Monthly Archives: July 2020

A laptop, with a notebook, glasses and cup of tea.

Care first webinars w/c 3 August 2020

As our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services, including helpline support and face-to-face counselling. During the pandemic, Care first has also provided weekly webinars to offer further support and advice.

Webinars taking place this week (Monday 3 – Friday 7 August) are as follows:

Monday 3 August 2020 –  ‘How Care first can support you and an update on our services’
Time: 14.00-15.00 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Tuesday 4 August 2020 – ‘Activities you can still do this Summer’
Time: 15.00-15.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 5 August 2020 – ‘A users guide to wearing a face mask’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 6 August 2020 – ‘What are the benefits of Cycling?’
Time: 11.00-11.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 7 August 2020 – ‘Ways gratitude can boost happiness’
Time: 11.00-11.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

7 Frequently Asked Questions about dining on campus

Whether you are moving out of your family home for the first time or are a mature student starting at Kent, our campus at Canterbury has a great range of options to suit your needs. We cover 7 Frequently Asked Questions about dining on campus.

What type of food do you serve on campus?

There are many different catering outlets on campus offering a variety of delicious, high quality food and drink options. Whether you want comfort food, vegetarian dishes, healthy options, or an indulgent treat, you’ll discover something fit for your appetite. You could be eating Korean chicken wings in Dolche Vita one day and sharing a bowl of garlic butter fries in Origins the next. Full menus can be found on the catering webpage.

Do you serve vegan and vegetarian options?

Meat-free living is one of the fastest growing lifestyles in the UK. Self-identified vegans and vegetarians account for approximately 3% of the population, but they are amongst a broader base of people showing an interest in reducing meat and dairy intake. If you’re ever in doubt about a dish, full ingredient listings are available in all outlets, just ask a member of staff for more details. We’d recommend telling the restaurant team when you order that you’re a vegetarian or vegan, just to ensure they’re extra careful.

I have a food allergy; how can I find out which dishes are safe to eat?

At Kent we take allergens extremely seriously and do everything we can to accommodate students who have allergies. In every bar, café and restaurant there is a Food and Menu Specification Folder, which tells you all the ingredients in a specific dish. If you do have an allergy, please let catering staff know when you order so they can make double sure your meal is prepared with the utmost care to minimise cross-contamination.

I don’t have set mealtimes and tend to snack throughout the day. Are there places open to eat during the day and late at night?

Most cafes, bars and restaurants on campus are open throughout the day and into the evening. Both Hut 8 (Turing College) and the Library Café serve food and drink until 22:00, so you can enjoy a fresh slice of pizza or hot drink before heading out or heading home.

Due to the coronavirus, is it safe to dine on campus?

Your safety is top priority. To ensure you don’t have to worry, Kent Hospitality has been working hard to develop new measures in line with government advice so you can safely enjoy food and drink on campus. Cafes, bars, and restaurants will be offering a takeaway service, with some larger outlets offering socially distanced seating areas.

Outlets will have signage and operate on a cashless purchasing system throughout. Kent Hospitality will continue to follow guidelines for the duration of the pandemic and will adapt their policies in line with government recommendations and advice as and when needed, or until such a time that the pandemic is considered low to no risk to customers, staff and suppliers.

I’m not very confident in the kitchen, do you offer a meal plan for students?

For those with little kitchen experience, learning to cook can be both an exciting and daunting experience. To help students with this life transition, and ensure they have access to a variety of healthy and convenient options during this busy time in their lives, Kent offers The Flex Catering Package. The Flex Catering Package is open to all students that live on or off campus. It offers an enormous amount of flexibility as well as a huge discount by paying in advance.

Costing £1100 for the academic year, you will get a food and drink allowance of £10 each day, but you would have only paid £5 a day, meaning you could benefit from savings of 50% on your food bill over the course of the year. The Flex Catering Package allows you to focus on University life and get the best possible degree rather than worrying about shopping or cooking. For more information, please visit The Flex Catering Package webpage.

What’s the KentOne card and how do I use it to buy food?

The KentOne card is your University of Kent student ID card. This multi-functional card enables you to access specific areas of the University, borrow books from Templeman Library, become a member of Kent Sport, and purchase items on campus. The KentOne card is a quick, easy and safe way to buy food and drink on both the Canterbury and Medway campus in a number of catering outlets and shops. Every time you use it, you’ll receive a 10% discount at the till.

