Palatinate www.palatinate.org.uk | FREE
Thursday 26th January 2017 | No. 791
Diversity at Durham
& Profile interviews UKIP founder, Alan Sked
Comment explores how “the diversity gap” could be closed
SVTF produces guide for HE leaders to address sexual violence Ryan Gould
Durham Cathderal stands resplendent in the evening sunset
Photograph: Asher Haynes
Durham University cultural centre reportedly funded by Russian “propaganda” agency University accepted payment of £85,000 in April 2013 to open Russkiy Mir “Sergei Averinthsey” Centre Eugene Smith Deputy News Editor A Durham University centre for Russian culture is sponsored by a government-funded foundation described as a “propaganda” arm of the state. The Russkiy Mir “Sergei Averintsev” Centre, opened in April 2013 and located in Elvet Riverside, was founded to conduct interdisciplinary research and to “communicate the riches of Russian civilisation to the general public,” according to its website.
For setting up the joint centre, the University accepted a payment of £85,000 from the Russkiy Mir Foundation, which was established by President Vladimir Putin in 2007 with the stated purpose of “forming the Russian World as a global project.’’ The foundation is regarded as a Russian soft power initiative to challenge Western cultural tradition, and has built links with various British universities, including the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh. A December 2016 article in The Times newspaper claimed the foundation’s involvement with British
universities constitutes a “secret propaganda assault on Britain from within its own borders.” The Tab Durham also ran an article on the centre in July 2016, citing the accusation of a source within NATO that, alongside Sputnik, Russia’s government-controlled news agency, the Russkiy Mir Foundation is “operationalising information to present a Russian view.” In February 2014, the foundation supported a programme of seminars at St Antony’s College, Oxford, including one entitled “Cultural Memory in Sevastopol – Ukraine’s City of Russian Glory.” Sevastopol is a city in the southwestern region of
Crimea, the Peninsula annexed by Russian forces one month later, in March 2014. One Durham second-year, who studies at the centre as part of a Modern Languages course, commented: “The Russkiy Mir Centre basically provides extra resources and a place to work for students of Russian. “That any university wants to accept setting up a centre to promote the culture of another country is great and I think many people do see it more negatively just because it’s Russia.” Continued on page 5
Durham University’s Sexual Violence Task Force (SVTF) has produced a guide for staff and student higher education leaders that outlines how sexual violence may be addressed in the university environment. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, said ahead of its launch that Durham “is clear that sexual violence will not be tolerated. “We are working, and will continue to work, proactively to address this very issue, learning from best practice.” The guide includes a summary of the final recommendations made by the Sexual Violence Task Force, which will be taken forward by the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Operations Group (SVMOG). Among other things, the University will “have specialist policies and procedures in place for investigating incidents of sexual violence,” “ensure that every policy and practice is test against the organising principle of empowering those who make such reports,” and “enact culture change through bystander intervention and consent workshops for all students.” Professor Corbridge said that an online training module on sexual consent will be made available to students this term. “We are further piloting bystander intervention in our colleges and via student groups. “In addition, our Student Support and Training Officer (Sexual Violence and Misconduct) supports Durham student campaigns on the issue.” The appointment of the Student Support and Training Officer (Sexual Violence and Misconduct) is noted as “a unique role in the UK HE sector,” supporting the working of the SVMOG. The SVMOG “includes a representative from the Students’ Union and specialist partners such as the Rape & Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre.”
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Editorial “Post-truth,” “alternative facts” “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Marcellus tells Horatio in Hamlet, as he begins to understand that the state is festering with moral and political corruption. As a turbulent January draws to a close, Marcellus’s statement is perhaps as fitting a statement as any to describe the broad reaction of the world’s journalists since the inauguration of President Donald Trump last week. Just five days into his presidency at the time of writing, we have been confronted with an entirely new challenge as reporters, editors, and most importantly, readers. Whether or not there were any doubts behind claims in the runup to the US presidential election that we now live in a world of “post-truth” politics seem to have been all but settled by the Trump Administration’s presentation of what they consider “alternative facts.” In response to a photograph that showed a lacklustre number of supporters lining up on the National Mall in Washington DC to swear President Trump into office last Friday, it was left to Sean Splicer, White House Press Secretary, to assure the media in typically Trumpian hyperbole that the inauguration garnered “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.” Based on comparable photographs from the inaugurations of President Obama and the organised Women’s March last Saturday (without mentioning a reportedly low rider count on the Washington
Metro), Sean Splicer’s statement anything but the truth. And yet, according to President Trump, it is journalists who are “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth.” It should be as clear to you as it is to me that we now need a united, principled, and honest press more than ever. There is now no room at the inn for right or left, broadsheet or tabloid partisanship when those in the highest office are attempting to etch away at the undercarriage of the free press—one of the most fundamental components of any democracy anywhere on this planet. As Editor-in-Chief of this student newspaper, I can offer you my word that Palatinate is committed to fair, balanced, and accurate reporting that is, above all else, truthful. We do not report “alternative facts”; anything that is so “alternative” to the factual truth can only be considered a lie. With this in mind, our frontpage story resurfaces the news that Durham University accepted £85,000 donation from the Russkiy Mir Foundation in April 2013 to open the Russkiy Mir “Sergei Averintsev” Centre, located in Elvet Riverside. An article that appeared in The Times in December 2016 stated that the Foundation’s involvement with British universities, which includes links with Oxford and Edinburgh, constitutes “a secret propaganda assault on Britain from within its own borders.” Pertinent in light of the increasing scrutiny being placed on the Kremlin’s ties with Britain’s public institutions, the University de-
scribes the Centre, among other things, as a means to “communicate the riches of Russian civilisation to the general public” on its website. Elsewhere in this edition, Profile has an interview with Alan Sked, founder of UKIP, on page nine, and Sport talks to former worldnumber-one darts champion, Gary Anderson (pages 18 and 19). Indigo Features takes a slightly light-hearted look back at 2016, or what would be perhaps more fittingly called the “Year of the Meme,” as encapsulated by Indigo’s front-page illustration. As in Comment, Food & Drink dwells on the nature of veganism and explores how our eating habits have changed, and Visual Arts pays tribute to art critic, novelist, and painter, John Berger, who died on 2nd January 2017, aged 90. Epiphany term seems to play host to some of the most stressful days and nights of our academic careers. I will end this editorial as I began: to quote Dumbledore, “happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Ryan Gould
Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Inside 791
Editorial Board
What’s on page 3 News pages 4-8 Profile page 9
Editors-in-Chief Charlie Taylor-Kroll & Ryan Gould editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Ellie Scorah & Anna Tatham deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Emma Pinckard & Hugo Harris news@palatinate.org.uk News Features Editor Ben Sladden news.features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Sophie Gregory & Eugene Smith deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editor Mason Boycott-Owen politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editor Kate McIntosh & Joseph Costello Profile Editors Lily Boulter & Jack Reed profile@palatinate.org.uk Science and Technology Editor Luke Andrews & Tommy Pallett scitech@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Adam Cunnane comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editor Scarlet Hannington & Tania Chakraborti Sport Editor Nick Friend sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors James Martland, Ollie Godden & Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Chief College Sport Correspondent George Bond Indigo Editor Yongchang Chin indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Olivia Howcroft deputy.indigo@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Sophie Paterson feature@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Matthew Chalmers Food & Drink Editor Divya Shastri food@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Food & Drink Editor Robbie Tominey-Nevado Travel Editor Charis Cheesman & Naoise Murphy travel@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editor Victor Schagerlund fashion@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Fashion Editor Emma Denison Film and Television Editor Simon Fearn film@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Stage Editors Alison Gamble Deputy Music Editor Beth Madden Creative Writing Editor Anna Gibbs creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Aaron Bell books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Lolita Gendler visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Visual Arts Editor Lucy Sara-Kelly Chief Sub-Editor Ollie Mair sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Harriet Cunningham, Jack Heeney, Inka Karna, Grace Long, Ciara Murphy, Violet Nicholson, Angelos Sofocleous Web Editor John Morris Photography Editor Max Luan photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editor Dai-Khue Le Duong Illustrations Editor Faye Chua illustration@palatinate.org.uk Digital Coordinators Craig Bateman & Elizabeth Watson
Comment pages 10-12
Politics pages 13-15 SciTech page 16-17 Sport pages 18-20
indigo
Editorial page 2
Features pages 3-5 Fashion page 6
Books page 7 Travel pages 8-9
Music pages 10-11
Film & TV page 12 Food & Drink page 13
Creative Writing page 14
Stage page 15 Visual Arts page 16
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COMMENT: Will The Oscars be so white again this year? Guardian writer David Cox aptly commented that in their eyes, “onscreen whiteness is an economic necessity”: white sells, non-white is a gamble of sorts. Why is this still the case in 2017?
BOOKS: ‘There was a young fellow from Ankara…’
MUSIC: David Bowie’s Low, 40 years on
VISUAL ARTS: The bed that shook the world
Rupert Swallow explores how the limerick is the real meme for our content-saturated time.
“Where lyrical extravagance had previously been Bowie’s preferred form of expression, ambience became his chosen mode in Low,” Cameron Yule writes.
Lucy Sara-Kelly visited Tracey Emin’s My Bed at the Liverpool Tate and asks: £2.5 million for a modern masterpiece?
Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Alternatively, send an e-mail to editor@palatinate.org.uk
PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2016
It’s that time of year again, aside from the looming summative and dissertation deadlines, the electoral calendars of our various student led organisations are central to this term. Durham is alive with election madness and everyone is talking about who is running for what and who is backing who. Things are no different at the Students’ Union: as you may have heard nominations opened at the start of term, and since then questions, queries and nominations have been flowing in for the 5 Officer positions that will be elected in a few weeks time. This is the first year we will have a Postgraduate Academic , Undergraduate Academic , Opportunities and Welfare & Liberation Officer, as well as President. And if you are considering running for an SU Officer position, or indeed to be elected into any student group, society, common room or sports team, here are some words of encouragement. Before coming to Durham I never thought I would run in any sort of election, let alone win one. Though it’s really scary, putting yourself out there to campaign and talk to people is pretty rewarding. In this process you learn a lot about yourself, as well as during your time in office. For me, being a Student Officer has been a tough but fulfilling challenge. I doubt many people have a grad job that’s as varied and responsible as an Officer. Similarly, I doubt I’ll ever have a job with as much choice in priorities as an elected position, which is pretty cool! Being a student Officer gives you the opportunity to drive the change that you want to see, whilst improving experience for the students you care about in a place that you care about. I couldn’t recommend it enough! So if you’re even slightly considering putting yourself forward for election, make sure you get that nomination in! Alice Dee is President of the Durham Students’ Union
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What’s On
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What’s On Palatinate’s pick of the next fortnight
STAGE Productions in January Durham City
Photograph: Samuel Kirkman
VISUAL ARTS
SPORT
Behind the Scenes: The Museum
DURFC vs. Northumbria
Kenworthy Hall, St. Mary’s College.
Durham City RFC 01/02/17
Durham is welcoming Director of the National Media Museum, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, to take us behind the scenes of the trials and tribulations faced by establishing Museums. NMM is only 30 years old, having started as a branch of the Science Museum, it has now established itself as a collection of the most significant and diverse visual material in the world. All are welcome to make the most of
With the build up to last night’s big game against Exeter now over, DURFC turn their attention to their next fixture; a match up against local rivals Northumbria. Despite getting the better of their opposition in the away fixture, the 17-30 score line flattered The Palatinates and next week’s game is sure to be another tough encounter. The game will be at Durham’s Hollow Drift home, with kick off
this opportunity, just turn up!
at 18:30.
POLITICS Address by Nicky Morgan MP Durham Stuents’ Union 27/01/17; 13:00 Durham University Conservative Association will be hosting the former Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP for an address and policy discussion at Durham Students’ Union. Nick Morgan held the position of Secretary of State for Education from 2014 until July. Morgan was also a prominent Remain campaigner during the EU referendum. Tickets are free for DUCA members or £3 for non-members. are available from the Durham
PICK UP YOUR NEXT COPY OF PALATINATE ON THURSDAY 9
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DULOG’s production of Spamalot will be performed at the Gala Theatre from Tuesday, 24th of January to Saturday 28th January at 19:30 (with matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday). HBT’s production of Eight will be performed in Caedmon Hall, Hild Bede from Thursday, 26th of January until Saturday, 28th of January at 20:00. 1TC’s production of Kafka’s Dick will be performed in the Assembly Rooms Theatre from Thursday, 26th of January until Saturday, 28th of January at 19:30.
