It was wonderful to see some of our donors, supporters and partners at our Domus Dinner on Saturday 17th March. Thank you and congratulations to all who made it through the snow.
The Domus Dinner was an opportunity for the College to thank some of our and to hear from the Principal, Dr Margaret Masson, on all that has been going on in College including Intern: North East, the AIM project in collaboration with Park View School, the ongoing fundraising and scholarship projects, and the success of the kitchen, boathouse and other building work.
The event consisted of a drinks reception, followed by dinner in the quad. Many thanks go to the Bailey Quartet for their wonderful music during the drinks reception. After dinner we heard from Dr Masson before the bar was opened for the evening.
We were pleased to be joined by some of the research group who work out of the College on questions of social and economic policy affecting the North East. Dr Masson also took the opportunity to thank our partners at Park View School, and from the North East businesses who are participating in our new Intern: North East programme.
In recent weeks our MCR have hosted a variety of events including an Inter-MCR Formal, Welfare Walks, a Welfare Cafe Trip and an Ayyám-i-Há celebration combined with a charity fundraiser.
On Wednesday 28th February Chadsian Matthew Shanin held an Ayyám-i-Há celebration in St Chad’s. The event was organised by the Durham University Multi-Faith Society, and included food, a viewing of the film Persepolis, and information on Ayyám-i-Há. During the event money was raised for Durham Action on Single Housing, a particularly pertinent charity given the current weather.
Other recent MCR events have included the Inter-MCR formal on Tuesday 26th February. This was an event open to MCR members from any college, was Great Gatsby themed, and included a performance from the University Big Band. The formal allowed for cross-college integration, and a wonderful evening of entertainment.
Great to have music whilst I work, from the wonderful @DUBigBand. @StChadsMCR interMCR formal dinner. @StChadsDurham pic.twitter.com/gOLYBhOLV1
— David Rushton (@rev_rushton) February 27, 2018
Meanwhile the MCR Welfare team have been busy keeping everyone’s spirits up with weekend activities. The walks haven’t always ended up exactly where they meant to, but all in all Welfare seems to be going well, and at least everyone can manage to find Durham’s cafes!
Reading Allowed had its first meeting this Saturday past. Around 15 people came, many to share, some just to listen. We squeezed into a snug little room in Grad’s building. This, alongside the hot drinks and dim lamplight, added to the cosiness. We kicked off with a short children’s story about arrogant raindrops. Reading passed anticlockwise around the circle; with teas, hot chocolates and coffees frantically assembled in the intervening spaces. We had a huge variety of pieces: from Hungarian poetry to Silmarillion to Plath to two people’s own work to a passage on fecal analysis from a non-fiction book on wolves. We have no particular limitations on what can be read; speeches and song lyrics being examples of other writing people may share in the future.
There are currently around 26 people on the chat where we organise the meetings. As it is open-invite, more people are slowly trickling in as their friends recommend it. Overall it was a sort of gender-diverse Dead Poets’ Society; something that we didn’t realise until we actually started. There is another one planned this Saturday, hopefully then continuing every other week.
P.S. Much as we love a pun, we’re hoping that a quote will be shared at some point that makes for an even more fitting name.
Robbie Bell
Leah Kadima-Muntu is a first year student, and is the 2017-18 recipient of the Shattock Family Scholarship. For Leah the financial support this award provides is very much appreciated, as not only will it allow her to buy textbooks and other academic paraphernalia, but it also enables her to experience a wider range of the cultural and extra-curricular activities that Durham University has to offer.
Since arriving in Durham Leah has joined Durham Action on Singular Housing (DASH), a charity which aims to provide housing and support for those who are homeless or are at risk of being made homeless. She believes charities such as DASH are extremely relevant and much needed in our current socio-political climate: with homelessness on the rise, housing shortages and dependency on foodbanks she believes that many different groups are at risk, young people in particular. Leah says she is keen to do her bit to support others because she believes that it is reductionist simply to believe the aforementioned problems are a result of a meritocratic society – many people end up in bad positions merely due to chance, and it is very humbling to realise that she could just as easily be amongst the many thousands of young people forgotten and neglected by ‘the system’.
Following her degree, Leah is considering continuing in academia – her area of particular interest is Latin America during the Cold War – or to begin a career in political research or for a think-tank as a way to get involved in policy making.
