St Aidan's College, Durham
St Aidan's College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1947 as the 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. The college has its origins in the small group of women, known as home students, who were first allowed to study at Durham in 1895. At that time, and indeed until the Second World War, it was considered unsuitable for female students to live in lodgings: they either  had to be members of a college or to live at home. The numbers were never very large; for example, in 1936 there were only five. However, a substantial increase in the number of female students after 1945 meant that the former group of home students was reorganised, emerging as the St Aidan's Society in 1947. The St Aidan's Society had its offices at 24 North Bailey (now the bar and club of the Durham Union Society). Some of the students lived in Shincliffe Hall and others in lodgings. A common room was soon found in 50 North  Bailey and chapel services held at the church of St Mary-le-Bow. The first principal was Ethleen Scott, having been "Censor" of the female home students since 1937. In 1961 St Aidan's was reconstituted as a full "council college", meaning that its governing council is a sub-committee of the university council, the university's governing body. It moved to its present buildings on Elvet Hill in September 1964, becoming one of the first of the university's "Hill" colleges. The college buildings are in a modernist style, having been designed by architect Sir Basil Spence and arranged  in a semi-circular arrangement surrounding a central lawn. The original design was intended to represent the hand of God holding a jewel, with the curved corridors as the fingers, the straight corridors as his thumb, and a small chapel as the jewel. However, financial constraints prevented the chapel from ever being built and later extensions to the straight section did not follow the original idea. In 1963, Scott was succeeded as principal by Dame Enid Russell-Smith, who handed over to Irene Hindmarsh in 1970. It was during her tenure as principal that it was agreed that St Aidan 's should become a mixed college. The first male students were admitted in 1981. John Ashworth took over in 1998, before becoming dean of colleges in 2007, at which point Susan Frenk became acting principal. In 2008 work on improvements to the extensions were started. The aim was to turn previous fresher rooms into ensuite accommodation for finalists and postgraduates. The newly refurbished extensions, named the Elizabeth Pease House, were opened to students in 2009. Organisation. The college membership divides itself between the senior common room (SCR) and the junior common room (JCR). The SCR is a self-regulating body  of senior members of the university, college officers, tutors and postgraduate students. The JCR consists of the undergraduate members of the college and elects its own officers, including a sabbatical president and a bar steward, who liaise on its behalf with the college and university. Principals. The current principal is Susan Frenk, a lecturer in Spanish and Latin-American culture. Societies. Boat club. In 1954 St Aidan's College Boat Club (SACBC) was founded. Today the club shares a boathouse with University College Boat Club. The club competes with other colleges, as well as competing in the Durham Regatta. Association  football. St Aidan's College participates in the intercollegiate football league. There are five men's and one women's team representing St Aidan's College, with both A teams featuring in the premiership as of 2016. Women's rugby. Van Maidan's women's rugby is a joint team with neighbouring college Van Mildert. As of the academic year 2021-2022, the Van Maidan's compete with other colleges in the Durham premiership. Controversies. Fire safety prevention door fines. On the 14th January 2022, the fire safety doors on multiple corridors, known within the college as 'C straight' and  'B curve' were damaged. The college announced intentions to include a fine separate to pre-existing payments for students living on these corridors to cover the repair expenses. In response, students wrote an open letter criticising the measures proposed. In this letter, the students asked the college board "How can you justify a collective economic punishment despite this violating well-established moral principles of punishment?", and inquired how the college can justify "the extreme excessiveness of fining hundreds of people for the actions of one, especially when those very same people aided you in giving general information about the event ?". Dr Susan Frenk responded to the letter in an email addressed to all students of the college, replying that "there is no magic pot of gold, even in the rainbow college, to pay for acts of deliberate destruction... Until two years ago, a sum was ring-fenced from the residence fees in each college, to pay for unattributable damage where those responsible did not come forward. That has ceased because it was seen as encouraging a lack of personal responsibility and penalising innocent students. Yet without it, we have had to introduce collective payment in the areas where damage is  inflicted". No fines have been issued as of yet.