Durham Mature Students Association - MATSA

Save the date!

Our first formal 🍾🥳. A night full of fun and excitement, music, dancing and some delicious food.

Kindly note to arrive 30-40 minutes before the event to pay for your meal tickets and also get a chance to buy wine from chad’s wine cellar 🍷

Have you been to formals before ?

MATSA’s first formal 🥳🎉🍾

Save the date!

Just when you thought it was over … 👀🤭

MATSA’s first bar crawl

Bar crawl

Who is ready for this one 👀🤭

Get ready for a semester packed with thrilling events! We’re kicking things off with a cozy coffee morning at and .

Swing by to mingle with fellow MATSA students, swap stories about Durham University, and indulge in some tea, coffee, or maybe even a slice of cake! 🍰☕️ Let’s start this semester with a deliciously fun vibe!

Are you a coffee person ?

We are having our first Wellbeing Wednesday event and would paw-sitively love for you to join us. Come destress and decompress at the Pawsome Cat Cafe with your MASTA friends! ✨☕️🐱

🗓: Wednesday, March 16th at 3:20 PM

📍: The Pawsome Cat Cafe. 7 North Road, Durham, DH1 4SH

💷: Tickets are free! Food and drink can be purchased from the cafe by the attendees at their own expense.

✏️: The link to attend is attached!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXRUZvP-RSCsnqQ6gkXGNTJmOcojEZ53zsxiGAxyOPXX1HzA/viewform?usp=sf_link

There are only 8 slots, so be sure to book your spot ASAP! If you are interested and there are no more available slots, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that the self-nomination period to join our Exec ends today at 12:00pm. Then from 17:00pm today voting opens - and will close on Friday 17th December at 9:00am.

The roles open for nominations are as follows:

Vice President
Treasurer
Steering Officer
Social Secretary
Social Media Secretary
Postgraduate Officer
Undergraduate Officer
Livers Out Officer
Remote Learning Officer
Parents/Carers/Guardian Officer
Foundation Student Officer
There are no requirements to running, so please do not hesitate to nominate yourself!

Instructions and key dates can be found below:

How to self-nominate

1. Once the nomination period is open, go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen.

2. Once logged in, hover over your name at the top of the screen and click on “Account/Profile”.

3. Next, click on “My Nominations” on the left-hand side of the screen and a list of any elections that you can self-nominate for will appear. Complete the information required and submit your application.

How to vote

1. When the voting period opens, go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen.

2. Once logged in, follow this link or click on “Groups>Student Group Resources>Elections>Voting” to see a list of elections that you can vote in. If the election does not show, you may be logged into the website with the wrong account.

Election Timeline:

Self-nominations OPEN @ 12:00am on Thursday 9th December
Self-nominations CLOSE @ 12:00pm on Monday 13th December
VOTING OPENS @ 5:00pm on Monday 13th December
VOTING CLOSES @ 09:00am on Friday 17th December
RESULTS ANNOUNCED after 9:00am on Friday 17th December
Please email [email protected] if you experience any issues.

Feel free to get in touch with us via email if you would like to know more about the roles and elections process.

Durham Students' Union The representative body for all students of the University of Durham.

Joint Association statement concerning the events at South College on 3rd December 2021

Concerning the South College formal on the night of the 3rd December 2021, we stand in solidarity with the students who chose to leave and with those affected by inflammatory comments made by guest speaker Rod Liddle. We too are outraged.

We condemn the actions of the South College Principal, Tim Luckhurst; the first being the invitation of his personal friend, Rod Liddle, to speak at South College Christmas Formal without prior disclosure of the speech themes, with which students would be able to choose to attend or not with informed consent. The second being the subsequent actions of Tim Luckhurst and Dorothy Luckhurst after the formal. Tim Luckhurst is responsible for his personal guests’ actions and conduct and should therefore be held accountable for the contents of the speech and for Dorothy Luckhurst’s verbally abusive language towards students.

Rod Liddle expressed views that were racially inflammatory, gender-critical, classist and anti s*x-worker in nature at a Christmas formal. He is a journalist known for these views, a fact that was not communicated to the students attending prior to the event. This failure to disclose put members of marginalised groups mentioned in his speech in a position where they were subject to having their identities and experiences questioned and invalidated. Not only did they not have prior warning of this discourse, but they were subject to verbal condemnation when exercising their freedom of expression to leave.

While advocating for Freedom of Speech, Tim Luckhurst himself directed abusive language towards the students attending the formal who left after hearing views they found offensive, calling them “pathetic”. This impedes upon their informed consent and freedom of expression of those students who exercised their right to leave when they walked out. He is also alleged to have told one South College student that they did not belong at university. This is how the guise of Freedom of Speech often quickly coalesces into hate speech, whereby freedom from the consequences of expression is conflated with Freedom of Speech.