SCITECH Durham Institute of Advanced study lectures Ken Wade Lecture Theatre 7 lectures, 7 speakers, 7 subjects. Hosted by the Durham Institute of Advanced study, this multi-disciplinary series of public lectures will take you on a journey through history, across the universe, and round the political spectrum. Ken Wade lecture theatre, Calman Learning Centre, Mondays, 6:15pm start. For dates and titles see: https://www.dur.ac.uk/ias/ events/thematic/scalelectures/
FEBRUARY
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Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Higher Education & Research Bill threatens prioritisation of marketing over teaching Sophie Gregory Deputy News Editor
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Google could establish private colleges if they are deemed to be of a high enough standard. Pearson College London is currently the only FTSE 100 Company to design and deliver degrees. Graduates from Pearson College graduate with just 70% of the level of student debt when compared to the average
debt held by a graduating student from a public provider. Concerns, however, have been lodged against plans to open higher education to the market. The bill’s changes would lead to a consumerist relationship between universities and their students, who essentially become customers, it has been said. Condemning proposed changes, Baroness Alison Wolf, an advisor to the Department for Education, claimed that to force universities into a consumerist climate threatens to create a similar environment to the “American-style catastrophe,” whereby universities spend more on marketing than on developing teaching. In response to these fears, a Durham University spokesperson said: “Durham has a global reputation for teaching and a key focus of our University Strategy is to deliver education that is challenging, difficult, enabling, research-led and transformative. “The institution’s current expenditure on marketing is relatively small compared to the resources that we dedicate to teaching and to the wider student experience.” Reforms aim to establish a new attitude of transparency whereby universities will be required to publish application, offer, acceptance, and progression rates broken down by gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic background to ensure stu-
dents are able to make an informed choice about the course they wish to follow. Further proposed reforms include Sharia-compliant loans whereby Muslim students who were unable to take out interest-bearing student loans will now have the “power to make alternative payments.” A new regulatory system, the Office for Students, will combine many of the powers of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access, which aims to ensure “compliance with the conditions of regulation, including imposing monetary penalties, suspending, or de-registering
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Ministers have, however, been sceptical about the ability to ensure that those providing degrees are truly offering worthwhile courses
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The proposed reforms include increasing choice in the education sector by allowing specialist providers to set up degree programmes
The House of Lords have blocked the bill in its first stages
providers if the OfS feels a higher education provider is not meeting the minimum thresholds or breaching specific conditions of registration,” according to the Government’s factsheet. Ministers have, however, been sceptical about the ability to ensure that those providing degrees are truly offering worthwhile courses. University College Union General Secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “If we are to protect our students and the global reputation enjoyed by UK universities, the new legislation must protect taxpayers’ money from being handed over to a potential pool of unscrupulous providers. “We must have more rigorous quality measures applied before any new provider is allowed to access either degree awarding powers or state funding via the student loans system.” One of the major contentions with the new bill is the potential rise in tuition fees. The introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which measures student retention, student satisfaction, and graduate employment outcome, “will put in place reputational and financial incentives that will drive up the standard of teaching in all universities,” according to the Government factsheet. In reality, the TEF’s judgements allow for universities to raise tuition fees further from the current £9,000 cap to a potential £9,500 per year.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
During the summer, prior to any decisions being reached regarding the Higher Education Bill, several universities, including Durham, set their tuition fees at a higher rate of £9,250 in line with inflation. The University told Palatinate that they “intend to opt in to TEF2.” The NUS too has issued a response to proposed changes. Sorana Vieru, the Vice President (Higher Education), said: “NUS is strongly opposed to the marketisation of the higher education sector,
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The government’s proposals could be hugely damaging to the reputation of our worldrenowned higher education sector
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Aimed at increasing competition and choice, the Government factsheet claims to be “safeguarding institutional autonomy and academic freedom” in making changes to higher education. Yet despite this claim, that the Higher Education & Research Bill will help them “to boost social mobility, life chances and opportunity for all, and enhance the competitiveness and productivity of our economy,” the proposed reforms have been controversial. The bill’s proposals aim to raise the standards of teaching and ensure that students graduate with the necessary skill sets to secure employment. The reforms attempt to counter some of the issues raised regarding the value of student courses, with one third of undergraduates believing that their course does not represent value for money. It further claims to be promoting social justice in rectifying the issue of uneven access, as those from advantaged backgrounds are six times more likely to go to the most selective universities than those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The proposed reforms include increasing choice in the education sector by allowing specialist providers to set up degree programmes. Companies such as Facebook or
as a climate of competition will never be in students’ best interests. “The Government’s proposals could be hugely damaging to the reputation of our world-renowned higher education sector.
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PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2017 “The so-called Office for Students doesn’t even have one reserved place for a student representative, despite the huge impact its decisions will have on students’ lives. Further tuition fee rises are totally unacceptable and new providers should be held to extremely high standards, not given degree-awarding powers on day one.” Chris Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University, further raised concerns that the reforms in the Higher Education Bill will give “the secretary of state greater power than ever to direct the course of research,” curbing the autonomy of universities as research institutes. In response to this fear, Durham said it “aims for excellence in research and education, and regards academic freedom as being vital to this goal. “We are monitoring the draft Higher Education & Research Bill currently under consideration by the House of Lords. “However, given that the final form of the bill is yet to be agreed, the University has no direct comment to make at this stage.” The House of Lords have blocked the Higher Education & Research Bill in its first stages. Labour, Liberal Democrat, and crossbench peers in the House of Lords voted against the controversial bill in its current form by 248 votes to 221 on the basis that the proposed reforms threaten the quality of British education and allow private companies to exploit the education sector for profit. Monday’s cross-party debate saw peers proposing a first set of changes in order to prevent the marketisation of education and ensure that universities remain autonomous. Shadow Higher Education Minister, Lord Wilf Stevenson, said: “Many peers who spoke at Second Reading felt that, as drafted, the bill fails to understand the purposes of higher education.” The Higher Education & Research Bill now requires amendments before continuing to the next stage of the parliamentary process.
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University groups remain upbeat after Theresa May’s Brexit speech
Theresa May stressed her vision of a “global Britain”
Hugo Harris News Editor University groups have reacted positively to Theresa May’s major speech on Brexit only a week after a panel of vice-chancellors warned a so-called hard Brexit could trigger the “biggest disaster” for the university sector in many years. Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK (UUK) was pleased to hear of the Prime Minister’s assurances that the UK would continue to be open to international talent, saying: “It was good to hear her talking about the international strength of our university system and the importance of continuing to collaborate in cutting-edge research and innovation.”
Photograph: PA
Director General of the Russell Group, Dr Wendy Piatt, also praised May: “The Prime Minister rightly recognises that the mobility of talent, the collaborations and critical mass of research activity we enjoy with the EU is crucial to underpinning the UK as a worldleading economy.” Whilst delivering her keynote speech setting out the UK’s strategy for the Brexit negotiations, Theresa May stood behind a pedestal alluding to her vision of a “global Britain”. She was keen to emphasise this point in the speech itself, saying: “I want Britain to be what we have the potential, talent and ambition to be. A great, global trading nation.” This was despite the fact she confirmed the UK would be leaving the single market.
The previous week, however, the House of Commons Education Committee was briefed on the potential dangers of a “hard Brexit”. Alistair Fitt, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, was the most forceful with his words. He told the Committee that if the Government does choose a hard Brexit that entails a major cut to immigration, it could spell “the biggest disaster for the university sector in many years.” The head of Brexit strategy at the University of Oxford, Alistair Buchanan, noted that with a hard Brexit “you risk damaging one of your best industries, which is the knowledge-based economy in this country.” Buchanan added that with the ascendancy of China and India as educational powerhouses “we need to be very careful that we ne-
gotiate the kind of openness that academic [life] is all about”. Recently it was revealed that Brexit was already having detrimental effects on UK higher education. Cambridge University had seen a 14% drop in applications from across the continent for undergraduate courses since the EU referendum. MPs at the Committee meeting were informed that hostility towards immigrants, the devaluation of the pound and concerns over research funding have all discouraged postgraduates thinking about heading to the UK. It was estimated that a significant fall in EU students deciding to study in the UK would cost the economy more than £690 million per year.
views. The [Russkiy Mir] Foundation has no influence – nor has it attempted to have any influence — over the activities of the Centre.” The revelation of the foundation’s links to the university comes amid wider increasing scrutiny of the Russian government’s ties with British public institutions. A University of Cambridge intelligence forum recently severed connections with a digital publishing house, Veruscript, due to allegations that it had received money from a Russian donor close to the Putin regime. Three convenors of the forum, including former MI6 chief Sir Ri-
chard Dearlove, have also stepped down from the debate group, with the Financial Times reporting, albeit without full substantiation, that their resignations were in response to the suspicions of Russian government interference. Meanwhile, in November 2016 the European Parliament drafted a Resolution recognising that “the Russian Government is aggressively employing a wide range of tools and instruments, such as think tanks and special foundations in combination with other organisations, “to challenge democratic values, divide Europe, gather domestic support and create
the perception of failed states in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood.” The recent spate of news stories about Russia has contributed to a wider media representation of the country that highlights the Putin regime’s alleged interference in foreign countries. These include ongoing operations in Ukraine, air-strikes against rebel forces in Syria, and reports of unconventional hacking during last year’s US presidential election to the benefit of the winning Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Foundation “has no influence” over Centre’s activities
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The Centre’s primary focus is to help students studying Russian at Durham University with their language learning.
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Continued from front page When asked for comment, the University clarified that the Centre’s £85,000 opening fee has been used to “support repairs to, and equipping of, the Russian Centre… and to support the employment of a Director for the Centre”. A University spokesperson also told Palatinate: “The Centre’s primary focus is to help students studying Russian at Durham University with their language learning. In addition, it helps interested students to learn more about Russian culture. ‘‘The Centre welcomes a range of speakers with a spectrum of
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Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Durham academic leads independent report into Sussex University assault case Ryan Gould
A British university has admitted that its response to a student who was violently assaulted by a staff lecturer was “inadequate” following an independent inquiry led by a Durham University academic. The investigation, fronted by Professor Nicole Westmarland, found that Sussex University failed in its duty of care to 24-year-old former postgraduate student Allison Smith, who was knocked out, stamped on, and had salt poured into her eyes and ears by a media and communications lecturer at the university. The report criticised the institution for its decision to allow Dr Lee Salter to continue teaching for a further ten months following his arrest, as the University only considered disciplinary action after pressure from national media and the public. Professor Westmarland criticised the university’s human resources department for prioritising the protection of the attacker and its reputation over student safety. The investigation also detailed how “reports of additional cases of violence, abuse, and harassment
[Professor Westmarland] received during [her] investigations may be seen to indicate a structural problem about the respect and dignity accorded to victims of violence, abuse and harassment. “The difficulties related to speaking out about violence against University staff have been underestimated and the power dynamics not properly understood and/or considered,” the report reads. Vice-Chancellor, Adam Tickell, has since apologised on behalf of Sussex University for what he called an “inadequate” response to the incident. Professor Westmarland told The Independent that the “case should act as a warning to other universities to get their houses in order not just in relation to staff as well as students but also in relation to partner violence generally — many are treating sexual violence as a standalone problem unconnected to other forms of violence, abuse and harassment.” Dr Lee Salter was convicted of assault by beating and causing criminal damage to property at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 13 July 2016. He was given a 22-week suspended sentence, fined £2,765, and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
University of Sussex in Falmer, near Brighton
Bill Bryson reaffirms passion for Durham and the North East Hugo Harris News Editor
Bill Bryson, the celebrated US author and former Durham University Chancellor, has revealed in an interview that his love for Durham City and the North East remains as strong as ever. Interviewed by Chronicle Live to help promote the “Durham, Place of Light” campaign, a campaign initiated by Durham County Council to promote investment in the county, Bryson said: “Durham and the North East in general are the friendliest parts of the country by far.” He added: “Durham University is not just one of the most outstanding universities in the country but in the world. When you consider that the university is also part of a World Heritage Site, closely associated with stunning architecture and surrounded by a great wealth
of history and beauty, that’s what makes Durham very special.” The American’s passion for Durham first became apparent on the publication of his book Notes from a Small Island twenty years ago. At the time, he wrote the following about the city: “Why, it’s wonderful—a perfect little city— and I kept thinking: ‘Why did noone tell me about this?’ “I knew, of course, that it had a fine Norman cathedral but I had no idea that it was so splendid. I couldn’t believe that not once in twenty years had anyone said to me, ‘You’ve never been to Durham? Good God, man, you must go at once! Please – take my car.’” Bryson became Durham University’s eleventh Chancellor in 2005, taking over the role from actor Sir Peter Ustinov, and stepped down from the role in 2011. Then University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Higgins, said:
“Bill has done far more than simply fulfil his ceremonial duties, he has given his time, passion and inimitable talent to raise the university’s national and international profile in so many ways.”
