in healing the nation’s divisions, he will at least try. Considering the past four years, one could hardly ask for more.

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PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

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Durham 70% phenomenon: an accurate myth?

Honor Douglas Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, meaning a flood of discussions of relationships is on the way, and of course, the mention of the Durham 70% phenomenon…yay! In 2013, The Independent claimed that over 70% of Durham students marry each other. This is considerably higher than that of other UK universities, where on average 20% of students marry fellow students. The question is, what makes Durham such a marriage hub?

The main reason can be narrowed down to the influence of Durham’s college system.

Whether living on campus or in private accommodation, all Durham students are part of a college, supposed to be their ‘university family’ or ‘home away from home.’ The collegiate system provides more of a sheltered environment than other university halls. Rather than being left to their own devices, Durham freshers are encouraged to participate in college events and meet people from college. These types of events immediately foster closer relationships, a bond that remains part of many students’ lives until graduation, and often beyond. These college

events include balls: a major element of the Durham social calendar which offer students the opportunity to dress up, make an effort, and have a fun night.

With dim lights and alcohol, this ‘organised fun’ setting almost encourages flirtation or, at the very least, the opportunity to make new friends.

The college marriage system relies on the development of these close friendships. At Durham, students extravagantly ‘propose’ to each other, become each other’s ‘wives’ or ‘husbands,’ and when you’re in second year you get your own ‘children,’ after having ‘parents’ yourself. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a very serious thing that cannot be joked about.

Students often embark on ‘marriages’ with each other in the first year, a relationship which continues until graduation, or more if your college husband or wife is ‘the one’... Extravagant proposals are often used for these marriages, and with the amount of time spent together trying to make your ‘college children’ content, it is no surprise that these ‘relationships’ can turn into more. College marriages are encouraged by Durham University, so it is not exactly a surprise that marriage rates between students at Durham are higher than those at other universities, where ‘relationships’ like this do not

exist.

Aside from organised social events, busy co-curricular life is a large element of Durham student experience. Whether students are interested in sport, theatre, journalism or debating, a society will suit them. Here, likeminded people get to meet each other.

As it is an organised setting, students are less pressured to develop friendships, as they grow organically when they see each other each week.

The location in which these events take place must add to the romance. Durham is beautiful; with ancient grounds and gorgeous lighting, the city fosters romance. At night, the castle is beautifully lit and looks

Despite recent increases in funding, the reality is that the NHS is in a far worse shape now than it was when the coalition eventually evicted Gordon Brown from 10 Downing Street all those years ago.

Thus, the words of MPs like Hands, who branded the idea that the NHS was on the table as “offensive and absurd”, ultimately ring hollow.

Yet the reality is that it seems to matter little to the public. It is worth remembering that the Tories have been the largest party in the last four elections, despite their record on the NHS. For all the clapping on doorsteps and rainbows in windows, the electorate have demonstrated time and again that increasingly prominent issues such as the salaries of nurses and falling NHS staffing numbers were simply not priorities in previous elections.

We are not, however, going to wake up in some USA-style healthcare nightmare in which the Tories have suddenly traded the NHS for chlorinated chicken.

Despite claims from Jeremy Corbyn, who proudly held aloft documents he claimed proved the fact back in December 2019, the Tories are not stupid enough to pursue such a policy. To do so would be the most sure-fire form of electoral self-sabotage currently available.

The pandemic has only served to further strengthen the quasireligious status of the NHS. No serious party will include such a policy in their next manifestos, and to pretend otherwise would be simply misleading.

But this does not mean that we are necessarily out of the woods just yet. Indeed, there is surely a reason why they voted down the amendment, given the inevitable negative headlines it duly created.

There is a clear logic to the Tories’ position. If, as claimed, there is no way they would countenance involving the NHS in a trade deal, especially with the USA, then ensuring you are not unnecessarily restrained makes sense.

Further, the NHS is not going to be suddenly traded in one fell

like something out of a movie.

While other universities have modern halls that surround ancient buildings, most of Durham’s colleges are heritage listed, meaning the ancient buildings with modern twists are a beautiful and romantic setting.

With coronavirus limiting students meeting new people outside of their household, it is unlikely that romance has blossomed in the same way as previous years. It is more complicated than ever before to meet new people, limiting the number of relationships that can spark during this time.

Why then, are we still talking about the 70% phenomenon?

This kind of rhetoric could be

seen as damaging for students, as it adds pressure to meet ‘the one’.

It is nearly impossible to meet ‘the one for now’ at the moment, let alone someone marriage worthy.

Durham University’s social calendar and influence of the collegiate system allows romance to spark in a way that other university lifestyles cannot comprehend. These events have been limited for the past year, so while the 70% phenomenon may have been accurate nearly a decade ago, the same can almost certainly not be said about the students at university this year and last year.

(Charlie Barnett)

The Tories won’t sell the NHS (well, not all at once) James Reid Ask any Tory about the NHS and they will all tell you the same thing. They love it, they’ll probably mention its recent funding boost despite years of strangulation, and they’ll also tell you that it’s not on the table for any future post-Brexit trade deals.

That is exactly what Trade Minister Greg Hands MP told the Commons after his party had trooped through the lobbies to vote down an amendment to do just that.

To onlookers, this looks, understandably, a rather odd move. If you’re so sure that the NHS is off the table, then why vote down an amendment that would demonstrate that commitment in no uncertain terms?

The reality is that the Tories simply cannot be trusted with the NHS. For the past ten years, the NHS has limped along under the increasing strain of austerity.

swoop in exchange for access to USA markets. The likelier scenario is that parts of the NHS could be opened up to private service providers from the USA looking to make a tidy profit.

It is important to note that private service providers are already used by the NHS, to the tune of £9.2bn in 2018/19, but the fear is that any trade deal could further open up the health service to what is already a controversial topic.

However, fears about private sector encroachment are real, with public palms still stung from New Labour’s misguided PFI follies in the noughties.

Despite previous public apathy around the Tories’ handling of the NHS, the pandemic appears to have instilled a new verve in the public’s support of the septuagenarian institution.

The Tories will likely have to tread very carefully should they wish to grant American access, or take the electoral gamble that, just like the previous elections, the focus of voters is either elsewhere or not furious enough

to remove them from office.

The bottom line is that, no, the Tories aren’t going to sell off the NHS. Not all at once, anyway. But there are ultimately few reasons to trust the Tories on the issue, bar the fact that they haven’t done it already.

“

The NHS was not a priority in previous elections

”

With the initial post-Brexit period not proving to be quite the sunlit uplands that had been promised, on top of the economic impact of the pandemic, there may be an increased desire for trade deals.

The Tories simply cannot be trusted to keep the NHS off the table.

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

Profile

“As a civil servant, you don’t have to agree with all government policy” Clare Cameron on learning from past mistakes and the challenges of leadership in the pandemic

Isabella Green Profile Editor Clare Cameron graduated from University College Durham in 2002, where she studied History, and applied for the Civil Service fast stream in the following year.

Two decades and twelve roles later, she holds the position of Director of Innovation for the Ministry of Defence.

During her time at Durham, Cameron held a student leadership position as the Student Union representative. In this role, she engaged in protests against increasing tuition fees and, after graduating, participated in marches against the Iraq War of 2003. Cameron decided to apply for the Civil Service fast stream soon afterwards, admitting that she had an “altruistic view of wanting to make a difference to people’s lives”.

“If you don’t know yourself, you can’t lead other people”

Cameron was successful in her application and started working in the Ministry of Defence in the June of that year. She explains, “as a civil servant, you don’t have to agree with all government policy – even in the department in which you end up working.

You just need to make sure that

(Clare Cameron) any disagreement that you might have doesn’t get in the way of the work you’re doing.” Her current role as Director of Innovation centres around culture change.

“There is a massive bureaucracy that needs to change and that’s the challenge that I have at the moment.”

As someone with ostensibly strong personal values, Cameron has occasionally struggled to unite these with the demands of her various roles. She recalls a situation when the way she was working was not in line with her values. “There was a time when the ‘small-p’ politics and hierarchy of my team was just getting ridiculous. I took proactive action and changed teams around the 2010 general election. It was all really quite tedious. My personal value is that it’s important to do what’s right – for the organisation, for the government, and not necessarily for individual careers. It was all the career politics that was playing out in front of me that I really disliked.”

Aptly, Cameron cites selfawareness as the most important quality of a leader, emphasising her mantra: “If you don’t know yourself, you can’t lead other people.” However, the positions which have enabled her to grow most quickly have not necessarily been leadership roles. “It’s

situations where I’ve felt most vulnerable or most challenged.

Because those are the situations when you come through and you’ve learnt about yourself and you are stronger as a result. As long as you’ve got the reflection time and the reflection habit that goes with it, you’re going to make the most of that and it will translate into having an impact on how you are as a leader.”

Following her time on the fast stream, Cameron deployed herself to Afghanistan for six months as a Policy Advisor to the British Commander in Helmand Province, where troops were stationed. “If I was going to work in the Ministry of Defence, I wanted to get as close to the front line as I could to understand what it is I was supporting all day and see what was going on. I also recognised that it would give me credibility working with the military thereafter.”

“Did I know how tough it was going to be?” Cameron asks herself. “Probably not. And it was really quite tough. I was deployed into a small headquarters which was pretty much entirely male, all much older than me and more experienced in everything they did. It was an environment where there was nothing to do except work and the imperative to work as hard as possible was enormous. We were also losing quite a few soldiers. It was a really important time to me in the way that I see myself in my job.