Leah says:
St Chad’s has made me feel unbelievably welcome and I am glad to be a member of this college. What drew me to St Chad’s was how outward-thinking and conscientious it is, as well as the fact that the various charity societies will enable me to further expand my social outreach….
I am extremely grateful … for being a recipient of [this] scholarship; many… are not necessarily aware of financial help which is provided by colleges like St Chad’s through generous benefactors like [Matthew Shattock and his family]…
I am most grateful to be a recipient of a Shattock Family Scholarship at St Chad’s; this award will allow me to put 100% of my effort into my studies and worry less about living expenses, as well as giving me the opportunity to have a full experience of university life, which in turn will allow my views to become more nuanced as I meet and get to know people from outside my particular bubble. All this experience will hopefully make me a more well-rounded individual.
Chapman Hau is a first year student in Chemistry and is the newest recipient of the Cassidy Scholarship for 2017-18.
For him the Cassidy Scholarship provides the financial support he needs to pursue his dreams. In addition it has inspired him to give back to the community. He has already signed up to various volunteering opportunities in Durham – secondary and sixth form tutoring, maths club and dog walking to name a few! Having tutored and helped children from his community in order to weaken their generalisation that success is unachievable for those from less privileged backgrounds, he hopes to be able to serve in an educational position sometime in the future so that he may be of benefit to the less fortunate and under-represented social groups.
Chapman says:
Even though I have just begun my undergraduate studies at St Chad’s College I am thoroughly enjoying College life and my course. During my first few weeks here I have delved into a new world of learning. I have already participated in many events at St Chad’s and at Durham University as a whole – I got matriculated (twice!), visited the Fresher’s Fair where I had a taste of the many societies Durham has to offer, and in my first lab session I synthesised cyclohexene.
The very generous Cassidy Memorial Scholarship will only continue to make my time at Durham more enjoyable without the worry of financial difficulties. My academic pursuits would not be possible without the kind support from the College alumni, friends and fellows. I would therefore like [say] a massive thank you [to everyone who has helped to contribute towards this scholarship and the College community].
Ermos Chrysochos is a first year Liberal Arts student, in his second term at St Chad’s. He has already been making his mark: he gave the ‘Toast to the Immortal Memory’ at the College Burns’ Supper in January and is already a passionate Chadsian. He has been awarded a Shattock Family Scholarship worth £3,000 for each year of his undergraduate degree course. Ermos is an accomplished violinist who started to play at the age of eight and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for four years. One of his challenges is the cost of combining his degree with his musical ambitions; a student loan does not cover violin lessons. Being awarded this scholarship, however, will mean that Ermos will be able to study with the co-leader of the Northern Sinfonia at the Sage in Gateshead and continue to be a leading member of the Durham University Orchestral Society.
“Music to me”, comments Ermos, “whether listening or making it, brings people together whatever their background. So, whilst the scholarship will immensely benefit me personally, I also know I will use it to live up to our College motto: ‘Non vestra sed vos’ – ‘Not what you have but who you are’.
This award has been made possible through the generosity of St Chad’s alumnus Matthew Shattock and his family.
“I am convinced that this is a very worthy cause … the creation of this scholarship programme to supplement those without the full means, but with the unquestionable ability, to benefit from the collegiate education which has shaped my own life and career indelibly. I had the benefit of a fully funded education at Durham and this turned out to be a life changing experience for me. I hope to contribute to the same opportunity for others.”
-Matthew Shattock (Politics, 1980-83)
Third year Law undergraduate Marianne Holbrook has been awarded one of our first three Joe Cassidy Memorial Bursaries of £1,000 which honour the memory of our late Principal, Dr Joe Cassidy. Marianne has been a volunteer teacher in Malawi, Senegal and South Africa where, she says, her “interest in promoting human rights and justice in the face of political instability and in socially complex environments developed.”
She is hoping to pursue a career in economic and foreign aid policy development with the UN. Marianne applied for this Joe Cassidy award so that she can further her interests in social justice and continue to undertake volunteer and internship positions.
Stephanie Higgins, a first year Liberal Arts student, also receives a Cassidy Memorial award. For Stephanie, receiving a scholarship from St Chad’s means that she can be fully involved in College and wider university life and work, and not have to take on yet more hours in her part-time on-line tutoring job.