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2017
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Architectural campaign group lodges appeal against plans to demolish Dunelm House Emma Pinckard News Editor
After a decision was made not to grant listed status to Durham University’s Students’ Union building, an appeal has been launched in an attempt to save it from demolition. The Twentieth Century Society, an architectural campaign group, have requested a formal review of the plans. Catherine Croft, the group’s director, was described as “extremely disappointed” and said: “We consider the award-winning Dunelm House to be a remarkably intact survivor of its era, historically and architecturally significant.” Claire Price, senior conservation advisor for the society, said: “We think the minister should reconsider the reason not to list Dunelm House. “We consider the issues she has ruled on are ones of repair and not design. The state of repair is not a valid consideration when deciding whether a building is listable. “The fact is Dunelm House is still standing 50 years later. If it had fundamental design flaws that wouldn’t be the case. “We think it’s a fantastic building and Historic England has recommended it should be listed more than once. We think this has been blocked for political reasons rather than anything to do with the building.” The University claimed that to repair the building and redesign it in order to accommodate other uses would cost £14.7 million. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley made the decision not to list the building and said that she was inclined to approve an application for a certificate of immunity from
Duenlm House was designed under the suprervision of architect Sir Ove Arup in 1966
Photograph: Durham University
listing that was sent by the University. Plans to demolish the building are related to the University’s plan to redevelop its New Elvet buildings and build a new performance space and cultural facility. A spokesperson from the University said: “Given that Dunelm House is not able to accommodate new uses or to endure without very considerable investment in its redesign and repair, estimated at £14.7m, the University consid-
ers that the practical and responsible decision would be for us to work with statutory bodies and local residents to achieve the replacement of this building as part of the comprehensive redevelopment of the university estate on New Elvet. “This in turn will be a significant step in delivering the University Strategy and would transform the urban landscape in this part of the city.” The University Strategy has also
seen other recent developments, including the submission of accomodation plans for 850 students for the former Mount Oswald golf course. Stuart Corbridge, Vice Chancellor, said in an email announcement last week: “2017 is set to be an exciting year as we start delivering the new University Strategy – the Strategy was approved by University Council in December 2016. “The first area where you will notice changes is in relation to the
development of our estate. Three priority projects, as identified in the Masterplan consultation in Autumn 2016, have been approved for early development. “These are: new Colleges at Mount Oswald; a new teaching and learning facility at St Mary’s Field and a major expansion of the Maiden Castle Sports Park. There will also be new buildings for Mathematics and Computing Sciences and some renovation work on the Bailey.”
After recent breaches in the scheme’s code, the council is now asking the public whether it believes restrictions should be strengthened or an outright ban imposed. The latter move, which would not sanction the erection of any “To Let” boards within Durham would have ‘‘the most positive impact on the character and appearance of the historic city,” according to the council. The former option would allow “proportionate advertising” but also enable the formal
enforcement of regulations limiting the number of and times at which the boards are displayed. Councillor Neil Foster alluded to the fact landlords and letting agents desire to advertise to students led to the calls for a public consultation on the issue: “While we understand and appreciate the need for landlords to market their properties, this has to be balanced against the impact that letting boards can have on our beautiful and historic city. We also
believe that “To Let” boards are a minor part of the modern marketing strategy and that most students will locate property via the internet.” On the other side of argument has been Dawn Piria from JW Wood Student Lettings in Durham. In an interview with ITV, she said “the way advertising is no-one would like to see an outright ban.” She later added that “if there’s an outright ban I think there will be people that will find ways around advertising within a property”. JW
Wood’s website currently promises to “prominently display” the property of letting clients “to attract potential tenants.” Similar ideas to restrict the number of “To Let” signs in predominantly student areas are being debated in six other university towns and cities. These are Brighton, Liverpool, Belfast, Leicester, Newcastle, and London. The closing date for comments to Durham County Council is Friday 17 February.
Consultation launched over banning “To Let” boards Hugo Harris News Editor
Durham County Council has initiated a consultation that could result in the banning of “To Let” boards outside Durham’s houses. A voluntary landlord scheme was launched in 2009 with aim of reducing the number of boards in Durham by kerbing the amount landlords could advertise to one board per street.
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News Features
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Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Are claims over Durham University’s casual work contracts “misleading”?
Ben Sladden News Features Editor A report published by The Guardian on the prevalence of casual and precarious employment contracts in the hiring of academic staff at Durham University was reportedly “misleading” portraying a distorted picture of the nature of Durham academics’ pay. The report, which was featured in The Guardian in November
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2016, claimed that 60.5% of teaching and teaching-andresearch staff are employed on temporary or “atypical” contracts at the University. The University’s response however, claims that these forms of employment contracts are utilised far less commonly in the employment of teaching staff than The Guardian report stated. A University spokesperson told Palatinate: “The Guardian article is slightly misleading in that it does not provide the context for the statistics and the way in which they are collected.” The statistics cited in The Guardian report were collected from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and have been analysed by the University and College Union (UCU), who represent professional staff in UK higher and further education sectors. HESA issued a statement on the use of its data by The Guardian the day after the report was published and claimed that the newspaper aggregated the statistics for staff on “atypical” contracts along with staff on “fixed-term” contracts to make their claims. The agency claimed that the two groups “are not comparable according to HESA definitions.” HESA defines a fixed-term contract as involving staff “employed for a fixed period of time or with an end date on their contract of employment. This
The Palatine Centre
includes staff on rolling fixedterm contracts.” “Atypical” contracts are defined as more precarious, involving short-term working arrangements. In a UCU white paper, it was stated that “staff on insecure contracts struggle to deliver the high level professional service they strive for in the face of working conditions that leave them underpaid, vulnerable and constantly facing the prospect of unemployment.” In response to the claims made in The Guardian report, a University spokesperson said: “When assessed as Full Time Equivalents, only 12% of teaching staff at Durham University were employed on an atypical or fixedterm contract for the 2014/15 academic year.” Full Time Equivalent (FTE) metrics convert part-time employees’ hours into a full-time equivalent to provide a better indicator of total labour input than a simple headcount. The Guardian’s use of data based on a headcount is understood to distort the overall picture of employment at the University because a large number of contracts are for a very small number of hours. However, UCU, the union representing academic staff in the UK, claim FTE calculations themselves distort the picture. The white paper states: “It is based on only looking at atypical workers, who account for only a fraction of hourly-paid and insecure staff.” The FTE calculations that the
University provided to Palatinate, however, incorporate both staff on fixed-term contracts as well as those on “atypical” contracts. Included in the University’s press response was a statement defending the use of casual contracts when they utilised: “As a University, we require flexibility in order to respond to changes in the popularity of courses and the expansion of research projects.” We offer atypical or fixed term contracts in cases where there is a requirement to undertake work that is irregular and occasional.
Photograph: Durham University
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The Guardian article is slightly misleading in that it does not provide context for the statistics
The University need to be clear on exactly how these contracts are used
When the University agrees particular dates for staff on these contracts to work, that work is guaranteed.” Visiting lecturers and postgraduate students are examples of the people we have on such contracts.” Lisa Whiting, Academic Affairs Officer for the Student Union, expanded in her statement to Palatinate: “The University needs to be clear exactly how these [casual
and “atypical”] contracts are being used and for what purpose. “We know postgraduates who teach can suffer from casualised employment resulting in being underpaid and without sufficient support for their work. This can have a detrimental impact on the quality of education students receive as well as cause significant stress for postgraduate teachers.” Securing the best possible employment conditions for those delivering teaching is key to quality education and is in all students’ interests.” The Guardian report speaks of universities employing those on the front line of teaching on precarious contracts whilst simultaneously carrying out costly expansion programmes and paying its senior administrative team high salaries. The University’s financial statements for 2015/16 show that Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge was paid an annual salary of £231,000 for 2016. This is a reduction from the 2014-2015 academic year when the then Vice-Chancellor Ray Hudson was paid a salary exceeding half-a-million pounds. The then President of the National Union of Students (NUS), Sorana Vieuru, commented in 2016 that “when university finances are being stretched to breaking point, and are over reliant on ever-rising tuition fees, it is almost immoral to see the generous expense policies afforded to already extremely well-paid vice chancellors.”
PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2017
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“UKIP has fulfilled its mission and it should now disappear”
UKIP founder Alan Sked discusses how his moderate party has radicalised and the rise of populism in Europe. Jack Reed Profile Editor When talking to students about politics and UKIP in particular, the same words always seem to emerge. “Xenophobic,” “prejudiced,” and “extreme” are but a few. So it is therefore intriguing to learn that the party we know now was not the party initially devised by Alan Sked, when he founded UKIP in 1993. David Cameron infamously called UKIP “a bunch of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists,” and ironically lost out to the Leave Campaign, in which Brexit was achieved and UKIP’s central ambition was realised. However, Sked had a different vision back in the 1990s: “It was a centre party with a declaration on every membership form that it had no prejudices of any kind against foreigners or lawful minorities. It also declared that it would send no MEPs to Brussels but give their salaries to the NHS.” So, while the aim to leave the EU has been present throughout, it is
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It was a centre party with...no prejudices of any kind against foreigners or lawful minorities.
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also clear his tolerant and liberal party was dismantled following his departure in 1997. Sked resigned from his position of leader after the 1997 election, with the electoral system and lack of funding making it, “a hard grind.” However, he explains the sudden changes that occurred within the party following his return to academia. “The declaration of no prejudices against foreigners disappeared as did the ban on going to Brussels after the EU changed the electoral system for the EP in 1999 to allow almost anyone in.” These two changes are clearly significant in making UKIP the party it is today, yet neither are as important as the third change. This final change was the appointment of a new leader, whom Sked
describes as “not very bright, never very sober and someone who wanted to turn the party to the far right.” He, of course, means Nigel Farage. Under Farage’s leadership, UKIP have become the main protest party in the United Kingdom, offering a different (and radical) approach to that of other political parties that has centred around leaving the EU and reducing the level of immigration. Nevertheless, as Sked points out, these are the only two policies UKIP seem to project and, importantly, their vote in general elections has remained minimal. Why, as the main protest party, have UKIP failed to effectively influence politics through a parliamentary means? “UKIP could have had a large bridgehead in Parliament years before under intelligent, professional leadership.” While UKIP haven’t exerted their weight within either the British or European parliament, they did have their moment of glory last June in the EU referendum, when the British public voted to leave the EU and UKIP celebrated after 23 years of campaigning for this exit. Many argue UKIP were of central importance to this result. But were they? Sked disagrees, believing their significance was limited only to pushing Cameron into promising a referendum. “UKIP has only 17,000 members, so only 0.01% of Brexit voters came from the party. Its 3.9 million protest votes in 2015 were also far short of the 17.4 million who backed Brexit.” Instead, Sked gives praise to Gove and Johnson, who were the leaders of the official Leave campaign. “Gove and Johnson were the stars of the campaign along with Dan Hannan, Dominic Raab, Gisela Stuart, Andrea Leadsom, and others.” While Farage’s celebrations will go down in history and he smugly declared that, as usual, he did things his own way, Sked recognises the real reason for this separate campaign. “Farage was seen by the Leave Campaign as an embarrassment and he alienated as many voters as he attracted, especially students and young people.” Much of the debate during and after the EU referendum has been surrounding the promises made by the Leave campaign and whether these promises will become a reality. This is a divisive issue and one which Sked continues his support for those who campaigned successfully for Brexit. “I think the three Brexit ministers are of high quality
intellectually—Boris especially— and have a clear idea of the issues at stake.” And, while he praises the three
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The new populism stems directly from the failure of the Eurozone and the migration crisis as mediated by Angela Merkel.”