As College Principal, Tim Luckhurst has a duty of care, first and foremost, to his students, many of whom left distressed and upset in response to the guest speaker’s rhetoric. This duty was not upheld as Tim Luckhurst subsequently stood by the comments by Rod Liddle, claiming that “all that people have done is speak, and speech does not cause harm”. This is clearly untrue, and is demonstrated by the distress experienced by the students who attended. Many students have stated that they now feel unsafe to attend formals due to concerns over speeches guests may make that may invoke feelings of distress at events that should be fun social events within College. Additionally, the hateful rhetoric included in the speech breeds a culture that sees disproportionate violence against the groups ‘discussed’. Students who have historically been excluded from events such as College Formals due to marginalisation are the students who were directly targeted by the comments made by Rod Liddle at South College’s Christmas Formal. These events serve only to further marginalise those students.

To reiterate, Freedom of Speech also allows students the freedom of expression to remove themselves from a situation that they find distressing without retribution from the organisers. The university adheres to the Equality Act 2010 and its protected characteristics; by platforming Rod Liddle, Tim Luckhurst is promoting a culture of harm and hate towards disabled, LGBTQ+, POC, and working-class students being normalised at Durham University. Tim Luckhurst should be made accountable for both his actions and those of his guests. As a college principal, Tim Luckhurst is in a position of power and these actions have resulted in students feeling unsafe to attend formals at their college. Under Durham University’s Disciplinary Regulations to which all staff are subject, we believe these actions constitute gross misconduct under section 6.3.1 a), b), and c) and are therefore grounds for an investigation. As such, our demands to Durham University are as follows:

1) A formal investigation into Tim Luckhurt’s conduct as both the principal of South College and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor of Engagement at Durham University

a) Investigation based on his neglect of duty of care to students, his verbal condemnation of students exercising their right of expression and his defense of Liddle’s hateful rhetoric and his wife’s bullying



2) Transparency of speaker invitation processes

a) So attendees can have informed consent/ decisions on what events they attend and what speeches they will engage in/be subject to

3) Content warnings

a) Once speakers have been invited, students should be made aware of the contents of speeches they intend to deliver, in order to be able to make an informed decision on whether or not to attend a given event

We acknowledge the importance of Freedom of Speech, but this is not to be confused with freedom from consequences, and we will not simply stand by while it is conflated with hate speech against marginalised people with protected characteristics. We stand against transphobia, racism, homophobia, and classism, and all hateful rhetoric, including anti-s*x worker speech.

Signed

Deborah Acheampong – Co-president of Durham Womxn’s Association

Sydni Akiz – President of Durham University Mature Students Association

Jamie Halliwell – President of Durham University Working Class Students Association

Morgan ‘Mal’ Lee – President of Durham University LGBT+ Association

Kezia Mbonye – President of Durham University People of Colour Association

Kleo Redd – President of Durham University International Students Association

Benjamin Southwick – Interim President of Durham University Students with Disabilities Association

Anyone impacted by this event can contact our welfare teams at: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

I'm sure most of you are aware of the events that occurred this weekend at the South College Christmas Formal. If not, College President Tim Luckhurst invited a close friend of his, journalist Rod Liddle, and his wife, Dorothy Luckhurst, to join him as his guests at the high table. Rod Liddle has a history of abhorrent and extreme views and students attending the formal were unaware of his presence at the formal until the event began as Tim Luckhurst did not warn students of his guest. In a surprise move considering Liddle's past comments, Tim Luckhurst invited Rod Liddle to make a speech which included numerous remarks aimed at marginalised students. This included transphobia, racism, classism and more, while also taking aim at student s*x workers. The contents of this speech were unacceptable and MATSA strongly condemn the remarks made.


While Tim Luckhurst has defended Rod Liddle's speech as freedom of speech, this was not the situation in which to express this right. Students had not paid to listen to a divisive speech and had every right to leave the dinner when Rod Liddle was given a platform. Not only was Tim Luckhurst's invitation questionable, his behaviour during and after the dinner are inexcusable.



Tim Luckhurst's behaviour included calling students "pathetic" for peacefully removing themselves from the situation during Rod Liddles speech, engaging in highly heated remarks with students he is employed to represent while defending his friend rather than defend his students after the dinner, standing by while Dorothy Luckhurst used offensive language towards his students, and his reluctance to hear his students viewpoints and express any remorse for his actions and inactions on the night of December 3rd.


We want to reiterate the comments made by a number of student groups that students have the right to not be forced to listen to inflammatory, offensive, abhorrent, or divisive viewpoints. Students should not have their right to exist or have eugenics debated about at social gatherings. MATSA stands in solidarity with the students who left the dinner and those who have been affected by the disgusting comments made by Rod Liddle.


There will be an Association-wide statement released in due course with our concerns laid out clearly and our demands of what we feel the University's next steps should be.


If you have been affected by the comments made in any way, please do contact our Eleanore at [email protected] or Sydni and Shari at [email protected].

For everyone coming along to the Lumiere social this Saturday, we are meeting at St Mary's College Bar at 8:00pm!

You will need evidence of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of the meet up time. This can be a home test.

If you have any questions please do get in touch!