Although it was tough, I definitely don’t regret it.”

“It was all the career politics that was playing out in front of me”

Expanding on the difficulties of her position in Afghanistan, Cameron adds that her main struggle was to make sure that she was viewed as an “enabler” rather than a “blocker”: “So much of this was about building the right relationships where I judged when to intervene and ask questions. We would work seven days a week, from about 7am to 11pm.”

In such a high stress environment, it was not always easy for everyone in the office to coexist. Cameron explains, “For that entire time, I was sitting next to someone who was the key person running the operations from the headquarters to all the outstations. He was definitely

one of those people that I really wanted to get along with! But it was really hard. I don’t think that he particularly thought that I had anything valuable to add. And I saw the way that he operated with others and didn’t really respect his methods. It got to the point – quite a long way through the six months – that we ended up having a stand-up row in the office in front of everybody. I can remember regretting it bitterly soon afterwards because it was unprofessional to have got to that point.”

Cameron reflects, “Why did I not manage to make that relationship work? Particularly when I knew from the beginning how important it was. I don’t think I was aware enough of the impact I was having on him. I just got more and more frustrated and that was definitely unhelpful.”

“We ended up having a stand-up row in the office”

Humility is significant when learning from these moments, Cameron points out. “It is really important to not assume that I’m right or that I know better.

Actually, in that situation in Afghanistan when I was the only person there as civil servant – representing the Ministry of Defence and reporting to ministers – it could be quite easy to be high-handed. But the right way is to be humble and ask questions in a very open way, thinking about learning rather than querying their judgement.

The other point I’d make is about humour. Even in their darkest moments, the military are able to bring humour in and it works really well.”

Another sharp learning experience for Cameron occurred when she was employed in the Cabinet Office, in 2018. The US, French, and British militaries were considering retaliation against a chemical weapons attack in Syria, although Cameron was preoccupied with more generic defence issues. “I was aware that everyone was working really hard, trying to provide advice to the Prime Minister on what we should be doing.”

Despite the challenges that Cameron has faced throughout her career, the unprecedented public health crisis of last year pushed her to adapt her leadership style in a significant way. She explains, “We’ve started

using a word that we wouldn’t normally have used: kindness.

And it sounds ridiculous because we probably should have always used it. I don’t know how unique the Ministry of Defence is for this, but there was a real necessity to consider firstly, everybody’s individual reaction to the first lockdown and how that was making everyone emotionally feel; and secondly, the personal circumstances around when they could and couldn’t work.”

“My other reflection is that it has actually been an interesting prompt for authentic leadership, because everyone has much more of an insight into people’s lives.

Just because these video cameras are on with people sitting at home. In a funny way, for people that did struggle with presenting their whole self at work, it has helped them break down the barriers.”

“I’m really noticing the lack of situational awareness,” Cameron adds. “Just what you pick up from sitting in the same room as somebody all day long. We compensate for that as best we can. I have lots more individual catch ups that I wouldn’t have probably needed to do if we’d been in the office. And there are pros to that as well because it means we’ve got a focused half an hour to chat in the diary, whereas before it might have been catching somebody while they’re in the kitchen. With absolutely no time in the office at all, it would be very hard to compensate entirely but hopefully we’ll reach a happy medium at some point.”

Aside from the global pandemic, the year 2020 was significant in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement and bringing light to racial injustice.

Cameron discusses how this, too, has changed her perspective on leadership role. “My style has adapted to be much more aware of racism as something that needs tackling. I am learning how to be an ally. That’s my aspiration: to move into that allyship space and really try and help. I’ve got a wonderfully diverse team and I want to learn from them and be an ally for them. I’m on that road but I’m not at the end.”

This article is a collaboration with the Durham Leadership Framework, which hosts weekly events with notable Durham alumni as part of its Leadership Speaker Series. Find out more at www.dur.ac.uk/leadershipframework/speakerrecordings/

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

11

Profile

Female burn victims in India: “It’s a significant problem” Project Leader Sasha Zaroubin speaks to Profile about Shakti, a Durham student-led social enterprise

Izzy Harris Profile Editor The Shakti social enterprise aims to empower female burn victims in Mumbai. Supported by Durham University’s Social Impact Fund, Sasha and cofounder Tessa travelled to India with the aim of setting up a project and established Shakti. The word Shakti means power and strength in Hindi and the group has stated that this reflects the resilience shown by the women they work with as they reshape their lives.

In his role as project leader, Sasha spoke to profile about how the Shakti enterprise works, their success, and future plans.

Sasha explained Shakti’s model, describing how they received donations of fabric originally from a factory owner in India but now from their corporate connection, babywear business JoJo Maman Bébé. They, in turn, donate this fabric to be used as part of a burn victim’s rehabilitation program in India’s only specific burns hospital in Mumbai. In the rehabilitation program, women are paid a wage to sew underwear, which is significant as often in India women are paid by garment. This way of receiving a wage ensures a more regular income for the women. This second stage of the model has the dual function of enabling women to learn the skill of sewing for employment once they have left the burns hospital.

This is important as burns victims are often ostracised in Indian society. Furthermore, this stage of the model also allows the enterprise to support schoolgirls with sanitary hygiene.

India records around seven million burn cases a year

This second function is important as across the world many girls are forced to take time off school or leave completely due to health issues connected to sanitary hygiene. On their website, Shakti quote a statistic suggesting that 23 million Indian girls drop out of school annually due to lack of menstrual hygiene management facilities, leading to the insufficient provision of education and a gender imbalance within society. The project works to limit this by giving local schoolgirls underwear for free as well as leaflets on the importance of sanitary hygiene.

I asked Sasha why they had been particularly interested in working with female burn victims in India and he stated, “you don’t need to do much research or visit

the country to realise that it’s a significant problem”. Indeed, it is widely reported on in the media and India records around seven million burn cases a year.

He went on to explain that burn victims can become particularly helpless due to lack of state support and asserted that whether a victim of burning is burnt through an accident or domestic abuse it is “a defining moment in their life”. Sasha furthered that they choose to focus specifically on female victims as they were the clear majority, as well as to narrow down the focus of the social enterprise. Their approach to the issues was based on research from a trip to India.

23 milllion Indian girls drop out of school annually due to lack of menstrual hygiene management facilities

Tessa and Sasha were in contact with the burns hospital before travelling to Mumbai and when there, they consulted them about the needs of female burns victims so that Shakti could best cater to them. Sasha described how they came up with their plan for the social enterprise based on the requests and issues that were illustrated to them on their visit.

He stated, “we were lucky to have the factory owner and people in the burns hospital to direct us and go with us to the schools and it all grew from there.”

The connections to factory owners are also an important component in the project. Sasha explained how they donated fabric at the beginning of the project when it began in October 2019, following the August visit. This allowed them to have a quick start up time.

Furthermore, the factory owners are key to women’s employment following their involvement in Shakti. Sasha revealed this part of the project stating that after treatment they offer a range of opportunities to the women which include an “almost guaranteed” job in a factory. They have the opportunity to set up a cooperative in a group of three where they can work from home and for which the factory owner will donate a sewing machine.

Alternatively, they can go back to their families and Shakti will still aim to provide them with a sewing machine.

Durham university supports the enterprise and Sasha described Shakti as being “under the Durham umbrella but with significant independence”.

The University has funded the

enterprise with £5,000 through the Social Impact Fund and the Careers Centre advised them when applying for grants. Sasha explained that they had been supported by a particularly helpful member of staff who had experience working in social enterprises before.

Whether a victim of burning is burnt through an accident or domestic abuse it is a “defining moment in their life”

However, Durham University is not the only source of funding for the enterprise. Sasha explained that the group has fundraised too and that he found that the cause seemed to particularly resonate with students at the University.

He went on to divulge that his personal goal for the enterprise was to have it fully funded by corporates. Shakti already has the support of some corporations including JoJo Maman Bébé and a luxury underwear brand, but this is not yet enough to keep the project fully funded. Sasha explained that during Covid-19 it has been particularly difficult to persuade corporates to get on board and give funding to Shakti as they have been hit by the pandemic themselves.

“We were lucky to have the factory owner and people in the burns hospital to direct us and go with us to the schools and it all grew from there” This has not been the only impact of Covid-19 on the project. Sasha described how they decided to make facemasks

alongside the underwear because there has been a high infection rate in Mumbai. However, he also stated that the Indian government has been very efficient in the distribution of masks and so they will be limiting this step in the future. Sasha made clear that while Covid-19 has bought many things to a standstill, the issue of women being burned in India has not stopped: the hospital continues to admit more women and the project continues to run there.

He went on to say that the main issue caused by Covid-19 for Shakti is the distribution of the underwear as schools are not open; despite this, they are stockpiling and should eventually be able to distribute it to a larger group of schools.

Shakti is “under the Durham umbrella but with significant independence”

The underwear distribution is a particularly significant achievement of the project: since they began, the women involved have made and distributed 17,000 pairs of underwear in multipacks of five, supporting over 8,500 schoolgirls. The statistics that they have achieved in the short time since they began operating are impressive as they have been able to empower, upskill and help 100 women find employment.

Although Shakti in its current form has already been successful in empowering and helping people, Sasha still has big plans for improvement in the future. He wants to see the enterprise fully funded by corporates so that the key job of the team working on the project is to communicate between the parties involved, allowing it to run smoothly.

He wants to expand the work across India as burning and ostracisation of burn victims is a national problem. Although the hospital that they work with in Mumbai is the only specific burns hospital in the country, he would like to expand in order to empower women in hospitals in other major cities.

