Join Mildert alumni for a virtual Carols in the Bar on Sunday 13 December at 7pm via the Zoom Link.
We’ll start with Once in Royal David’s City from Mildert Hall before going to alumni living rooms around the country for live performances, including a special performance from former Master Patrick O’Meara on the organ, from Oxford.
Bring Your Own snakebite and candle with a little cardboard base. Sing-a-long optional.
The event will follow the AGM of the Van Mildert Alumni Association at 6pm, via the same zoom link (see separate event invite).
If you want to perform or record a performance, please get in touch! More the merrier.
Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Van Mildert Alumni Association (VMA)
Although the reunion weekend cannot take place this year due to the Covid-19 crisis, it is really important that we get to hear from the members about what you want from the VMA in the coming months and years. As such, we will hold a virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 6pm on Sunday 13 December via the zoom link below.
All members of alumni association (including current members of the JCR) are welcome to attend and share their thoughts and opinions on the direction and purpose of the alumni association over the coming years. (Note: unless you specifically opted out of the VMA at the start of the course, you will be a member of the VMA and welcome to attend).
VMA Committee Positions: this year,we are seeking to appoint two new members to the VMA committee, who will help to oversee and mange the operations of the association.
Treasurer: We are seeking to appoint a treasurer to the committee, who will lead on the management of the association’s finances. This will involve keeping track of income and expenditure, liaising with the college as necessary, and preparing the budget and end-of-year accounts for the association. Experience of budget/account management and an awareness of charitable financial procedures is desirable. For an informal discussion, please contact the VMA Chair (Neil Crimes): neilcrimes at outlook dot com.
General Committee Position: we are also seeking to appoint a new general committee member, who can help assist with the organisation and production of the associations events and communications. For an informal discussion, please contact the VMA Chair (Neil Crimes): neilcrimes at outlook dot com.
Nominations: nominations for positions require a short statement of interest (100-200 words) which is backed by a proposer and seconder, both of whom must be current VMA members. These expressions of interest should be emailed to neilcrimes at outlook dot com prior to the start of the AGM. Nominations will also be accepted at the meeting.
About the VMA: The Van Mildert Alumni Association (VMA) is the representative body of the alumni community of Van Mildert College. It now contains over 20,000 alumni who are living across the globe. The VMA is a democratic organisation, governed by the Annual General Meeting (AGM), to which all members are invited. Day-to-day running of the VMA is delegated by the AGM to the VMA committee, which has responsibility for the finances, events and college liaison.
Financial position and future financial direction of the association
Over the past year, the VMA Committee has engaged in productive conversations with the JCR and College about the current and future position of the alumni association. As outlined at the last AGM, whilst the alumni association is fortunate enough to enjoy rather sizable reverses in relation to its size, there is significant uncertainty and volatility in the income stream: students now have the choice to ‘opt out’ of the association, which presents a significant threat to the long-term financial stability of the association.
Current situation: thanks to the hard work of the JCR and the college to increase awareness of the VMA during Freshers week, ‘opt-in’ percentage figures are now back to a healthy level. Furthermore, the association continues to benefit from healthy financial reserves accumulated over the past ten years.
Proposal: Despite the challenges presented to us by the Covid-19 crisis, the committee believe it important to set out a broad roadmap for the distribution of these funds and the direction of the association. These will be discussed and approved in further detail at the AGM, but the broad principals are that:
Operating reserve: In order to safeguard the provision of independent alumni events and provide a financial safety net for the VMA, we will aim to retain a reserve which allows us to enact our objectives with ease. This includes payment of deposits and reserves for the residential weekend, which is a sizable and complex event to organise.
Distribution of surplus: The VMA will seek to distribute the remainder of its funds to projects which are closely aligned with its objects and purposes, as outlined in its constitution and standing orders.
Maximisation of resources: As this will amount to a sizeable release of funds, we will seek to maximise the impact of this through cooperation with the college and JCR. For example, we would looks to cooperate on a project where funding is matched between all sizeable stakeholders (eg JCR, College, University).
Accountability of decisions: In order to ensure good governance, we will present all proposals for sizeable investable to the AGM for approval, prior to approval.
Implementation: although we have had productive initial discussion with the college and JCR about potential projects that we could fund, we are keen to hear from our members about where they think our funds should be directed. We will have this discussion at out AGM. Members are invited and encouraged to contact eh VMA chair to discuss these proposals in more detail via neilcrimes at outlook dot com.
My favourite part of the reunion weekend at Van Mildert in July 2019 was the formal meal in the hall, which had a casual and relaxed feel, despite the suits and black tie. I like to think this was partly because I dispensed with the usual pre-dinner speech and opted instead for a good-old Mildert quiz! So, after asking the various teams of tables to name the eight Mildert Masters and Principals in order, I turned to the meaning of our college motto: sic vos non vobis.
This phrase roughly translates to ‘so you do not for yourselves’ and was scribbled by Virgil onto a wall as a challenge to Bathyllus, who he claimed had plagiarised his work praising emperor Augustus. In order to prove his authority of the poem, Virgil challenges Bathyllus to fill in the incomplete sentences of the poem, in which Augustus is likened to four animals who do not receive benefit from the labour they undertake (ie who make things for others).
So, the question: can you name one of the animals that Augustus is likened to in the sic vos non vobis poem by Virgil? [scroll for the answer]
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I wrote the lines, another has gained the praise
So you do not for yourselves draw plows, ye kine (cows)
So you do not for yourselves make honey, bees
So you do not for yourselces bear fleeces, sheep
So you do not for yourselves build nests, O birds.
