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Thursday 4th March 2021 | PALATINATE
News
Donations worth £4.3m channelled through American alumni organisation Continued from front been a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions due to its business activities. Durham University openly advertises careers with BP on their website. A number of major law firms
also frequently donate money to the University including Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Baker McKenzie, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Forsters LLP, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Hogan Lovells LLP and Clyde & Co LLP. £4.3m of donations have been channelled through DunelmUSA,
a US-based charity that pools donations from benefactors in the United States to Durham University. Where the origin of donations is known, a large proportion were awarded to scholarships and research grants. The large number of donations from (Amana Moore)
religious organisations and law firms may be influenced by Durham Theology department’s standing in the world rankings, who have maintained a top 5 place over the past four years according to QS World Rankings. However, high-level data indicates that roughly half of donations, some £18m, in the fiveyear period between 2014/15 and 2018/19 were directed to capital projects. The vast majority of these came from individuals rather than organisations. 59% of funds donated from individuals were directed towards capital projects (£12.3m) compared with only 32% of donated funds from trusts, companies, and other organisations (£5.8m). The records show four £1m+ donations from individuals towards capital projects in this period. Durham University was reluctant to hand over the names of its major donors, believing that doing so would violate the Data Protection Act. Previous Palatinate investigations have also been rebuffed, as the University claimed it would “suffer commercial detriment” if the data was revealed. However, following a complaint made to the Information Commissioner’s
Office, the University agreed to reveal the names of organisations that have donated over £10,000 over the past three years. A number of donations to the University in the past have resulted in controversy, including donations from British American Tobacco, the Iranian government and the US State Department. Professor Stuart Corbridge, Vice-Chancellor, told Palatinate: “We are proud that philanthropic giving to Durham University has increased substantially in recent years. “This is a tangible sign of the levels of affection and engagement our global network of alumni and benefactors has with our University, and their shared belief in our mission and values.” “Almost all of our philanthropic support is directed towards providing direct financial support to our students, pursuing transformative research, and nurturing an inspiring environment for our staff, students, and our community partners. “We have rigorous policies in place to support our approach, including our Gift Acceptance Policy, which is publicly available and reviewed regularly.”
Seun Twins elected for second term Theo Burman News Editor Seun Twins, this year’s SU President, has been elected for a second term after the most contested presidential election in four years. Twins ran on a platform that built on her work combatting the adverse effects of Covid-19 and Durham’s culture, which she pledged to address in the continuation of her flagship policy, the Culture Commission. Jonah Graham was elected as Welfare and Liberation Officer, Declan Merrington as Postgraduate Academic Officer, Jack Ballingham as Opportunities Officer and Charlie Procter as Undergraduate Academic Officer. Additionally, Ola Wojciechowska, Meg Wishart, Robert Smith, and Kathryn Ellison were elected as SU Trustees, and Bianca Drujescu. Aditya Lathar, Akansha Agrawal, and Alexandra Nita were elected as NUS delegates. St Chad’s College had the highest turnout with just over 36%, and is set to win the SU’s
prize of an address from Jackie Weaver who found fame last month after a virtual meeting of Handforth Parish Council went viral.
The election had a 14.16% turnout
Twins ran against Joe Simmons, Aditya Lathar, and James Burton for the position, with RON also an option. However, no student applied to run an official RON campaign, despite changes in the SU election rules allowing for this. Last year, 58% of students voted for the RON option, which was subsequently eliminated, citing campaign rules violations. The election had a 14.16% turnout, with undergraduates having the highest at 17.61%. Seun led in every round in the SU’s transferable vote system, with the final round coming down to her and James Burton, the St Chad’s JCR President. In the first round, RON was eliminated. In the second and third, Joe Simmons and Aditya Lathar were eliminated.
(Amana Moore)
