Monthly Archives: August 2020

Donation to black education causes by SSPSSR UCU staff

In June, the School of Social Policy, Sociology & Social Research issued a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The statement expressed how University & College Union members of the school were intending to use leftover funds from our precarious strike fund (comprised of donations from the pockets of school staff) to make a £1000 gift to a black education charity.

We asked our students to participate in a vote as to which organisations they wished us to support. The aim of the donation was to show solidarity and demonstrate our collective commitment to improving the experience of education for black students. One of the objectives of the recent industrial action was to promote equality and diversity in HE, and we believe this is a practical and effective way to contribute towards that aim.

Of the responses to the poll, over 40% chose Black Learning and Mental Health (BLAM), but as there were several very popular causes, SSPSSR opted to donate £500 to BLAM, and £250 each to the Reach Society and Wonder Foundation.

A HUGE thank you to all SSPSSR students who participate in challenging racial injustice, both on campus and beyond!

What will campus-life look like in September?

The safety of our students, staff, and visitors is our top priority and we will be following the Government’s guidance. With this guidance in mind, we have made a number of changes in order to welcome students in September. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect.

The campus

To keep everyone safe, all staff and students will be expected to wear a face covering on campus where social distancing is difficult, and may also apply to other areas where we have indicated. This is most likely for short periods indoors, in crowded areas, corridors, and shops. Face covering usage will be in line with Government guidance.

Expect to see a one-way system in buildings, however, when a one-way system isn’t possible, there will be clear signage to say it is two-way and caution is needed. Screens and social distancing signage will be installed in areas where students are interacting in-person with school reception staff.

Hand sanitiser will be made available at the main entrances of buildings and a limit will be placed on the number of people allowed into a building at any one time. The cleaning of areas identified as ‘high-touch’ will also take place across the campuses.

Teaching

All lectures will be online with smaller discussion groups on-campus. Any on-campus teaching, including lab and practical work, will take place in strict compliance with health and safety requirements.

Catering

Campus catering outlets will be mainly offering takeaway service at the start of term, with some larger outlets offering socially distanced seating areas. All outlets will have clear signage and operate on a cashless purchasing system throughout. Don’t forget to top-up and use your KentOne card for a 10% discount at the till.

Student accommodation

All residents of on-campus accommodation on the Canterbury campus will be provided with high-quality cleaning materials to help you keep your accommodation clean. These cleaning materials will be provided free of charge, speak to your local housekeeping team to find out more.

The Library

In the Templeman Library, there will be a limit on the number of people allowed in the building and you’ll need to follow a one-way route to ensure social distancing. There will be a reduced number of socially-distanced study spaces and PCs available. There is also an enhanced cleaning schedule of this shared equipment including PCs and printers.

If you’re using a study space remember to pick up a ‘clean me’ sign to place on your desk after you have finished. This will help us know which spaces need to be cleaned and ensure each study space and PC is clean.

Make sure to check the Returning to Campus FAQs regularly to stay updated ahead of your arrival on campus.

Financial Sustainability: New ‘No PO, No Pay’ Policy

As part of continued work to identify non-pay savings across the University and ensure our spending is closely controlled, the University will be introducing a ‘No Purchase Order, No Pay’ policy from 14 September 2020.

The University’s Procurement Team supports Divisions and Departments with getting the best possible value from the goods and services they use, while also keeping track of how much we spend on key suppliers. Introducing the new ‘No PO, No Pay’ policy is key to this, ensuring we have better oversight of what we are spending when while also increasing efficiency by reducing the number of invoice queries.

Under the new system, invoices will only be paid if they include a valid Purchase Order (PO) number which has been agreed with the supplier prior to the delivery of goods, services or works. This will set out likely cost and delivery dates, along with an agreed payment process for suppliers, bringing us in line with what is increasingly standard practice across the sector.

Once fully introduced, the move to ‘No PO, No Pay’ will help reduce our overall spend through better management of suppliers, ensuring as much support as possible can be put towards our core teaching and research activity. Detailed guidance will be sent to Finance Managers later this week, ahead of ongoing support with adapting to the new way of working ahead of the change and from September onwards.

Find out more about our Procurement Team

Find out more about our Financial Sustainability work

KentVision: Progress Update

KentVision is a major project underway at the University intended to bring together a number of different administrative processes and simplify how we support the student journey.

As a complex programme impacting on numerous areas of our work, getting the final scope for this right has been crucial and has required detailed work over recent months. With this now in place, the project is now nearing the testing and approval stage ahead of launching in January 2021.

KentVision aims

As well as replacing the expiring Student Data System (SDS), KentVision is designed to introduce simpler and more consistent ways to input, manage and process student data across the University. This will in turn support wider work to reduce bureaucracy and improve the ways we work at Kent. Its objectives are to:

Provide an administrative journey that is clear, informative and seamless to all applicants and students.
Create a united academic administration across Central Services and Divisions, giving us a single source of high–quality authoritative data.
Refine student administration, reducing administrative effort for staff across the University
Improve processes and deliver full IT enablement, using standard SITS capability to maximum advantage and enabling fully integrated mobile-enabled services for students and staff.

