Visit the Colyer-Fergusson to enjoy ‘A Portrait of Europe’, on display until the Thursday 26 May and provides an excellent way to spend a lunch hour.

The exhibition is open daily, with alumna Briony Kapoor on hand to answer questions and provide information about the paintings.

About the exhibition:

Portrait paintings of EU citizens by UK artists. An exhibition by the IMOS Foundation, forming part of the University’s Kent In Europe programme of activity.

In a unique yet simple venture the IMOS Foundation, a small Kent-based arts charity, founded and directed by Kent alumna Briony Kapoor, sent artists to paint the portraits of their EU compatriots. An example of European fellow feeling in action, the result is a brilliant exhibition which tethers the notion of a greater Europe to its people.

An artist was sent to each of the twenty eight countries of the Union, their brief was to find a European from that country and paint their portrait. They were given a guide as to gender and age then asked to work simply with someone whose face caught their eye and who was ameanable ot the project.

Seen together the portraits show us how comfortable Europe is in the early 21st Century. It is difficult to identify the different nationalities. Yet the subject from each nation, beginning as an unknown, becomes a star A Euro Star by participating for their country in this international collaboration.

The exhibition, of the highest quality artistically, can also be seen as a kind of billet doux, a demonstration of openness, amity and warm curiosity from the British, who despite sometimes seeming reluctant to bond with their continental neighbours, share so much of their identity with their EU partners.

Students and staff from across the University enjoyed various activities on 9 May to mark Europe Day and celebrate the University’s role within Europe in the run up to the EU Referendum on 23 June. A European Opportunities Fair took place in the Gulbenkian Café to help raise awareness of the opportunities provided by the University’s European engagement; these include student and staff European exchange opportunities, Kent’s European Centres and European language learning opportunities. Musicians from the group ‘La Centra’ played on the Gulbenkian stage, showcasing their talents on the guitar, mandolin, violin and accordion. Kent Sport arranged volleyball, patanque and penalty shoot-out football outside the Gulbenkian and the sunny weather enabled passers-by to partake or enjoy spectating. A European Specials Menu featuring Spanish Paella, Greek Lamb Kofta and Italian Risotto was on offer at the Gulbenkian too. In the evening, the German drama ‘Victoria’ was screened at the Gulbenkian cinema and ‘A Portrait of Europe’ exhibition was unveiled in the Colyer-Fergusson; an exhibition of 28 oil paintings, each of a citizen from a different EU Member State. The exhibition will last until 26 May.

The University of Kent supports the ‘Universities for Europe’ campaign and is speaking out for continued engagement with Europe in the run up to the Referendum. The University is also committed to the free exploration of ideas. There will be a further series of activities with the aim of facilitating debate and enabling the exchange of views from all shades of opinion. You can find details at: https://www.kent.ac.uk/referendum/

IT services which were affected this morning by a network issue, are now working again. We’re sorry for the inconvenience this issue may have caused you.

We are continuing to investigate to discover the root cause, in order to prevent it happening again.

Thank you for your patience this morning whilst we dealt with the unexpected outage.

IS Services

Nominations have reopened for the Medway Student Committee.

The link is here: https://www.kentunion.co.uk/representation/elections/

Nominations close next Tuesday 17 May and voting will open the following day.

For any queries please e-mail elections@kent.ac.uk

BME Student Voices Project is holding interviews and focus groups with a £10 voucher reward to each participant. We need UK domiciled BME students to take part in interviews and focus groups, give their opinions and share their experiences. The focus groups and interviews will be held on the 25 and 27 of May 2016 at Medway.

Launched in March, the BME Student Voices Project conducts research into experiences of BME students at the University of Kent and explores the link between social engagement and academic performance, participation within Kent Union and barriers to academic and social success whist studying. The research will make targeted recommendations to overcome these issues and increase resources available for student led organisation of events like Black History Month (October 2016).

All participants get a £10 KU voucher, valid in Coopers, Essentials and the Venue.