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Brexiteers, he equally criticises the role Theresa May is playing in the process, despite her recent 12 point plan outlining how Britain will leave the EU. “Clearly Theresa May is key and she says almost nothing. However, her party is pro-
Brexit and Boris is probably its champion so she knows how the land lies. “In any case she has the option of fighting an election if need be against a weak and divided opposition so she can afford to be tough and keep the Brexiteers on side.” Aside from Brexit and UKIP, there is the much bigger issue of the rise of nationalism and populism both in Britain and in other countries around Europe. UKIP are partially responsible for this, but there are also other factors to consider, namely the uniqueness of issues within certain countries that generate populist beliefs and, as Sked notes, the different political cultures that exist. “The new populism stems directly from the failure of the Eurozone and the migration crisis as mediated by Angela Merkel.” The solution? Sked sees this as simple: “The traditional parties just stick to the need to defend the failed policy of ever-closer union.” The biggest question now surrounding UKIP is the question over their existence: do they still have a place within British politics or has their purpose (leaving the EU) now been served and consequently rendered them
unnecessary on the political scene? When asked if they still had a place in British politics, Sked had a one word reply: “No.” A damning verdict from the party’s founder, but one that ultimately reflects its shift from the initial values he implemented, stressing and proposing liberal and moderate ideas, but with the desire to leave the EU. Now that this has been achieved, Sked, who sees the current UKIP as “policyless and faction-ridden,” is calling for their departure, following, in a way, their proper emergence onto the political scene that came with the referendum. “The party has already fulfilled the mission I laid down for it. It should be very happy to have done that and should now disappear.” It’s likely, under Farage, UKIP wouldn’t have gone away, purely for his desire to further his own career and potentially become an MP in the future. But, now that he’s gone and UKIP are left looking for a new purpose, perhaps they will fade away and be but a memory. They may claim to be pushing for a hard Brexit, but this will make little difference. As Sked puts it: “The future of Brexit will now be in the hands of others.”
Photograph: Flickr via Creative Commons
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Veganism and animal whites As veganism becomes more popular, it is also being whitewashed Nancy Huang
2017. New year, same old resolutions—get healthy, save money, try something new. Are you one of the people who decided to “Try Vegan This January with Veganuary?” With almost one million likes on Facebook, Veganuary is one of many initiatives promoting veganism, a “way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose” (Donald Watson, founder of The Vegan Society). In this article, I will mention slavery, racism, ableism and transphobia. In the past decade, veganism has picked up a lot of interest, with 2016 research finding over half a million vegans in the UK (see the Vegan Society homepage). People go vegan for many different reasons—animal welfare, health and nutrition, economic—or quite often a combination of them. For me personally, the environment and humanitarianism were the most significant factors: how could I claim to be a feminist while contributing to an industry that is
the largest source of greenhouse gases, exploits people of colour (PoC), fuels poverty, and impacts climate change (which disproportionately affects women of colour)? Felicity Carus’s article in The Guardian from June 2010 provides excellent further information.
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Veganism is not new. Veganism is not white.
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Portrayed in the media as a new fad or trendy middle class diet through social media and celebrity culture, veganism has become increasingly popular, especially in Western and white communities. This is great, right? Or is it? I have issues with mainstream (white) veganism. Veganism is not new. Veganism is not white. Stop
erasing what little visibility we have in this non-intersectional veganism. In the animal liberation movement, activists are infamous for their use of shock and reactionary politics to provoke a response, often to the detriment of marginalised groups. The classic example is PETA’s campaigns: comparing factory farming to the Holocaust, dressing up as KKK members, fat-shaming, and a long history of misogynistic advertisements (see, for example, their “Boyfriend Went Vegan” video). Elsewhere, and most memorably—the speciesism meme—compares the lynching of black people to hanging pig carcasses. Are we really comparing black people to animals? Given the recent and ongoing history of how PoC have been deemed sub-human and “animal,” these insensitive and highly distressing images highlight the blatant anti-blackness and racism upheld by animal liberation activists. In their attempt to humanise animals, they dehumanise PoC and other marginalised groups. How can activists campaign to break the institutions that torture and kill animals, yet stay silent in the face of the kyriarchy’s systematic
oppression that tortures and kills fellow human beings? Such nonhuman animal rights activism upholds white supremacy. Many PoC cultures and religions (e.g. Rastafari, Buddhism, Hinduism) have practised veganism and vegetarianism across African and Asia long before it was popular in the West—India has more vegetarians than the aggregate of the rest of the world.
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What the vegan community lacks most is respect
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While the word ‘vegan’ may only recently have been added to the dictionary, the history and culture of caring about and abstaining from the consumption of animal
Photograph: Kate Sheets via Flickr and Creative Commons
products is not. Veganism has just been white-washed. A quick online search of “vegan recipes” finds a trail of white chefs and bloggers “discovering” some traditional cultural dish, often food and practices for which PoC have long been ridiculed and shamed for (zee Ruth Tam in The Washington Post August 31st 2015). The appropriation (and if I may say, bastardisation) of foods to have their cultural significance stripped away and then repackaged for white consumption, leads to phenomena like food gentrification. In the media, veganism is commonly associated with the white bourgeoisie, when in fact many low-income families are, and have been, vegan or vegetarian due to economic reasons. Yet within mainstream vegan communities (which I personally find elitist and exclusive), classism is rampant and accessibility is often brushed aside. Those who aren’t “real vegans” are shamed for not immediately switching to vegan items (though surely throwing away non-vegan items is wasteful and environmentally damaging). Where food deserts exist, often it is difficult to obtain nutritious foods due to distance, availability and affordability—”necessary” foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables may not be accessible. In addition, access to pharmaceuticals and hormones is not equal—ableist and transphobic debates about the “necessity” of non-vegan treatments are often dominated by cis people who themselves do not have to consider such treatments. In these cases, while the vegan community is very supportive, I feel that what it lacks most is respect; understanding people have different privileges, listening to people’s experiences and opinions, and respecting choices that may differ from yours. We need to consider intersectionality or risk the continued alienation and ostracisation of marginalised individuals and groups. Engaging with other movements will make veganism a more inclusive and accessible community.
PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2017
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How can a transgender woman end up in an all-male prison? Helena Snider In the first week of January a transgender woman was found dead in an all-male prison, marking the third suicide by a transgender prisoner in just over one year in the UK. In 2015, two transgender women, Joanne Latham and Vicky Thompson were found dead in men’s prisons within one month. Prison suicides, however, are nothing new. In fact they are steadily increasing in number; approximately six occur every month in the UK alone. What has changed lately, though, is the type of demographic most at risk of suicide. There was a few years ago, for example, significant coverage of a number of imprisoned men whose mental health problems should have—in the opinion of doctors and the prisoners themselves—exempted them from the hardships of a life in prison. They would have been better off in hospitals. One such example is that of Steven Davison, 21, who, according to a Guardian article published in Oc-
tober 2014, was sent to prison for possessing an offensive weapon. He suffered from a “serious personality disorder” and began to self-medicate in order to cope with his schizophrenia. He self-harmed twice in the few weeks prior to his death. Prison staff failed to tell his family about either incident. His mother received a call from Steven. She told The Guardian, “he just seemed really down.” Steven was found dead on the following morning, in part owing to several missed opportunities to save him. His story and others are indicative of a national prison crisis. There is no doubt much to be done about the problem of male mental health, both in prisons and in wider society. The headlines about male mental health and suicide help bring awareness and remove stigma, which is of course hugely encouraging. But while the media was, and continues to be, effective in demonstrating the plight of mentally ill male inmates, issues surrounding prison conditions for women
and members of the transgender community have been comparatively neglected; especially when we take into consideration the increasing regularity of such events. The media’s emphasis on male suicides might seem logical, given most prison suicides are committed by males. But the narrow focus of the coverage implies that prison suicides occur disproportionately within the male demographic. This is misleading. While more male prisoners kill themselves annually than female prisoners, that’s because the vast majority of inmates are men. The Ministry of Justice published the Safety in Custody in July 2016, which states that eleven female prisoners had killed themselves in the past year, an increase on previous years. Women are only 5% of the prison population, but are involved in 23% of all self-harm attempts. Thus headlines focussing solely on the “male prison problem’”prevent light being shed on other groups who are similarly, if not more, vulnerable. Rhona Hotchkiss, the prison governor, stated that “70% of the women suffer mental health
problems in prisons, and only 20% have received mental health care in the community,” Eric Allison reported in The Guardian in November last year. Transgender people are an
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Prisons are badly letting them down.
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especially vulnerable group. A transgender woman spoke of the “hell on earth” she endured after being raped and abused more than 2,000 times in an all-male prison, as The Independent reported on 18th April 2016. Another prisoner cut off her long hair and she was
prevented from taking hormones. Prior to her imprisonment, Mary, despite being approved hormone therapy, had not undergone gender reassignment. An earlier operation and she would have found herself in a female prison. Jenny Swift killed herself on the 30th December 2016 after being put in a male prison. Swift’s friends claim that she was denied access to hormones. Jane Fae spoke in The Guardian last week about how “once a body adapts to a particular hormone regime coming down from it is akin to a mini-menopause.” Tragically, new guidelines were released only a matter of days after her death. These guidelines state that the cases of transgender prisoners should be reviewed within three days of arrival at prisons to see how their wishes and needs can best be met. Let’s hope that this marks a necessary turning point in our discussion, understanding and treatment of all prisoners, whose poor mental health puts them at risk. Prisons are badly letting them down.
We’re being fed lies in the name of entertainment How newspapers shifted from a source of news to a source of entertainment Emily Smith
The media can be held responsible, at least in part, for shaping our very identity: our views of ourselves and the world around us. This makes it a crucial concern for us all; the role it plays in society today and, critically, if this role is a suitable, helpful, and appropriate one. Mediahasindisputablyincreased in influence by sheer accessibility. Such changes were observed even before the dawn of the allpervasive digital world. Giddens, a theorist of modernity, argued that the nature of newspapers was changed forever due to the birth of the telegram; it meant that knowledge of distant events became available, and so the scope and thus prevalence of news widened. The telegram made the world smaller, so to speak, and therefore world
news took on new significance. The birth of the Internet, and its ever-growing entwinement with our every action, has had an even more dramatic impact: it has made this widened scope of topics truly relevant to us, rather than being part of some distant unknown. Globalisation has given us even more concerns.Thus, the scale and role of the media has grown to match this. A potentially harmful process of adaptation has occurred simultaneously: news sources have ceased to be oracle-like conveyers of an “Absolute Truth,” but merely reference points. We are no longer defined (or define ourselves) by which newspaper we read, as perhaps older generations were. More significantly, our knowledge is not from one definitive source; we have access to a much larger range of news sources, and are faithful to none. In a confusingly contradictory manner, as the media has grown in influ-
ence as a whole, the influence of each media outlet as a separate entity has shrunk massively.
