Van Mildert College

Van Mildert College was established as a men's college in 1965 following recommendations of the Robbins Report looking into the future of higher education in the UK. In 1963, King's College in Newcastle declared itself independent from the University of Durham, meaning new colleges were required to meet the new university places that the Government wished to create. As a result, the university planned to establish three new colleges on Elvet Hill which went on to be named Collingwood College, Trevelyan College and Van Mildert College. , William Van Mildert, 1765–1836, was instrumental in the founding of Durham University, after whom the college is named]] The college marks its foundation in…

The college and its main entrance are located at the eastern end of Mill Hill Lane, neighbouring South College and John Snow College to its west, Elvet Hill Road to its east and South Road to its south. The front of the college runs between St Aidan's College, Teikyo University and the Oriental Museum, whilst the back entrance along Lake Mildert partly neighbours Collingwood College. Van Mildert building blocks are architecturally modernist, many of which are named after local rivers, which are Tyne, Tees, Derwent, Wear, and Deerness (postgraduates only). Two accommodation blocks are not named in this convention with Tunstall block named after a town in Sunderland and Middleton stairs named…

The Kazu is a traditional ceremony performed by the winning candidate after elections to the JCR Executive Committee, following the announcement of results by the JCR Chair. In more recent years, it has only been the elected president that performs a Kazu. A Kazu is a celebratory action which requires the winning candidate of every election to kick a full can of Coca-Cola down the stairs in the foyer, throw it over their head three times and then opening the can over their head. The JCR Standing Orders and website note that it "may be done wearing clothes" and that "Wikipedia knows more about Kazus than anyone in College". The tradition was started by a Japanese exchange student called…