Hope for Hatfield: can the College improve its image?

By Caitlin James

It is no secret that Hatfield College is not the most popular amongst Durham students. Compared to Slytherin house by Durham celebrity Jack Edwards and branded “probably the most hated college” by Youtuber ThatoneCharlie, it is clear to see that Hatfield has a bad reputation. The general consensus seems to be that Hatfield, and its students, are posh.

However, one night, as I lay awake listening to the chants of the anti-Hatfield brigade outside of the gates, I began to wonder how this reputation came about. After all, Hatfield College was originally established to provide a cheaper alternative to University College, with communal dining instead of private meals delivered by a personal servant.

Moving forward, the University as a whole should be re-evaluating the inclusivity and diversity of its community

The fact that Hatfield was the last college to accept women in 1988 certainly does not help its notoriety. Although the change was made only one year after University College, Hatfield seemed to be reluctant to bring women into college. There are rumours that a ‘week of mourning’ took place after the first female Senior was elected and the slogan “All male Hatfield” was embroidered on the shirts of those in favour of the cause.

It has also been suggested that Hatfield’s affiliation with rugby is somewhat responsible for its bad reputation. Becoming dominant in inter-collegiate tournaments after the Second World War and producing successful rugby union players such as Will Carling has meant that rugby culture, often regarded for boozy socials with grim initiations and general boisterousness, became associated with Hatfield. Indeed, there is evidence to suggest that this culture still remains prominent in college after the rowdiness of the Hatfield crowd at a rugby match against Castle led to a ban of spectators. However, I’m not convinced that these are the reasons for Hatfield hatred.

It seems obvious to me that that fundamental issue with Hatfield, and subsequently the cause of its unpopularity, is its lack of diversity and unrepresentativeness of the wider student population. Around 38% of Durham students are non-state educated, yet that figure is over 50% for Hatfield.

A state-educated first-year student I spoke to recalls feelings of “alienation” in their predominantly privately educated staircase in fresher’s week and would like to see a more representative Hatfield moving forward.

To see if this is a plausible picture for the future, I spoke to the Master of Hatfield, Professor Ann MacLarnon. She agreed, suggesting that she would like all colleges, not only Hatfield, to be mixed communities. MacLarnon explained to me about several strategies that have been put in place to achieve this. The first is the Lioness Scholar scheme, which was established to celebrate 30 years of welcoming women into Hatfield. This scholarship offers women from non-western countries the opportunity to study a master’s degree at Hatfield without tuition or accommodation fees. Similarly, bursaries are automatically offered to students with a household income below a certain level, refunding the cost of the JCR levy and gown.

Hatfield was the last college to accept women

Hatfield incentivises college societies to support novices, increasing inclusivity, and the dress code for a dinner has been changed from ‘black tie’ to ‘smart’, reducing the amount of money a Hatfield student is expected to spend.

MacLarnon places emphasis on the importance of everyone being able to “join in”, and these schemes accomplish that. What’s more, it isn’t only the individual that benefits from them. Making Hatfield a more appealing and accessible place to students from lower income backgrounds and non-western countries enriches the diversity of the existing student population and its culture. It is clear to me that Hatfield will soon outgrow its reputation, and it’s time that the students realise that. Moving forward, the University as a whole should be re-evaluating the inclusivity and diversity of its community, and we should all strive for a representative and welcoming community.

Illustration: Mark Norton