The KentOne card works much like a prepaid cash card. You add cash to it and top it up when the funds run out, just like you would with a pay-as-you-go mobile phone. You can only spend what you load onto the KentOne card, so it’s very safe from a budgeting perspective. If you’re prone to overspending, the KentOne card can be a good way to make sure you stay on budget. For more information on where you can use the KentOne card, how to top up your card, and how to benefit from the 10% discount, please visit the KentOne webpage.

This year, Kent Union also has an app you can use to order food for collection or table service in their outlets. Download the app for iPhones now.

Housekeeping-July-2020

Changes to our Canterbury campus cleaning team

Kent Hospitality and Estates Cleaning teams are merging under one management structure within Kent Hospitality from 1 August 2020.

This one larger team will be providing cleaning services across the entirety of the Canterbury campus moving forward.

Gary Sayles, Executive Manager: Housekeeping, Kent Hospitality is pleased to make the announcement, stating: ‘Leveraging Estates Cleaning extensive knowledge and experience with Hospitality’s award-winning Housekeeping team will ensure a consistent delivery of cleaning standards across the Canterbury campus.

‘Having a continuity in frequencies and style of service across all teaching and office spaces will provide a footprint for a consistent customer-centric service. Kent Hospitality’s aim is to provide an exceptional customer service experience to our students, staff and visitors with an underlying philosophy of delivering with Pride, Passion and Professionalism.’

Kevin Stuckey, Director of Commercial Services added: ‘By combining the cleaning resources of the two departments we expect to, over time, achieve economies of scale and flexibilities in staff deployment.’

Any queries or requirements relating to cleaning on the Canterbury campus can be directed to Hospitality Enquiries.

The cleaning arrangements at the Medway campus, which are carried out by an outside contractor, will continue to be managed by Estates.

Project to make historical Peruvian newspapers available online

Natalia Sobrevilla Perea, Professor of Latin American History in the Department of Modern Languages, has recently finished a project with the British Library that has made nearly 180 newspapers available online.

The aim of the project was to protect and archive valuable cultural materials which have important stories to tell about Peru and nearby provinces that would be lost if they not digitised and conserved. Despite the country’s long history of centralism, these newspapers hold the memory of regions outside the largest cities and showcase the thriving intellectual communities they fostered.

Natalia says: “This was a great, but very challenging project. It took an extremely long time to come to fruition and at every turn it seemed like the difficulties were insurmountable. But after much work and determination, we can now see the results online and the response has been overwhelming. To provide an online source at the time of the pandemic has been a compensation for all the delays faced.”

Below is a two page spread about the project that came out in the Peruvian press on Sunday 26 July:

Kent Sport Centre building

Kent Sport is reopening soon

At Kent Sport we are working hard to get the Sports Centre ready for reopening.

From Monday 17 August, the Sports Centre facilities including the gym, fitness classes, sports halls and Physiotherapy Clinic will reopen. While we’re excited to welcome you back, we have put in additional safety measures including pre-booking for all activities. We will be updating our website and social media channels over the next few days with more details on the reopening.

The Sports Centre facilities will reopen on Monday 17 August.

The Pavilion facilities will reopen on Monday 24 August.

For more information on opening hours, rules and FAQs please read the Kent Sport blog.

We’ve missed you and can’t wait to welcome you back!!

The Gulbenkian with red flowers at the forefront of the image.

Return to Campus series – Spotlight on Estates

In the second instalment of our ‘Return to Campus’ series, Richard Cottam, Head of Facilities Management tells us about the multitude of services and functions the Facilities Management (FM) team (within Estates) has been covering throughout the lockdown period, both on and off campus.

Richard explains: ‘The majority of FM staff are unable to do their job remotely, so most have been working a reduced number of days each week to a roster. They have been busy supporting essential services and, more recently, preparing the campus for occupancy in September.’

Examples include:

Postal Services – This team has maintained a minimal presence on campus throughout, ensuring all incoming mail is managed and sending out any business essential post. The team has also been supporting colleagues in Recruitment & Marketing with the creation and supply of several student offer packs.

Waste and Cleaning – With a small team initially supporting ongoing essential services such as Security, most cleaning staff are now back at work preparing buildings for re-occupancy and developing an effective Covid-19 cleaning programme.

Stores – A small team of two has been working remotely throughout lockdown and has been incredibly busy sourcing best value supply chains for the multitude of Covid-19 related products, needed to maintain a secure environment. The team has also purchased and is rolling out hand sanitiser dispensers across campus.

