The Rocket: Issue 1, Volume 1, August 2013

ALWAYS YOUR COLLEGE The facilities we have for SCR members of Stephenson College. We have recently enhanced the MCR/SCR facility. The Heighington room, (some of you may remember it as many other things as the space has changed it’s use so many times!) The space has an area for meetings, a television, a fully functional kitchen and more! The room is available to all MCR/SCR members to use at any time. Please email stephenson.alumni @durham.ac.uk for more information about this.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN

2013-14

ALUMNI DINNERS: September (Local Alumi)

February 2014 (London, planned for

21/2/14)

2012-2013

ELECTRONIC YEARBOOK

AND MUCH MORE!

GET IN TOUCH, STAY INVOLVED.

RICKY LEE HAS THE PRESIDENCY We would like to formally welcome Ricky Lee as the new JCR President. Degree: BA (Hons) Primary Education, 1st Class. JCR Involvement: Welfare rep, Welfare Officer, Lacrosse. Talents: Guitar playing, future rap-superstar. Will often find him: Smiling from ear to ear, singing to himself, making up raps, playing his guitar, fighting for the good of Stephenson Students, talking to Stockton Council about deals for Students.

CENTRAL TO STUDENTS Built in 2010, Central is the centre of Student life. A bar, shop, meeting room, mini library, SKY TV, WiFi, Wii, Pool, Ping Pong, games, Xbox, Pizzas, Paninis, leather sofa’s, Exec offices. The space literally has all you could want as a student. The JCR Steward (alongside helping to run the alumni relations) is responsible for Central.The building is going from strength to strength each year. NEW THIS YEAR: Central Fridays! Each Friday, talented Students will get the

chance to perform their talents. Feel free to come along!

If you wish to update your contact information please email [email protected]

STILL IN TOUCH?

Are you still in touch with your Stephenson friends? Have you formed your own alumni friendship groups?

Meeting up regularly? Want to re-unite back at Stephenson?

WE WANT TO KNOW.

Get in touch and let us know about your alumni friends, and we can help that network expand with more Stephenson Alumni!

MEET YOUR ALUMNI RELATIONS TEAM

The Alumni relations team will be your first point of call with anything

regarding Alumni.

Kate Thompson (left) College Projects Administrator

Virginia Glithero (right) JCR Steward

Stephenson

EMAIL YOUR ENQUIRIES AND UNIVERSITY

STORIES TO :

[email protected]

WANT TO ADVERTISE SOMETHING TO FELLOW ALUMNI?

WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT NEWSLETTER?

GOT A FUNNY STEVO STORY? HAVE GREAT PHOTO’S OF UNI YOU WANT TO

SHARE?

DID SOMETHING SILLY AT GRADUATION? WHAT WAS YOUR BEST MEMORY AT STEVO?

WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.

ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2013 VOLUME 1

GRADUATION 2013

QC DEVELOPS

A BRIEF LOOK INTO THE DEVELOP MENT OF OUR CAMPUS.

Rocket T HE OFF IC IA L S T E P HE NS ON A LU MN I NEW S LE T T E R

So you’ve graduated, maybe a few years ago, and you may think that’s it from us at Stephenson College, you may have even been glad! But you were wrong, Stephenson Alumni Team wants you!

Whether you graduated seven years ago or seven weeks ago, it is always the right time to reconnect with fellow alumni. This year, we are doing all we can to keep your connections with the College and your class mates. We have expanded our Alumni Relations Team to ensure that your alumni community is a well oiled as George Stephenson's train! The JCR Steward (second sabbatical JCR role) is now committed to work-ing for the college, improving alumni relations. So what can you do to help? Most people think that as Alumni, we will just be asking for donations from you, this is not the case. (We could do with a few pounds but that’s not all you can do!)

Give Back:

The mentor scheme (find

out more email stephenson.enquires@ durham.ac.uk)

Career talks– come and talk

to our undergraduates about what you do and how to get there.

Tell us what you think we

can do to improve student experience at Stephenson. What do alumni communities do for you?

Meet new people, new

connections which may help advance your career.

Re-connect with old class

mates, relive good times.

The stronger the

community, the more you get from it. Stephenson College Alumni Team

M E QU O N D AM M I R AB I T U R OR B I S

ALUMNI– WHY?

QUEEN’S: FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH In June 2008, things really started to happen for Queen’s Campus Students. If you were studying at Stephenson from that period, you would have to have been living under a rock to not notice the monumental change in the campus and Stephenson itself. In 2009, the Infinity bridge was built, so named after the nfinity-like sign the bridge and it’s reflection make. In 2010 a multi-million pound sports centre which includes 8 sports courts, up-to-date fitness suite and much more, open to students, staff and public. This then frees up the old gym space for a new Café Aroma, a new post-graduate study area is in the place of the old café. Also in 2010, Stevo students were spoiled with a million pound JCR building, which houses the bar , a mini library, shop and other great facilities.

In 2012 the Wolfston institute under-went a major extension. This development will be used by the Business school and the Durham & Tees Valley training programme. In course-related developments; In 2012 Biomedical Sciences

re-located to Durham City. 2013 see’s the first intake of Pharmacy students at Queen’s. The Careers service now takes a prominent space in the Ebsworth foyer. As it is clear, Queen’s is getting a lot of deserved attention from the university. Let’s hope that next a full-sized rubber crumb appears at the back of the sports hall!

