Durham Union Society
Encyclopedia
 Free Speech Since 1842 |
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| Established | 1842 |
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| Institution | Durham University Durham University The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837... |
| Location | Palace Green Palace Green Palace Green is a small area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.... , Durham Durham Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Members | 3000 in residence, 24000 worldwide |
| President | Sam Richards (St. Cuthbert's Society) |
| President-Elect (Immediate) | Nick Freeman (St. Cuthbert's Society) |
| President-Elect (Non-Immediate) | Sede Vacante |
| Homepage | DUS homepage |
The Durham Union Society is a debating society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
founded in 1842 by the students of the Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
. Commonly referred to as the "DUS" or "The Durham Union", it is the university's largest society with over 3,000 members. Until 1899, when the Durham Students' Union
Durham Students' Union
The Durham Students' Union is a body, set up as the Durham Colleges Students’ Representative Council in 1899 and renamed in 1969, with the intention of representing and providing welfare and services for the students of the University of Durham in England.-Location:DSU occupies and manages Dunelm...
(DSU) was founded, the society acted as the university students' union.
History
The Union was founded in 1842. The purpose of the Union was, and remains, a counterbalance to the collegiate system, allowing students from the University's different colleges to meet both to debate and socialise more informally. The first debates were held in the reading rooms of Hatfield HallHatfield College
Hatfield College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1846 by the Rev. David Melville, it is the second oldest of Durham's colleges, and was originally called Bishop Hatfield's Hall...
and University College
University College, Durham
University College, commonly known as Castle, is a college of the University of Durham in England. Centred around Durham Castle on Palace Green, it was founded in 1832 and is the oldest of Durham's colleges. As with all of Durham's colleges, it is, independently of the University, a listed body...
. In 1872 the Society moved to what is now the Palace Green
Palace Green
Palace Green is a small area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site....
library, where the University’s first purpose-built debating chamber was established. The Union Society acted, at this time, as the central social unit for the students of Durham University. The Durham Students' Union
Durham Students' Union
The Durham Students' Union is a body, set up as the Durham Colleges Students’ Representative Council in 1899 and renamed in 1969, with the intention of representing and providing welfare and services for the students of the University of Durham in England.-Location:DSU occupies and manages Dunelm...
was developed in 1899 to take on this role, though the DUS has retained its social side.
To this end, the society bought the old site of St Aidan's College
St Aidan's College
St Aidan's College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1947 as St Aidan's Society, but able to trace its roots back to the end of the 19th century, the college is named for St Aidan of Lindisfarne.-History:...
at 24 North Bailey to create a social club (naming it the 'North Bailey Club' or, more informally '24'). This contains a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
which is open to all DUS members; a snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
room; a reading room that the DUS uses for functions, such as post debate entertaining, and an en-suite guest room that can be hired out by members. Student members also have the opportunity to rent large bedrooms as student accommodation. 24 North Bailey is also the setting for the vast majority of the Union regular social events.
By 1977, debates were so well attended that the original debating chamber was no longer adequately large enough. It moved across Palace Green to the Pemberton Building, which sits in the shadow of the Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
. The Union Society has been housed there ever since. The building and debating chamber are also used by the university for lectures and examinations.
DUS today
Palace Green
Palace Green is a small area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site....
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, as well as 24 North Bailey. It hosts weekly debates featuring prominent external speakers, as well as inviting address speakers and holding social events. Recent speakers include the actress Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
; BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
presenter Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Guy Vine is a British author, journalist and news presenter for the BBC. He is known for his direct interview style and exclusive reporting from war-torn areas throughout Africa...
; radio and television personality Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
; Channel Four newsreader Jon Snow
Jon Snow
Jon Snow is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.-Early life:...
; Met Chief Sir Ian Blair; London Mayor Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
; film critic Barry Norman
Barry Norman
Barry Leslie Norman, CBE is a British novelist, impresario, film critic and media personality. He was the BBC film critic on television from 1972 to 1998.-Early life:...
; 'Rocky Horror' writer and Crystal Maze presenter Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
; director and food critic Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
; Oscar nominated actor Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
; the Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Shirley Williams and the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
.
The Union also excels at competitive debating, having won the European Universities Debating Championship
European Universities Debating Championship
The European Universities Debating Championship is an annual debating tournament for teams from universities in Europe. The competition uses the British Parliamentary Debate format .The championships as they are known today were first held in Rotterdam, Netherlands at Erasmus University from 8–11...
in 2005, and more recently having teams reaching the final of the European Championship, Oxford IV, Cambridge IV and John Smith Memorial Mace
John Smith Memorial Mace
The John Smith Memorial Mace is an annual debating tournament contested by universities in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
and the octofinal of the World Universities Debating Championship
World Universities Debating Championship
The World Universities Debating Championship is the world's largest debating tournament, and one of the largest annual international student events in the world. It is a parliamentary debating event, held using the British Parliamentary Debate format. Each year, the event is hosted by a university...