Shakti is run by a team of six students who are responsible for the enterprise’s financing, advertising, social media, and communications. At the end of the academic year, Sasha will be graduating his degree and starting a job in July; his final goal is to ensure that he is able to recruit a team to keep the project running and improving into the future.

Speaking to Sasha it was clear that he is incredibly passionate about this social enterprise – and it was easy to see why. Shakti has an efficient model that works to utilise waste fabric sustainably, provide employability skills to women who have been ostracised from their societies and often their families, offers them future employment, and helps to improve sanitary hygiene for schoolgirls.

Shakti women have made 17,000 pairs of underwear distributed in multipacks of five, supporting over 8,500 schoolgirls

If you are interested in finding out more about Shakti you can visit their website at https:// www.shakti.org.uk/ or their Facebook page. Sasha also stated that Durham students should look out for their recruitment of new team members in the summer term if they are interested in getting involved in the enterprise.

12

Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

Science and Technology

The secrets of stress: can it have a physiological impact?

Eve Kirman From time to time, everyone feels the natural response of stress. The human body commonly induces a stress reaction in situations of pressure, for example, when running for a bus or tripping over.

Stress is unique to everyone and, as individuals, we all experience different triggers and varying magnitudes of it.

Personally, I feel most stressed when faced with the prospect of public speaking – or worse, Zoom breakout rooms. My twin, however, feels her stress peak when thinking about her degree workload.

This type of stress is known as acute stress, classified by the cameo role it plays in our daily lives. It is acute stress that is beneficial, motivating us to reach summative deadlines and to study for important exams. It will probably come as no surprise that university students are one of the most stressed demographic groups in the UK. Following a National Union of Students (NUS) survey in 2015, it was revealed that stress affects 87% of the UK student population.

However, not all stress is advantageous. Stress that lasts indefinitely, known as chronic stress, can be mentally and physically detrimental, causing the body to stay alert in response to no perceivable danger. Over time, an individual can grow numb to chronic stress and thus fail to recognise the weight of their problem – to great consequence.

So, why is it so critical to seek help for chronic stress?

In the wake of 2020, NUS claims that “over half of students’ mental health is worse than before” – signifying an unwelcome rise

(Amber Conway)

in students with chronic stress.

While these figures are daunting in regard to mental wellbeing, regrettably they pose a threat to physical health, also. This is due to the physiological side effects chronic stress places on the body.

When confronted with danger, the body will induce a ‘fightor-flight’ response, triggered almost instantly. First, the threat situation witnessed is construed into a signal which is passed to the hypothalamus, known to be the control centre of the brain.

Upon stimulation, the hypothalamus can then command the sympathetic nervous system – a region of the autonomic

nervous system that influences involuntary responses. Adrenal glands are then stimulated to release adrenaline; resulting in increased heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen intake.

Adrenaline further causes pupil dilation, redistribution of blood and changes to metabolism. All of these actions work to hone the senses and maximise energy in preparation to face the perceived danger. But what happens if there is no perceived danger?

After a stress response is triggered it tends to wane when the danger situation has subsided.

However, with chronic stress the brain will continue to perceive a

Recovery (Jasmine Cash) situation as threatening even if it isn’t. Thus, the body will remain in its alerted state as previously induced by the ‘fight-or-flight’ response.

Remaining on high alert for extended periods of time can lead to significant strain on the body.

A consistent increase in heart rate and high concentrations of adrenaline in the blood can lead to high blood pressure and inflamed blood vessels. This leaves an individual with greater susceptibility to strokes and heart attacks. Additionally, through metabolic changes brought about by the stress response, such as limiting digestion, individuals

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may find they have changes to eating habits, regular stomach pains or constipation.

Arguably, chronic stress has the most deleterious effects on the immune system. Regardless of the immunological threat associated with a pandemic-causing virus, the immune system is with little doubt one of the most important organ systems in the body. By protecting the body from harminducing substances and disease, the immune system consequently protects and maintains function of all other organ systems.

In the 1980s, researchers at Ohio State University College of Medicine found that medical students’ immunity decreased significantly when they were subjected to three days of exams.

With only a few days of stress causing the immune system to decline, what could chronic stress do to the immune system?

In short, the impact of chronic stress on the immune system is devastating. Scientists at the American Psychological Association concur, declaring that “chronic stress, through too much wear and tear, can ravage the immune system.”

Stress impairs the immune system, causing a decline in the production of lymphocytes which are responsible for immunity and recognition of disease.

What’s more, stress causes the degradation of inflammatory immune responses leading to autoimmune disorders.

From these physiological impacts, it is clear that biological and mental health have an intrinsic link. By blurring the lines between mental and physical health, chronic stress highlights just how critical it is to seek recovery.

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PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

13

SciTech

Recycling batteries unlock a billion-dollar industry

Zak Milner From their use in electric vehicles, to powering your mobile phones, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised 21st century technology. However, the main recycling process of lithium-ion batteries expends copious amounts of energy, whilst only recovering 30 to 40% of the metals.

The process can recover at least 96% of the battery metal Now, a new, sustainable technology has been developed that allows the recycling of precious metals from used lithium-ion batteries at room temperature, helping to counterract the environmental impacts of this technology.

The process has been developed by scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory, who report metal recovery rates of at least 96%.

So, how does the technology

work? Through melting their components in a process known as smelting, the individual metals can be separated and regenerated. The new, Idahofounded technology uses electricity to perform a metal extraction process known as hydrometallurgy. This entails moving the metal components, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, from broken down lithium-ion batteries into a surrounding solution.

The resulting solution can then be processed to produce pure forms of each metal, whilst the electricity used to power these chemical reactions can be generated sustainably from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

Researchers report that this new technology can be operated at 80% lower cost than current technologies, as the reaction can be carried out at room temperature.

The global lithium-ion battery market is predicted to be worth around $83 billion by 2027, due to the batteries’ use in green energy technologies required to

combat climate change.

The rapidly increasing demand for their raw materials is now unable to be sustained through mining alone.

Lithium-ion battery recycling is set to be an $18 billion market by 2030

Battery recycling company Li-Cycle predicts that 15 million tonnes of lithium-ion batteries are to be discarded by 2030, a waste growth increase of 2000%, causing catastrophic environmental impacts should they be sent to landfill.

This new, cost-competitive recycling technology allows the contribution of raw materials to lithium-ion battery supply chains in an environmentally friendly manner, whilst minimising battery waste sent to landfill.

China is currently the global leader in lithium-ion battery recycling, processing around 40% of the 180,000 tonnes of batteries available in 2019, followed by South Korea, who processed 10%.

International businesses

Green power (Massmatt via Flickr)

investing in research and development, and large-scale recycling facilities include Neometals, Green Li-ion and American Manganese. Recycling targets are to be announced to encourage the use of recycled metals in lithium-ion batteries in Europe, particularly in the electric vehicle market.

The European Commission has proposed that all electric vehicle companies must declare the recycled cobalt, lead, nickel and

lithium content of their lithiumion batteries from 2027. Further to this, from 2030, electric vehicle makers will have to meet a minimum recycled content threshold which will steadily increase over time.

Through the recycling of battery metals, European countries aim to produce their own supply of raw materials, have less reliance on imports and, therefore, be able to compete in this emerging market.

SciTech recommends: science fiction films

Stanley Lowres If, dear reader, you have an interest in science (which I assume you do, as you’re reading the Palatinate SciTech section), then you may also enjoy science fiction films.

While cinemas remain mostly closed, streaming services remain open, so let me take you on a tour of SciTech’s Official (read: very unofficial) recommendations for sci-fi movies currently circulating the internet, as well as some hotly anticipated films expected to be released later this year.

A cursory glance of Netflix’s sci-fi section reveals not one but actually multiple sci-fi films available for you to watch (note: this is UK Netflix, and if you’re in another country, the selection may vary).

Recently added and currently featured is Dredd, a gritty action thriller starring The Boys’s Karl Urban as titular character, Judge Dredd. Dredd is a sort of turbo-cop who fights his way up a dystopian megaapartment building overrun by violent gangs. It’s pretty fun. If ultraviolent dystopia isn’t your scene, Netflix offers you two further films by Dredd writer, Alex Garland, though this time he’s in the director’s seat. Ex Machina, his debut, is a tight psychological thriller that explores the nature of artificial intelligence, with an excellent small cast, featuring the talents of Star Wars’ Oscar Isaac

(Thomas Berg)

and Domnhall Gleeson.

Garland’s second feature is 2018’s Annihilation. Based on the novel by Jeff Vandermeer, the film sees an all female group of scientists (led by a different Star Wars’ Natalie Portman) entering a strange ‘zone’ that has appeared on earth and seems to be altering things inside it. It is very weird, but that’s a good thing.

On the subject of weird – maybe confusing – Christopher Nolan’s hit thriller Inception is present on Netflix, too. Centering around a group of criminals who are able to enter people’s dreams to steal (or plant) information, it offers excellent visuals, great tension and a very interesting plot if you can wrap your head around it.

If sci-fi that is much more ‘sci’ than ‘fi’ is more up your street, 2015’s The Martian, starring Matt Damon as a scientist who ends up stranded on Mars after a freak accident, is fun and engaging, and generally a bit less intense than the previous films I have mentioned. Worth a watch for some much more grounded (though grounded on the wrong planet) sci-fi.

Another ‘close to home’ sci-fi with a world that does not seem too distant from ours, Sorry to Bother You is a 2018 film that appears almost more like an extended episode of Black Mirror.