Next steps

After a lengthy and at times challenging initial development phase, the KentVision project is now fully on track against an agreed timeline to launch in January 2021. Key staff will be invited to take part in detailed testing work throughout the coming months, ahead of a broader training programme for wider staff later in the autumn as we prepare for full data migration. After launching in January, the project will move towards ongoing support for staff as they adapt to new system, while also working together with users to identify improvements and ensure we make the most of the multiple benefits KentVision will offer.

Find out more about KentVision

Care First webinars w/c 10 August 2020

As our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support. Read their latest Tips for a UK Summer Holiday.

Their weekly webinars continue this week (Monday 10 – Friday 14 August) and are as follows:

Monday 10 August 2020 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 11.00-11.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Tuesday 11 August 2020 – ‘Quarantine Guidelines’
Time: 11.00-11.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 12 August 2020 – ‘COVID-19: A Dr’s perspective’
Time: 12.00-13.00 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 13 August 2020 – ‘What does a local lockdown look like?’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 14 August 2020 – ‘COVID-19: Starting a new role remotely’
Time: 14.00-14.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Bring a picnic and enjoy an outdoor musical!

If you’re looking for something fun to do with the family this month, why not enjoy an outdoor performance of the musical ‘Urinetown’, taking place at the end of August?

When:

Thursday 27 August at 18.00

Saturday 29 August at 13.00 and 18.00

Sunday 30 August 13.00 and 18.00

Where:

Open Air @ The Woodstock, Sittingbourne, Broadoak Road, ME9 8AG

Featuring our colleague Tracey Ashmore (Student Learning Advisory Service Manager within the Education Directorate), this outdoor show is a “bring your own picnic” event and is the first pro-musical theatre performances in Kent to take place since the pandemic.

The production team and performers are adhering stringently to safety guidelines and there is a crew managing the distancing measures for audiences as well as managing an outdoor bar.

To find out where to book tickets please visit the Urinetown Open Air Facebook page.

Capacity is strictly limited per performance to allow for social distancing, so book now!

Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic opening on Monday 17 August

We are pleased to announce that the Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic will be open for face-to-face appointments from Monday 17 August.

Please be aware, there are a few changes that have needed to be implemented for the safety of our staff and clients. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience with the need for these changes.

When you book for treatment at Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic, we will send you a detailed email with further instructions prior to your appointment. Below are guidelines to better manage expectations when visiting our facilities.

Is it safe to visit the clinic and Kent Sport?

Staff have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the facilities are compliant with not only Government policy, but also University policy in relation to Covid-19.

A risk assessment has been completed on the facilities, activities, staff and also the physiotherapy clinic and all therapists understand this.

We will use PPE to treat you and we take your safety extremely seriously.

For all patients, including those shielding/vulnerable patients, we will complete an online consultation first to decide whether a face-to-face appointment is appropriate and necessary, which is another layer of precaution to ensure your safety is fully considered.

Entering Kent Sport and onwards to the Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic

To adhere to distancing measures, entrance to the Sports Centre will be staggered to help Kent Sport support all customers. Appointment times will be slightly different to ensure patients arrive and leave the clinic at different times and allow time between appointments to thoroughly clean. We will still be offering online consultations indefinitely if you would prefer this method.

How do I book and pay for my appointments?

Bookings are now open! To book an appointment, please email physio@kent.ac.uk and we will get back to you within 24 hours. At this time, we are unable to take telephone calls. You will be able to pay on the day at main reception, but as we are now contactless, we will only be able to take card.

Please bring with you means to record your next appointment as we are reducing contact and not issuing appointment cards.

For more information about pricing, please visit the Kent Sport physio website.

How will my clinic experience differ?

You will be asked to complete forms electronically prior to the appointment. They are editable and do not require access to a printer. Once completed, please return to: physio@kent.ac.uk. If this is not possible, the physiotherapist can complete with you during the session.

Prior to your appointment, you will receive an email explaining what to expect and the main changes include:

Please do not arrive more than five minutes before your appointment time and please wait outside the Sports Centre. Your therapists will come and greet you.
A face mask will be provided and all clients must wear one. Unfortunately, no mask means that we are unable to treat you.
You will be asked to attend your appointment alone, unless you are under 16 or have a reason for bringing someone along. This must be discussed in advance of the appointment.
Please wear your treatment attire (vest top and shorts) under your clothes as our changing rooms will not be open at this time. You may change into your attire in the treatment room while the physiotherapist waits outside, if you wish.
Parking is available in the Pay and Display zone behind the Sports Centre. Cash is not accepted, so you will need to pay by either contactless or pay-by-phone.
You will be asked to wash your hands thoroughly before entering the treatment area, and again before leaving the clinic.
Please be aware that your physiotherapist will be wearing the appropriate PPE to treat you.
All physiotherapy appointments will be 45-minutes regardless if it is initial or a review.
Massage appointments will be 30-minutes in length. If you would like 60-minutes, please ask and we can look to accommodate this.

