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News 266.8 tonnes of food waste produced annually by Durham’s catered colleges

Tim Sigsworth Editor-in-Chief

Durham’s catered colleges have produced an average 266.8 tonnes of food waste annually since the 2017-18 academic year, according to figures obtained by Palatinate through a Freedom of Information request.

When compared with the average numbers of livers-in during 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, this equates to 60.11 kilograms of waste per student per year.

Collectively, the catered colleges have produced 532.79 tonnes of food waste during that period, spending £9.3m on food in the process.

In 2020, the lockdown between March and July saw a dramatic decline in both waste and spending. Total spending on food by the catered colleges – Collingwood, University, Hild Bede, Van Mildert, St. Mary’s, St. Aidan’s, Grey, Hatfield, Trevelyan and St. Cuthbert’s – dropped from £3.5m in 2018-19 to £2.4m in 2019-20, a decline of 30.6%.

The total amount of food wasted by the colleges was reduced by just under 42.0% over the same period, falling from 277.52 tonnes to 161.10 tonnes. Commenting on the findings, Nina Griffiths, Director of the University’s Operations, Colleges and Student Experience Division, said: “We share the concern of many over the amount of food that gets wasted and reducing food waste is a key objective in our environmental action plan.

“We’ve made great progress over the last few years but we know there’s more to do and we’re absolutely committed to reducing our food waste further across all our colleges and catering facilities.”

The data also revealed that the catered colleges spent an average of £554 per student on food in 2019-20, a small proportion of the fees charged for catered college rooms of £7,894 or £8,385. Last year, St. Cuthbert’s – where students are split between catered and self-catered accommodation – and St. Aidan’s recorded the smallest waste figures at 7.8 and 12.7 tonnes respectively, whereas University, St. Mary’s and Van Mildert colleges came in the highest with respective scores of 21.3, 19.2 and 19.1 tonnes.

In particular, two colleges deviated substantially from the mean percentage decline in waste of 42.0%, with St. Mary’s – the second largest waster – dropping by just 16.7% and Van Mildert’s declining by 58.6%.

Indeed, St. Mary’s appears to be least efficient college for catering, and by some distance as well.

This follows their muchcriticised provision of food to livers-in during the start of Michaelmas Term. In 20192020, the college wasted 61.4 kilograms per liver-in – a figure 37.9% higher than the amount recorded – 44.5 kilograms – by the second-placed college, Grey.

St. Mary’s also saw a decrease in waste per liver-in of just four per cent between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years; this is vastly lower than the mean decline of 51.0%.

The college also spent the most on food per liver-in during 201920, with their figure of £751 again being considerably higher than second place, Hild Bede at £634.

“The variation in the amount of food waste across our Colleges is due to a number of factors including the extent of commercial business in different colleges, such as out of termtime holiday accommodation and weddings, and centralised provision of catering for events across the University,” Ms. Griffiths explained when asked what lay behind this deviation.

When the outlier of St. Mary’s is removed, the mean spending by colleges on food per liver-in totalled £593, with Van Mildert’s spend per liver-in of £509 being the only significant deviator.

This data suggests that St. Mary’s catered offering is exceptionally wasteful, both in terms of spending and tonnage.

In terms of spending, there were again only two colleges which deviated significantly from the mean percentage decline of 30.6%, but such deviation was far less pronounced. Collingwood recorded a decline of just 22.6%, while University slashed their spending by a larger margin of 37.5%. The most efficient colleges in terms of waste were St. Aidan’s and Hatfield, who wasted 33.0 and 33.6 kilograms of food per liver-in compared to a mean of 47.1 kilograms. St. Cuthbert’s and University were excluded from all per liverin calculations due to the lack of available data on how many of its students were catered and how many were self-catered.

Student environmentalist group EcoDU told Palatinate that whilst there have been efforts by the University to put in place a comprehensive food waste disposal plan, “there is clearly more work that needs to be done in order to tackle food waste in college.”

“It is surprising that St Mary’s in particular has such a high level of food waste, especially after the considerable effort from the University to have a centralised catering service,” they continued.

“Clearly implementation of University policy is not even across the board.

“Considering the lack of willingness by college management to put in place

(Beatrice Law) student lead programmes such as selling left over food to livers out, there is definite doubt about whether food waste is likely to decrease in future.”

Catered colleges spent an average of £554 per student on food in 2019-20

In the University’s response to Palatinate’s findings, Ms. Griffiths said, “In recent years, we have introduced a number of actions to reduce the environmental impact of food waste, including turning food waste into biogas and converting fats, oils and greases into biofuel. We collect and analyse data on when and what students are eating to ensure optimum amounts are purchased.

