Monthly Archives: November 2014

Battle of the Bands, 18 Nov

Another year, another charity gig but this time for ABF The Soldier’s Charity and Veteran Aid!

This year the event is taking place in Cargo on Tuesday 18 November. Doors open at 7.30pm, first act on at 8pm. Bring student ID cards.

Hit attending on the Facebook event.

They’ll enter a head to head battle organised by The Independent newspaper and could win a recording session in a top studio and festival tickets.

Competitors:

  • Apidae
  • CPAS Band
  • HARDACTORS
  • Within a Mile
  • Wondermoth

£3 donation can be made on the door and charity buckets will be passed round throughout the evening.

UCU boycott of assessment and marking activities

You may be aware that the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) has asked its members to participate in national industrial action from 6 November. The action takes the form of a comprehensive boycott of all assessment and marking activities by those UCU members who choose to participate.

This action is in response to proposed changes to the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme (USS), one of the pension schemes provided by universities for their employees. UCU intends to continue its action from this date until there is a negotiated settlement.

We very much regret the decision taken by UCU but it is unclear how many of our academic colleagues will join the boycott. We are currently investigating the potential impact of this on student progress at Kent and the ways any such impact may be mitigated.

We are at the same time working with Universities UK who are leading negotiations with UCU on behalf of universities. We are encouraging them to fully explore all the options and alternatives to the proposals currently under discussion.

We will be contacting you again with more information when we have it. In the meantime, please attend all timetabled events including teaching, assessments and examinations. Your academic school will contact you should they be aware of any industrial action affecting your modules.

If you have any urgent enquiries, please contact me by email at the address below.

Jon Pink, Academic Registrar
Academic Division, University of Kent
academicdivision@kent.ac.uk

Austerity, Gender and Household Finances: deadline extended

The call for papers for the Austerity, Gender and Household Finance conference taking place in June 2015, has been extended until 21 November.

Four thematic streams at the conference will explore the impact of austerity on women and the vulnerable in society: Austerity and Housing (organised by Kent Professor Helen Carr); Austerity and Debt and Credit (organised by Dr Julia Gumy from Bristol and Dr Simone Wong from Kent; Austerity and Parenting (organised by Dr Ruth Cain from Kent); and Austerity and Financialisation: What can we learn from the Global South? (organised by Kent Law School Teaching Assistant Serena Natile).

Full details of each thematic stream are available in the official ‘call for papers’ document.

The conference, which will be held at the University of Kent on 27/28 June 2015, has been organised as part of the Radical Women: 50 years of Feminism  at Kent project. The project aims to celebrate the celebrate the important role that Kent has played (and continues to play) in the development of academic feminism and is one of a number of projects marking the University’s 50th anniversary.

Plenary speakers at the conference will include: Professor Mary Evans (London School of Economics); Professor Suzanne Soederberg (Queen’s, Canada); and Professor Rebecca Tunstall (York.

Submissions to the Austerity, Gender and Household Finance conference are invited from a broad range of disciplines including law, sociology, social policy, economics, psychology and gender studies. Abstracts of 200-300 words should be submitted via email to kentausterityconference@kent.ac.uk by 21 November 2014.

Promotions process briefings 10-13 November

Briefings for academic and research staff who are interested in learning more about the promotions process have now been arranged as follows:

• Canterbury campus: Monday 10 November 2014, 1pm-2pm, Darwin Conference Suite
• Medway campus: Wednesday 12 November 2014, 1pm-2pm, Gillingham Building G2-03
• Canterbury campus: Thursday 13 November 2014, 1pm-2pm, Darwin Conference Suite

There is no need to book – just turn up.

Prospective applicants may also find it useful to view the web feature on staff promoted in the 2014 round, which is published here:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/promotions/

Kate Kiernan
HR Operational Services Manager & Secretary to University Promotions Committee | Human Resources

Lecture theatre

Future of Ageing Seminar – 13 November

The University and the Government Office for Science are co-hosting a Future of Ageing Seminar at Kent on Thursday 13 November from 6.30-8pm.

The event is part of the Government Office for Science’s major Foresight project: Future of Ageing, which explores the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.

Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow, Vice-Chancellor of the University, will chair the proceedings with three speakers followed by a question and answer session.

Speakers will be:

  • Professor Sarah Harper, Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and Chair of the Foresight project’s Lead Expert Group
  • Peter Dale, Chair of the South East England Forum on Ageing
  • Dr Julien Forder, Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent

The seminar will take place in Keynes Lecture Theatre 1 on the Canterbury campus. Admission is free, but places are limited so if you wish to attend please register in advance via this link: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/future-of-ageing-seminar-kent-tickets-14044841499

The seminar is one of a series of similar events around the UK in the coming months and aims to deepen the Foresight project’s understanding of local experiences and perspectives on ageing. The organisers are particularly keen to attract people from the Kent area.

Host an international student this Christmas

Christmas can be a lonely time for those far from home. Our
international students have the chance to apply to HOST for a visit to
a real home, where they can have a relaxing break and learn about the
way of life here while making friends and sharing their own culture.

HOST urgently needs to hear from anyone who could help by offering a
day visit or very short stay during the vacation, or over Christmas
itself. A little help with expenses is offered if required, but the
true reward is in the interest for all the family, and the appreciation
of the guests.

Click on www.hostuk.org for more information. Please offer HOST an invitation if you can!

Volunteering sessions, 6-7 Nov

As part of Employability Week Kent Union is inviting students to get involved with various projects and to try volunteering.

Activities will all be geared towards decorating and filling shoeboxes for Smile International to send to disadvantaged children this Christmas.

Additionally Kent Union will be providing an ideas board for the new garden space on campus, as well as running short sessions where you can discuss what you would like to see go into the project.

Find out more on Facebook.

Industrial action by UCU members

You may be aware that the University has been formally notified that Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) is asking its members to participate in a period of industrial action starting on 6 November.  The UCU intends that its action will continue from this date continuously until there is a negotiated settlement on the proposed changes to the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme (USS).  The action takes the form of a comprehensive boycott of all assessment and marking activities.

All staff have been emailed a link to a letter that updates you on the University’s position in relation to this proposed action, the steps we are now taking, as well as providing some further information about the background to this dispute. We have written to all staff, as the current situation is clearly of interest to you all. However, much of the information included in this letter is only relevant to staff eligible to be members of USS.

A copy of the letter to all staff is available as a pdf.

Denise Everitt
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Resources
dvcresources@kent.ac.uk

Celebrate our 50th with Old Templeman ale

To mark our 50th anniversary, local brewers Shepherd Neame have brewed a special ale for the University.

Old Templeman is a pale ale. It is exclusively available from University of Kent bars and is available now at a special offer price – £16 for a case of 8 – while stocks last. Maximum order of 5 cases at one time; available from K-Bar, Origins or Mungo’s.

It’s the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary!

http://www.kent.ac.uk/50/celebrate/index.html