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The need to entertain has increased substantially
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The most worrying change is universal; the need to entertain has increased substantially. This is no fault of any one news source— though ‘click-bait’ sites, such as
The Huffington Post, are easy targets, the blame cannot be placed on any source, only upon the evolution of such fierce competition. It is not merely reserved for online use either, though evident to differing amounts, it has invaded the physical press too: try to find a Daily Mail newspaper without a bold, underlined word in a title, and my point will soon be clear. But it is not article formatting that I take issue with here: it is the motivation which lies behind it. The sensationalism found in many a “click-bait” article is notable because it reeks of dishonesty—the dishonesty which should be the antithesis of what we need in the news. It is symptomatic of the willingness to blur reality which media sources have embraced all too readily. Examples of media distortions are all too easy to find, be they cases of ‘slander’ or the discovery of blatant reader deception. Put bluntly, entertaining
a reader has grown more important than telling the truth. Though this makes perfect sense economically (of course more entertaining articles would draw a larger audience and are good for business) when we shape our lives, our identities, and our world views around the information we receive from these sources, it is incredibly disturbing. When they are all guilty of such manipulation, who can we trust? Scarily, this trend—due to the demands of capitalism, and the nature of globalisation—would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible to reverse. Doing so could even, at its most radical, be regarded as in opposition to free speech. Though this progression stems from audience demand, it certainly is not the result of the audience’s interests. Therefore, the responsibility lies with us to be active readers. Can we really find the truth in the entertainment?
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Comment: Experience
Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
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Illustration: Faye Chua
Is there a lack of diversity at Durham? We can close “the diversity gap” simply by changing our attitudes towards cultural differences Lynn Ng Yu Ling
Durham University belongs to the class of “elite” universities that have regularly faced accusations regarding a lack of both class and racial diversity. Indeed, this is a problem, which cannot be tackled overnight. In this respect, I urge readers not to devalue or dismiss little changes, for where something as large as classism or racism is concerned, it is the incremental and banal interactions that matter. Durham University’s international students make up 17.3% of the student body, compared to the London School of Economics, which has an impressive 44.3%. Whilst such a statistical comparison is shocking, perhaps we should focus more on the quality of racist experience, rather than just the numbers. Londonuniversitiesmayfacegreater pressure to keep a higher international cohort, given their global city status and “cosmopolitan” outlook. Meanwhile, Durham University occupies an ambiguous position in the chart of elitism and diversity: clearly it is “elite” in academic terms, but unlike Oxbridge, it somehow does not face the same level of pressure to enrol a significant proportion of international students. It is unhealthy to compare Dur-
ham and London using these figures, as one ends up with a mistaken hierarchy of racial diversity amongst universities. Based on personal experience and stories from friends, the experience of racism in a highly multiethnic city like London, is perhaps even more acute and unpleasant than in Durham. Such statistics are dangerously misleading. An absolute measure of diversity is definitely not reflective of the actual experience of diversity; it is the
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International students make up 17.3% of the student body, compared to the London School of Economics, which has an impressive 44.3%.
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people who inhabit the space, not enrolment rules, that contribute more to the qualities of discrimination. While it is important to aim for a higher percentage of multina-
tional students, letting a numerical target be an end in itself, without thinking more deeply about qualitative encounters around discrimination, would defeat the purpose. Diversity in terms of race is not as simple as British versus non-British, which is an overused dichotomy in popular culture. Such a division reinforces static binaries, which frame the current situation of racism as white British against all other ethnic minorities. This is a drastic reduction of both groups of people. Those facing the sharp end of racism do not always experience it in the violent and oppressive ways that are commonly assumed. People do not always realise that experience of racism need not manifest itself in cruel ways: often it is through informal and perhaps well-meaning jokes that show one’s narrow racial consciousness. Speaking from personal experience as a Singaporean Chinese student in Durham, even among non-British people, there seems to be a social hierarchy, where qualities such as the stereotypical “hardworking Asian” are somehow “preferred” over other ethnicities and their associated stereotypes. Although such insensitivity is fortunately not a common experience, it does show up now and then among not just British, but also international acquaintances. As such, there is no way to clearly identify the perpetrator and victim
of racism, as doing so would not be acknowledging that the two are enmeshed. Students in elite universities, who write about their experiences, tell us a lot about an unconscious class bias that many inhabit. Durham student Mei Leng Yew, who comes from a working-class background, wrote an article in
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Often it is through informal and perhaps wellmeaning jokes that show one’s narrow racial consciousness
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The Guardian describing her experiences at college formals. She ended with a rather strong statement: “I must be honest. I chose Durham University because it offered me an excellent education in English literature. If I could choose again, I’d choose to be happy.” It is woeful that, those whom society regard as the “elite,” do not really
have the tools to accommodate alternative preferences to British culture, and by this I refer to very small and specific things like cutlery choices at formals as this student mentioned. Based on personal experience, I would like to add another, namely the ‘drinking culture’ in university nightlife. Social pressure to drink may be a fairly unspectacular occurrence to many British students, but can actually be rather disturbing for those who do not come from a culture of what I like to call “experimenting with alcohol on an almost everyday basis.” With such phrases, it is not my intention to degrade British culture, as we have many different things to learn from each other, and singling out alcohol to critique and generalise about is not healthy. But such concepts as attitudes surrounding “drinking culture” are also examples of how racism can unintentionally be inflicted with offhand remarks, which those on the receiving end may find offensive. With human relationships, it is the little things that matter. Perhaps we should apply this to issues of racial and class diversity in our institutions too. Although practices we take for granted, like college formals, are almost invisible in formal documentation, these basics are what constitute our experience and life-worlds in institutional settings.
PALATINATE | Thursday 26th January 2017
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Politics
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The Durham Bubble: Politics News in Brief Celebs boycott inauguration
Plot to oust NUS President
May’s mental health pledge
Home Secretary’s “hate speech”
Mason Boycott-Owen Politics Editor
Kate McIntosh Deputy Politics Editor
Tom Harwood Durham NUS Delegate
Estia Ryan
Victoria Lincoln
World War II and orgy enthusiast Max Mosely has come under criticism for his backing of strict regulation of the British press. The former boss of Formula One currently funds the press regulator “Impress” through family money. His involvement has rightly caused speculation since he himself was the subject of a compromising story in the News of the World. The British press have clearly taken this to heart given no national newspapers have signed up to his regulatory body. His push for Section 40 and a second Leveson inquiry seems to place the importance of a personal vendetta above a free press. This move risks keeping the corruption and duplicity in society hidden from the public.
Trump has been officially sworn in as US President and the world has not ended—yet. Highlights of inauguration day include George W. Bush Jr battling his waterproof, Ivanka Trump’s poorly timed gift-giving which saw former First Lady Michelle flailing with an oversized Tiffany’s box, and surprise attendee Hillary Clinton throwing some subtle side-eye at the incoming President. The whole charade was overshadowed by reports that Saturday’s Womens’ March would dwarf the inauguration crowd. Celebrities and civilians alike came out to protest a presidency which will be at best farcical and, at worst, disastrous.
Mosley vs. the Free Press
Photograph: Mr. Hamid via Flickr
Photograph: National Guard via Flickr
NUS Vice President Richard Brooks has been organising against hardleft NUS President Malia Bouattia, who has had to deny allegations of anti-Semitism. This comes after Bouattia organised against softleft president Megan Dunn last year, unseating her after just one term. Brooks was secretly filmed meeting with an Al-Jazeera reporter pretending to be a concerned Jewish student. The hard-left was enraged after it was revealed that Brooks had visited Israel last year with the Union of Jewish Students. This led to some pro-Bouattia types to claim that Brooks was part of an Israeli plot. Controlling the NUS is clearly a significant Israeli foreign policy objective.
Photograph: Chatham House via Flickr
Theresa May’s remarks last week on mental health have received, at best, mixed reviews. The PM announced that her Government is to invest £15 million into “crisis cafes” and “community clinics” in towns and cities across the country. That is only £23,000 per parliamentary constituency. May stressed the importance of tackling the stigma of mental health. This does not, however, offer a tangible solution. Children with untreated mental illnesses are four times more likely to experience drug-related problems. The current social cost of mental illness is £105 million per year (similar to the annual NHS budget). A few “crisis cafes” are unlikely to make a difference.
Photograph: Marie L via Flickr
Was Amber Rudd’s speech a “hate incidence”? Not by a long shot. As seen in an interview with Andrew Neil, Professor Silver’s arguments are weak. This just seems part of the quest to make the Tories out to be the “nasty party” and undermine a new cabinet. Firstly, Professor Silver has not seen the speech and only “read the draft” and the proposals that Silver had qualms with were not actual policies and just hearsay. Secondly, this smacks of double standards. Gordon Brown’s “British jobs for British workers” speech would also be “hate-speech” if we use the same definition. Photograph: Henry Lawford via Flickr
Alarms sound as NHS reaches crisis point cost. So how is it that Jeremy Hunt looks about as safe as any other current secretary of state?
Joseph Costello Deputy Politics Editor
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Contrary to Jeremy Hunt’s feeble attempts to repudiate fact, and, indeed, strengthened by the Labour Party’s impotence on the opposition benches, the NHS is on its death-bed. Well really, it’s lying between two trollies, in a waiting area. Yet, nobody is listening to its guttural screams. The outlook is utterly, utterly grim. That is the reality. And this is not in question. But how have we come to this situation? And how do we get out of it?
So how is it that Jeremy Hunt looks about as safe as any other secretary of state?
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Well really, it’s lying between two trollies, in a waiting area. Yet, nobody is literening to its gutteral screams.
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It is oft-reported that cuts to social-care have had a catastrophic effect on the number of available hospital beds. Troublingly this news is nothing new to our Conservative government. In 2015, the Kings Fund (KF)
The last few weeks have seen shocking stories and images of hospital wards.
released figures that “nine out ten” NHS trusts were experiencing adverse effects directly due to socialcare cuts. The KF clearly advised the government that it was imperative to protect the social-care budget from
further cuts because we were heading towards devastation. Or how about humanitarian crisis? On top of this, the shrouded veil of privatization continues to loom over the NHS. It has done, since Field-Marshall Blair took office.
Photograph: Henry Lawford via Flickr
The Telegraph reported in 2015 that hospitals paid-for under PFI schemes are costing the health service £2bn per year. Renting the buildings back from private companies is amounting at eight or nine times above the building-
Well, for one thing, the recent Corbyn reboot was supposed to start on the offensive. Attack the government where it really hurts. Really cover them in excrement. But we finish the day talking about pay-rations within the public sector. Not the NHS. And you can blame the media for that. But you’re kidding yourself. That is Jeremy Corbyn’s fault. And Corbyn’s fault alone. The government wants to deal with everything but the well-being of its people. And the opposition wants to have an academic debate about wealth inequality. It is time to wake up. The National Health Service is in a crisis that it will not recover from unless something is done immediately. Inaction will lead to more needless deaths. It is time that the both Jeremys are put out to pasture. Before it is too late.
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Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Watergate II: Trump “secrets” leaked to press Sebastian Sanchez-Schilling Is it wrong to kink-shame a man like Trump? The question arose when it was revealed that Trump allegedly paid prostitutes to pee on a bed which the Obamas had slept in, and on each other. This is otherwise known as “watersports”; it has caused some controversy. On 11 January, an anonymous dossier was released by Buzzfeed, alleging several damning facts about Trump. They centred around his relation to Russia. The crux of the issue was supposedly that the Russian state has compromising information in regards to Trump, and therefore could use this as leverage against him. We should hold a level of scepticism in regards to shaming a man who was caught on tape bragging about sexual assault—what more could there be for the Russians? Barring a revelation similar to that of the inane #PizzaGate (a conspiracy theory which alleges that Clinton and her associates are paedophiles who acquire children through a place fronting as a pizza restaurant), there was not much that could sink the man.
President Trump has unsurprisingly deflected the allegations via Twitter
#WaterSportsGate began to trend on Twitter almost instantly. It is perhaps the only political scandal which should reference Watergate in some way. Before we go into the details of the matter, we should
consider the nature of what is occurring. Trump has been hostile towards the intelligence community of the United States from the beginning of his primary campaign to now. Chuck Schumer, the
Senate Minority Leader, called this position “really dumb”. He claimed that they had “six ways from Sunday at getting back at you”. Is this one of them? No matter how abominable Trump may
process” and repeated her opposition to Scottish independence.
Dan Burton DULC Co-Chair
where it still retains a lead over the Conservat...oh wait, nevermind. Despite my criticisms of the execution, I’m pleased the party are looking across the pond to learn from Trump’s victory. Labour should be more vocal about the need for an industrial policy to reverse the decline of British manufacturing over the last 30 years. Labour should attack the London-centric viewpoint of previous governments and talk tough against rigged Chinese competition in steel. A rise in corporation tax to fund a cut in small business rates should be demanded, to shift wealth from the City to local SMEs.