Following a call centre worker who ends up selling things a bit less mundane than insurance

or encyclopaedias, the film is an interesting commentary on race, class, and the possible extents of modern capitalism.

Last on Netflix is anime feature film The End of Evangelion which follows on from the famous anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Obviously this film requires you to watch about 16 episodes of a show beforehand, which might be a bit of a barrier to some, but it remains one of the most iconic and thought-provoking anime films in the sci-fi genre.

Amazon Prime’s selection includes legendary cyberpunk action thriller, 1999’s The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker who finds that his world is not quite what it seems. Expect

physics-defying fight scenes and visuals that have surprisingly aged very well. Going even further back to some classic sci-fi, Prime also features 1984 Arnie-classic, The Terminator, about a cyborg sent back in time to kill the mother of the leader of humanity – before he is even born. Expect iconic Schwarzenegger lines.

Prime also features Guillermo Del Toro’s excellent Pacific Rim, a film where people piloting giant robots fight giant monsters. It has got some really great visuals, and it is better than you might think.

As for upcoming releases, the one I am probably most excited for is Denis Villenueve’s Dune.

An adaptation of the classic epic novel from the master behind Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, its release has been delayed a few times but we can probably expect to see it later on this year. Another with potential is After Yang, produced by newlyprominent studio, A24. It seems to be about a father and daughter, and their robotic babysitter, the titular Yang.

There has not been too much information about this one released yet, so keep an ear out for more details later in the year.

Godzilla vs Kong has taken the internet by storm, in a way that only a film about a giant dinosaur fighting a giant monkey could do.

I’m certainly excited. All three of these films are expected to release this year, but with so many delays in the world of film, it could be anyone’s guess.

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

SciTech

Has AI solved a 50-year-old biological problem?

Cameron McAllister Last November it was announced that an artificial intelligence (AI) network developed by DeepMind, AlphaFold 2, had achieved astounding results in an international protein structure prediction competition. The result sent ripples of excitement through the scientific community.

It provided tantalising evidence that one of the grand challenges in biology had been solved “decades before many people in the field would have predicted”, according to Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate in chemistry.

The result sent ripples of excitement through the scientific community

Proteins are essential to all life and are required for almost every biological function, from catalysing the metabolic reactions that give us energy to contracting muscles. Membrane proteins alone are the target for over half of all pharmaceutical drugs.

These molecules are biological polymers made of long chains of amino acids, with their sequence

and interactions determining the shape of the protein. This idea, that a protein’s structure should be fully described by its amino acid sequence, was proposed by Christian Anfinsen in his 1972 Nobel Prize speech, sparking 50 years of headaches for computational biologists.

Membrane proteins alone are the target for over half of all pharmaceutical drugs A protein’s structure is hugely important to its function. For example, antibodies, particularly the antigen-binding site, rely on a particular protein structure to bind to a specific area on an antigen to tag it for attack from other parts of the immune system. So, what’s the problem?

Well, due to the flexibility of the bonds joining the amino acids in the protein chain there is an incredibly large number of possible structures, which makes predicting the right one extremely difficult.

Yet the results released at CASP14 (Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction), a biennial competition between over 100 international research

groups, do indicate that the problem has been solved. CASP entails a competition between several teams, attempting to predict protein structures from only their amino acid sequences. These predicted structures are then compared to the experimentally determined structures. Importantly, the test is conducted double-blind; neither the competitors nor the organisers know the structures of the proteins when predictions are made. The main metric used at CASP is the Global Distance Unit (GDU) with a score of 90 informally considered on par with experimental techniques.

Alpha Fold 2 achieved a score of 92.4 GDU overall and 87.0 in the extremely challenging free-modelling category: this is ground-breaking.

The main metric used is the Global Distance Unit (GDU)

There are two main ways the DeepMind team achieved such remarkable results. First, they were informed by recent ideas from academic research. One of these involved utilising a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) to

predict close contacts between amino acids at various positions in the protein’s sequence by discovering evolutionary couplings. The idea is simpler than it initially sounds and boils down to this: if two amino acids are in close physical contact then mutations in one will be followed by mutations in the other to preserve structure.

Overall, while the success of AlphaFold 2 tells us little about the actual process of protein folding, its astounding powers of prediction are truly a massive step forward for science. The protein folding problem has been solved and with it many other problems facing humanity, from drug discovery to waste processing, move closer to a solution.

AlphaFold 2 contained an end-to-end deep learning architecture that was fed an MSA as input before directly outputting a structure. The other key advantage for the AlphaFold team is simply the fact that it is an extremely well-resourced industrial lab. However, their success does still raise questions about the efficiency of academic research and even more damning questions for the pharmaceutical industry, for whom the question of protein folding is of the upmost importance, given a small team could outperform them both in just a couple of years.

We can only hope DeepMind make AlphaFold 2 publicly available in some form to ensure that this astounding development changes the world for the better in all the ways it has the potential to create their own.

Mutations in one amino acid will be followed by mutations in the other, to preserve structure

Its astounding powers of prediction are truly a massive step forward

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Send your thoughts to scitech@palatinate.org.uk

Smart study suggestions from cognitive psychology Eleanor McIntyre The word ‘study’ will probably make most of you break out into a sweat, and I don’t blame you – it can be overwhelming. Studying is time consuming, and requires patience and motivation, of which many students will be lacking at the moment.

But what is the most effective way to study? Perhaps looking to cognitive psychology can give us the answers, namely the learning and retrieval processes that are the underlying mechanisms of studying.

Perhaps looking into cognitive psychology can give us the answers

Ebbinghaus’s ‘Total Time Hypothesis’ established that the more time you spend learning (in this case, revising), the better you will perform during recall (in this case, an exam). This makes sense but is a very arbitrary explanation. You need to use the time wisely!

Below I will give five general tips (all backed by psychology of course) to use study time effectively: Tip one: Get in the right headspace

Make sure, when you sit down to study, your brain is ready to take in information. Make sure to stay away from distractions (turn off your phone and music).

Stay well rested and take short breaks. All very hard, I know, but necessary to process information better.

Exercising before starting work can also help the absorption of information due to the amazing mixture of hormones and neurotransmitters released (all the nice ones like serotonin and dopamine) along with a release of BDNF which is involved in the formation of new brain cells.

Tip two: Testing your knowledge By far the superior method of studying is to test yourself.

Repeated testing has been proven by multiple studies to lead to better recall from long term memory. Not only can you learn facts by using multiple choice questions or flashcards, but also gain necessary practice in essay writing.

Exercising before starting work can help the absorption of information In addition to this, getting feedback matters, whether this is

from self, peer or staff marking.

A lack of feedback can lead to the same mistakes being made again later on.

Getting feedback matters

Tip three: Space it out!

Don’t cram it all in at the last minute! The ‘Spacing Effect’ suggests that leaving gaps between learning/studying will make you remember information better and for longer. Even better, using a technique where you alternate between learning and self-testing, while increasing the gap between the two, will allow for better retention for longer.

Tip four: Teach and make You learn and retain information better from things you have generated yourself. For example, making tests/quizzes, mnemonics, or mind-maps can help you take in the information you need to.

Teaching another means you learn information with the intention to pass it on. This ensures you have retained information completely and it is fully understood, rather than passively learnt.

Tip five: Interleaving Interleaved practice refers to using a variation of approaches

(Lance Goyke via Flickr)

and studying a variation of topics at once.

It is much easier to experience burnout if you stick to one topic for a long time so mix it up! Ensure you cover all bases, alternating between and integrating topics until you have a full bank of working knowledge.

Interleaved practice refers to using a variation of

approaches

Hopefully, there is something there that is useful, or has inspired you to pick up the books and get stuck in. Find something that works for you – everyone is different and making exam time as stress-free as possible is the most important thing.

Good luck and happy studying!

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

15

Politics

Another ‘fine’ response from the government Olivia Bothamley-Dakin Following

Priti Patel’s announcement six days ago regarding the government and police forces increasing fines, Twitter exploded, stoked with satirical comments.

The Home Secretary’s statement that fines were increasing to £800 for parties of 15 and m o r e led to t h e

pugnacious Piers Morgan, the government’s chief antagonist, tweeting “Does this mean house parties for 14 people are fine.”

Jokes aside, the issue of fines and punitive measures for those breaching Covid-19 regulations have led to polarising debates amongst the home office, police officers and the public surrounding their effectiveness.

As of 8th January, more than 30,000 fines have been issued for Covid-19 breaches As of 8th of January, more than 30,000 fines have been issued for Covid-19 breaches.

Whilst nationally crime has dissipated, police forces remain diligent and primed to dispense punishment to rule-breakers.

Yet the sharp rise in fines handed out in the November lockdown

(Policy Exchange, Creative Commons)

forebodes that fines will become an ineffective deterrent to the sorely missed house party during the increased disquiet over Covid-19 in this third lockdown.

U-Turns, a third lockdown, and a sense that nothing has got better in a year has meant a loss of community spirit prevalent in Lockdown no. 1. The old adages of “it will be over by Christmas” and “our country needs you” have been lost as we struggle to find the light at the end of a tunnel on a cold, January day in Durham.

Trust in government is at an all-time low; yet trust is the government’s most effective policing measure. Professor Anne John, chair of the TAC behavioural insights group and who sits on the UK government scientific pandemic influenza group admitted that “there’s not a lot of evidence that enforcement works”.

So why are fines ineffective?

For one, we simply do not like being told what to do.

Enforced compliance results in antagonism. Government’s best

strategy to increase compliance lies in their power of persuasion.