The 2019 Durham Reunion took place over a glorious summer weekend last July. Around 50 alumni were treated to a fantastic meal in the Hall followed by music and dancing in the JCR. After the meal, it is rumoured that some stumbled into town to frequent Klute, but most just chatted in the bar and then stumbled, happily, the short walk back to their college room for the night. Some things never change.
The weekend provided a great chance to see all the developments which are taking place in the city of Durham. In addition to the new colleges which are being built on the golf course behind Milder, the Science site has undergone an amazing transformation, and is almost unrecognizable. Even the historic center has seen major developments: the old Passport Office (a magnificent brutalist building which I happened to love) has been knocked down, and a new ‘River Walk’ created connecting it to Framwellgate Bridge. You can read more about these developments in my reunion weekend welcome letter, here.
These have been scary and challenging times for all of us. I personally don’t know a single person who hasn’t been affected by the virus in one way or another. I train NHS workers in Leadership and Management skills and I have heard harrowing stories of temporary morgues and families being unable to see their loved ones at the ends of their lives. But I’ve also been impressed by the moments where our humanity has shone through: from the key workers who have kept the country running to little acts of kindness and compassion we have shown to each other.
I have personally enjoyed (virtually) connecting with my fellow Mildert alumni over the last 3 months. We have regular poker and games nights and have started a weekly routine of cooking together over Zoom on the weekend (a ritual which can last 4 or 5 hours). Twenty or more minutes can go by where we don’t really say anything to each other, but it is nice to know that people I love and trust are there by my side. And it’s a lot easier to pretend you are a gourmet chef when no-one has to taste your food!
As difficult as these past three months have been, I have regularly taken solace and comfort in the fact that I was lucky enough to meet such a fantastic group of friends at Mildert, thanks to such a supportive and inclusive college environment. If you haven’t yet reached out to your fellow Mildertians during lock-down, please do so now…take my car (as Bill Bryson would say).
Following the success of last year’s Carols in the Bar alumni event in Manchester, the date has been set for 2020: Friday 18 December at Gulliver’s Bar on Oldham Street, Manchester. The event replicates the popular Mildert tradition of Carols in the Bar, with a pianist and sing-a-long carols and Christmas classics. Lyrics are provided, along with a welcome drink and nibbles. More details will be published closer to the event.
Look back at Carols in the Bar 2019 Our first Carols in the Bar took place on Friday 13 December in Gulliver’s Bar in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. Pianist extraordinaire Pete ‘PJ’ Jacob (Modern Languages, 2001-2006) was on the piano, having travelled up from Derbyshire with his wife, Catherine, to take part. Spirits were high, and after some gentle carols to get people’s voices warmed up, everyone got in the singing!
There were around 30 people at the event, with different friendship groups mixing and having fun. Several Mildertians were accompanied by their non-Mildert partners to the event, who must have been surprised by how seriously our alumni take singing ‘five gold ringssssssss’ in the twelve days of Christmas. Feedback from the event was very positive, with many alumni connecting with the association for the first time.
Do you want to host a carols in the bar event? Other versions of the carols in the bar have been held previously, including a very successful event at the Barley Mow pub in London in 2009 (at which PJ was once again the Resident pianist!). If you would like to help hosting the event, the VMA would be pleased to hear from you and would support the organisation. Contact vm.development@durham.ac.uk for more details.
Following a generous donation from Paul Kent (Master 1972-1983), a new fund has been established to support alumni events at Van Mildert College. The ‘Paul Kent Initiative Fund’ will provide financial support for current and former Mildertians who are looking to run an alumni event (eg drinks, sports match, dinner etc). Support will be given to ensure the event is organised and marketed to all alumni and up to £250 of funding is available.
Please contact vm.development@durham.ac.uk for more details.
Portrait of Paul Kent, painted by Andrew Freeth in 1982. Reproduced with permission from ‘A Place of Water: 50 Years at Van Mildert College’
About Paul Kent (1923-2017): The fund was established in honour of former college Master Dr. Paul Kent with the proceeds from his generous donation to the Van Mildert Alumni Association, which he left in his will. Paul Kent was the second Master of Van Mildert College from 1972 to 1982, overseeing the first fully mixed intake into what had initially been a male college. A keen musician and biochemist, he encouraged a caring collegiate community that prepared the basis for the extensive outreach activity for which the college is now famous. The fund seeks to support initiatives which share these values of creativity, community, engagement and inclusivity. Suggested events which other colleges run successfully include:
Sporting events for members of current and previous sport teams
Music and artistic events and recitals using alumni members
Out-of-term networking events in major cities, eg London
Guest lecture and speaker events involving alumni
About the Fund: The Paul Kent Initiative Fund supports events which bring together the different sections of the diverse community at Van Mildert College. It is designed to provide financial support for events which are open to current common room members and the alumni community in order to foster relations, share experiences and facilitate networking. Up to £250 of funding is available for each initiative/event.
Conditions and requirements: All current and former members of any college common room are welcome to apply (eg JCR, MCR, SCR members or alumni). Applications must be submitted to the College Development Officer using the below application form. Please ensure that you submit a fully worked-out proposal, paying particular attention to how you will ensure the event brings together different sections of the community. The event must be open to the whole college community and communicated via relevant channels. Successful applicants will be required to manage the event and write a short article for the alumni newsletter.
Application process: Applications will be reviewed by the Van Mildert Alumni Association committee, who will make the final decisions on funding. It is expected that up to two applications will be successful per academic year, with funding of up to £250 available for each initiative. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Submission details: please request an application form from vm.development@durham.ac.uk.
Van Mildert College Alumni Association 