Planet Brexit: Still leaving
Six months after the vote to leave the European Union, the Prime Minister at last delivered her Brexit plan with twelve negotiating objectives on January 17th. In a carefully-crafted speech, Mrs. May sought to reassure the world with a message against the long-feared “cliff edge for business or… threat to stability,” rejecting an indefinite, long-term transitional deal. The Prime Minister confirmed speculations of Britain leaving the single market, and declared plans for an end to Britain paying into the EU budget. However, Britain’s position on the customs union stays up in the air. She made it a top priority to guarantee the status of EU citizens in Britain and vice versa. Mrs May reiterated the importance of regaining control on immigration jurisdiction of the European Court and justices. She affirmed both Houses of Parliament would vote on the final deal. The Supreme Court is yet to announce whether a parliamentary vote needs to take place on whether to trigger Article 50 following the government’s appeal against the High Court. Writing in The Times, Mrs May said the Scottish government should be “fully engaged in the
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Britain’s position on the customs union stays up in the air
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Cecilia Wang
Photograph: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
The Scottish government seeks a “differentiated approach” for Scotland, with access to the single market, a move hardly surprising given its 62% to 38% vote in favour of remain. SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon said she was “determined to save Scotland from Brexit” and accused the Conservatives of putting its “obsession with immigration” ahead of the interests of the economy. Lord Kerr, author of Article 50, said the Scottish demand would be “difficult” and potentially legally infeasible. 56% of people in Northern Ireland voted to remain. The political parties are sharply divided. DUP leader Arlene Foster said Brexit would happen, whilst Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness asserted he has “no faith” that MPs will respect Northern Ireland’s referendum result. The collapse of powersharing in Northern Ireland risks delaying the triggering of Article 50 by months, as approval from Stormont is legally required.
be, should we support the United States’ intelligence community, comprising of the CIA, NSA, FBI and a number of other agencies, in an attack on the president? If Trump were to be impeached or resign, would America be better off under Pence? This is doubtful. Regardless, it was alleged he paid to see golden showers and that the FSB (Russian state intelligence) had information about this. This claim is as bizarre as the concept of the man getting elected president, so one should consider it. However, its validity was increased when the anonymous leaker was revealed to be a former MI6 agent Christopher Steele. The fact that he fled his home and has gone into hiding may only increase its validity in some respects. We still do not know if it is true. The impact of the allegation may be like that against David Cameron. In a biography, it was alleged he placed his penis in a dead pig’s mouth, and absolutely nothing happened to him. Then again, Trump is the thin-skinned type of man who’d let this type of thing get to him. We will see.
Return of the Jezi: Corbyn reboot
Jeremy Corbyn’s planned transformation into the British Donald Trump had been circulating about the press for days. Was he going to become more aggressive, anti-establishment, with a more populist economic message than before? In the end, all that transpired was a muddled message about corporate pay ratios that died after a day. Curiously, this wasn’t prepped to the rest of the shadow cabinet. Worst of all, Jezza ended up drawing attention away from the ongoing NHS crisis; Labour’s strongest issue and the only one
Reboot: a stumble in the right direction
Photograph: Ninian Reid via Flickr
A new ad by the TSSA highlights how state-owned foreign companies sponge profits from our privatised rail system. If it were to reach a mass audience such a message would put nationalisation back on the policy agenda more than the dry, ‘cheaper fares’ argument ever has. Polls show interventionist economics are popular. Labour’s weaknesses in policy lie in two other areas. Firstly, its commitment to freedom of movement. Secondly, its support for Britain’s dependency culture. Given that a hard Brexit is going ahead, Labour should emphatically reject the former and more strongly tie in state investment with getting people off benefits to ameliorate the latter. Trump’s narrative of American decline because of globalisation, the free movement of capital, and of foreign powers bossing the country won him key working-class constituencies in the Rust Belt. In the North and the Midlands (where many marginal seats now lie) a cry to “make Britain great again” could be equally effective. Crucially, economic populism must be dressed in patriotism and post-Brexit national renewal, not egalitarianism and socialist theory.
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Labour faces stern tests in upcoming by-elections Copeland and Stoke-on-Trent Central are two seats that have been held by Labour since their creation in 1983 and 1950 respectively, but they will both face by-elections on 23rd February. The 2015 General Election saw the majorities of the two Labour incumbents significantly reduced. Jamie Reed, MP for Copeland, secured a majority of just 2,564 over the Conservatives. Whereas Tristram Hunt narrowly fought off strong UKIP and Tory opposition in Stoke, on a turnout of less than half the electorate. Both Labour MPs have been openly critical of the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who is languishing in the polls, despite achieving a renewed mandate from the party membership last year. Jamie Reed will take up a post in the nuclear industry, an area in which he publicly clashed with Mr Corbyn, and Tristram Hunt will become the Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Although they appear to be voluntary decisions, for Hunt it may have been a case of
jumping before being pushed. The new boundary changes set to be introduced at the next election would mean that the Stoke-on-Trent Central seat would likely cease to exist. Labour will view these elections with a sense of dread. Corbyn has
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These two by-elections will be defining moments
been unable to get a grip of the Brexit issue and has neglected some of his core supporters in failing to commit to strong immigration controls. Both constituencies voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union and such euroscepticism will play into the hands of Labour’s challengers. UKIP will be targeting the Stoke seat with a view to transferring their considerable grassroots support into Parliamentary seats. Rumours have circulated about Paul Nuttall himself contesting the forthcoming by-election. Even more interestingly, the Copeland by-election carries the prospect of this Conservative Government
45% of MPs to be women Hanna Fölsz
A new report of the Women and Equalities Committee urges political parties to increase the number of female general election candidates to at least 45%, recommending that they face fines if they fail to do so. The government is considering the recommendations of the report. There are currently 195 female MPs in the House of Commons, a mere 30% of all MPs. This ranks the UK 48th in the world for female representation in equivalent institutions. This means a considerable fall in the ranking for the country, as in 1999, it was ranked 25th. In total, since the election of the first female MP, Sinn Fein’s Constance Markievicz in 1918, there have been 455 female MPs in the House of Commons in history, exactly equal to the number of male MPs currently serving in the Commons. Since the 2015 general election, the number of female MPs in parliament has risen to 29% from 18% in 1997, yet the committee believes that such progress is dissatisfactory. It believes that Parliament should remove “barriers to women’s participation” and introduce outreach programmes to “actively encourage women to
becoming the first sitting government to gain a seat since the Mitcham and Morden by-election of 1982. Such a victory would be unprecedented and would embolden those in the PLP calling
for Corbyn’s resignation. Whatever the outcome, these two by-elections will be defining moments for Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. The prospect of a UKIP gain in Stoke, although
hugely significant, pales in comparison to that of a Government gain from Labour in Copeland. All eyes in Westminster will be fixed on these key contests, particularly those closest to the Labour leader.
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Cameron McIntosh
participate in democracy”. The report recommends that parties put forward female candidates to run for seats where the chances of winning are high. Yet if the proportion of female MPs does not rise to at least 45% after the 2020 elections, the government should legislate to achieve progress, introducing financial penalties - fines or confiscation of electoral deposits. In this case, the government should also introduce a statutory minimum proportion of 45% of female parliamentary candidates for parties. A representative of the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons said that the government is considering the recommendations of the committee and will respond within the following weeks. Want to have your say? Get involved by joining the Palatinate Politics Facebook group:
Tristram Hunt MP stepped down in order to take up a role at the V&A
Photograph: Financial Times via Flickr
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GreyCollegelaunchescrowdfundingfordisabledaccess Nathan Young
Grey College has launched Great Ideas (greatideas.hubbub.net) with a project to raise money for improved disabled access to one of the college buildings. Anyone can donate to the project, with re-
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A key element of crowd funding campaign is a narrative hook, showing people how they are indispensable to the project
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wards for those who give over certain amounts, ranging from £10 for an electronic thank you to £2000 for the ability to name a room. The campaign lasts until 4th February
and at time of writing, stands at £1114, with a lower goal of £3,000 and an upper goal of £10,000. Crowdfunding is a relatively new form of fundraising, which focuses on engaging a community. Anyone can donate and usually the majority of funding comes from small donations (~£20). Those who donate can get in touch with the creators and in some way shape the project that they love. Usually, a key element of a crowdfunding campaign is a narrative hook, showing people how they are indispensable to a project. Likewise, for many platforms, if the necessary amount of money is not raised, the project will not go ahead and no one will be charged. Both of these aspects give the project an urgency beyond a normal crowdfunder - if people want to see an idea succeed, they cannot sit on the sidelines. Crowdfunding has had an explosion of growth over the past few years. Websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo have raised billions of pounds by connecting creative and enthusiastic supporters, while charitable crowdfunders such as GoFundMe, the
Grey College
world’s largest crowdfunder in terms of donations, allows people to easily create pages to fundraise for marathons, skydives and expeditions. Hubbub, the designers of the Great Ideas platform, cater specifically to the university crowdfunding market. It is obvious that there are many possibilities for this technology in universities, whether that is raising money for new rugby kit, or supporting charitable activities in and around Durham. Any member (student or staff) of Grey can submit a project and anyone with
Photograph: Durham University
the permission of either the Grey Master or the University Chief Operating Officer can create a project through the same process. Anyone can back a project, whether supporting it financially or sharing it in their social media network. It is said that a share is worth about £10, so everyone who supports can contribute to the project’s success. Fountains Hall stands at the back of Grey, near the Biology department and contains the College chapel, theatre and music rooms. Opened in 1971, it was
built when the College was under a third of its current size. It is being refurbished this year, with a refit to the stage and several new music rooms, and so money is being raised to improve the disabled access. Without the project, there would be a toilet and lift; if the project reaches £3,000 there will be a full wet room and shower; for £10,000 there will be a disabled lift. The project is being run by Steve Gregory, an alumnus and Peter Swift, the College Vice-Master. Over the coming months, several other projects will be announced, looking to improve other areas of college life. A core aim is to get students to create projects for themselves, with the crowdfunder to run self-sufficiently after a time. This will give students organisational experience, forge links with alumni and hopefully, by giving students more control over funding possibilities, it will allow new sports, societies, services and opportunities to flourish. If you are interested in running a crowdfunding project, whether you are at Grey or not, please get in contact with Nathan Young at great.ideas@durham.ac.uk.
Dr Mark Raine wins cryogenics prize
Tommy Pallett SciTech Editor Durham Physicist Dr. Mark Raine won the Harry Jones Prize from the British Cryogenics Council this January for the work completed in his PhD thesis. Dr Raine worked on superconductivity – a phenomenon whereby zero electrical resistance is achieved in materials cooled below a threshold temperature – in nanocrystalline Niobium Carbonitride. Raine’s PhD project set out in majority to “improve the upper critical magnetic field of the material [he] was working on […] niobium carbonitride”. He achieved just that: a doubling of it. Raine offered doctoral students some comforting words in saying that “like most PhDs, everything doesn’t start to come together until the last portion of it”. Raine in fact spent the first two years of his PhD just trying to make the material to a high quality, and determined equipment prob-
Dr Raine receives the 2017 Harry Jones Prize from Dr Evans
lems to be his biggest setbacks. Dr Raine’s PhD wasn’t typical. Getting towards the end of his work, he then “postponed it, because [he] got employed [at Durham] to start up a new laboratory […] the European Fusion Reference Laboratory”. The purpose of this laboratory was to provide
high accuracy materials measurements for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), a European-based fusion energy research project. Superconductivity is essential for the technology currently employed to achieve fusion energy, as Raine explained “without supercon-
Photograph: Durham University
ductivity […] you can’t get out more energy than you put in” and this, of course, is a central paradigm of energy production. He believes that the work ITER does is very important to our future. Raine revealed that some of his results were indeed “accidental”. For example, though he set out to
improve the upper critical magnetic field, they not only achieved this but also a forty-fold increase in the critical current density. This was by no means a given, and indeed could have filled an entirely separate project. But as Raine said: “we all need a bit of luck in life”. It was this combination of an increase in both values, coupled with only a relatively small reduction in temperature that made Raine’s material and measurements so special. It is relatively unusual to gain this sort of recognition for a PhD thesis (as opposed to a paper publication), and this prize is unique in that it is open to all types of academic projects: from fourth year projects to senior research. In fact, Raine suggests that the prize is really independent of qualifications, it’s more a prize just for the research completed. Dr Mark Raine, in the words of the British Cryogenics Council, produced an “excellent piece of work [...] well-deserving of the prize”.
