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MANAGER RESIGNS

• Position 'untenable' following guilty plea to theft allegations

• Ex-Operations Manager facing three charges of theft from former employer

  
  
  
  A Union manager facing three charges of theft resigned from his post last week. Vaughan Smith, who was appointed as Operations Manager at the Union Society last July, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft from Durham Students’ Union (DSU) at a hearing at Durham Crown Court on April 25th.
  
  Although Smith does dispute the wording of the charges, instead saying the money was actually taken from external promoters, he has pledged to pay back the money, said to be £16,844.
  Smith claims his position had become ‘untenable’ at Newcastle Union Society since the situation has appeared in the wider press.
  In his role as Events and Marketing Manager at DSU, Smith was responsible for the booking of bands and DJs at the 750-capacity Fonteyn Ballroom venue in the Union – the largest music venue in the city.
  
  Smith is alleged to have stolen the money over an 18-month period between January 2006 and June last year, after which Smith agreed to quit the post he took up in 2005. His resignation was accepted by the DSU management board in July, when he came to work at Newcastle Union.
  
  Smith disputes the actual amount said to have been taken, claiming that owing to cash payments to contractors on the nights of events, the actual amount should be more like £12,000.
  Despite the thefts being attributed to DSU, Smith maintains that the money was from payments made by external promoters who paid him to put their nights on at the Union on Saturdays when the venue was usually closed.
  
  These events were pulled by Smith when they were suspected to be a drugs hotspot when he was still employed by DSU last year. Following their cancellation, two of the promoters who had made payments to Smith reported their two stories to the police last November and Smith was arrested. Following a police investigation Smith was interviewed and then arrested on November 15th. At the time a police spokesman said, “A 42 year-old man from North Shields was arrested following an investigation on suspicion of theft by detectives. He attended the police station by prior arrangement and, after being taken into custody, he was interviewed and then released on bail until early January.”
  No charge was made at the time and up until the hearing just over a week ago, Smith made no plea.
  
  At the time of Smith’s arrest in November, one of the promoters he worked with at DSU who brought in guest DJs including Radio 1’s Dave Pearce, said his weekly dance music night, Blend, was cancelled “despite strong attendance and healthy bar receipts.” The promoter said the event cancellation caused him “severe financial loss.” When he appeared at Consett Magistrates Court in January, it was decided that the matter was not suitable for summary trial and was to go to Durham Crown Court in April. Claire Madden, who was prosecuting outlined the three separate amounts that Smith was alleged to have stolen across the 18-month period as £10,260, £3,500 and £3,078. The biggest development in the case was the most recent as Smith gave a guilty plea and admitted that the money should have gone to DSU and pledged to pay back the full sum before his sentencing on July 21st.
  
  Following the court hearing an article ran in The Northern Echo named Newcastle Union Society as his new employers, stating “the court was also told that, since leaving Durham, he has taken up a similar post with the students’ union in Newcastle, where he is said to be a valued member of staff.” This was the first time that Newcastle Union was named as Smith’s new employer and the first association that had been made publically with the Union Society and the case.
  
  The court was told by Paul Caulfield, who was representing Smith, “we are attempting to obtain references on his behalf and the instructions that I have received are that, since committing these offences, he has been employed by the students’ union at Newcastle.” The information of Smith’s new employers was allegedly key to the case as Judge Richard Lowden said he wanted written confirmation from Newcastle Students’ Union that they are happy to continue employing him given the incidents at Durham. He said, “I need confirmation that his employers are aware of what he’s facing prosecution for.”
  
  However, Smith chose to resign last Thursday, saying, “the wider publication of my legal situation in the press leaves my position here untenable. I hope my resignation will spare the organisation any embarrassment.” Smith also took the opportunity to thank his former colleagues at the Union Society when he spoke to The Courier. He said, “throughout the progression of the judicial process, the Union Society has shown me support and an enthusiasm to continue with my employment. I’ll always be grateful for this. The time I’ve been able to spend at the Union Society has been some of the best in my career. I’d like to publicly thank the staff for their support and friendship.”
  
  Simon Gerry, the Union Society General Manager said, “Vaughan has made a valuable contribution during his time with us, and was highly thought of by both the management and staff. He was hard working and industrious, had done a lot for the Union and will be sorely missed. “It is with some disappointment and regret that we had to accept his resignation, but fully understand his reasons given the difficult circumstances he now finds himself in.” On behalf of the Union’s sabbatical officers and the rest of the Executive Committee, President Jamie McDonnell said, “Vaughan’s hard work while employed by the Union Society has been exemplary and it is with regret we accept his letter of resignation.
  
  “We’re sad to see him go and wish him all the luck for the future, while thanking him for his efforts in his short time here. I would have no hesitation in recommending Vaughan for future employment at another organisation. “Vaughan was a popular member of the team and earned the professional respect of staff at all levels, for his creativity and drive.”
  DSU officials have declined to comment on the matter.

   

  Gemma Davies

   

  Welcome to Newcastle University...

  ...Malaysia!

   

  Newcastle University is set to launch its first international branch in Malaysia The Courier has found. The new international branch will be based in Johar, Malaysia in the strategic centre of what has been dubbed ‘the growth triangle’ of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. 
  
  The Newcastle University of Medicine Malaysia as it is to be called has received acclaim for its quality and reputation based on the standard set at Newcastle University in the UK.
  The NUMed programme will be identical to that of Newcastle’s UK provision, and will provide a general medical education suitable for all types of doctor and will server as a foundation for later career specialisation. The successful completion of the entire programme will lead to the award by Newcastle University of the degree MBBS recognised by the UK General Medical Council and entry requirements are expected to be the same as that for the UK programme. There is to be a straightforward funding and costs system with all tuition, library and laboratory usage included within fees and each year is priced evenly. Given the lower living costs in Malaysia, it is estimated that the overall cost will be 50% that of studying for a medical degree in the UK and as such it is expected to be popular with Malasian and European students.
  
  At a simple ceremony in Kota Bahru on the 28th February 2008, Malaysia’s Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, handed over the formal letter of invitation to Newcastle University’s Dean of International Medical Education, Professor Reg Jordan. The NUMed campus is due to open in 2011. Newcastle University expressed delight at this major development in its longstanding relationship with Malaysia. “We are deeply honoured to be invited to contribute to the development of Iskandar”, said Professor Jordan. “The Minister’s gracious invitation to establish what will be the University’s first international branch campus marks a major landmark in achieving our internationalisation strategy.”
  
  Professor Jordan added that the new campus will offer an exciting opportunity to contribute to meeting both Malaysia’s human capital needs and its national aspiration to become an international higher education hub in South East Asia. “For Newcastle, the establishment of the branch campus will further develop our profile as a world-class university”, continued Professor Jordan.
  
  The Chief Minister of the State of Johor, Dato, Hj Abdul Ghani Othman said, “This development is timely and will provide the opportunity for students to pursue their higher education in the field of medicine at a more affordable cost. The collaboration will also enable transfer of knowledge and the expansion of home-grown expertise.”
  Union Society Education Officer Ben Potter commented that, “this expansion can only be a good thing for our university and reinforces Newcastle University’s world-class standard, hopefully it’ll strengthen global bonds between students and encourage greater exchange of knowledge and expertise.”