Administration – The whole team has been working remotely and has quickly adapted to the new technology supporting meetings using M365 Teams. Some admin staff have also been on campus and helped with the huge task of installing the social isolation and one-way signage across the campus.

Medway FM – The team supporting Medway has also been on campus, in limited numbers, preparing the campus for re-occupancy.

Landscape and Grounds Management – Have you ever not cut your grass for four months? No, we couldn’t wait that long either! So that we don’t return to a partial jungle in September, the team has been working to a roster with half of the workforce on campus, keeping on top of the spring and summer growth.

Find out more about the services the Estates department provide.

In our next Return to Campus feature, we’ll look at the work of the Planning and Space Management team.

 

Gold Programme Gloabal Officers 2020

Kent students achieve GOLD!

The Global Officers Leadership Development (GOLD) Programme has celebrated another successful year which ended with our celebration event and certificate presentation taking place online.


The programme, led by Kent’s Dean for Internationalisation Dr Anthony Manning and International Partnerships, is a co-curricular venture which provides a framework of activities for globally minded undergraduate students at Kent to develop their leadership skills, global citizenship and cultural awareness.

This year’s cohort made an impact through their role in leading the various Global Hangouts that took place, leading the way with a green marketing strategy for Worldfest, introducing a speed-friending event for new international students and participating in our first Erasmus+ virtual exchange programme. Participants also took part in various workshops including Talking Cultures, event management, explored the concept of curriculum internationalisation and looked at their own cultural intelligence (CQ). Other activities they supported included orientation for new exchange students, the S Group Conference and provided campus tours for some of our international partners and visitors.

Students who have completed the programme have said that it has helped to increase their own cultural awareness, enhance their employability and given them the opportunity to meet a range of people from diverse backgrounds.

The Gold Programme was a highlight of my time at Kent. The team leading the programme listened to all of our ideas and supported us throughout the year. I developed many transferable skills, gave back to the student community, and made many new friends.
Melissa Couvet, LLB English and French Law

I thoroughly enjoyed my participation in the GOLD programme, not only do I think that it has allowed me to develop skills that have strengthened my employability, I also found the programme to be an important avenue for expression during an intense final year of study. I would recommend the GOLD programme to any student that is interested in further developing themselves personally and professionally.
Leo Harris, BA History and Spanish

Many of this year’s cohort were final year students and we wish them all the best for the future after their graduation.

Professor Karen Cox

Vice-Chancellor’s update – 28 July 2020

We have reached the time of year when most of us normally have the chance to draw breath. However, this has been an extraordinary time for the University and I wanted to acknowledge that I am aware of the impact that all the change we are going through is having on you as individuals. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done this year, particularly in recent months as we navigate our way back to some form of normality as lockdown eases. Your support in this, and in the measures we have taken to mitigate against the financial impact of Covid-19, has been invaluable.

Now that the consultation process has begun in areas going through changes under Organising for Success this summer, I also wanted to acknowledge the impact that this will be having on many colleagues both centrally and across our new academic divisions. There is no doubt that this is a challenging time and, more than ever, we need to support each other and work together through this period.

I end with my very best wishes for the summer, I do hope that you manage to have something of a break with family and friends and are able to re-charge your batteries for the new year.

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

August resits: Mindfulness workshops, 4 and 11 August

Are you taking August exams? Could you do with reducing your stress levels? Then booking onto an online Mindfulness workshop might be a good idea…

We are pleased to announce two online Mindfulness based stress reduction workshop for students sitting August exams – one on 4 August and one on 11 August, both from 12.00 – 13.00.

Places are limited, so please book your free place online using your Kent student login to access the booking site:

Book for Tuesday 4 August

Book for Tuesday 11 August

What is it?
In this free experiential workshop we aim to introduce you to the basics of mindfulness; a way of focusing on body and breath as an alternative to the usual panicked states we can find ourselves in both when revising, and when sitting an exam. The workshop facilitators, qualified counsellor Patmarie Coleman, and Wellbeing Adviser Richard Stack, will guide you to carry out the exercises individually and opportunities to share experiences with the other participants should you choose.

How do I join in?
The link to the hour-long Zoom meeting will be sent to you on the day of the workshop. You will have the option of using the video and audio functions to connect with the group or turn them off as you wish. You will also be able to rename yourself for the meeting using the Zoom function. The meeting hosts are staff members from Student Support and Wellbeing and will be facilitating the meeting from a private and confidential space.

If you have any queries, please email wellbeingevents@kent.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.