Thursday 26th January 2017| PALATINATE
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First-year Geographers visit Portugal Cameron Lang SciTech Correspondent Whilst many of us were freezing at home, over 120 first year Geography students spent five days in sunny Lagoa Pequena, Portugal, experiencing salt water, freshwater, sand, and quarry environments. Their aim was to get to grips with data sampling in these environments. However, they successfully managed not to get too grubby. "I'd never seen such clean students after their first introduction to sediment quarrying!", said Dr Louise Best, Trip Organiser. Staff members, assisted by postgraduate students, split the students into groups of 30, which rotated around the four sites chosen for study. Louise worked with students in a lagoon, considering freshwater and brackish (salt water) water environments. She asked students to consider how the coastline and landscape had evolved over time, and how sea levels had changed over the past 10,000 years. Students did this by taking manual core samples, which involves pushing cylindrical metal chambers into the ground and bringing them back up containing a section of the sediment. Students then learnt how to describe these samples and link the description of different sand and clay layers to how the lagoon has changed over time. A visit to the beach of Costa de Caparica, West Portugal, was included to investigate coastal
erosion, sediment transport and coastal defences. The beach also had very old fossil deposits. Students spent time discussing how environments have changed over time, comparing it to the surrounding modern environment. The students also got to visit an old quarry to do some geology – studying many different layers of rock using geological logging (recording the geological formations found by making a borehole). The change in rock demonstrated different deposits over different time periods. A stop at an archaeological site,
called Almendres Cromlech, was also included. Here, students got to use a quad copter to survey the location. This then led to discussion of impacts of erosion of the soil around the site – learning about different methods of measuring this. The final day entailed revisiting one of the four sites and undertaking a small research project, which varied depending on the location. For each location and final project, students have follow up practicals in the lab, based on field work. For example, some of the sediment samples can be analysed, looking
Students ready themselves to work at the old quarry
at the algae collected. Students then use these results to learn about how they can be used to gather information about changes in sea levels. Overall, the trip was a huge success, with the sun shining on all 5 days! The hands-on experience gave many students a great introduction to different practical techniques whilst linking content learnt during lectures to field work. Next year’s freshers are in for a real treat!
Photograph: Durham University
Durham student wins prestigious BritRock Prize Luke Andrews SciTech Editor
Chris Harbord MESci, a PhD student at Durham University Earth Sciences Department, has won the BritRock award for his landmark presentation on earthquakes, beating 20 other competitors. It introduced a new theory to the earthquake research community. His talk, entitled ‘Instability of rough faults in granite’, was received with great enthusiasm at the Joint Assembly in Liverpool last Wednesday.
Chris used an entertaining narrative and animations to explain his research into the mechanics of earthquakes carried out in the Durham University Earth Sciences Department’s ‘Rock Mechanics Laboratory’.Although GCSE textbooks make it look like we understand earthquakes, we still aren’t entirely sure how they work.“I’d like to say that we’re getting closer to this”, he said in an interview with Palatinate SciTech. Current theories on earthquakes argue that when certain parts of a fault between two tectonic plates move at different speeds, this leads
to a build-up of stress, causing an earthquake.Chris’s theory runs contrary to this. Based on his research, he argues that when part of a fault is already weak, this causes the stress build-up resulting in an earthquake“I think it’s [the theory] a really nice little paradigm shift”, he said. This landmark research on earthquake mechanics, combined with an excellent presentation, won him the BritRock award. It’s given every year for the best talk in the rock deformation topic section.“I was pleasantly surprised, I wasn’t expecting to
win it”, he said. “It’s reassuring for [my] work.”Chris also gave his top tips for designing a successful presentation, that could land you an excellent award;“The best talks are where a bit of entertainment is included,” he said.“You should use different forms of media to illustrate your point.” However, most importantly, he recommends you should “enjoy it.” “People pick up on that.” Chris has no plans to leave the field of earthquake research. Next year he will become a ‘Doctor’ at Durham University.
Editor’s Column Tommy Pallett SciTech Editor Welcome back to the new term! We hope everyone had a great Christmas, and that you managed to catch our article on the new iPhone app designed by the Durham Music Department. If not, be sure to go check it out on the SciTech webpage. This issue we’re proud to report on two awards obtained by researchers at Durham. These awards were both awarded to scientists still studying for a qualification, making their achievements all the more impressive. One of our reporters also takes a look at the recent Geography trip (they always seem to be jetting off somewhere, don’t they?) hopefully providing some insight into field trips for freshers. This term is filled with a myriad of interesting science and technology related events. Don’t miss out on the Institute of Advanced Study Lecture series entitled ‘The Scale of Things’; a truly interdisciplinary endeavour that will appeal to anthropologists, physicists, and sociologists alike. Continuing on the theme of ‘scale’, the Biophysical Sciences Institute is hosting a two-day workshop spread out over the term entitled ‘Living Scales’. So keep following PalatinateSciTech to get all the latest information on dates, times, and booking! Also, stay tuned because SciTech is about to launch its own SoundCloud page where we will be publishing podcasts of interviews and more! We do like to keep things fresh at your favourite section of Palatinate. As ever, if you have a story worth publishing, or you’d like us to report on some research then do get in touch!
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Gary Anderson: “The future is going to be huge” In decades to come, 2016 will be the answer to just about every piece of pub trivia. It was the year that everything changed – reversibly, irreversibly; for good, for bad; the sensational, the unfathomable. Many will wish 2016 had never come at all – a year full of controversy, tragedy and disillusionment. As December approached its end, the world needed a lift – a bit of fun: lights, music, dancing, beer and some high-class entertainment. And there it was, as it always is, waiting for us at the top of Muswell Hill. As Daniel Harris coined so perfectly in The New Statesman, “There are few things on this planet which never disappoint. The World Darts Championship is one of them.” If you watched it, you’ll agree. If you didn’t, you should have done. For, if political circles will forever view 2016 as the year of Brexit and Trump, the darting world will remember it as the year that saw the sport reach levels never witnessed before. It is the same people who summer in St. Andrew’s, scratching around the old course as they hack from bunker to bunker, who will never accept darts as a sport. But they are so wrong and, in truth, it’s their narrow-minded loss. The World Championships at Alexandra Palace are the culmination of a year of blood, sweat and tears, with tournaments held as far afield as Australia and crucial prize money to be won at each event. No spectator would begrudge these athletes their earnings – no sport gives us the simultaneous picture of anger, passion, delight and frustration like darts does. And as Gary Anderson agrees, no sport has an army of spectators so willing to serenade every player, applaud each double hit, provide such a carnival atmosphere regardless of the occasion, erupt with the magic of a nine-darter. “It’s just incredible to be honest”, Anderson admits. “The noise and atmosphere at Ally Pally is like being at Wembley or Hampden Park, I just love playing there. The Premier League is just something else. When I’m playing at Glasgow or Aberdeen, the support for me is just out of this world.” And why wouldn’t they be? Barring Sir Andy Murray, there cannot be a Scottish sportsperson representing his country with such distinction as ‘The Flying Scotsman’ himself. Going into the tournament as the reigning champion, a stage on which he had not tasted defeat since losing as the eighteenth seed to Michael van Gerwen in 2014, Anderson flew the flag once again, easing all the way to a third consecutive final. Given that Anderson could hardly see the board
until he started wearing glasses shortly before the tournament, his run is all the more remarkable. That he lost is, in a way, immaterial. “To be honest, I’ll look back very happily on the Worlds”, he tells me. “I changed my setup and had my glasses just a month before so it was always going to be an uphill task to stop Michael.” There is, of course, a hint of frustration – he wouldn’t be the champion that he is without a sense of what might have been. “I felt I played well. I just missed a couple of chances in the final and that’s all [Van Gerwen] needed.” Sixth seed James Wade claimed in an interview after his second-round win that “if everyone plays their best darts, Gary wins.” Anderson, typically, is philosophical in response to the praise, insisting that: “A lot of it comes down to that one game. It can hinge on one dart. For example, the final probably changed on Michael hitting double seven to level the match at 2-2. There’s such a fine line between success and failure now. I know if I play my A-game that I can beat anyone.” However, he knows that even an A-game assault may not be enough to stop Van Gerwen. Across the tournament, Cristo Reyes averaged 106 in his second-round defeat – breaking the record for the highest ever losing average, only for Raymond van Barneveld to record an average of 109 in his semi-final defeat. Anderson even threw at 107.8 in the final. Yet, Van Gerwen chewed each of them up and spat each one out, breaking a fifteen-year-old world record in the process as he averaged 114 in his semi – the highest number ever seen at the World Championship, followed by a record-
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There’s less of a drinking culture at all now. With so much money up for grabs, the players are more focused
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Nick Friend Sport Editor
breaking 109 in the final – the highest ever seen on the last night of the tournament. Remarkably, the madness will increase, Anderson predicts. “This is just down to more professional players being able to give up their jobs and just practice, practice, practice. The average record can be broken
Anderson celebrating his 5-3 victory over Dave ‘Chizzy’ Chisnall in the 2017 World Championships quarterfinal Photograph: PDC/Lawrence Lustig again; Michael could well do that over a short format in the Premier League.” Indeed, that record too belongs to Van Gerwen – currently sat at a mammoth 123.4 in a 7-1 mauling of Michael Smith in last year’s Premier League. Such statistics bring the obvious question – is Van Gerwen invincible? Twenty-five ranking titles in 2016 would suggest so. No player had ever even lost before whilst averaging 109 as van Barneveld did against him. Yet, Van Gerwen was so good that ‘Barney’ only managed two of the eight sets in one of the most stunning sporting displays ever seen. The equivalent to the Brazil side of 1970 at their very best, or Brian Lara’s 400*. But then he followed it up with equal astonishing panache to dispose of the reigning champion in the final. Anderson, the two-time world champion, is unfazed, though. “It becomes even more motivating and challenging. It would get boring if someone didn’t raise the bar every year. Michael has been phenomenal – but we’re not finished getting him back, that’s for sure.” Perhaps this belief stems from the way in which Anderson and Van Gerwen have led a generation in hunting down Phil Taylor, the game’s greatest ever player, a sixteen-time world champion, and a figurehead for what the sport has become. “Phil Taylor made the sport what it is today. His success, dedication and sheer ability made people watch the sport when it needed it most. “There will never be another Phil Taylor so I can’t say whether it will be
a golden era. Phil has done more for this sport than anyone else.” What strikes me throughout Anderson’s responses is the level of respect that exists between the world’s top players. Of Van Gerwen’s triumph, Anderson was effusive in his admiration, acknowledging that “the best player won and that’s the main thing.” Yet, given the vast amount of time spent on a gruelling yet lucrative circuit, the jovial relationships that exist between the players is hardly surprising. “In some respects, we are one giant family all touring together”, Anderson explains. “We have a laugh and a joke together, eat together and practice together. But the minute we walk up those stage stairs it all changes. But generally, it’s a good spirit and we have our mates on the circuit.” Throughout our interview, Anderson is at pains to stress the professionalism of the sport – perhaps still wary of the ignorant stereotype that has long since left the game. “It has become far more professional. There’s less of a drinking culture at all now. Again, with so much money up for grabs, the players are more focused. It’s more about winning than just a hobby as it sometimes was for players before.” While debates surrounding money in football have never been in greater supply, with the Chinese Super League joining the Premier League in hurling unfathomable sums of cash at, often, mediocre hasbeens in search of one final payday, Barry Hearn has quietly built up a sport, using money as a prize for success rather than a prerequisite on
which terms are signed. The Order of Merit is based on the year’s earnings – encouraging players to attend more tournaments and to practice more in the hope of claiming a winner’s cheque. And Anderson is grateful to the Professional Darts Corporation for what it has given its players. “I don’t think I envisaged just how big it would become - not this quickly anyway. I didn’t see this coming during my career. “Barry Hearn has done an incredible job. The sponsorship they have brought in has made the game more professional, more competitive and therefore better to watch – and that’s why there’s been such an explosion of people watching at the events and on television.” ‘The Flying Scotsman’ sees this as merely the start; the Olympics have been bandied around as a possibility, though Anderson is wary of “a lot of red tape” that will have to be hurdled for that dream to transpire. That, though, doesn’t feature high on Anderson’s list of worries. The welfare of the game, with both Taylor and Van Barneveld having admitted that they may be coming towards the end, is of greater importance. “It looks very bright”, he tells me – though with the infrastructure put in place by Hearn, it is hardly surprising. Anderson is excited by the prospect, predicting that the sport “will become even bigger in middle Europe, Germany and the Far East – and become an even bigger worldwide sport.” After an unprecedented 2016, “The future”, the 46-year-old enthuses, “is going to be huge.”
