Thursday 16th June 2016 | No. 785
www.palatinate.org.uk | FREE
Visual arts
In or Out? Politics
reveal the results of our exclusive EU Referendum poll
provide a tour of Europe’s best galleries
Durham SU remains affiliated with NUS following referendum Charlie Taylor-Kroll News Editor
Members of St Cuthbert’s Society take part in Durham Pride on 30 May
Photograph: Harriet Rawet
Investigation into JCR finances reveals Hild Bede SRC debt of £21,570 • Several colleges closed 2014-2015 financial year with losses • Hild Bede: “Unplanned” spending a “fundamental factor” Ryan Gould News Editor The College of St Hild and St Bede closed its accounts for the 201415 financial year with a debt of £21,750, Palatinate can reveal. As part of a wider investigation into the financial state of the University’s Junior Common Rooms (JCRs), Palatinate found that there were numerous instances of nota-
ble overspending across JCRs, with several colleges closing the 201415 financial year with losses. Significantly, Hild Bede Student Representative Committee (SRC), the College’s JCR equivalent, opened the 2014-15 financial year with a balance of £30,184, but incurred expenses that totalled a negative figure of £52,557 in expenditure net receipts. Hild Bede SRC reported a spend of £157,207 on activities in 2014-
15, but earned only £112,221 in revenue from those activities. Similarly, the SRC spent £36,682 on clubs and societies, but earned only £25,534 in revenue from those clubs and societies. When contacted, a member of the 2014-15 Hild Bede SRC executive committee provided a statement to Palatinate that explains how the “financial situation at the end of the 2014-15 academic year was due to a variety of reasons.”
The executive committee member said that the most significant factor in the SRC’s losses was the “fact that there was a succession of different treasurers,” with the “first leaving towards the end of the first term, and the third coming into office at the beginning of the third. “This resulted in a persistent lack of communication, causing payments to go uncollected and invoice to go unpaid. Continued on page 6...
Durham University students have voted to remain affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS) following a recent referendum held by Durham SU. 11% of the student body (2,102 people) voted in the referendum, surpassing the 5% quota that was required for the referendum to pass the motion. 1,299 votes were cast in favour of remaining with the NUS, compared to the 830 votes in favour of disaffiliation. A referendum on whether to disaffiliate or remain with the NUS was sparked by the emergence of the “A Better Durham” campaign, which was launched earlier this term. The “A Better Durham” campaign published an open letter addressed to the Durham Students’ Union imploring the Union to hold a referendum in order for Durham students to decide whether or not the Union should remain affiliated with the NUS. The letter was signed by 50 student leaders. The letter read: “Let Durham decide, this term. We cannot stand by any longer as students are misrepresented and marginalized.” The disaffiliation campaign partially came into existence due to the controversial election of NUS’ new national president, Malia Bouattia. Ms Bouattia had faced allegations of anti-Semitism earlier in the year due to actions that dated back a number of years. In 2011, she co-authored an article where she referred to the University of Birmingham as “something of a Zionist outpost in British higher education.” Continued on page 4....