We greatly appreciate everyone’s cooperation during these uncertain times and look forward to welcoming you to our facilities. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email physio@kent.ac.uk.

Find out more about Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic please visit our website and to stay up to date Like us on Facebook. Please consider showing your support by donating to the NHS charities.

For more information about the way Kent Sport’s facilities are reopening, please visit Kent Sport’s FAQs.

Return to campus series – Spotlight on Estates

Taking part in our ‘Return to Campus’ series is Helen Holland (Head of Planning and Space Management) and Jenny Martine (Interior Services & Signage Manager), who tell us all about the work of the Planning and Space Management (P&SM) team to ensure a safe return to campus for us all.

Members of the P&SM team – Helen Holland, Sophie Pearson, Karen Weatherley, Jenny Martine and Pete Hayes – look after space management, planning and data, property leasing, as well as Interior Services covering removals, furniture and signage.

Helen Holland explains: ‘In preparation for enabling restricted access, our team has been busy working with stakeholders from all divisions, schools and professional services departments to determine maximum capacities and develop one-way systems (where possible) to enable social distancing around buildings on the Canterbury and Medway campuses. This is all part of making the campuses Covid-19 secure.

‘Once the one-way systems have been designed and reviewed by the team to check signage quantities are sufficient, these are then passed to the Design and Print Centre for printing. We have created a schedule of all buildings and a rolling programme of signage installation to ensure all buildings are ready for the start of term.

‘Due to the varying size of the buildings, it can take from one day to a whole week to install all signage as every route has to be rechecked to make sure there are no clashes and it’s easy for people to navigate. We are working closely with HR and the Safety, Health and Environment Unit to enable some staff (whose critical work cannot be done at home) to return to their offices or labs as soon as the buildings are ready.

‘This is a huge undertaking as we have approximately 96 non-residential buildings across the Canterbury and Medway campus. The project is not just limited to our team within Estates, as colleagues from our Estates Administration, Environment and Sustainability, Projects, Customer Services, Logistics and Postal teams are all helping with installing signage.’

Jenny Martine says: ‘The process of installing the signs has been a mammoth job from weeks of pre-sticking the posters in advance (thanks to Waste and Cleaning for their support on this task!) to testing routes in each building and laying out all the posters to ensure the routes flow.

‘Myself and my team – Pete Hayes, Karen Weatherley, Emma Grove, George Baker, Emily Mashford, and Catherine Morris – have each clocked up an average of 16,000 steps per day and can be seen wheeling our signage-filled suitcase around campus from one building to another.

‘We won’t mention the blisters and the night terrors of falling down posters, but all in all it has been a fantastic team effort and camaraderie. If the social rules change…we have already booked our annual leave!’

Find out more about the services the Estates department provide.

Linda Hamilton, Elvis and Roman Catholicism: Nostalgia interview with Gaye Morris

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Head of the Department of Religious Studies, interviews Gaye Morris. Chris and Gaye collaborated about 15 years ago on a book called Theology and Film, and talk about their rationale in writing it and the relationship between the Christian and the secular world.

Gaye also shares some fascinating anecdotes, including a story about meeting The Terminator series’ Linda Hamilton on a plane and getting three autographs from Lauren Bacall at a European film festival.

Gaye also talks about the time she thought Santa was talking to her as a child, watching Elvis movies at the military base in Germany where her father was posted, being a “Beatlemaniac” and meeting ‘The Zombies’ in a hotel swimming pool.

She reveals why she left the Southern Baptists for Roman Catholicism and is now an ordained Unitarian Universalist, and also talks about working in Yorkshire, the relationship between nostalgia and gas-lighting, and why serendipity is her keyword.

Condolences for Dr Ian Stone

The University was very sorry to hear of the death of Dr Ian Stone on Friday 10 July 2020.

Dr Stone was appointed Administrative Assistant in the Academic Division of the Registry in May 1978. He was then appointed Assistant Registrar in 1982 and by 1985 was Senior Assistant Registrar and Faculty Administrator for the Natural Sciences Faculty. In 1990 Dr Stone moved to the new Research Grants and Contracts Office, as Head, and worked there until he took early retirement in the mid-1990s.

Dr Stone then moved to the Isle of Man and, a scholar of polar studies, became Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, being editor of the journal Polar Record for over ten years and publishing more than 60 articles.

Many University colleagues have expressed their sadness at Dr Stone’s death and have looked back with happy memories at a greatly esteemed and entertaining colleague, a very supportive manager and someone who was always ready for a competitive game of squash.

Dr Jeremy Ovenden, former Director of Planning and Student Information, writes: ‘Ian was one of those real characters that you are privileged to come across in your working life. Always entertaining, he delighted his colleagues with his little eccentricities and headed up a happy and motivated office. Yet beneath that exterior was an intelligent, knowledgeable and caring individual and I was grateful for his guidance on many occasions. He will be missed.’

Dr Stone will be remembered with immense fondness. The University expresses its condolences to his family.