ISSUE 23 | SUMMER 2021 ORIEL HALL RENOVATION EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT ORIEL 35 YEARS OF WOMEN: LOOKING AT THEN AND NOW HIDDEN TREASURES: ORIEL’S SILVER CONTENTS ISSUE 23 | SUMMER 2021 PROVOST’S WELCOME 3 THE POLITICS OF SEX AND GENDER EQUALITY 25 IN DIVERSE SOCIETIES COLLEGE NEWS 4 The story behind the David N. Lyon Scholarship in Politics Some updates from Oriel HIDDEN TREASURES 28 HALL RENOVATION 6 Highlights from the College plate collection INDUSTRY FOCUS: KEY WORKERS 30 JCR REPORT 8 #NEVERMORENEEDED 44 MCR REPORT 9 Lorna Barker’s work with the Jinja Educational Trust INSIDE STORY 10 THOMAS HARRIOT: EXPLORING HEAVEN 46 Interview with scout, Linda Boswell AND EARTH EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT ORIEL 11 FROM SPIRES TO INSPIRING 48 Interview with Dr David Maw, our first Tutor for EDI An interview with Mwenya Kawesha (2006) SCR SPOTLIGHT 12 THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF REX NETTLEFORD 51 Religious narratives and the well-lived life AN ORIEL LEGACY 52 FELLOWS’ NEWS 14 Updates from the Fellows ALUMNI NEWS 53 60 YEARS OF MARSHALL SCHOLARS AT ORIEL 18 BOOK CORNER 57 TELEPHONE CAMPAIGN 2020 19 YOUR VIEWS 58 THE MELLON LONGEVITY SCIENCE PROGRAMME 20 Photographs from Mihnea Dumitrascu (2018) The first scholar, Loren Kell FORTHCOMING EVENTS 59 35 YEARS OF WOMEN AT ORIEL 22 Interview with Laura Ashley-Timms (1985) and Catherine King (2020) Front cover image: Stuart Bebb 2 | Oriel News | Summer 2021 WELCOME WELCOME FROM THE PROVOST t the end of this hard academic year, students were encouraged which launched last year and has already had great success in A to stay on throughout 9th and 10th week of Trinity as we providing Orielenses with mentoring and career support. The Oriel began to open up College life. This offer was appreciated, especially Women’s Network is another example of this, and I’m delighted that as the renovated Hall reopened late in the term, giving many the it has strengthened during lockdown as Oriel women share their opportunity to live this important Oriel experience for the first time. life experience and expertise with one another. It’s good to see our I’m so grateful to our students for their resilience and continued community pulling together and helping one another along, and this commitment to College life, as well as their determination to make generosity of spirit is one of the things that characterises Oriel. the best of the tricky hand they have been dealt this year. Fortunately, There will be plenty more of this community spirit and effort we had no COVID cases in College during 2021 until right at the end needed in the coming months. Following the delivery of the report of Trinity, which is a credit to the efforts of our whole community. from the Independent Commission of Inquiry, and the subsequent Let’s start with sport. Students ended the year on a high. The actions announced by the College, I’m pleased that the Governing Men’s First Eight retaining their Headship in ‘Summer Torpids’, and Body has appointed our first Tutor for Equality, Diversity and the Women’s First Eight ending the week rising to third on the river. Inclusion (EDI), Dr David Maw. David has a great deal of work ahead The netball team had staggering success, ending the year top of the of him, but he and the Governing Body are determined to deliver on league following an unbeaten run. Just after the end of term, thanks the many recommendations included in the report, and to further to our rugby Blues Jasper Dix and Louis Jackson, we were honoured embed EDI into all that we do. As you will read later on, David has to hold the official Varsity match, perfectly behaved dinner in Hall already set up a taskforce to work on policy and the implementation after a convincing 34-7 win over the other place. A neat symmetry of of our publicly stated goals, including the contextualisation of victory following the Women’s (3-0) and Men’s (2-0) Varsity football the Rhodes memorials. In addition to the taskforce, David has an victory at the end of June. Oriel’s football legend, Erin Robinson, excellent group of expert advisors from amongst our lecturers, is the first female President of the OUAFC, and this was a stunning students and alumni. We will have lots of news to share with you as achievement for her and both teams. It has been heartening to see this important work continues. sporting life return, and a boost to College morale. Our students are at the heart of everything we do here, and I Although we haven’t been able to welcome any school groups to realise I haven’t mentioned their academic