Wielding that power would result in getting people to do the right thing, because they wanted to.

Yet, a pathway to rebuilding the public’s confidence in their actions is the first step in effectively deterring gatherings.

Fines also only target a range of behaviours. Whilst observable protest to Covid-19 like a teenage house party can be enforced, a refusal to wash hands cannot.

Individual disobedience cannot be policed or prevented by fines.

The steep increase of fines from £200 to £800 also raises fears. Harsher strategies can backfire. If deemed unfair and unreasonable this will result in lower levels of compliance. When tax is increased, for instance, the overall amount paid is decreased.

Patel cannot keep adding money to each fine before they lose their significance. The fines are in close danger of becoming another empty threat from the government.

Alternatives to punitive

passed through Parliament.

Starmer has come under criticism for a ‘policy of abstention’, instructing his MPs to abstain from voting on new health restrictions in several cases. This came despite, each time, there being significant criticism against the Government’s proposals.

This supports the argument that Labour has been led rather than lead opposition against the Government. As Gary Neville told Sky News at the time, “When you’re elected and you’re sat in that seat at Westminster, you take a position – you don’t abstain.”

This considered, there are times where Labour have not only looked like they cannot hold the Government to account without wider public support, but also like they have not wanted to.

But the power of abstention is more powerful than most give credit for. Starmer, through whipping his MPs to abstain, can voice disapproval against Government measures without openly opposing necessary extensions to health restrictions.

Whether right or wrong, Labour would have received significant backlash for voting against important health measures; one can only imagine the field day Conservatives would be having, writing merrily about Labour

voting against people’s health.

By abstaining, Labour can keep the spotlight on the Government, instead of risk accountability being lost in the furore over their opposition. Does this mean that the opposition has appeared like they are enabling Government incompetency? Starmer allows the Labour party to continue to hold the Government to account, by preventing the opposition’s actions becoming the issue of the day.

How Labour have kept Government accountable Matthew Lambert It has been noticeable that Keir Starmer’s more direct, detailoriented approach over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be turning the heads of voters who would have been but a pipedream for Corbyn’s Labour to ever reach.

The radicalism of his predecessor, which contributed its fair share towards the Conservatives 80-seat majority in the 2019 General Election, has left the current opposition leader in an admittedly difficult position regarding his ability to hold the Government to account.

To this extent, alongside the high level of public discontent, the opposition’s success in keeping the Government accountable has been reasonable, if somewhat muted.

Starmer has come under critcism for a ‘policy of abstention’ The best example of successful opposition accountability lies in the Conservatives’ abstention on the 18th January against Labour’s opposition day motion victories regarding free school meals and universal credit. Whilst not

legally binding, given the majority Boris Johnson holds, the publicity this creates undoubtedly keeps the Government accountable, and its actions in full view, with the votes being heavily covered across national news networks.

Given the deficit Labour has in terms of seats in Parliament, such actions can be used to argue that Labour have had a relatively successful time of holding the Government responsible.

“When you’re elected and you’re sat in that seat at Westminster, you take a position – you don’t abstain”

Yet the claim that Labour have successfully opposed the Government is not without criticism. There is scope to question whether Labour has led or been led in holding the Government to account.

The U-turn on exam grading can be largely attributed to the activism of students whilst the Government’s backtrack on free school meals was mostly down to the influence of footballer, Marcus Rashford. Without wider public support it seems difficult to see how Labour could have done anything other than watch whilst Government policy was

Does this mean that the opposition has appeared like they are enabling Government incompetency?

The heavy defeat in the last election meant that Labour would always fall short for many people in holding the Government accountable for this pandemic.

Undoubtedly, the Government would not have been held to account as frequently without external pressure from the public and media. Yet by abstaining in key Covid-related votes, and pressing issues when urgent, the opposition can, on balance, be considered to have performed successfully.

measures are by no means less effective. Hancock’s contentious policy of giving a one-off £500 payment to force people to selfisolate could be the government’s realisation that supportive measures are the answer. This policy directly solves the problem of people not isolating due to finances. These measures nip the breaking of rules in the bud rather than merely catching up with rule-breakers.

Therefore, carefulness and consideration surrounding punitive measures is much needed. The Home Office must think twice before using police enforcement as their main strategy to combat Covid-19.

For the majority, enforced measures will decrease trust in the government, which is the last thing the country needs.

Government energies are better spent in educating the public about why compliance is necessary, therefore persuading us to think twice about attending that desperately longed for house party.

From the Editors

Sophie Farmer Politics Editor

We see accountability and backfire characterise many of the world’s events this week. Farmers’ protests in India, a coup in Myanmar and outcry in Russia as the people are in a state of political disarray. Across the pond, the presidential candidates continue in alternating directions and trajectories – Biden turning the clocks back, Trump looking forward to his impending impeachment trial. Convictions continue to be a strong theme in recent affairs, as Navalny is imprisoned for three-anda-half years for a fraction of accusations that Trump holds.

Rounding up recent advances in the UK Government we saw Cabinet come under fire for policies on Covid-19 fines and distanced learning – while the parliamentary opposition has been criticised for a ‘policy of abstention.’ Be it acting or abstaining, the world of politics spares few.

GOT AN IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE?

Send your thoughts to politics@palatinate.org.uk

Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

16

Politics

Education under Covid-19

Swapping libraries for bedrooms Honor Douglas The year 2020/21, an academic year like no other…except if you are talking about the year before.

University from home is not what students sign up to when applying to Durham, and the length of time that this atrocity has gone on for is disgraceful.

The Government simply does not seem to care about the amount of money we are wasting, both on online tuition and unused accommodation.

Durham should also be doing more if they want to justify us continuing to pay £9,250 for this year’s tuition. The Open University professors are online teaching specialists, trained to teach students through the screen. Their courses cost a third of the price of Durham’s online tuition (£3,096). Durham professors seem to be trying, but it is challenging to get students to engage through a screen.

In tutorials, barely anyone has their cameras or microphones on, and I do not blame them.

Being in the first year, we have not met anyone who studies with us, making the thought of contributing an idea a terrifying feat. Surely there should be more on offer to justify the price of tuition staying in place – for example, more tutorials per week, or smaller tutorial groups.

A transcript of each lecture and a PowerPoint presentation to engage students should be a must.

Zoning out when looking at a screen for so long each day is inevitable, and there should be action in place to rectify this.

Students are expected to be as motivated as usual, despite the challenges of doing University from home. When the days feel repetitive, and peers are quiet in tutorials, there is less desire to throw oneself into academics.

The fact that students’ mentalhealthhassufferedis completely understandable

The fact that students’ mental health has suffered is completely understandable, due to increased screen time, more time to think than ever before and fewer opportunities to let off steam.

It would be great if the impact of completing University from home was spoken of more frequently and to a broader

How to solve the problem of schools

audience, in order to help students feel less alone.

I am supposed to be living in college this year, so, fortunately, there has been a scheme in place to refund me for the cost of my unused catered room. I am lucky to have my own space and working WIFI, enabling me to complete my degree at home, but for some students returning to college is a must.

For the majority of students, the first year of University is their first time living away from home, and at such a young age, this can be a daunting experience.

Anna Noble

University is supposed to be a time to grow

University is supposed to be a time to grow, try new things, and make mistakes. However, with punishments and threats frequently issued by colleges, making mistakes now puts students’ university careers at risk. This can be really damaging to students’ wellbeing.

The lengthy emails from the University outlining the rules in such great detail is quite intimidating. Palatinate’s short articles are much more simply understood and hopefully lead to fewer people getting in trouble.

Students need to be back in University as soon as possible For

students

in

private

(Lilith Foster-Collins)

accommodation, their future at the University is not put at risk quite so often. Still, the number of students having to pay for unused rooms is ridiculous: they should be refunded in the same way that those living in college are.

University from home has been challenging. Usually, the motto ’work hard play hard’ aligns with a university student’s lifestyle, but this year that has not been the case. For the sake of academic work and wellbeing, students need to be back in University as soon as possible, to live life and move on.

(David Mulder, Creative Commons)

Exams are not the only thing that has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic education as a whole is at risk.

In England (and many of the devolved nations), students will have completed, at most, a term of in- person education.

Even when pupils were back at school in the Autumn term, a considerable portion of students will have had to take time off to self-isolate. The reality is that students may lose a year of education.

Studies have shown that many pupils are not keeping up with online education. For some students this is due to a lack of resources, support or a space to work. Ofcom estimate that between 1.11.8 million children in the UK (9 per cent) do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet.

Whilst there have been some efforts by the Government and companies to provide devices and internet options to help facilitate online education, there is a general consensus that these have not significantly addressed the issues. The Government has fallen short of providing concrete policies to mitigate this.

The Government has two major issues: how to safely re-open schools and how to compensate for lost education.

Schools need to open as soon as possible. Children are falling further behind every day; some are at risk of not receiving the basic standard of education.

One solution proposed by teaching unions and backed by Labour is for the Government to prioritise the vaccinations of teachers to greatly prevent transmissions. The Government have rejected this strategy, arguing that re-allocating vaccines will extend lockdown.

The reality is that students mayloseayearofeducation

Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that schools must be a priority: our country cannot afford to leave a generation behind in terms of education.

Delaying a return to schools is more likely to disadvantage lower income families and increase the economic divide in

pupil attainment. Whilst there is no perfect solution, vaccinating teachers in order to achieve a quicker return to the classroom should not be dismissed.

Re-opening schools is only half the problem. The Government and education chiefs must find a way to mitigate the disruption of the pandemic to education.