. It also hosts the prestigious Durham Intervarsity competition, the Durham Open and Durham Schools; the world's largest residential school's debating competition.
The social highlight of the year is the annual Ball held in Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
. The programme for the evening varies, but usually consists of a champagne reception, dinner, music, and after dinner dancing. The 2006 Ball was held in Auckland Castle
Auckland Castle
Auckland Castle is a castle in the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, England....
., the 2008 Ball was held in Beamish Hall and in 2010 it was held in Lumley Castle
Lumley Castle
Lumley Castle is a 14th century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near to the city of Durham and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
.
General Committee
The main committee in the Society is the General Committee. To gain membership of the General Committee in the first instance, a member must be elected to one of the various sub-committees in the Society:- House Committee (to organise the logistics of Friday night debates)
- Consultative Committee (composed of College Secretaries)
- Sponsorship Committee (to raise money for the Society)
- Social Committee (to organise social events)
- Press & Speakers Committee (to organise public relations and assist with the invitation of speakers)
- Debates Committee (to organise debating activities)
At the start of the academic year, elections take place for all these sub-committees by single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
(STV) system.
Once a member of the General Committee, an individual can be nominated to become an officer of the Society.
There are two additional sub-committees:
- Rules Committee (to oversee elections)
However, to gain membership of this sub-committee, the candidate must already be a present or past officer or a present member of another sub-committee. The committee is chaired by the Returning Officer. All Past Presidents in residence and any Presidents-Elect are ex officio members of this committee.
- Debates Selection Committee (to run competitive debating)
Made up of the Director of Debating, the President, the Treasurer, the Debates Training Secretary and the Debates Competitions Secretary, DSC decides which members of the competitive debating squads will go to which competitions and who will be Durham's Judges. DSC also select the members of Debates Committee (Novice Trainer, IDP Trainer, ADP Trainer, Outreach Coordinator, IV Co-Convenor, Open Co-Convenor and Schools Co-Convenor) for approval by the general membership at an ordinary meeting
Standing Committee and Presidency
The most senior officers of the Union (President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director of Debating, Social Secretary, Sponsorship Secretary and the Custodian) sit on its Standing Committee, which meets weekly and is responsible for the running of the Union from day to day. Members (except for the president) are elected to serve one year terms (though due to the way the Union elects is President elections happen all year round) and continue until their successor is elected. The same is true for the Union's Junior Officers (Press and Speakers Secretary, Steward, Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Publications Secretary, Assistant Social Secretary, Assistant Sponsorship Secretary, Debates Training Secretary and Debates Competitions Secretary).The DUS President is elected two terms in advance of their term and serves for only one term (i.e. the Michaelmas President is elected in Epiphany term), and is responsible for inviting speakers for debates, forums and addresses and for organising certain internal debating competitions. In their manifesto they will promise specific debates and forums along with stating which socials they wish to run.
Reciprocal relations
The Union's members enjoy reciprocal relations with, and use of facilities at, the Oxford UnionOxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
, Cambridge Union, Edinburgh Union, The Hist & The Phil, both of Trinity College Dublin.
Notable alumni
- Mo MowlamMo MowlamMarjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
MP (Past Secretary, Labour Minister of State, most famous for her work on the Good Friday Agreement) - Crispin BluntCrispin BluntCrispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Reigate constituency in Surrey, and since May 2010 he has been the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice.He first entered...
MP (Past President, Conservative MP for Reigate & Minister of State) - General Sir Richard Dannatt (Past President, former Chief of the General StaffChief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)Chief of the General Staff has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board...
). - Mark Elliott (Past President, author of several books on Azerbaijan and travel in Asia)
- Edward LeighEdward LeighEdward Julian Egerton Leigh is a British Conservative politician. He has sat in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire since 1997, and for its predecessor constituency of Gainsborough and Horncastle between 1983 and 1997...
MP (Past President, Conservative MP for Gainsborough and former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee) - Gabby LoganGabby LoganGabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...
(Past Assistant Sponsorship Secretary, BBC sports presenter & contestant on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing 2007) - Giles RamsayGiles RamsayGiles Ramsay is a British theatre director, producer and playwright known for working to bring artists from developing countries to international attention...
(Past President, Founding Artistic Director of the Trident Theatre) - Dianne Hayter (Past Member, Former General Secretary of the Fabian Society)
- The Rt Revd Richard BlackburnRichard Blackburn (bishop)Richard Finn Blackburn is Suffragan Bishop of Warrington , in the Church of England.-Early life and education:...
(Former President; currently Bishop of WarringtonBishop of WarringtonThe Bishop of Warrington is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after the town of Warrington in Cheshire.-List of the Bishops of Warrington:...
in the Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
)