As Black History Month reaches its third week, I am pleased to be able to welcome Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, who will give this year’s Annual Race Equality Lecture via Teams Live on Thursday this week. Please do join us if you can. Sir Hilary has a global reputation for his work on social justice and minority empowerment and his lecture, British Universities as Architects of Slavery and Violent Colonialism: Undoing the Harm, will be challenging and thought-provoking. My thanks go to members of the BAME Staff Network for organising this event.

We continue to work on improving the representation of progression and success of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and students at our University and, earlier this year, signed up as a member of the Race Equality Charter. We know we have more to do and are currently finalising a programme of work which will underpin the changes that we need to make. We will update you on this shortly. My thanks to Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura for progressing this work.

You will no doubt be aware that, over recent weeks, cases of Covid-19 in a number of areas in the country have increased significantly and that, as a result, universities in these areas are having to introduce changes to their teaching arrangements.

Here at Kent, as our weekly summary of current confirmed cases show, on Monday we had 26 students who have reported as testing positive for Covid-19 and no members of staff. These figures represent an increase on previous weeks. However, these numbers remain comparatively low and the local health protection team have advised that we are taking all appropriate steps at this point.

However, we recognise there is no room for complacency and so we continue to prepare for any changes we may have to make to our own teaching arrangements if we are required to do so. These changes will be in line with the Government’s ‘four tiers of restriction’, which outlines specific changes that universities are expected to introduce if circumstances require it. We will continue to keep you informed.

My very best wishes go to you and your families,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

We are committed to supporting all individual students and households who are required to self-isolate, whether on or off campus.

Our guide to support for students who are self-isolating is now available online.

When we receive notification of a student needing to self-isolate, their academic school will be informed. Staff from across the school, including academic staff, advisors and administrative staff, will be on hand to support the self-isolation period. This will include contacting students to ensure they are on track with their studies, and providing any resources, materials or support they need to help with their remote learning.

Professional services departments from across the University are working together to provide a package of care for students who are self-isolating. This includes providing a food care pack to get through the first day for students in self-catering accommodation and food deliveries for those on our Bed and Flex or Bed and Bistro packages. Arrangements have been made to help students with laundry, bedding, cleaning materials and to ensure they can receive mail and parcels.

A range of support is being offered to students self-isolating, including welfare checks by the Colleges and Community Life Team, regular check in calls and emails, which can be to individual students and households. Students can access online specialist support such as, counselling services and mental health support, if required, through the Student Support and Wellbeing Team. We also have a 24/7 nursing team available on campus.

A programme of events, activities​s, challenges and competitions have been brought together to help students get through their self-isolation period. More information can be found on the Student Coronavirus webpages.

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 19 October – Friday 23 October) webinars are as follows:

Monday 19 October 2020 –  ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 20 October 2020 – ‘Speaking with people who are breaking the Rules’
Time: 12.30-13.00 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 21 October 2020 –  ‘Tips to avoid and alleviate conference call anxiety’
Time: 13.00-13.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 22 October 2020 – ‘Alcohol Awareness’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 16 October 2020 – ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Kent Sport is bringing back our popular running groups! Dust off those old trainers and get back to running. Whether you’re just starting out or a confident runner, we have adapted our sessions to suit everyone. All running groups are open to students and staff. Remember to book online and meet at the Sports Centre.

Beginners’ Running (Couch To 5K)

Our 10-week Couch to 5K program is perfect for those just starting out and will get you comfortably running each week, leading up to a 30 minute run (approx. 5km) in just 10 weeks. This relaxed and sociable session requires no experience, just a pair of trainers and a sense of humour. Our experienced staff will support you every step of the way and before you know it, you’ll be confident to hit the roads on your own.

Social Run Club

The clue is in the name – this ‘social’ group will meet twice a week at the Sports Centre and will be guided by an experienced member of staff. Whether you’ve done a bit of running in the past, or a regular runner, this group is perfect for you! Each week the route may change depending on the group’s preferences, but we’ll be there to provide that much needed motivation.

Due to the current situation, we have had to impose social distancing measures into all our sessions:

• You must book and pay for each session online in advance.
• We have restricted the session size to 11 participants and 1 coach
• On arrival, you will need to check in for the session at the Sports Centre reception. You may have to queue outside the Sports Centre before checking in
• Please wear a mask or face covering as you enter reception
• Once checked in, meet the coach outside the Sports Centre and maintain social distancing at all times during the session
• Please arrive ready for your session. Our locker and changing facilities are currently unavailable

If you’re interested in any of the running groups, check out our running groups blog item for session days and times.

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Head of the Department of Religious Studies, interviews Leslie De Vries, who is Lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University.

In this interview, Leslie explains why he wanted to be a ‘normal kid’ growing up, and how he was a bit of a dreamer in school. He later became involved in playing music and we discover how he became interested in East Asia through martial arts.

Leslie also talks about his research and teaching interests, about he got to shake hands with Lionel Richie, why playing in a band wasn’t the right path for him, why one lifetime doesn’t seem enough, living in East Asia and how it drives his teaching, his dream for the future and why he prefers to look forward rather than back.

Dr Rosie Wyles, Lecturer in the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, has published a new book titled Costumes in Greek Tragedy (Bloomsbury, 2020).

The core of the book focuses on tragic costume in its original performance context of fifth-century Athens, but the implications of subsequent uses in Roman and more recent performances are also taken into consideration.

Rosie says: “I’ve been thinking about the significance of props for the past 10 years. I knew from my work on costume (Costume in Greek Tragedy, 2011) that swords enjoyed a dominant stage presence in tragedy. This project was about understanding the significance of this when interpreted within the wider civic context. Studying the treatment of swords, voting equipment and masks on stage revealed props’ important role in the shaping of Athenian identity. This research is defined by its innovative approach to exploring the notion of Athenian citizenship and theatre’s relationship with society.”

This area of Rosie’s work is also explored in a lecture she gave for the University’s “Think Kent” series: