Students who have complained about sexual assault and domestic abuse at Durham University have reported to Palatinate feeling “helpless” in trying to negotiate the University’s complaints procedure.
They have been left “disappointed” with the outcome and with the sense that they “shouldn’t bother trying to report anything else because… it’s not worth bringing back all that trauma for.” The complaints procedure itself entails the completion of an online form, in which students are asked to describe their experiences of assault and/or abuse.
Complainants are also asked what action they would like the University to take against the individual they are complaining
books and culture
Town v. Gown A new book argues that many urban universities have their cities over a barrel.
Cities
Economy, finance, and budgets
In this thought-provoking account of contemporary town-gown tensions, Davarian L. Baldwin writes: “when most of the United States had abandoned cities in the mid-twentieth century, higher education was one of the only institutions that remained.” These universities either built on the urban-fortress model, like Chicago, or with buildings that jostle among others, like NYU became ever more important to urban economies.
Meantime, as state funding for higher ed trended down, universities turned to real estate as a source of income, often snapping up properties near campus with an eye either to future expansion or asset appreciation. As commercial landlords, universities enjoy a competitive advantage in the property market, thanks to their nonprofit tax status. Acquiring properties also gives them considerable contr