“To make this process more efficient, we are currently investigating the purchase of a new catering purchase system which could provide even more accurate data to our chefs to support more precise purchasing of ingredients and amounts.

“Our annual Waste Awareness Week, including the ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ challenge helps to encourage students to reduce their food waste as part of an overall education drive for students to only take what they plan to eat.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we have also started donating any excess food to local food banks and charities such as Feeding Families who support people with emergency food boxes.”

Seun Twins

Durham Students’ Union President

Hi all,

I hope you are all well, safe, and getting through this exam period. We’re in the final term of a strange year, but I’ve enjoyed seeing some Colleges finally being able to mark matriculation last week. Congratulations to everyone who started Durham this year and has been able to celebrate that again. I know it’s been an incredibly difficult time to start university, but I hope you are managing to find your feed in spite of everything.

Here is a quick run-through on what your SU officers have been working on:

Sarah (Postgraduate Academic Officer): Working on postgraduate access and participation; preparing welcome guide for new postgraduates and funding guide.

Nailah (Undergraduate Academic Officer): Developing training for the decolonisation students interns; preparing timeline for institution-wide decolonisation work for 21-22.

Ewan (Welfare and Liberation officer): Welfare training; supporting student sex workers; campaign on justice for students; student safety, especially on nights out. Anna (Opportunities officer); Organised the Durham SU’s Earth Day; created Durham SU’s online campaign for the Student’s United Against Fees (SUAF); ran hedgehog protection campaign; presenting to the University Executive what students want the University’s environmental sustainability approach to look like and integrating EcoDU’s research into my proposals. Seun (President): As usual, myself and the commissioners are working hard on the Culture Commission. Reminder, if there’s anyone who wants to be interviewed for the Culture Commission do not hesitate to get in touch with me at su.president@durham.ac.uk

Stay safe

Seun

DO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR NEWS? HAVE YOU HEARD SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY THAT WE’VE NOT COVERED?

News “I envy other departments” Tributes paid

Continued from front A Durham Physics PhD student told Palatinate that their department had a “very strong sense of community and provided many activities, both academic and social. This really helps students to feel less isolated, which I think can be a problem in other departments.” In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, less than two-thirds of Durham PhD students within the Sociology Department, School of Government and International Relations and the School of Education graduate with doctorates. Only 55% of Education Durham PhD students graduate with doctorates compared with 86% at the University of Leeds and 81% at the University of Glasgow. This equated to 51 Durham Education PhD students leaving with non-doctoral degrees (such as Research Masters) and 36 degrees. “A number of our disciplines (Education, Theology and Religion and Business/ Economics/Management) have a significant proportion of mature students returning to higher education… financial and life challenges and changes for these students tend to contribute to withdrawals. “Science research is often conducted in teams whereas, in other disciplines, postgraduate researchers tend to work alone on their individual research topic. Differences in the proportion of part-time, mature, international and self-funded students between disciplines also contributes to differing outcomes. Only 73% of Durham Engineering and 69% of Computer Science leave study with doctorates “The University, through its departments have reviewed and enhanced their recruitment practices and processes to support students through annual progress reviews and training.” Not all students are satisfied that sufficient progress is being made to support PhD students during their programmes. Upon learning of Palatinate’s findings, a Durham Engineering PhD student provided this comment: “It was disappointing to hear that only 73% of Engineering PhD students receive a doctorate. It makes me concerned that the department really does not value its postgraduate researchers, especially after very little support has been provided during virtual working since the start of the pandemic. “Many PhD colleagues in Engineering haven’t had any additional support or check-ins from supervisors – if anything, it has subsided. It makes me wonder if the general lack of any community amongst to beloved cat Martha McHardy News Editor Hundreds of tributes have been paid to Badger, the Durham Cathedral cat, after he died last week following a short illness. Badger was a much loved member of the Durham community, with more than 3,000 followers on his Twitter account. In a statement shared on the official Durham Cathedral Facebook page, the Dean of Durham, Reverend Andrew Tremlett, announced: “Very sadly, after a short illness, he has found his place in the sun”. The statement continued, “Badger will be missed by all who had the pleasure of meeting him” and urged people with photos and memories of meeting Badger to post them in the comments of the Facebook post. Over 500 people have shared memories and photographs of Badger on social media following his death, including the official University account. One Trevelyan College student told Palatinate: “An undeniable piece of Durham’s soul has left us, and we must not forget the joy Badger brought to all sorts of people who passed him in the street”. Durham Students’ Union also paid tribute to Badger, describing him as “never shy of a photo opportunity, but often looking a little grumpy while doing it.” St John’s College said: “We loved seeing Badger around Durham, especially while the streets were quiet during lockdown. Enjoy your place in the sun Badger.” leaving with no degree over the Research Degrees Committee, Engineering PhD students and (Durham University) past five years. analyses thesis submission and staff contributes to the higher

