Durham University

[KingscoteStaff]

The continuation thread for those with DC at Durham, or applying to Durham, or alumni, or staff!

January 2022 finds our DC packing their big coats, checking the forecast for snow and wondering when Michaelmas actally is...?

Assemble!
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I think most staff are hoping that the significant escalation that this timescale represents will bring people to the negotiating table and the strike to an early end. Most people (nearly all) can't afford to lose 18 days' pay and don't want to see their teaching plans sabotaged.

NB - I'm not in the union so apologies if I've misrepresented the strategy!

DS very hacked off with this - the current Third Years lost so much during lock down - they were really hoping for a 'normal' experience this year.

I have worked at a uni in the past and am aware of their issues. The pension issue in particular is appalling and will leave lots of the lecturers especially aged 40 plus on the poverty line in retirement. At this stage in careers they can’t jump ship to find a different career so need to force the hand of those making the decisions.

I am also aware that these kids have had the roughest ride and when you are third year trying to finish dissertations you need access to tutors etc not a strike. Let’s hope they can cut a deal soon

So pissed off with all the strikes. Especially given that DH has about 5 contact hours a week being a history student.

Probably not a popular view but I feel that Durham feeds off its students being bright as well as a lot of them being rich and is actually not a great place to receive higher education

I 100% understand parents and students being seriously hacked off at the strikes - I know it sounds like a complete soundbite but please, please email the vice chancellor and let them know how unacceptable the situation is / ask for tuition refunds / anything that will make it more likely to create pressure to get around the negotiating table and find a solution. The unis do have it in their power to stop the strikes happening and I hope that they go ahead and reach an agreement!

Interestingly, one of the lecturers said that they wouldn’t strike as it wasn’t fair on the students and that if they really wanted to make a point to the Uni they should strike during research time. That would have an bigger impact on the uni and avoid affecting the students education.
It does make you wonder why then those that are striking don’t do this. It obviously isn’t as headline grabbing as students paying a fortune to study and not receiving the service they are getting into thousands of pounds worth of debt for.

I think I can partially answer that question (albeit as someone who is not on strike!). Withholding only impactful research activities would take about 2 years to significantly impact the university e.g., not applying for grants due to start in 2025 isn't going to have an affect on the finances until then.

But more pragmatically, lots of the staff will be striking on time that IS at least partially research. We don't get protected days per week for research (unless on research leave - and that's rare) and we deal with teaching activities (teaching, marking, corresponding with students, writing references, giving feedback on drafts, designing new modules etc.) and administrative tasks (admissions, curriculum design, student serious adverse circumstances, running the board of examiners etc.) all year round even when the undergrads aren't around. Our postgraduate students are around for the full year, and most of us spend a lot of time supervising and teaching them. So finding a day to strike that would just affect research and not students at all is pretty impossible.

Thank you for the insight @SchnitzelVonCrummsTum That does give some clarity to the situation.
I do feel however the route taken is causing maximum impact to the students however when there are clearly alternatives. Financially hitting the uni in a more meaningful way in 2025 would still impact the uni therefore still leverage. Causing least disruption for the majority of students whilst fighting their cause would galvanise a lot more support amongst students and parents. Right now it feels like their education is acceptable collateral damage.

Bit of an obscure request but Ds wants to go to the Durham offer holder day alone (he's very independent and preferred to do open days alone too) but he will need to stay the night before to be there for 9.30am due to the distance from home.

Problem is he is not quite 18 and some hotels don't seem to allow bookings for under 18s. Durham Premier Inn doesn't for example.
Do any of you know of hotels in the centre of the city that your kids have stayed at alone for offer or open days when they were 17? Unlikely but I figured this was worth asking!

And did you go with your dc to offer holder days?

I went with DS and most other students had a parent in tow. If he goes alone persuade him to look at different types of college as well as going to the subject talk.

Would he let you go up with him? You could have a sightseeing trip and meet later.

I went with DD to open day staying in a premier inn the night before. She didn’t go to offer holder day.