One suggestion has been allowing students that have fallen significantly behind to repeat the year. Statistically speaking, the pupils who have fallen furthest behind are those coming from ‘disadvantaged’ or low-income backgrounds; these are the students most likely to need to repeat the year. This could be damaging to students as many are likely to feel they are being punished for circumstances out of their control.

This could also, in the short term, impact the number of ‘disadvantaged’ students applying for higher education.

Holding pupils back is also likely to increase class sizes. Such a strategy would also require a significant amount of funding.

Summer school is a potentially better solution. Children would not be held back from their peers, the impact on higher education may be lessened and class sizes would be less affected. It would also provide childcare for working parents who have struggled over the pandemic. However, the psychological impact of forcing selected children to attend school during the summer holidays could be significant. There is also the question of whether you can fit a year’s worth of work into six weeks. This solution would also be costly.

A final suggestion is that the Government provides tutoring for pupils who have fallen behind due to the pandemic.

Whilst this is potentially the best solution, it is also practically unachievable. Millions of children will have fallen behind due to the pandemic. Are there enough tutors to accommodate this? This would be extremely costly.

Therefore, perhaps the best solution is a combination of all three. Funding for schools to run summer schools to catch pupils up, additional funds for the students who still need it to receive tutoring, and finally as a last resort the opportunity for some pupils to repeat the year.

The Government must choose to invest in a generation, or they are going to risk losing one.

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

17

What is on Biden’s ‘to-do’ list?

Jonas Balkus The days that have followed Joe Biden’s inauguration have seen a considerable shift in the tone of American governance. A recordbreaking flurry of executive orders, an ambitious stimulus bill and a marked shift in foreign policy have all indicated that this administration will be very different from its predecessor.

So let’s have a look at these early actions of Joe Biden, and see what they can tell us to expect for the next four years.

In foreign policy, Biden has attempted to repair the USA’s position as an international leader.

He scrambled to repair relations with NATO allies by returning to

agreements that were abandoned under Trump’s isolationist administration. Trump’s cuts to aid are expected to be reversed, along with a review of USA Middle East policy. Relations with Russia have cooled; in a phone call with Putin this week, Biden condemned the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and warned against Russian aggression in Ukraine. New START, a nuclear disarmament deal, was also renewed.

All this appears to be a return to Obama-era policies, but there are key differences. Firstly, it is unlikely that the USA’s tough stance on China will be changing; international opinion of China has decreased dramatically over the past few years due to aggression

(Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Flickr)

and human rights abuses in Xinjiang, something Biden has personally condemned.

However, Biden has stressed a multilateral approach to countering China, emphasising his commitment to the restoration of the USA as an international leader. This is another sharp contrast to Trump, whose unilateral trade wars with China were indicative of his isolationist approach.

All this appears to be a return to Obama-era policies

Biden’s foreign policy looks set to be tougher on authoritarians than Trump was. But just how tough will these stances be?

Biden, after all, was Obama’s Vice President, who was criticised for his failures to check Russia and Assad. Biden has also said he favours ‘competition’ over ‘confrontation’ with China, and looks set to be more diplomatic with Iran than Trump. Just how Biden will act when push comes to shove remains to be seen. But, one thing is for certain: the USA will be back in full force on the international stage.

On the domestic front, Biden is focused on addressing the new

Politics

issues of the age: coronavirus, climate and tech corporations.

The former two are set to be addressed by extensive plans: a $1.9 trillion relief package for coronavirus, and a climate plan dubbed the most ambitious of any American President.

Rumours are circulating that the latter will be under more scrutiny as Biden appoints an antitrust ‘czar’ (official) with a particular focus on regulating big tech companies (in the past, Biden has even mentioned breaking up their monopolies). This, along with new cybersecurity laws, will be a clear a crackdown on fake news and foreign influence on elections.

Biden seems eager to hold together his voting coalition. His climate policy is far-reaching, but stops short of the ‘Green New Deal’ endorsed by the Democrat left-wing. He has taken steps in the direction of wide criminal justice reform, but stopped short of ‘defunding the police’. He wants to expand Obamacare to allow 97% of Americans the option to be covered by it, but has stopped short of Universal Healthcare.

After all, with a 50-50 Senate, he can only be as radical as his most conservative Democrat Senators.

This could also be part

of his attempts to prevent further polarisation and foster bipartisanship, early signs of which have been seen in negotiations over the coronavirus relief package. Currently, the Sword of Damocles hangs over the heads of congressional Republicans in the form of a staunchly pro-Trump grassroots threatening primary challenges to whoever breaks from the Trump line. As someone who advocated unity and healing in his inaugural address, and has a long history of reaching across the aisle, it will be Biden’s duty and, most likely, aim to repair relations between the two polarised parties, if possible.

This will have to involve staying a centrist course and not being dragged too far left by his party’s divisive hardliners, so Republicans can once again fear Democrat opponents more than Republican challengers in congressional races. Whether this will continue remains to be seen; however, the first days of the Biden administration seem to have shown a commitment to a more centrist, less divisive form of politics, and a rebuilding of the USA’s global reputation. Let’s hope, for the chance of a return to some sort of normality in the USA, that this continues.

misstep, combined with his criticism of other carriers’ safety records before one of his planes suffered a landing gear failure, was arguably fuelled by an egotistical desire to be the best. This contributed to a $125 million loss within 18 months and in 1992, Trump bailed from the venture.

Interestingly, Donald Trump’s political career also appears to have been thwarted by his ego. Indeed, some of his Administration’s noteworthy accomplishments (for example, the Abraham Accords) are being overlooked, because bigger headlines have stolen our attention.

Perhaps the most notable is his refusal to concede the 2020 Presidential Election. His desire to be the best seems incompatible with losing to “sleepy Joe Biden”, which resulted in allegations of fraud and a rhetoric which seemingly contributed to the insurrection against the USA Capitol. In addition to ensuring Donald Trump’s Administration becomes forever tied to a violent mob, possible impeachment could bar him from holding public office again, thus surely ending his political career. Therefore, an egotistical desire to be the best contributed to the downfall of Donald Trump’s business

ventures and political career.

A final overlap between Donald Trump’s business and political careers is the possibility of them both ending with trials and litigation. These trials might even happen within a similar timeframe, rather than decades apart. On the business side, Donald Trump is accused of tax evasion (by virtue of directing consulting fees to his daughter, Ivanka, in order to lower his taxable income), along with deliberate mis-representation of his assets’ value and bankruptcy fraud. Arguably, the likelihood of ensuing court cases is high, with some prosecutors deliberately waiting until his Presidential immunity is over.

If convicted, Trump’s business credibility would likely be severely affected, which, combined with any potential custodial or financial penalties, could end his business career.

Similarly, if his impeachment trial returns a guilty verdict, his political career would likely be over too – and if it doesn’t, can his reputation be sufficiently restored? Irrespective of what happens, the similarities between Donald Trump’s business and political careers are undeniable, thus giving rise to the ‘Trump trajectory’.

First business, then politics: ‘the Trump trajectory’ Zack Bhalla With Donald Trump’s term as the 45th President of the United States over, now seems an apt time to reflect upon his business and political careers. Indeed, his time in politics has remarkable overlaps with his business career.

The first commonality between Donald Trump’s business and political careers occurred at the start of each period. In both cases, he had a strong starting base.

As the son of a New York property mogul, Donald Trump joined the successful family business in 1968. By the early 1970s, he had become President of the company and was able to capitalise on what is now The Trump Organization’s prior success: utilising its financial, political and credibility capital to create the foundations of his bold diversification strategy. A similar comparison can be made to his political career.

After the Republican Party gained control of the Senate and maintained control of the House in 2014, they were able to impede the remaining years of the Obama Administration.

Arguably, this furthered a degree of disaffection amongst American voters, off of which

Trump was able to capitalise in the 2016 Presidential Election.

When Donald Trump took office, the Republicans still held the House and Senate, offering him a perfect start by allowing the Trump Administration to begin its legislative programme unencumbered by opponents.

However, in spite of his business and political careers starting strong, both were thwarted by the same problem later.

Evidence suggests Donald Trump’s business and political careers were undermined by his ego. Certain Trump Organization projects failed because a desire to be the best did not align with commercial sense. For example, T r u m p Shuttle started out of the remains of the Eastern Shuttle airline, w h i c h operated

flights along the East Coast of the USA. Whilst the former airline had endured financial difficulties, their aircraft were perfectly serviceable by the time it morphed into Trump Shuttle.

However, Donald Trump’s desire to operate the best planes kicked in, resulting in his airline’s 27 Boeing 727s each receiving a $1 million upgrade.

Trump’s political career also appears to have been thwarted by his ego

In doing so, a golden rule of business was broken: never overcapitalise the venture (as discussed on The Symposium Podcast).

There was no major competitive advantage d e r i v e d from these renovations on short hop aircraft, yet $27 million was invested anyway. This commercial (R Boed, Flickr)

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Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

Puzzles

Puzzle Editors Harry Jenkins and Thomas Simpson

For online versions, answers and more puzzles, head to

www.palatinate.org.uk/category/puzzles

Wordsearch

Sudoku

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Try to find at least 25, including the nine-letter word!

?

PalatiDates: “She’s pretty and drinks Thatcher’s Gold.”

Palatinate editors Luke and Cerys, both students at Castle, meet for a blind date on Zoom

Luke on Cerys

Cerys on Luke

What were your first impressions of your date?

She’s pretty and drinks Thatcher’s Gold. Excellent start!