Sign up here for a focus group: https://unionkent.wufoo.com/forms/xwn1zu51ixd7uw/
Sign up HERE for an interview: https://unionkent.wufoo.com/forms/x1uq3d8x18eggiu/​u/

The theme for IDAHOT 2016 is ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’.

Canterbury event

The Development Office will be hosting an event for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) day on Tuesday 17 May.

Staff will be challenged to wear as many colours as possible (a prize given to the winner).

There will also be rainbow cakes and staff are encouraged to bring in their rainbow treats too.

IDAHOT will provide an opportunity to collectively amplify the message that ‘what young people really need to be protected from is homo/trans/bi-phobia’.

Medway event

Come to University on Tuesday 17 May wearing as many colours as possible.

If anyone would like to bring in any colourful refreshments to share (cakes, sweets, drinks etc) that would be great.

There will also be a donation box in G0-05 if you would like to make a contribution towards fundraising for METRO, a registered charity who run a free counselling service for LGBT+ young people across London, Kent and Medway.

MA and PhD Writing retreats:

The Medway Student Learning Advice Service is running two residential writing retreats this year for post grad students based at Medway

The retreats take place in June. Please see link for details http://store.kent.ac.uk/browse/searchresults.asp

If you would like to attend please book your place via the University Store by May 20th

For further information please contact Louise ljf@kent.ac.uk

The School of Politics and International Relations invites you to a talk on  ‘‘THIS DIFFICULT PLACE’ – Creating space for justice and peace: a Quaker in Hebron’.

The talk by Alwyn Knight takes place on Thursday 12 May at 19.00 in Rutherford Lecture Theatre 2, Canterbury campus.

Alwyn Knight is a Quaker who has been accompanying Palestinians in Hebron under Israeli occupation and he will talk about his experiences there and what conditions are like now in the divided city of Hebron, which in many ways is a microcosm of the Occupied Territories.

The talk should be of interest to students of politics, IR, conflict, peace and the Middle East, and also to anyone who would like to know more about Quaker action in Palestine.

The format will be a talk for about 45 minutes and then questions and answers.

All are welcome to attend, no booking is necessary. Please arrive early as space is limited.

Are you experiencing stress? Would you like to learn how to manage workplace stress more effectively?

Occupational Health has been approached by researchers from the University of Sussex on a study of an evidence-based stress management programme. The eight-week programme is delivered entirely via the Internet, and can be accessed at a time to suit you. There are no face-to-face appointments. You will be required to complete online assessments.

For more information please follow this link, or copy and paste it into your browser https://www.workguru.org/members/stress-research.pdf or contact the lead researcher Stephany Carolan sc587@sussex.ac.uk.

Your participation in this research will be entirely confidential and no personally identifiable data will be returned to Occupational Health.

David Chadwick, Professor of Information Systems Security in the School of Computing, is raising money for King’s College Hospital after their excellent care for him following a severe cycling accident.

David was cycling down St Thomas’ Hill, Canterbury in January when he was knocked off his bike by another cyclist, resulting in extensive injuries. He is currently on a phased return to work after two operations and a period of recuperation.

David said: ‘I was nearly killed in a cycling accident on 19 Jan 2016 whilst cycling home from the University. I suffered a broken shoulder, seven broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and cracked vertebrae. I was rushed to Kings College Hospital in the early hours of the morning and had my first operation later that day. A week later I had a bigger operation on my pelvis. Thanks to the excellent care I received, I survived. Patients have 40% greater chance of survival at Kings, so I was lucky to be transferred there, otherwise I might not be fundraising for them today.

‘I have recently began to walk again and I am hoping to be fully recovered by June, and also fit enough to take part in the sponsored abseil down the Jubilee tower block at the hospital. This is a great target to aim for, both physically and financially, since all the sponsorship money I raise will go towards the fantastic care that Kings gives to its patients.’

David is hoping to raise £1,000 for the hospital from by taking part in the abseil on Friday 17 June 2016. You can support him by visiting his Just Giving page.