Me quondam mirabitur orbis

KEEP UP TO DATE

STAY INVOLVED

FACEBOOK:

SEARCH FOR

‘STEPHENSON

COLLEGE ALUMNI’

TWITTER:

@Stevo_Alumni

WEBSITE:

www.dur.ac.uk/

stephenson/alumni

The days were filled with happiness and memories both joy and sadness

was felt by all.

THE NEWEST ALUMNI

Welcome class of 2013 to the Stephenson Alumni! We hope that your three (or more) years spent at Stephenson were unforgettable and the best time of your lives.

Not only did you achieve a degree from a well-renowned University, but you also graduated from the best college in that University! We are aware that now, the exciting bit happens, you become fully independ-ent, find jobs, live alone, and we wish you all the best ! Keep up to date with Alumni Events, don’t forget about us at Stephenson College.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2013 ! STEPHENSON IS

IMMENSELY PROUD OF YOU ALL!

A summary of

developments

been and

planned at QC.

“As it is clear, Queen’s is getting a lot of

deserved attention from the university. “

KEEP UP TO DATE

STAY INVOLVED

STEPHENSON TAKES OVER DURHAM

I AM VIRGINIA GLITHERO, STEPHENSON JCR STEWARD. I LIVED WITH DAN AS A FRESHER AND WORKED ALONG SIDE HIM WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT. THIS IS MY ACCOUNT ON DANIEL SLAVIN’S QUEST TO CONQUER THE DSU. For those of you who studied at Stephenson any time from 2009, you are probably aware of Daniel Slavin. He studied Biomedical Sciences at Stephenson College 2009-2012. He later went on to become Stephenson JCR President 2012-2013 and he hasn’t stopped there! One of my first memories of Daniel is of Fresher’s week 2009, Barker Block. He lived in the flat above me so naturally, we had become acquaintances. It was early on in the week and he came in to my kitchen, his hand bandaged. When we quizzed him as to what had happened, he informed us that he thought it would be a great idea to test if the hob was on by putting his palm directly on it. It was safe to say, that yes Dan, the hob was most certainly on. As a Fresher he was always involved in the college as well as the University. In his first year he represented Durham at Archery and was always involved in JCR events. He ran for Welfare Officer later that year but missed out. It didn’t stop him on his quest of total involvement at Stevo! He then ran for Assistant Welfare, he won the election and that yellow shirt was his! The more time Daniel spent at Durham, the more he got involved with the DSU and the politics of the University. In his Third year, amongst other things (lets not forget that he went home every weekend so he could keep his job and earn money for Medical School). He was elected Stevo’s DSU rep, he attended

assembly, he made his voice heard. People began to listen to the opinions of those at Queen’s and no-one dared call us ‘Stockton’ any more! Then the election for JCR President. Three in the running, he was up against two very popular contenders. His dissertation was due, he was back and forth to Durham during campaign week. Still, the result was victory to Mr Slavin. He got to stay another year. He got his pink shirt. To those who have no idea what I am talking about, “Shirts, what shirts?!”, When you gain a position on the Stevo rep team you are given a shirt, each colour means different things, and in Dan’s first year, the Exec shirts were Pink. He was friends with the then President, who, when consoling him on his loss in the race to become Welfare officer, promised him that one day he would have a pink shirt. He never forgot that and that Pink shirt was finally his. I have seen four years at Stephenson and I can say that 2012-2013 was by far the most engaged year yet, and one would be stupid not to say that Daniel Slavin was a large reason for that. So now we come to the election of DSU President. I recall conversations with Dan at the beginning of our year working together about him running for the position, and the general response would be ‘it’s not for me,’ or ‘I’m ready to leave Durham’. In fact, right up to the deadline of his manifesto hand-in, Dan was still unsure if the position was for him. (I always knew he’d do it). The campaigning was on. Dan spent the following weeks talking to students, asking what they wanted, from the DSU. Everyone knew, including Dan, that it would be a struggle for

anyone from Queen’s Campus to be elected as President, purely due to the snobbery surrounding our l location. Half way through the campaign I remember a solemn looking Dan, and when I asked what was wrong he said that he really didn’t think he had won and he was feeling defeated. I never told him this, but I thought that he may be right. The election results were being announced. I was at a formal dinner with college staff at the time but could only think of what the outcome would be. Every few minutes I would be checking my phone, texting people to find out the results. Finally, I got a reply from a friend it read: ‘HE GOT IT!!!’. All of a sudden everything was blurry. Tears filled my eyes, I just kept thinking how happy he must be. I told the college staff and everyone was so delighted for Queen’s Campus., more so for Dan himself. After four rounds of eliminating the other candidates, Dan had won by 353 votes. With him receiving the highest amount of votes in eight of the colleges. He beat the ‘Stockton’ critics, he proved that those of us at Queen’s could do anything as well as Main Campus. He has a long way to go to change the DSU, but I think he has done more than that already– He has changed how Durham City stu-dents see Queen’s, if that’s all his term does, well I think that’s awesome!

This year saw the first ever Queen’s Campus

graduate becoming DSU President.