resource. In the year ahead the Colleges are moving forward
much more as academic communities and we can expect more scholarly
activities that will arouse curiosity adding a further dimension to
the famous Durham Difference. On a more serious note the College
has been set ambitious targets in terms of the reduced use of
utilities, increased recycling and of course as always increased
fundraising. Van Mildert has a good track record in many of these
areas and that will continue! BURSAR Mrs Paula Dawson
Congratulations to Brian Gillett from Catering on servicing Van
Mildert College for the last 40 years a fantastic achievement! Im
also delighted to announced the appointment of a new Operations
Manager, Paul Metcalfe. Paul will strengthen the operations team
and be responsible for the facilities management of the college
working closely with Ian Jackson, Assistant Ops Manager and
alongside Lesley Peak (Operations Manager housekeeping and
reception). I am responsible for the overall operational management
of the college, including the finance, catering, housekeeping,
reception, maintenance and I am the licensee for the College Bar.
You can find my office on the upper floor of the main building or
running up to St Aidans College where I am also the Bursar.
CHAPLAIN Rev. Dr. Paul Regan WELCOME The Mildert Messenger is an
informative medium to disperse reports on College activities and
events together with occasionally, policy and strategy. In this
issue, my colleagues from Student Support (the Senior Tutors and
Chaplain), Operations (the Bursar, our Environment Champion,
Catering and Head of Housekeeping) and the Library have joined
forces with the common rooms to provide their take on contemporary
College life. These are complemented by the views of our Chair of
College Council and useful information about the Alumni Association
and the Trust. We hope this will develop and evolve into the
dynamic voice of College. PRINCIPAL Prof. Dave Harper Michaelmas
Term is already in full swing with a cohort of enthusiastic
freshers joining our unique College Community. Our freshers reps
were quite outstanding, inducting our new arrivals into the Mildert
way of life. Formals have come and gone and the many clubs,
committees and societies are being populated. Many of you are
entering an exciting new world and possibly some of the best years
of your life. Our staff are exceptional and here to help. But
please remember they too are human and please help them when you
can. Much has been achieved over the summer vacation, Wear Block
was fully refurbished although some teething problems continue, and
a number of the other blocks were given a much-needed facelift.
Shortly part of the Lake will be cleared, the living edge
revitalized and whole estate promoted as a recreational and
scientific Greetings to everyone at Van Mildert at the start of the
new academic year. Like last term, I plan to organise a college
coach trip but the details have yet to be finalised - look out for
that. I also hope to hold a weekly communion service in the
Trevelyan Barn on Elvet Hill Road. If you want to come or be part
of the chaplaincy group, just get in touch. Otherwise, see you all
at the College Carol Service. SENIOR TUTORS Petra Karen Catherine
Points Wesson Paine (Mon-Wed) (Wed-Fri) (Mon-Fri, mornings only) We
hope you have settled into college and are enjoying your studies
and all the extra-curricular opportunities that being a member of
Van Mildert College offers you. While we want you to make the most
of your time at Durham you should also be planning your career
after leaving university. Graduate jobs require more than just a
good degree, recruiters are looking for well-rounded individuals
with relevant experience. The Careers Workshop on 24 th November
will help you with this process. We have alumni from ITV News,
Civil Service, NHS, Network Rail, IBM, Police and many other
graduate sectors coming to run mock interviews, CV checks and to
tell us about their own career paths. Watch out for the emails from
the JCR to sign up for this fantastic opportunity. Van Mildert
College Newsletter Michaelmas Term 2012 MILDERT MESSENGER *NEW
GROUP ON FACEBOOK* VAN MILDERT COLLEGE NEWS SIGN UP TO THE GROUP
NOW FOR UPDATED COLLEGE NEWS
Slide 2
SCR PRESIDENT Miss Vicky Ridley The SCR has welcomed many new
members over recent months, including members of staff from within
the University and from the local community. Members are enjoying a
full programme of events and activities this term, often involving
supporting wider College events and activities, including the JCR
production of Cabaret in November, Music Recitals and a variety of
talks and lectures. The SCR Annual General Meeting will be held on
Thursday 15 th November at 6pm in the Ustinov Room and all members
of the SCR are invited to attend. The SCR can be contacted by email
at [email protected]@durham.ac.uk VAN MILDERT ASSOCIATION
Mr. David Ellery Chair The Van Mildert Association is the
membership association for Van Mildert alumni. It exists to
maintain links between the college and former staff and students.
The VMA is an opportunity for members to keep in touch with old
friends and attend social events, to support the associations work
as part of the college providing careers advice and bursaries to
students, fundraising for new projects and supporting schemes like
the Van Mildert Young Persons Project and annual Careers Dialogue.
