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.”