What were your first impressions of your date?

Friendly, but quite a bit older than me.

What did you talk about?

Netflix, The Crown, Palatinate, post-degree life, post-lockdown life.

Who joined the call first? What does that say about you and them?

I joined first. But she joined only a few minutes later. My dates in-person tend to turn up waaaaay late. So I’m used to it.

If they were a Durham night out, which one would they be?

Pints at the Library chatting about all sorts until we get kicked out.

How do you think they would describe you?

Funny but maybe a bit ridiculous.

Any awkward moments?

Pleasantly unawkward for a virtual date.

Would you meet up in person (Covid-19 guidelines permitting)?

Sure! Sadly we’re on opposite sides of the country :p Marks out of 10?

8

(Emma Jespersen)

What did you talk about?

His PhD, Palatinate and The Crown.

Who joined the call first? What does that say about you and them?

He was the first to join, he seems organised.

If they were a Durham night out, which one would they be?

The Library Bar. How do you think they would describe you?

Chatty and good at listening.

Any awkward moments?

Not really!

Would you meet up in person (Covid-19 guidelines permitting)?

Probably not...

Interested in a PalatiDate? Find a sign-up form on our social media, or email the Palatidates team: palatidates@palatinate.org.uk

Marks out of 10?

6

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PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

Sport

Super Bowl LV: one to stay up for Harry Vercoe A four-hour broadcast for only 60 minutes of action during which the ball is only in play for 11 minutes may seem like a poor trade-off for many sports fans. Yet even after adding in the 50 minutes of advertisements, this year’s 55th Super Bowl is certainly worth staying up for.

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game will be played at the home ground of one of the finalists, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers host reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs on 7th February. Yet whilst Covid-19 will reduce the usual week-long media coverage to a couple of days, the excitement and buzz growing around this game is stronger than ever due to one key match-up: Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes II. GOAT versus new GOAT. Legacy vs destiny. Despite football being a team sport it is near-impossible to escape the discussion around these two quarterbacks. On one side is the 43-year-old veteran who has dominated the NFL over the past twenty years, winning six Super Bowls out of his previous nine appearances and gaining a reputation as the greatest football player to ever live. On the other, the new 25-year-old superstar that many believe to be the only player to possess the talent to potentially surpass Brady. A reigning Super Bowl champion, Mahomes, is on track to be the first quarterback to win back-toback titles since – you guessed it – Tom Brady; it is for this reason that football analyst Tony Romo claims this game is “one of the great match-ups in sports history”.

Even with talk of legends aside, the talent of these two players

makes this Super Bowl one to watch. Mahomes has built a fearsome reputation for raw arm strength combined with pinpoint accuracy. In his first season as starting QB he threw 5,000+ yards and fifty touchdowns, only the second quarterback in history to do so, and has continued to amass impressive numbers, recording career high passing and rushing statistics this season. The recipient of the largest contract in sporting history that totalled an eye-watering $503 million, he is the lynchpin of the Kansas City machine and will look to mirror his magic display at last year’s Bowl game in which he was the architect of an incredible 21-0 4th quarter comeback against the 49ers and was awarded MVP. Brady on the other hand will be wanting to prove he can add to his impressive ring collection without the New England Patriots. The Buccaneers have the worst winning percentage in NFL history and went 7-9 last season, yet under Brady they have reached a Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. Only one other quarterback has won the Super Bowl with two different teams, and the future Hall of Famer will be hoping to join Peyton Manning and thus etch his name further into NFL history.

Brady has thrown for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns this season, achieving incredible numbers at a remarkable age.

“One of the great match-ups in sport history”

But football is a team sport, and even without focusing on these two titans of football there is a multitude of talent amongst the two teams. As well as possessing

The Super Bowl will be played at the Raymond James Stadium (Robert du Bois)

the best QB in football, the Chiefs also possess the best tight end in Travis Kelce and best widereceiver and self-proclaimed fastest player in football, Tyreek Hill. Under head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have built an attack filled with a multitude of weapons to overcome any defence. This season’s 14-2 record is the best in their history, and they are playing at such a fast, dominating calibre that Colin Cowherd stated that this could be the first NFL team that has the talent to play like an NBA dynasty.

It is easy to only look as far as the arrival of Brady and his New England teammate Rob Gronkowski to account for Tampa Bay’s success this season, yet strong recruitment and an important change in mentality have been just as important. Head coach Bruce Arians stressed “breaking that

losing culture” as a significant factor for this season’s fortunes, and it has clearly given them a new sense of determination and drive. They will go into the Bowl game on a fantastic run of form having become only the fourth team in history to win three consecutive away days against division winners in the postseason. Players such as Mike Evans, who scored a career-high 13 touchdowns this season, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette have the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Chiefs offense, whilst strong draft picks have bolstered a sturdy defence.

The previous meeting between these two in November last year provides further evidence as to why this game is so exciting. The 27-24 Chiefs win saw a 75-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Hill, as well as a 14-0 fourth

quarter from Tampa Bay that nearly spelled an impressive comeback, and fans will be hoping for a game of similar standards come Sunday.

And it wouldn’t be a Super Bowl without a blockbuster half-time show, with The Weeknd being this year’s special guest. If a football game of the highest quality is not enough to tempt you to stay up, then news that the Canadian singer has contributed seven million dollars to the organiser’s fund to make this “halftime show be what he envisioned” surely will be.

According to Tony Romo, Mahomes will be never be able to catch Brady if he loses the “biggest game [he] will ever play”.

Therefore, this Sunday all eyes will be on the two most talented QBs in football in a showdown that has more than just a trophy on the line.

countries such as England which has seen 45% of women drop activity levels since 23rd March.

popularity over the last few years due to France’s World Cup and the likes of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, will no longer be able to inspire women from all across the world to challenge gender norms and start kicking a ball.

Whilst writing this article I have realised that there is no right answer to whether this summer’s Games should take place. As an avid supporter of the Olympics, who caught the bug back as an 11-year-old inspired

by Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah in 2012, I never thought that I would question the presence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For me, the Games have always displayed images of determination, dedication and

respect but it goes without saying that Tokyo’s Games, if they go ahead, will look different from any Games that have preceded it. Tokyo 2021 will most likely be spectator-less; no cheering families or screaming fans will fill the stands and the number of participating athletes will most likely plummet due to cost.

I doubt that the ancient Greeks ever foresaw a socially distanced Olympics, so Tokyo will definitely be a depressing anomaly in the Olympics’ 2,700 years of history.

However, even in a society as bleak as Nazi Germany, the Olympics managed to radiate its core values of excellence, friendship and respect. Could Tokyo 2021 do the same?

Is it right for the Tokyo Olympics to go ahead?

Continued from back page

Although the Olympics signify the pinnacle in an athlete’s career, the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that UK unemployment is likely to reach 2.6 million by May 2021, so why are we going to prioritise the careers of athletes over the general population who are struggling to put food on the table?

That being said, hosting the Olympic and especially Paralympic Games in a virusridden world creates an ableist agenda. Any athletes with underlying health conditions, which is very common in Paralympic athletes, will lose

the opportunity to participate in the Games due to shielding and health concerns. The Paralympics have always represented the core values of equality and courage, yet 2021 has the possibility to do the complete opposite. Should the Games go ahead if they do not provide an equal playing field for athletes?

Over the past year, Instagram pictures of gold medal-winning athletes completing home workouts in their garden have inspired the nation to get moving in lockdown. If this idea of inspiring others to improve both their physical and mental health is a cornerstone of Olympic values, then maybe the Games’ presence this coming summer will have phenomenal impact on

Should the games go ahead if they do not provide an equal playing field?

If the Olympics don’t go ahead this summer, minority sports will lose their funding. Prime advertising space will disappear, sponsors will drop out, and these sports which are already fighting for visibility will once again be shrouded in the darkness. This lack of exposure will undoubtedly impact minority sports that are already struggling.

Women’s football, a sport which has skyrocketed in

20

Thursday 4th February 2021 | PALATINATE

Sport Sport

In the bleak midwinter: college sport remains sidelined that are not adequately tested in online seminar rooms where people talk clumsily over one another, with their Wi-Fi crashing mid-way through fascinating insights about corn tax in the Early Modern period.

Yet this is all we have. How thoroughly disillusioning. I for one would much rather be on the receiving end of a nasty two-foot challenge.

Matt Styles Sport Editor You take your boots out of your bag and rubber crumbs spill out onto the floor. You shouldn’t be so clumsy next time, you tell yourself, as your radiator finally gurgles into life. Only now are you beginning the feel any sort of sensation in your feet, having trudged home after a narrow loss against your college rivals in the cup.

Wind-swept and exhausted, you collapse onto your bed and check the group chat. “It wasn’t our day but we come stronger next week!”, writes the plucky centre-half who conceded the decisive penalty. “Good shift everyone, we were unlucky, see you all at training on Tuesday”, adds the skipper, who when leaving Maiden Castle you saw cramming balls, cones and sweatstained bibs into the boot of his car.

The floodlights beam down yet no one is there

Not just them, but hundreds of others who had emerged bedraggled from battle on the asphalts, courts and astroturfs. Whether they won, lost or drew – we now realise looking back – it didn’t matter, for it was the weekend, the best time of the week, the opportunity for camaraderie and contest that made all of those late nights in the library worthwhile.

In my love letter to college sport back in October, I wrote that one day it would “return in all its glory”. While pitching the piece at a level of hope and optimism, I had no choice to leave it on a note of ambiguity, with coordinators unable to provide a roadmap for its return. Four months on, everything remains hanging in the balance.