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Brocklebank flying with the Falcons With the likes of Will Carling, Will Greenwood and more recently Josh Beaumont leaving Durham University and entering into a career of club rugby and international representation, the institution can be seen as a breeding ground for budding rugby players with hopes of playing the game professionally. One man who is acutely aware of the opportunity DURFC provides is prop Adam Brocklebank, and having gone from a 16-year-old rugby novice to representing England Students and Newcastle Falcons in the space of four years, it’s fair to say his rise in the game has been meteoric. Only taking up rugby after a move to Myerscough College for sixth form, Brocklebank started his career as a number eight before his second year saw him called up to the England Counties u18 side as a loose-head prop, a position he has since filled with tremendous aplomb. Speaking to Palatinate, Brocklebank described how he was offered a scholarship at Durham after leaving college, and has since developed his game exponentially with the access to quality coaching that he has been afforded. Brocklebank calls out coach Alex Keay as an especially key figure. During Brocklebank’s brief stint in Durham, Keay has provided him with “all the tools” needed to develop his game, enough to earn him a professonial contract from Newcastle Falcons as soon as the end of his first academic year. Since this call-up, Brocklebank describes how his first pre-season with the Premiership club exposed him “to the best coaching I had ever had”, and his resulting improvements were plain to see. The 21-year-old has met a host of influential individuals along his path to success, including Falcons’ Durham alumni Simon Hammersley and Sean Robinson, who he says have been valuable contacts when in need of help on, or off, the pitch. Speaking on the opportunity Durham can provide for a budding professional athlete such as Hammersly or Robinson, Brocklebank described the institution as “a shop window that I never would have been in otherwise”, while the inaugural BUCS Super Rugby has given him and his team-mates the opportunity to showcase their talent to a wider audience. The presence of Durham University, along with support from his parents has, he says, helped to put him in the privileged position he finds himself in today. With regards to his progression as an athlete, Brocklebank’s performances in his second year saw him rewarded with an England Students
call-up, an accolade he was honoured to receive. Games against France and Ireland provided Brocklebank with invaluable international experience, whilst exposure to yet more high-class coaching saw a further progression in his already outstanding ability. Moreover, the influence of Falcons coaches Micky Ward and Dean Richards has been “a massive bonus when it comes to personal development” and he is under no illusion at the opportunity, describing it as one he must “grab with both hands.” The belief in Brocklebank from Richards, a former British and Irish Lion, is evident, as a call up to the senior squad came soon after his 21st birthday. “I was at home picking up my laptop and visiting my parents” Brocklebank explains, “I got a call from the coaches saying they wanted to in-
Will Legg Team Durham President
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It was a dream playing in front of so many people, I absolutely loved it and it gives me that desire and hunger to keep working hard
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Ollie Godden Deputy Sport Editor
volve me in the squad for the AngloWelsh cup game against Saracens at the weekend.” An injury to Alex Rogers in the 30th minute afforded Brocklebank an extended debut run, a moment he, unsurprisingly, holds cherished, saying, “It was a dream playing in front of so many people, I absolutely loved it and it gives me that desire and hunger to keep working hard.” Without question, Brocklebank has a long way to go if he is to make a career out of the game that he has fallen in love with so quickly, but his level-headedness is clear to see, but whilst under no illusion at the tough task that lies ahead, it is a task he is willing to scrap for. “I’d like to go all the way” he suggested, “maybe if I keep my head down, keep trying hard, maybe something will come of it, but a career in rugby is definitely something I’m aiming for.” Following in the footsteps of many before him, there is no doubt that Brocklebank has the desire, ability and hunger to follow his dream.
View from the President
Photograph: Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club
Polo Club on the ride to success Jess Roche & Helena Cusson The Durham University Polo Club was re-established in 2014 by a group of freshers, all sharing an unusually keen enthusiasm for horses. Disappointed that the original Durham Polo Club, founded by former England captain, Malcolm Borwick, had become extinct, the freshers took on the challenge to rebuild the club. Over the past year and a half, the team has grown exponentially, culminating in over 200 new students signing up this year at the Team Durham Freshers’ Fair in October. The huge development of the club is perhaps down to the fact that Durham Polo will take on anyone, from total beginners, who have never touched a horse in their life, to wellseasoned pros with international experience. The polo club really does have a full range of abilities. The exec committee are also working hard to keep playing memberships affordable to ensure all budding players can be involved.
Sponsorship officer, Freya Smellie, recently secured sponsorship with the luxury home interiors company Josephine Home, and there are some big sponsorship deals on the horizon with further high-profile companies. Team training is twice weekly for those students who can commit their time to thwacking a ball at great speeds atop a galloping charge. The club coach, Tony Wesche, is hugely enthusiastic, bringing much excitement to all the sessions. This season Durham has entered their three top teams in the beginner, novice and intermediate category in the new Northern league. The beginners team played their first match last term with an impressive 14-0 win against Newcastle. What makes this score even more impressive is the fact two chukkas are only 14 minutes, so the Durham Jaguars averaged a goal a minute. The team looks set to compete in the national league finals at the end of March, joined by the intermediate team, the Durham Lions, who qualified unchallenged. The Durham Tigers, the novice team, are due to play Leeds on Sunday 5th February – which, if they win, may lead to Dur-
Welcome back for another term. For all those at Team Durham, it’s going to be an extremely busy next ten weeks! Many BUCS league programmes are drawing to a conclusion. We are still in contention to win more than ten Premier North titles. In fact, the Women’s Football 1st XI already secured their league title before Christmas! It is likely that many of these leagues will be decided on Wednesday 1st of February, when we return to Loughborough for the away leg of the Durham vs Loughborough BUCS Varsity. Further, we are also nearing the BUCS Individual National Championships in Sheffield, which will take place over the weekend of 17th February. We will have around 100 students entered into a range of sports, from Athletics to Trampolining. On Sunday 26th February, Durham will again be hosting York in the annual College Varsity. We are determined to regain the trophy, which we ceded to York last year. We should have representatives from every college, competing across fifteen different sports. Finally, we will be hosting a student consultation group for the exciting new development at Maiden Castle. This will take place on Thursday 2nd February at Collingwood College. It would be great to hear feedback from students on the proposed development.
ham winning every single category of the new league! The winter nationals are quickly approaching in the middle of February at Rugby Polo Club. Durham has entered an impressive eight teams, which is a huge leap in numbers from 2015 where there were only nine players. One of the major events on DUPC’s calendar is the annual trip to Switzerland for the Snow Polo World Cup. This incredible alpine event is hosted on the frozen lake of St Moritz and is free entry to all! Although it does attract a lot of Russians adorned in head-to-toe fur, the students from Durham were not phased. A small group flew out last year, leaving summatives behind for the winter sun and mountains. An even larger group are going this year and are due to depart in a few weeks’ time, highlighting the remarkable turnaround undergone by the club in the last three years.
Sport
Thursday 26th January 2017 | PALATINATE
Gary Anderson exclusive interview
Palatinate speaks to the world No.2, two-time PDC world champion and 2017 World Championship runner-up
Adam Brocklebank feature
Sport catches up with the Newcastle Falcons and Durham University prop
Collingwood A’s run riot in historic David and Goliath derby Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
Durham University Polo Club in action during their 14-0 victory over Newcastle Photograph: Annie Berry
Trio receive England call-up James Martland Deputy Sport Editor The end of 2016 was a special time for Durham Lacrosse. A 10-3 victory over Birmingham in early December saw the first team crowned winners of the BUCS Premier League North, even with two games to spare. That means that the team have so far won all eight of their fixtures in the division during this current campaign. The BUCS Premier League North is a competition which Durham have monopolised in recent years, having now won it for each of the last six years, highlighting Durham’s dominance in lacrosse in recent years. 2017 has started in a similar vein, but this time, for three specific individuals in particular. Three Durham students, both past and present, have been included as part of in the England training squad for the 2017 World Cup. Emma Adams, currently of St
Hild and St Bede, as well as Lucy Grant and Isabel McNab, both of whom have left Durham in the previous two years, have all been selected by Team Director Phil Collier alongside twenty-three others. This group has been cut down from an original squad of fortyfour, who had been invited to attend training camps in recent months. The 26-person squad will now fly to the USA in February for training and a series of matches, before heading back to England for a game against Japan in March. The World Cup takes place between the 12th and 22nd of July on home soil at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. Grant, 21 and McNab, 23, both of whom made their debuts for the national team back in 2015, will be competing against each other alongside one other goalkeeper, for a first choice spot at the tournament. Despite having left university, both are relatively young compared to the majority of the squad
and thus not only have the opportunity to represent their country at the highest level, but also of gaining vital experience for future World Cups. Durham first team captain, Emma Adams, is the only current student selected in Phil Collier’s squad and is one of seven defenders that the Team Director has named. Adams, who previously captained the Under-19 side to third place at the 2015 World Cup in Edinburgh, appears delighted at the possibility of representing her country in the same format at senior level. Furthermore, being only 21 years old, she recognises the skills that could be gained by playing alongside and against many much older and more experienced Lacrosse players. “When I got the call up, I was extremely surprised, but really excited that I would have the privilege to perform with athletes of such a high standard, even though I am so much younger than them. ‘’Right now my aim is to inte-
grate as much as possible into the team as we head on tour on February 11th to North Carolina, where we hope to beat both Duke and North Carolina. ‘’North Carolina won the Women’s and Men’s NCAA lacrosse championship last year, so it will be an exciting learning experience for us as players and a great opportunity for the coaches to cut down the squad even further.” As Adams mentions, with Ireland and Team USA recently naming 18-player squads, and Israel naming a group of 20, it is likely that the England training squad will be cut down further before the final roster is announced. However, even if some of the three don’t quite make Collier’s squad for the tournament, at the ages of 21, 21 and 23, Grant, McNab and Adams all appear to have a bright future ahead of them, with many more opportunities to represent their country at the highest level.
Deputy Sport Editor College football has produced some odd fixtures in the past, but none as bizarre as last Wednesday’s encounter between Collingwood A and Collingwood L in the Men’s Football Trophy. Ten letters separated these sides, but a great deal of pride was still at stake. That difference eventually showed, but at first the game was not quite as uneven as it seemed alphabetically. The depleted A’s peppered the L team goal, though many shots were from distance. L team captain and goalkeeper Oscar Wilkie produced a fine save down low to his left, and a goalmouth scramble from a corner came to nothing for the dominant side. Nevertheless, the first clear chance fell to the underdogs. Winger Luke Magarinos dashed into the penalty area and fizzed in a perfect cross for Pierre Davies, who could not quite connect with the ball. Had it been turned in it might have been a very different afternoon for the L’s. That moment seemed to jolt the A’s into action, however, and the goals flew in. Niall Flanagan was the standout performer with four, but Dan Senior and captain Justin Humphries also impressed, bagging a hat-trick and a brace respectively. Even so, the L’s put in a valiant effort, and were afforded a rare moment of joy when Tom Taylor came on at half-time and bundled home a consolation goal. The final score was 9-1, but the L’s could be proud of their attitude throughout. President Matthew Cass praised the quality throughout the ranks of Durham’s biggest sports club. “The fact that we’ve had our first A versus L derby really reflects the positive direction we’re going in. A Collingwood derby is always special, but a game between two sides with ten teams separating them in the same club is unprecedented.”