From college bedrooms to course materials, there’s lots of work involved to get ready for new and returning students at the start of the academic year.
As students settle into their colleges and courses, Dialogue has been speaking to just a few of the hundreds of colleagues who have been working hard to get the University ready for students arriving for the Michaelmas Term.
Two of our students welcome our new international students at Newcastle Airport
Providing a safe landing
Mandy Marlow is the Head of Student Wellbeing and Chaplaincy Office. Among other things, her team is responsible for the annual meet and greet service for international students arriving at Newcastle Airport.
Mandy said:
It’s particularly important that international students receive a warm welcome as for some, travelling to Durham might be the first time they’ve left their home country.
“This year, our team met around 400 international students at the airport, making sure they found their coach transfers to Maiden Castle Sports and Wellbeing Park, then onward travel to their accommodation.
“The Wellbeing and Chaplaincy Team, staff from the International Office, and two international student helpers, Rose and Anna, worked long and late hours to provide a safe and warm welcome for new starters.
“We offer a friendly face, practical help such as refreshments and a mobile SIM card, and support with any immediate issues the students might have, such as lost luggage. We try to remove the worry that anyone might have when they arrive in another country."
Mandy continued: “This year we also hosted an in-person information fair for international students, which saw hundreds of new starters coming to hear talks about safety issues, financial security, NHS services, support at Durham, faith services and academic support.
“All of our activities involve a real team effort and everyone does a great job, going above and beyond for the students. I know that colleagues particularly enjoy the welcome days, and we get very positive feedback from our new arrivals.”
Will Green, College Operations Manager at Hatfield College
College operations
Will Green is College Operations Manager at Hatfield College. He’s been in the job for four years and oversees the day-to-day running of the college, looking after the facilities, reception, portering and health and safety on the main Bailey site, Palmers Garth and James Barber House.
Will said: “We’re a mid-size college with around 400 students so there’s always plenty to do to get ready for the new academic year.
“We’re a trading college and one of the main tasks is getting the facilities set-up after our summer of welcoming other guests. We offer space for conferences, private dinners, celebrations and one-off events as well as B&B accommodation, so as soon as all our summer bookings are over with, we only have a few weeks to carry out any maintenance work, empty rooms and concentrate on getting ready for the students again.
We focus on getting our areas clean and tidy, as well as ensuring student rooms, the dining hall, bar, gym and other communal areas are ready. As well as the facilities, we make sure our staff are ready with training and prep, with things such as stock replenishment and menu planning.
“There’s also lots of student support we need to get prepared. We make sure our Frep student representatives are ready to welcome new students during Freshers’ Week to help give them the best possible start to life at the college.
“The busiest weekend is when everyone moves in – it’s tight for cars on the site so we have to make sure it’s really well organised. After that, things tend to calm down a little – touch wood!”
More than a university
Deputy Head of the International Office, Fiona O’Carroll, who among other things works with and represents the interests of international students to improve their experience at Durham, said: “As part of the wider student experience, at the beginning of this academic year we worked with Durham County Council who hosted a civic welcome for our international students.
It’s a lovely event that’s held in Durham City’s historic town hall and gives students the chance to hear from the Mayor and Chairman of the county council, and find out about the many interesting places to visit in Durham and the surrounding area.
“Each college nominates a number of students to go along and they not only find out what County Durham is all about, but the event also helps students to understand the contributions they can make to the local community through collaborative volunteering initiatives such as Durham Global Schools, through which students visit our local schools to give pupils a better understanding of other cultures.
“It’s sometimes easy to forget our place in the city and the county as a whole, but events like this remind us that the University plays an important role in the life of the county."
Fiona added: “Providing international experiences for the young people in our communities is the mission of the Durham Global Alliance (DGA), a collaborative initiative between the University, Durham County Council and other local stakeholders representing all levels of education, and business, sport and the arts.
“Through the DGA,we’re working in partnership with a shared commitment to understanding other cultures and to ensure that the life-enhancing benefits of international experiences can be enjoyed by more of our young people.”