Van Mildert College Newsletter Michaelmas Term 2012 JCR PRESIDENT
Mr. Ali Adam The JCR is the undergraduate body of students within
the College, encompassing just under a thousand students. As an
organisation our activities involve sports, the arts, outreach, a
wide range of support services and extra curricular societies, as
well as an active body involved in running the JCR and engaging in
student politics. Looking forward to the rest of the term we have
organised a wide range of Christmas festivities; including our
Michaelmas Ball, the JCR Panto, Carols in the Bar and the Christmas
Formal. Enjoy the rest of the term! MCR PRESIDENT Mr. Martin Brader
For those new to the College, the MCR is the community of
postgraduate students within Van Mildert. Our members study for a
variety of degrees, ranging from PGCEs and Masters to MBAs and
PhDs. The Middle Common Room is located on the ground floor of
Deerness Block, where postgraduates are able both to relax and
study, whether living in or out of the College. This term, a series
of events has been organised to welcome our new members and we are
looking forward to taking part in various upcoming College
activities. LIBRARIAN Miss Carissa Bussard (Acting Librarian)
Welcome to College and Welcome to the Library! Our catalogue
includes a large majority of course textbooks, as well as careers
and wellbeing resources. There are FREE DVDs to borrow and a
separate fiction/reading library in the Kent Room directly across
from the Library. The library room itself is open 24 hours a day,
but borrowing books is limited so please see the times listed on
the door or behind reception. If you ever have any questions, or
suggestions for additions to our stock, please stop by the library
office or leave a note with the duty librarian. Hope you find your
way to us soon! CHAIR OF COLLEGE COUNCIL New Chair of College
Council (Prof. Liz Burd) I have the unenviable job of following on
as Chair of College Council from Prof. Brian Tanner who completed
his term of office last year. Just to introduce myself I work in
the School of Education where my research is in Technology Enhanced
Education. As Chair of your Council I will be working closely with
the Principal and other members of the College executive to ensure
that the College continues to thrive. Van Mildert has a really
exciting and thriving community and Im so looking forward to being
part of it. MILDERT MESSENGER
Slide 3
HOUSEKEEPING Mrs. Lynn Turnbull Welcome to you all, I hope you
are all settling into your new home for the coming year. It has
been such a busy summer for the housekeeping staff and they have
worked very hard to get the rooms all ready for your arrival back
at College. Can I just remind you of our cleaning times. We start
on the blocks at 08.30 and aim to finish at 14:30, for when your
room gets cleaned please have a look in your College handbook, if
you want any confirmation please pop into see me. Remember that I
am here, along with my staff, to make your stay at Mildert as comfy
as possible. If ever you have any questions or requests about your
room no matter how trivial come along and see me, or speak to the
staff on the blocks and we will try our hardest to help. Good luck
with the coming term. CATERING Kate Harper (Food & Beverages
Manager) and Alistair Maxwell (Head Chef) Welcome to Van Mildert
College. The Catering team pride ourselves on offering students a
variety of good quality fresh food with choices that will cater for
all tastes. All of the team are very experienced and can answer any
questions you may have. The Servery opening times are as follows:
breakfast 8.00-10.00, Lunch 12.00-1.45 and Dinner 5.15 7.00. As
well as day-to- day student catering, we also have formal dinners
which are great college events and an opportunity for those Van
Mildert College Newsletter Michaelmas Term 2012 COLLEGE
DEVELOPMENT/ TRUST Miss Victoria Brown (Sabbatical Development
Officer) The Trust continues to promote college excellence, and
recently celebrated the achievements of Mark Spofforth (JCR
President 1977-78), and Prof. Brian Tanner (College Fellow) at the
Caledonian Club, London. The Trust is keen to support projects to
mark the colleges 50 th anniversary in 2015. However, the provision
of Postgraduate research scholarships remains its primary
objective. This term we offer the first Trust Scholar, Megan
Wainwright, our best wishes as she prepares to submit her thesis,
and welcome two new scholars; Sren Bock (Chemistry) and Joe Schultz
(Music), to commence doctoral research. ! Drinks with the Principal
in London 14 th November 2012 from 7 pm The Alexandra Bar Clapham
Common, 14 Clapham Common South Side, London. SW4 7AA Come and meet
the Principal, Prof Dave Harper, catch up with fellow Mildertians
and find out about what is happening at Mildert! Newsletter created
and edited by Sharon Swainston, College Secretary MILDERT MESSENGER
Van Mildert College Trust Annual Lecture Friday 23 rd November 2012
5.30 pm Van Mildert College Prof. Uta Frith will be speaking about
What makes us social? Contact: [email protected] for more
information Mr. Ian Jackson Environment Champion Welcome back to
some and a first hello to others, I hope that over the summer break
you have all kept well and enjoyed the time away from your studies.
What ever you did, I am sure you did it as Environmentally friendly
as possible. So many improvements have been happening over the
vacation to improve our energy consumption, from solar energy to
improved heating systems. This coming year you will hear about the
University Campaign BEAT the BASELOAD. Please read the flyer in
your room or within your Fresher packs for all the details. For
more info on Environmental matters have a peek at our noticeboard,
just by the mail list. MILDERT CLASSIFIEDS who live out to come and
sample what we have to offer. If any students have any dietary
requirements or feedback you can speak to myself, Kate, or the head
chef, Alistair Maxwell, to discuss them further. ENVIRONMENT