Within Arts and Humanities, withdrawal data annually. Where drop-out rates. the success of PhD students a department has a submission “I envy other departments studying within the Theology & rate that is lower… departments which have reading groups, Religion, History and Classics are required to review the data specialised research and Ancient History departments and report on their action plans. communities and department was less than 73%. “Recently departments have organised socials. This lack of

In their response to the article, addressed this issue through a support has made me feel lonely, Durham University provided number of measures across the frustrated and underappreciated some explanation of why some student journey that have shown for the research and teaching departments’ PhD students may positive results in improving contributions my PhD colleagues be struggling to achieve doctoral submission rates. In particular, and I make.”

Durham’s inter-departmental pay gap for teaching

Luke Payne

Investigations Editor

An investigation by Palatinate has uncovered the extent of department historical pay disparities for teaching activities. Average pay for demonstrating, tutorials, marking and lecturing varied by up to £44/hour between departments before an agreement to standardise payments was implemented in October.

Until this academic year, significant proportions of undergraduate teaching activities, including demonstrating, tutorials, lecturing and marking, were covered by hourly wage workers on insecure ‘casual’ contracts, mostly performed by postgraduate students. Following a campaign by The University and College Union (UCU), and complaints raised by students to Vice Chancellor Stuart Corbridge, Durham University and UCU came to an agreement last year to limit the use of casual contracts and standardise pay for similar work.

Prior to this agreement, University departments paid significantly different wages for teaching assignments according to data Palatinate has received from a Freedom of Information request. The pay band for lecturing within The Department of Archeology was between £31.25 and £53.00 per hour whereas Anthropology only paid between £9.28 and £16.03 per hour. For marking, the Department of Economics and Finance paid between £20.00 and £53.34 per hour whereas the Physics, Psychology and Sport Departments paid under £11.40.

Analysis of the pay data using the pay band midpoints and weighting by the number of assignments, revealed several key findings about average payments for each type of work and highlighted the inequality between departments.

The analysis showed that departments within the Faculty of Business on average paid twice as much (£25.78/hour) for marking work than departments within other faculties.

The average pay for lectures conducted by casual workers was highest in the English, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Music and Archeology departments (£42.13/hour) and lowest in Modern Languages and Cultures (£20.51/hour), Computer Science (£19.68/hour), Law (17.92/hour) and Anthropology (£12.66/hour).

A former Computer Science demonstrator complained that they felt compelled to choose between “teaching at a substandard level because I wasn’t familiar with the material, or work for free” due to a reduction in paid preparation time. Adding that they were “far from alone in this” and “the department lost a lot of experienced demonstrators.”

In their response to Palatinate’s findings, the University emphasised the amount of engagement their Casual Working Group had with the DSU, UCU, College and other representatives. They further added:

“We cannot comment on the subjective thoughts of colleagues but we had the support of UCU and DSU. The changes which were implemented ensured that the default for staff is a fixed term employment contract and the number of casual staff in the University decreased. All casual staff and employees now have their pay aligned to the University pay scales and benefit from any cost of living increases which are implemented. This also allows for consistent pay for roles across the University.

“Casual staff across the University perform distinct and valuable roles in supporting the University deliver its strategy.

“This includes students who engage in teaching/related roles which provide valuable development opportunities. Following the Casual Working Groups, colleagues are engaged on consistent role descriptors and are paid in accordance with the relevant pay scales.

“The University considers that everyone engaged must be fairly paid for all work that they are required to undertake. The new arrangements allow for consistency by way of role descriptors and pay aligned to the pay scales.”

News Meet the Durham students running in the local elections

Poppy Askham News Reporter

Local election polls open this morning, as hundreds of candidates contest 126 county councillor positions across County Durham. In a bumper year due to coronavirus postponements, such roles as parish councillors and the county’s Police, Crime and Victims’ commissioner are also up for grabs.

This year’s local elections have been markedly shaped by the pandemic. Record numbers of postal ballots have been requested and door-to-door campaigning has been limited by lockdown measures. The City of Durham’s current parish and county councils are currently dominated by the Labour Party, but nationwide the Conservatives are predicted to benefit from a speculated ‘vaccine bounce’.

Amongst this year’s candidates are four Durham students, who are juggling campaigning and university commitments in the face of pandemic-era challenges, to try to boost student representation in local politics.

Palatinate’s Quick Guide to the Elections

What are the elections for?

• Durham County Council • Police and Crime

Commissioner • Durham City Parish

Council • Referendum for evaluating planning application

Where can I vote?