The ticketed portion has now SOLD OUT! Still feel free to tag along to the un-ticketed section if you would like though! We are looking forward to meeting everyone 🎉

Hi everyone! Please see the images below with information about Lumiere that out lovely Eleanor created. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us!

Book a ticket via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdh1Q8LfupnXMtLEBawlzXR0mjDGpCBldzQEX5MSIj3SXho3g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Today is the final day to get your self-nominations in to join our Executive Committee – nominations close at 12:00pm – and voting will be open today – from 5:00pm until 25/10/21 at 12:00am.

We have a range of positions available, all listed below:
· President
· Treasurer
· Secretary
· Social Media Officer
· Social Secretary
· Postgraduate Rep
· Undergraduate Rep
· Livers out/Online learning Rep
· Parents/Carers/Guardian Rep
· Foundation Student Rep

If you would like information regarding the responsibilities of the roles, please visit https://www.durhamsu.com/groups/mature-students-association-e5ef/resources to download our ‘2021/22 Job Description’ document.

How to self-nominate:
1. Once the nomination period is open, go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen.
2. Once logged in, hover over your name at the top of the screen and click on “Account/Profile”.
3. Next, click on “My Nominations” on the left-hand side of the screen and a list of any elections that you can self-nominate for will appear. Complete the information required and submit your application.

Details on how to vote will be posted later on today.

Good luck!

Durham Students' Union The representative body for all students of the University of Durham.

Self-nominations are open to join our Executive Committee!

If you are looking for something to get involved with this year, be more integrated in Durham's mature student population, or want to gain some leadership experience, then this is the opportunity for you!

We have a range of positions available, all listed below:
President
Treasurer
Secretary
Social Media Officer
Social Secretary
Postgraduate Rep
Undergraduate Rep
Livers out/Online learning Rep
Parents/Carers/Guardian Rep
Foundation Student Rep

How to self-nominate
1. Once the nomination period is open, go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen.
2. Once logged in, hover over your name at the top of the screen and click on “Account/Profile”.
3. Next, click on “My Nominations” on the left-hand side of the screen and a list of any elections that you can self-nominate for will appear. Complete the information required and submit your application.

As a reminder, the election schedule is:
Self-nominations OPEN @ 12:00am on Tuesday 19th October
Self-nominations CLOSE @ 12:00pm on Thursday 21st October
VOTING OPENS @ 5:00pm on Thursday 21st October
VOTING CLOSES @ 12:00am on Monday 25th October
RESULTS ANNOUNCED after 9:00am on Monday 25th October

Feel free to contact us if you would like to know more about the nomination process or a particular role.

Join our Exec!

We are running elections this week for positions on our Executive Committee. The self-nomination period opens tonight, on Tuesday 19th October at 12:00AM.

We would love to see our Members take active roles within our Exec and help us lead MATSA’s aims and activities this year. The roles open for nominations are as follows:

- President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Social Media Officer
- Social Secretary
- Postgraduate Rep
- Undergraduate Rep
- Livers out/Online learning Rep
- Parents/Carers/Guardian Rep
- Foundation Student Rep

There are no requirements to running, you don't have to have attended any events or meetings, so please do not hesitate to nominate yourself.

If you would like to know more about what the roles entail, feel free to email us.

How to self-nominate
1. Once the nomination period is open, go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen.
2. Once logged in, hover over your name at the top of the screen and click on “Account/Profile”.
3. Next, click on “My Nominations” on the left-hand side of the screen and a list of any elections that you can self-nominate for will appear. Complete the information required and submit your application.

Good luck

Hey everyone!

For those you who are joining Durham University this year - welcome! For those returning, it is great to have you back!

We are so excited to be back this year!

If you haven't done so already, make sure you become a Member of our Association - via the Durham Students' Union website - in order to access our network.

Stay tuned, as we will be announcing our first event of the term tomorrow.

THE SELF NOMINATION PERIOD FOR NEXT YEARS EXEC IS OPEN!!

The self-nomination period will end at 10am tomorrow (June 25th). Voting will then open on June 25th at 12pm.

If you would like to join the exec for next year, whatever your year of study, experience, or attendance at MATSA events, please apply to join the exec for the upcoming year. This year was a difficult year for everyone, but here's hoping that we can return to some semblance normality next term and that we can really utilise MATSA as a space for mature students to gather and really make the most out of our time at Durham.



We have a number of exec roles that you you apply for,

•President
•Vice-President
•Steering Officer
•Treasurer
•Welfare Officer
•Postgraduate Officer
•Social Secretary
•Social Media Secretary

If you would like information regarding the responsibilities of the roles, please visit https://www.durhamsu.com/groups/mature-students-association-e5ef/resources to download our Job Roles document, or you can email us for more details or if you have any questions.

How to self-nominate

1. Once the nomination period is open go to www.durhamsu.com and log in to your account by clicking on the “Sign in” button at the top of the screen

2. Once logged in hover over your name at the top of the screen and click on “Account/Profile” button

3. Click on “My Nominations” on the left-hand side of the screen and a list of any elections that you can self-nominate for will appear, complete the information required and submit your application.

Good luck!

Resources @ Durham SU