Stephanie said, “I recently participated in a ‘Rice and Beans’ challenge where we ate only plain rice and beans for a week to raise awareness of food poverty and money for Tearfund. Being the recipient of a scholarship will help me to do more volunteering in social action projects within Durham”.
Nathaniel Attenborough is the first member of his family to attend university and wants to make the most of the opportunities that both his Cell Biology degree and being at St Chad’s can offer. He volunteers in a local youth club when at home and is fully involved in College life at St Chad’s during term time: “I greatly enjoy everyday life around College and genuinely feel a part of a college family in ways friends at other universities cannot experience.” Like too many students today, Nathaniel is worried about being able to afford living out of College next year; he said
“This Joe Cassidy Scholarship will make a significant difference to my time at university, in relieving the distraction of financial worries and allowing me to truly embrace what Chad’s has to offer.”
Dominic Birch is our 2016-17 Elizabeth Griffiths Scholar. He is a returning Chad’s student, having just completed his undergraduate degree at Durham. Since his return, now as part of the Middle Common Room Dom has been the MCR’s Academic Affairs Officer – promoting interdisciplinary discussion in the College, organising several research forums, and publishing Foundation, our research journal. He says:
It’s been a great role to have; proving that Chad’s is a place where we still value expertise, learning and conversation.
He was delighted to be given the opportunity to continue his studies at Chad’s this year through an MA in Economic and Social History. His thesis focuses on how ordinary people in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries argued with each other, and what this can tell us about early modern legalism. At this time ordinary people appealed to authorities locally – older, richer, male members of the parish – to resolve arguments. They also, understandably, tried to avoid long journeys to the local court. Thus, there existed a set of parish customs that stressed order and local reconciliation. We could call these customs an ‘alternative legal culture’; alternative, that is, to the more centralised court system.
The Elizabeth Griffiths Scholarship: The Revd Alec Griffiths, who celebrated 50 years as a priest in 2016, has very generously provided a scholarship fund at St Chad’s in memory of his late wife, Elizabeth. In the last few years the scholarship has been awarded to post-graduate students studying for a one-year taught or research Masters in the Faculty of Arts. Fr Alec trained for ordination at St Chad’s before parish ministry in Glasgow and Greenock, and then hospital chaplaincy in London. In retirement he lives in Largs.
The Governing Body of St Chad’s College is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Woodruff as its next Chair.
Mark brings a great deal of governance experience and a long commitment to social justice and inclusion. He is currently a Programme Director of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Mark is also a musician and, as a priest, a writer in the field of ecumenism.
Mark knows St Chad’s well. He was a student here in the late seventies and has been actively engaged as an alumnus in recent years.
Mark succeeds Jonathan Blackie, who is near the end of his term as Governing Body Chair. The College is extremely grateful for Jonathan’s wise and kind leadership over the last eight years.
On Monday 20th November 2017, staff and students at St Chad’s College were joined by the North East England Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the North East business community for the launch of our new regional graduate retention initiative, Intern:NE.
The talent and energy of Chad’s graduates is often unfortunately lost to the North East when the vast majority of these students leave the region to begin their careers, most often in the South East. The new Intern:NE program aims to challenge students’ assumptions that you can begin or progress your career only in the South East by connecting our current students with exciting opportunities in the North East business community.
Through engagement with a North East business or organisation via internships graduates are more likely to consider working in the region after graduation. This helps the region to retain prized talent and energy, and gives North East businesses valuable early access to some of the most accomplished graduates in the UK.
The College is proud of its location and heritage in the North East, and is committed to contributing to the region’s economic and cultural success. Over the past six months, College staff have been building relationships with some of the most prestigious employers in the North East to secure offers of internships or work experience placements exclusively for students at St Chad’s. We were joined at the launch by partners, CEOs and Trustees of many of these employers, who had the opportunity to mix with and speak to our students.
James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, addressed guests at the launch and said:
‘Improving our graduate retention rate is a key challenge for the North East. As a region, we are relatively successful at retaining students from the North East who go on to work here after graduation. However, we can do more to improve our attraction and retention of students from outside the region.
We know there are many great reasons to build your career in the North East, and we want to support businesses, particularly SMEs, to raise awareness of the opportunities they offer to graduates. The Intern:NE initiative developed by St Chad’s College at the University of Durham will help to address this issue by giving students an introduction to employers in the North East and providing valuable work experience.’