endeavours at all so far. Oriel for over a year now, our Outreach Officer, India, has carried Our students have, as ever, been working hard. They have, of course, out well over 200 virtual outreach events, as well as launching a new received exceptional levels of teaching, care and attention from their outreach consortium for the West Midlands in collaboration with a tutors. We have recently been sent the delayed Norrington Table for few other colleges to help maximise our impact in that region. India the 2019-20 academic year. We ranked an impressive 9th out of 30 also ran a series of free Virtual Year 12 Study Days on particular colleges following a record number of Firsts (over 50%) and some subjects, which attracted almost 200 attendees. Priority for these was exceptional individual performances. At this time of year, I always given to those from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds look forward to the first exam results trickling in and to hearing of who could benefit most from the additional coaching from academics individual student achievements. Our students are inspirational and and current students. Online open days are happening as I write talented and I’m looking forward with anticipation to seeing them this, and we have had plenty of volunteers from our current student flourish next year. cohort helping out, eager to inspire and support the next generation. This chain of support weaves its way across generations of Floreat Oriel! Orielenses, beginning in some cases before a student even submits their application. It can be seen in initiatives like Oriel Connect, Oriel News | Summer 2021 | 3 COLLEGE NEWS COLLEGE NEWS Lord Mendoza Introduced to the House of Lords Following the announcement Oriel’s Treasurer that a Life Peerage was to After some 16 successful years, Oriel’s Treasurer, be conferred on the Provost Wilf Stephenson, is retiring at the end of the summer. by Her Majesty The Queen The College is very grateful to Wilf for the dedication in August last year, he was he has shown in his role, and for the strong financial introduced to the House of position in which he leaves the College. Oriel has Lords on 15 October 2020. recently appointed Margaret (Maggie) Jones as Wilf’s He now holds the title of successor as Oriel’s Treasurer, and she will be joining The Lord Mendoza of King’s us this September. Maggie, who read Law at Pembroke Reach in the City of London. College, comes to us from running Cyber Security Challenge UK and before that she was FD at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. Sean Power Reflects on Ten Years of Leading the Development Office at Oriel Our Director of Development and Alumni for the next generation, please give money to Engagement, Sean Power, will leave Oriel at the endowment. the end of August to embark on the next ‘Each year we measure the percentage of phase of his life. Here, he reflects on his time Orielenses who donate to the College. As the at Oriel and how things have changed during number of alumni increases each year this his time here. doesn’t make for a very helpful metric, but generally the number is between 800 and ‘When I first arrived at Oriel the College was 1000 Orielenses, out of c7,000 total (though raising about £2 million a year, about half to my regret we’ve never hit the 1,000 mark). of which came from gifts people had left in Some colleges seem to do much better, with their Will. Since 2011 we’ve raised over £40 over 30% giving year on year, but simply million, of which £12 million has come from raising money has always been the most Wills. While the cost of Development has important metric at Oriel! increased and the size of the team has grown, ‘It came as a bit of a shock when I was the return on investment has remained at appointed as Development Director, given about 15% (i.e. 15p in each pound given I was relatively young, and with no prior supports the cost of the office). These costs ‘The college endowment has grown from knowledge of Oxford, though with a strong don’t just relate to fundraising, but include about £40 million in 2011 to £100 million track record of fundraising for a number of events, publications, the Oriel Record, Gaudys, today, with c£25 million being added from years at King’s College London and other etc. We are one of the most cost-effective philanthropy. It seems like a lot of money, charities. Jeremy Catto once commented Development Offices in the University. even at a 3% draw down, but this is essential to me ‘isn’t it marvellous that they chose ‘Events have always been a major part of to maintain a balanced budget in the College.