Monday 26-09-2016 - 14:45

From Students' Union President, Alice Dee.

"On Tuesday 20 September, Univeristy Council met and discussed at length the proposal to relocate Ustinov College. Common Room Presidents, on behalf of their Colleges, presented their views to the meeting and I’m very grateful for the time Council gave to hear directly from students and address some of their concerns. It is worth noting that the student body of Ustinov strongly opposed the move and the other affected Colleges raised serious concerns.

As Durham SU President and the student member of Council, my priority now is to make sure that the decision made is delivered as promised, because I want all students to have the Durham experience that we expect, and deserve.

In the lead up to the transition I will be working closely with students and their representatives at Ustinov, Josephine Butler, John Snow and Stephenson Colleges to shape the next stage of the University’s work. It’s vital that we work together through the Students’ Union to address these concerns and support our students."

Do you have an opinion or concern that you'd like to raise about the Ustinov move? You can email Alice at dsu.president@durham.ac.uk. 

 

 

Current Update

Context

The University is in the process of developing a new ambitious Strategy and part of this is considering how best to use student accommodation. The University’s approach to student accommodation is focused on two key priorities: the move of John Snow and Stephenson Colleges from Queens Campus to Durham and a planned growth in new students in Durham. The proposed relocation of Ustinov College to Sheraton Park has formed part of wider discussions around where Queens students will be housed when they move to Durham.

 

 

The next steps

 

 

Following Council’s decision, negotiations with the accommodation providers will be finalised and a Howlands User Group will be established to determine facilities requirements for the site. We are committed to working with students and the University to ensure that all those students affected have further opportunities to share their views and contribute to the development of the new sites. The University will be undertaking further meetings with all relevant parties and we will make sure all students are informed as plans progress.

Once the initial transition period is concluded in 2017-2018, the final location of Jon Snow and Stephenson Colleges will be agreed through consultation with students from those Colleges.