See your polling card for where you should vote. This includes: • St Nicholas Church Hall, Durham Market Place • St Oswald’s Church • The Hub, Durham University • The Spiritualist Church Hall, John Street (Viaduct)

Anna Marshall

County Councillor candidate Green Party – Elvet and Gilesgate

“I’m very used to representing students’ voices”, explains Anna Marshall who is currently Sabbatical Opportunities Officer for Durham Student Union. Marshall has been involved in local campaigning and student politics for several years and is concerned by the limited student engagement in local issues. “You’re a part of this community, you can’t really opt out in my view, so it will be mutually beneficial to have a student voice on the council”, she explains.

“The Green Party is on the right side of history”

As a Green Party candidate, environmental issues are naturally top of her priorities, but she also is concerned about housing problems in her studentdominated ward. She proposes instating a landlords’ tenancy scheme to protect students and limit rising housing prices to help soothe town-gown tensions.

Local election campaigns are the perfect opportunity to strengthen the Green Party’s visibility as a “viable option”, particularly for those who have become frustrated with Labour in recent years, according to Marshall. “I think the Greens have a really great shot at becoming the third main political party”, she explains. Marshall urges students to see local elections as a chance to express what they “want to see in the world”, instead of “seeing it as a two-party race.”

She proposes instating a landlords’ tenancy scheme to protect students

“I really do believe the Green Party is on the right side of history”, she concludes.

Tristan Pahl

Parish Councillor candidate Conservative – Neville’s Cross

“I want to see the vibrant Durham I knew from first year back”, explains Tristan Pahl, a third-year PPE student at Jospehine Butler, reflecting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the local economy. “The upcoming elections

Declan Merrington

Parish Councillor candidate Labour – Elvet and Gilesgate

“I’m someone who has a lot of pride in Durham”, explains Declan Merrington, an Education Master’s student at Hild Bede. “I want to give something positive which is why I’m running for parish council - it’s the lowest form of government but it’s really something that can help us take pride in Durham”, he states.

As a candidate, he is concerned with the problems of unregulated landlords, strained town-gown relationships and the impact of the pandemic on the high street. He cites “building a partnership between locals and students” as a key step in solving these issues.

“We’re doing great things as students, like the students who are raising money to keep the Dun Cow, a local business, open”, he explains, stressing the importance of students to the city’s economy. But it will take student representation in local politics to change negative perceptions. “I think it’s a great thing that students are getting involved”, he enthuses in reference to his fellow student candidates.

determine how Durham will look as we recover from the economic crisis”, he explains. According to Pahl, “in-person businesses such as nightclubs and bars need to be viable, which can happen more quickly with a Conservative-run County Council”.

Pahl is also concerned about local transport provisions, isolating the A1M and East Coast Main Line as key routes in need of improvement to better connect Durham residents with the rest of the country. He also opposes the city’s new bus lane, instead arguing for “more cycle lanes to enable local people to come to Durham City for leisure pursuits.”

Govind Nair

Parish Councillor candidate Labour – Durham South

“I’ve always wanted to connect students with the wider area surrounding them”, states Govind Nair, a second year PPE student at St. Aidan’s who wants to tackle the ‘Durham University bubble’ by increasing student participation in local democracy.

“I think that cohesion between local residents and students is extremely important because both populations want the same thing”, Nair explains. He argues that it would be beneficial to both locals and students to pursue goals like improving the city’s eco-friendliness through electric bus schemes and tackling rising housing prices by creating a landlords’ registry and addressing the University’s ongoing expansion.

Nair also prioritises the problem of sexual harassment on the roads in his ward and the city as a whole. He stresses the need for local government and police to take this issue seriously and involve students in the solution.

“I care deeply about its future”

Although Pahl believes that splitting “student issues” and “local issues” can be “divisive”, he states that he’d “like to involve the University by holding meetings on campus and inviting local residents for dialogue”.

“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know it as a student and I care deeply about its future”, Pahl concludes. “Going forward, I’d like to see the County Council deliver value for money – that means good quality public services and cutting waste.”

“Take pride in Durham”

Declan also highlights environmental issues as a personal priority as well as for his party and the wider student population. “You’ve got to vote red to be green” he argues, “it’s like a watermelon: green on the outside and red on the inside”. Issues like diesel emissions, waste management and green transportation would be some of his key focuses as a councillor.

“I believe I have the interests of students at heart whilst also giving a local perspective”, he summarises. “I really do wish that students vote on the day for who they think is right”.

“The most important thing is making students realise they have a say in local politics”

they have a say in local politics”, Nair explains, stressing that his ward is home to a lot of first-year students who aren’t currently greatly involved in Durham South’s politics and have been cut off from the city by lockdown measures. “A lot of people don’t really know that they can have control over the city and their circumstances”, he states, “I think one of the best ways to change them is by getting involved in local democracy and local politics”.