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[[{"fid":"13691","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"500","width":"800","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Born in London in 1748, Jeremy Bentham was one of the world’s great thinkers and reformers. Bentham studied law and was called to the Bar in 1769, but quickly abandoned the practice of the law in favour of a lifetime seeking to reform it. Bentham is famous for developing the doctrine of utilitarianism — that an action is right if it increases happiness — as a critical standard by which to judge laws, institutions and practices. Bentham's liberal and egalitarian ideas inspired the founders of MyAV·¶ and, by chance, his preserved body ended up here too. You can still see his Auto-icon on display in the Student Centre. The Auto-Icon is the preserved skeleton of Jeremy Bentham. It was prepared according to his own instructions, wears his own clothes, sits in his own chair and carries his own stick which he nicknamed Dapple. But how did Bentham come to such a radical decision about his body?  The answer to this question lies, in part, in his many Wills which have now been transcribed by MyAV·¶ Research Dr Tim Causer. It was common for people in the 1700s to make multiple Wills, particularly before travel or after changes in family status. Bentham’s Wills tell the story of how he refined his plan to leave his remains to benefit medical science over decades, and it was not the last whim of an eccentric Englishman.  From at least the age of 21, Bentham had thought about how he might benefit humankind after his death by donating his body to science for dissection. You can trace this line of thought from his first will of 1769, to his last will and testament made a few days before his death on 6 June 1832.The research highlights a range of fascinating snippets and insights into Bentham’s life:•    In his first will of 24 August 1769, made when he had come of age, Bentham first mentioned leaving his body to medical science ‘to the intent and with the desire that Mankind may reap some small benefit in and by my decease, having hitherto had small opportunities to contribute thereto while living’. He requested that his remains be delivered to the renowned Scottish physician George Fordyce - whose daughter, Mary Sophia, married Bentham’s younger brother, Samuel, in October 1796.•    Bentham’s second will of 17 August 1785 was made near Paris when he was setting out to visit his brother Samuel in Russia, presumably in case he didn’t survive the voyage.•    His third will, made on 15 July 1792 not long after his father’s death and on Bentham’s becoming head of the family, is very short and simply revokes his earlier wills, leaving all of the family property to Samuel.•    In a codicil to the will of 1792, dated 29 March 1824, Bentham restated his desire to leave his body to science, and for the first time described how his remains might be assembled—he does not use the word ‘auto-icon’—and brought to a meeting of his friends at ‘a club in commemoration of my birth and death … at one end of the table, after the manner in which, at a public meeting, a chairman is commonly seated’.•    In Bentham’s final will and testament of 30 May 1832, he revoked all of his previous wills, and in an annex described how the auto-icon was to be assembled. There are some intriguing insights into Bentham’s private life too. For instance, the will of 1785 reveals that he travelled to Russia in the company of a Scottish explorer called Logan Henderson, and Henderson’s two nieces; Bentham subsequently discovered that one of the women was in fact Henderson’s mistress, and she and Bentham hated one another. Meanwhile, his last will and testament of 1832 is revealing about the elderly Bentham’s domestic arrangements. He left money to his servants William Stockwell, Mary Watson, and Ann Lay, as well as to his long-serving gardener John Elrick. The list of individuals to whom he bequeathed twenty-six gold mourning rings—including his dentist, Thomas Cartwright, the Marquis de Lafayette, Sarah Austin, and the Guatemalan politician José del Valle—is revealing about Bentham’s friendships and international influence.Want to find out more?Ten Things you Didn’t know about Jeremy BenthamHelp transcribe more of Bentham’s writings via the Bentham Project 

Later this month, MyAV·¶ will show its support for refugee education by hosting Refugee Week.A range of events run by MyAV·¶ Student Support & Wellbeing (with MyAV·¶U and Student Action for Refugees) to champion refugee education initiatives in the UK and abroad, from 20th to 24th February 2017.This comes in the wake of a statement from the Home Office last week declaring its intention to end its so-called 'Dubs scheme'. An amendment to the 2016 Immigration Act designed to help unaccompanied, child refugees find safe refuge in the UK. The announcement marks a sea-change in our response to what is fast becoming an international humanitarian crisis; with the UNHCR estimating that 65.3 million people were displaced in 2015, fleeing war, poverty and persecution. A global education crisisOne sadly overlooked aspect of the crisis is education. Refugee children are often unable to access this fundamental human right, with only 50% attending primary school and only 1% going on to reach higher education. It is estimated that refugees will spend an average of 17 years in displacement, which for children may mean the entirety of their schooling years. MyAV·¶ Student Support & Wellbeing wants to do its part to help increase awareness of this issue and raise funds.Proceeds will be used to fund the following charities working on refugee education initiatives:       EdluminoA registered charity of qualified teachers from the United Kingdom, providing emergency education and support to children currently in refugee camps.Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL)A grassroots charity in London, working with refugees and asylum seekers to relieve poverty and social isolation. AFRIL run free courses in English as a second language to refugee adults, with a crèche facility attached, as well as a children's supplementary school called the Rainbow Club. Programme of eventsVarious events will be taking place on campus from Monday to Friday, including a charity 'mindful' rave, film screening, panel discussion and a workshop from Charity UK to give tips on campaigning for refugees in your community. Events are constantly being updated, for full details visit the MyAV·¶ for Refugee Education page.