I'm not commenting on the strike as I'm not well enough informed except to say that is a lot of days.

DH took DS to Durham and they stayed overnight in the Premier Inn. DH worked in the library while DS did the offer holder day alone. He aimed to go round 3-4 colleges, but only managed 2.

Are there any sessions for parents normally?

I went up with Dd for the offer day. Stayed at premier inn the night before. She went off and did her thing whilst I mooched around cathedral/ shops / cafe. It was a beautiful sunny day and I had a really nice time 😁

We went up with my dd for the open day but we are five hours away and we had a nice weekend. I remember walking up to Palace Green on our first evening and seeing the Cathedral lit up and looking through the Castle gate and seeing a student in a gown walking across the castle grounds. I could see how my dd had set her heart on going there! There wasn’t anything laid on for parents though, I think the information suggested we wandered around the town whilst my dd attended the college and department sessions. We did however walk up to the Castle with her and the students hosting the open day were happy for us to join a tour with her. It was definitely worth attending for us. We also went to a scholarship day at Lancaster where they had sessions for parents and even had lunch for the parents and students!

Are there any sessions for parents normally?

Might be subject dependent? DS was at an offer holder day for biology. There was a welcome talk which parents also attended which covered structure of the course, key staff intros, pathways and employability etc. DS then did a lab session and coffee and cake was available for parents. (In contrast, at York they did a separate tour of the biology facilities for parents and the university ran a talk on support for students' mental health.)
I don't think DS would have explored the colleges in the same way had he gone alone. If you want to see some on the Bailey and some on the Hill you need to get a crack on. We saw four and it gave him a lot of food for thought about his preference. We didn't to the main sports facilities which are further out but he had played there previously.

Problem solved - found a hotel that is very happy to accept him. Seems like it is only a problem for the chains.
He prides himself on being independent and I do like to encourage that.

Does anyone know if you can do an informal visit to the colleges by speaking nicely to the Porters, like you can at Cambridge, or does it have to be an organised visit?

I’m not sure about the other colleges, but the students need to show their Durham university student card to get into Castle and the Porter does come out and ask what you want when you go to the lodge. I don’t think it would be possible to just looks around inside. You can book a tour of the Castle though here www.dur.ac.uk/durham.castle/whatson/details/?id=51116
We were able to look inside the English department and walked up to the library but only my dd was allowed in to the building. Might have been because of covid. A friend of my daughter’s did visit with friends of his who were already students there, so I guess could show their student passes to get in the buildings .

Thank you @SpringSparrow. We're going to the Offer Holders Day and have managed to narrow the colleges down to 4, I was hoping to reduce that by sneaking a look on the day before! It's fair enough I suppose, I'd rather they keep the students safe.

The Sports facilities at Durham are fab no need to waste time looking around these if time is of the essence.

I would look at some virtual tours of the Colleges on line beforehand to help narrow things down and decide whether Catered on Self Catered would suit and whether they prefer an older traditional College or a newer more modern College etc.

DS is at a SC Hill College which he loves. Its modern and spacious with a big sociable living space and its fairly close to the Science block. He has met some good friends in his town house, from his College, from sports and this term also from his course. He prefers the freedom to choose his own food and eat what he wants when he wants it. Strangely the nearest supermarket shop is a very long walk away but a few of them usually go together on a Wednesday afternoon they are used to this now and quite enjoy it. They also have a new gym very close by. The College system seeks to work very well. Their bar isn’t the best but they enjoy visiting all the other College bars together.

If sport is his thing- prioritise Collingwood college. DD loved it .She wasn’t even that sporty but played netball throughout uni, not for uni but a lower college team and ended up captain. The gym is fab there and the outdoor pitches and courts. It’s a less formal college too with more fancy dress etc.

We had the same problem with DS a few years ago. He ended up in an AirBnB - the host was fine about him being 17. He went out to the pub the night he arrived and got served beer which made him feel very grown up!

He said about half of people he knew there were with parents and half were on their own - and the ones on their own seemed to be having a lot more fun!