I would be lying if I said that sport didn’t motivate me to stay in Durham for an additional

This is, ultimately, what university is all about

I feel greatly for the captains, who over the summer had been scribbling down their glorious tactical visions on magnetic whiteboards and planning for the year ahead. There will be pages, no doubt, of drills that are yet to be put into practice, and innovative formations that are yet to be tried and tested out on the pitch.

I too feel for the first years, whose integration into their college sides remains stunted.

For now, their engagement must exist broadly in the imagination, with tales told through virtual squares at poorly coordinated welcome drinks.

Finally, my sympathies are directed towards the referees – not only the students looking to pocket a bit of extra cash – but the likes of George Courtney, who enjoy officiating the rough and tumble of student matches so very much.

Mental health has plummeted in this most recent lockdown, which only draws attention to the importance of something like college sport. It is that bi-weekly opportunity for social interaction and exercise, strengthening your sense of worth by feeling part of something bigger.

This is, ultimately, what university is all about: comradeship, self-development and character-building, qualities

The only positive that can be extracted from this reality is a renewed sense of perspective and a greater appreciation of the joys of college sport.

Scraping that stubborn bit of mud from off your boots, waking up at ungodly hours and trekking down to MC in the freezing cold, or getting nasty grazes on your shin all assume a sense of romance to us now if, indeed, they didn’t already.

‘When will it end?’ cries the national consciousness inexorably. ‘When will it all go back to normal?’, children ask their parents. When, indeed, can I rant and rave at the referee for a dodgy offside call, or ask my housemate if I can once again use their frozen peas to put on my swollen ankle?

College sport is Durham’s crowning jewel, yet it is slowly losing its shine. Maiden Castle, an arena ordinarily imagined in my mind as drenched in a golden sepia – a joyous hotbed of fond memories, so fundamental to my university experience – has turned to a portentous grey.

As uncertainty looms at the start of this term as it did the last, I will end this piece in the exact same hopeful yet indeterminate fashion.

What I wrote then is as applicable now: “One fine morning college sport will return in all its glory, so just make sure that you’re there when it does.”

labs that I have for that period. I then try to watch the lectures in between practice and playing the games as soon as I can.”

Looking forward to the year ahead, Devon admits she is hoping to build on her impressive performance in the World Indoor Championships, even if much of the season and her ability to practise is still hangs in the balance.

“I haven’t been able to practice properly since March as all the clubs have been shut. I am hoping that for the outdoor season

that starts in May we will be able to play competitively and the International series in the summer will be able to go ahead.

I finish our interview, and my personal education on the sport of bowls, by asking her about the biggest assumptions about her sport. Bowls undoubtedly has a certain stereotype amongst the younger audience, but Devon is quick to reject this and keen to see plenty more young players entering the game she loves.

“Most of the best players today are all young and the sport is

becoming more modern with the use of coloured bowls and a change from the traditional uniform – I would always be happy to help anyone out wanting to try out the sport or get into it!”

For now, Cooper’s lessons will have to wait until the clubs are back fully open. But if she is reaching the semi-finals at a World Championship without proper practice for almost a year and a degree to manage alongside, then the future most certainly looks bright for this young player.

College sport has been indefinitely posponed due to the ongoing restrictions surrounding Covid-19 (Team Durham)

year. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Instead, like everyone else in college accommodation, I find myself cooped up in my room, as days come and go like the passing of trains, each feeling the same as the last.

Meanwhile the pitches, no doubt grateful for less chunks of grass being unceremoniously scuffed out of them, remain unused. Referees remain unirked by captains scrambling for that final 20p piece at the bottom of their drawstring bag.

Each night blankets of frost form on the astro-turf, undisrupted by crowds flocking down with gallons of cider that tastes disquietingly like raw onion. The floodlights beam down, yet no one is there.

This isn’t what anyone signed up for, but nor is it anyone’s fault. It is, as we are so often reminded, the persistence of

an invisible enemy that makes impossible the things we most hold dear; inserting a sense of vacuity and tedium at the heart of things. College sport is a shining example.

have come runner-up in for the last three years.”

For now, however, she must focus on the task at hand, namely balancing her flourishing bowls career alongside her degree, something that, at times, has proved a difficult juggling act.

“There are multiple competitions per week and four International Series a year which can be located anywhere in the UK. I try to ensure that when I have an International Series, I complete assignments beforehand and rearrange any

Four months on, everything remains hanging in the balance

“My biggest goal is to play in the Commonwealth Games” Continued from back Despite the added pressure that comes from representing her country on the international stage, Cooper is still undeterred from her ambitions and dreams to travel around the world and reach the very top of the sport.

“My biggest goal is to play in the Commonwealth Games in the future. I would also like to win the Ladies Singles at the World Indoor Championships and the National Indoors Singles which I

PALATINATE | Thursday 4th February 2021

Sport

21

Brady vs Mahomes: master meets apprentice

Harry Vercoe previews Super Bowl LV between the Bucs and the Chiefs (page 19)

In the bleak midwinter: life without college sport

Matt Syles speaks on the wider impact of college sport’s delayed return (page 20)

Toky-no?

One world, one dream, one virus...

Florence Bignell

Cooper (right) reached the semi-finals of the World Indoor Championships having knocked out the defending champion prior (Devon Cooper)

Durham student reaches bowls world semis Ben Fleming Deputy Sport Editor Durham has forever been steeped in sporting prestige. Whether it be gold medal Olympic triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, former England cricket captains Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss or World Cup-winning rugby player Will Greenwood, the list is endless.

And whilst these Durham alumni all went on to achieve great feats in their respective sports after university, none were competing at the pinnacle of their sports whilst studying, let alone reaching the later stages of a world championship.

This, however, is not the case for Devon Cooper.

Last month, the Durham second-year science student, at just twenty years of age, reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Singles at the 2021 World Indoor Bowls Championships, held in Great Yarmouth.

“Considering that I haven’t been able to practice properly due to lockdown since last March, I am very happy with my performance,” Cooper tells

Palatinate as she recaps her incredible achievements at the tournament, having been knocked out by Katherine Rednall at the semi-final stage.

“In the two quarter-final games, I used different bowls which I felt suited the green better and enabled me to play more confidently. I was disappointed with my two games in the semi-finals but playing at that level under pressure was a good experience and will help me progress further in future years.”

The personal highlight of the tournament for Cooper, which saw no crowds and athletes forced to remain on-site and only bubble with two other competitors, was undoubtedly her stunning first-round victory over two-time reigning women’s champion Julie Forrest.

“I knew that it was always going to be a very tough game and just wanted to do myself justice and play to my full potential. I lost the first set but was pleased I managed to keep calm and then stepped my game up a gear to win the second set and tiebreak. It’s the best win I’ve had during my career.”

Alongside her performance

in the women’s segment of the competition, Cooper also reached the semi-finals in the Mixed Pairs playing alongside world number 5, Les Gillett, eventually losing 121, 11-3 to Stewart Anderson and Julie Forrest.

“I felt very relaxed playing with Les. He was so easy to play with and never put me under pressure.

It was good to learn from his experience and helped me to keep calm even when things weren’t going right in the game,” Cooper notes.

“It’s the best win I’ve had during my career”

Achieving all this at such a young age may seem somewhat unexpected to the untrained eye. Yet, for those who have seen Cooper’s rise through the sport from a young age, it was quite clear early on what a promising future she had in the sport.

“I started playing when I was six at my local club after my nan introduced me to the game. They had junior sessions for under 18s which ran every Saturday morning. I started playing more competitively when I was around

13 or 14 in national competitions and I won my first national title at 14.”

Having gained national recognition, the next logical progression was to play internationally which she would go on to do that same year in a junior international series, winning Player of the Series.

Eventually, in 2019, Cooper would get the chance to fulfil a lifelong dream and represent England as part of the Senior International Team.

As well as receiving her first cap at the BIWBC (British Isles Women’s Bowls Council) International Series, she would take home silverware, alongside Katherine Rendall, by winning bronze at the European Championships in the Women’s Pairs.

“It has been something I have always wanted to do ever since I started getting into the sport more competitively. It is always an honour to play for your country, but I always feel more pressure in these games than individual ones as you are there to represent your country.”

Continued on page 20

Beijing’s motto in 2008 highlighted the unifying nature of the Olympics Games; one world coming together to support one collective dream of peace and respect, demonstrated by 15,000 athletes from 350 nations around the world.

However, after a year turned upside down by a global virus, the necessity of Tokyo’s postponed Games has been called into question. Should an event that promotes unity and togetherness be allowed to take place in a world of social distancing?

2020 was a disastrous year, with wildfires and social unrest ripping through countries alongside the destruction caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tokyo’s Games has been called into question

As an event that has challenged prejudice and international rifts from its inception around 776 BC, it’s argued that the Tokyo Olympics couldn’t come at a better time.

If Jesse Owens was able to single-handedly defy Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy in 1936, why couldn’t the Tokyo Olympics present a brief moment of hope in our modern, fractured world? Yet with nearly 15,000 athletes from every corner of the planet, the Olympic and Paralympic games would obviously break every travel ban in the book.

Hosting the Olympic and especially Paralympic games in a virus-ridden world creates an ableist-agenda

Tokyo is quickly becoming an epicentre of the pandemic in Japan and the games this summer have every potential to create an extreme spike in case numbers.

It almost seems slightly trivial, to allow this many athletes to so overtly break Covid-19 rules.

Continued on page 19