Hot on the heels of the release of their debut EP over the weekend, be sure to listen to a live webchat with student altrock band HollowHead.  The group includes two students from the School of Arts and you can enjoy listening to an online chat with all members this coming Thursday 9 December at 14.00.

Hosted by Dan Harding, Head of Music Performance, they will be discussing anything from the challenge of releasing an EP in the COVID era, their inspiration and influences, and what we can expect next from this unique trio.

Join live on the Music Department Facebook Page on Thursday afternoon and mark your diaries for this hour-long chat!

From Dr Lucy Foley | Director of Student Services
University of Kent Public Health Liaison Lead

As you will recall, we have been working with the Director of Public Health at Medway Council to arrange for asymptomatic testing to be available for staff on the Medway campus as those working in universities are classified as essential workers.

We have now been informed that testing will start from this Saturday 5 December and that you can now book a test.

How to book

You must book a test in advance. This can only be booked online.

If you don’t book you will not be permitted to take a test.

Testing Centre

Testing is taking place at three centres across Medway, including the Deep End which you may find the most convenient, and is available from 09.00 – 19.00 seven days a week.

Limited parking is available on some sites. Please remember to drive and park considerately as they may be residential areas and please do not block any driveways while you attend your test.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms on the day of your test please do not attend. You should book a PCR test with the NHS online. You can cancel your appointment through the text/confirmation email sent to you. Please then follow our staff Self-isolate, test, inform procedure for staff.

What you need to bring

You must bring the following proof to your appointment:

• test booking confirmation (text or email)
• critical worker status (a letter from your employer or your ID card)
• face covering exemption letter (if exempt)

You will not be allowed to take the test without them.

The test

Please ensure you arrive on time. You should not arrive more than 15 minutes before your allotted time as you will not be permitted entry to the centre.

Please ensure you follow the instructions carefully at all times. You will be guided to a booth to complete the test.

You should wear a face covering at all times except when the test is taking place unless you are exempt.

The test should not take any longer than a few minutes and is similar to a symptomatic test.

Your test result

You should receive the result of your test by text and email within an hour of completing the test.

If you test negative you will need to retake the test in two weeks. You can book your second test using the online form again.

If your test is positive, you will need to self-isolate for 10 days and book a PCR test with the NHS online. Please then follow our staff Self-isolate, test, inform procedure for staff.

Thank you for helping to keep our communities safe.

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 7 December – Friday 11 December) webinars are as follows:

Monday 7 December 2020 –  ‘Managing Grief’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 8 December 2020 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 9 December 2020 – ‘COVID-19: Supportive information for Vulnerable groups’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 10 December 2020 – ‘Coping with Burnout & Tiredness’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 11 December 2020 – ‘Maintaining Structure & Routine’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

As you will know from the media, the Government has now released its guidelines for a return to campus after the Christmas vacation for the Spring Term. The guidelines confirm our expectation that there will be a staggered return of students and that continued asymptomatic testing will play a key role in enabling students and staff to come back safely onto campus.

According to the guidance, medical students and those on practical courses requiring face-to-face teaching will be the first to return to campus. Other courses will be initially taught online for a short period before reverting to the combination of face-to-face and online teaching.

We have already developed plans to support this approach, but we need to ensure they meet all the Government’s requirements before we communicate the exact arrangements to staff and students.

One thing I would like to clarify is that the start of Spring term remains 18 January 2021, although KMMS students return on 4 January due to the specific nature on their course.

Thanks to the team responsible for setting up the asymptomatic testing site, we started testing on Monday. We have had an extremely good response from students wanting to be tested before they go home and, by this morning, we will have tested over 1,000 students. I am pleased to be able to say that, at this point in time, all tests have proved negative. We have also extended asymptomatic testing facility until December 15 to accommodate the levels of demand from our students – both undergraduate and postgraduate – as well as staff.

Our plans for testing before and in the Spring Term are also underway. Once again, we will encourage all students to be tested twice before they take part in face-to-face teaching.

We will update you on the plans for the Spring Term as soon as we possibly can as we know this latest Government announcement is potentially confusing as well as concerning. I would like to reiterate that we remain committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all our staff and students and that is at the forefront of all decisions we are making.

I would also like to again acknowledge the amount of hard work that continues to take place across the University, and I thank you all for the support you are showing at this challenging time.

Best wishes

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

From Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience

Tier 3 Covid restrictions

As of 2 December, we are now in Tier 3 Covid restrictions in both Canterbury and Medway. Many of you will have noted that these restrictions do not differ greatly to those of the national lockdown. In accordance with Government guidance, we will continue to offer a blended approach to teaching until 4 December when all our teaching will move online until the end of term (December 18). The  majority of our campus catering outlets will remain open offering a takeaway service until the end of term. A Christmas vacation timetable is available detailing which outlets will be open during the festive break. Our sports facilities will reopen on 3 December providing online activities and a limited physical service.  Study spaces and our library services will remain open for our students throughout the Christmas vacation period.

The safety of all our Kent community remains of paramount importance. Please do ensure you follow Government guidance concerning Hands, Face, Space and remember to follow the ‘rule of 6’ when meeting people from other households outdoors in public spaces.

We have communicated the new Tier 3 restrictions to our students and will continue to support them to follow the guidance for the safety of our whole University community.

Asymptomatic testing

I would like to extend my thanks to all staff involved in setting up asymptomatic testing on our Canterbury and Medway campuses. This has been a significant undertaking within a very challenging schedule and staff have coped admirably.

As of 2 December, 3,600 appointments have been made at the Canterbury Asymptomatic Testing Site, and I extend my thanks to all of those who have been involved in setting the facility up in a very short period of time. In response to the high number of bookings we have received, the service has now been extended. Appointments are available until 15 December 2020 so please do book should you wish to get tested.

We are awaiting further information from the DfE, but do know that our asymptomatic testing programme is likely to continue in the New Year. To accommodate this, universities are likely to be asked to bring students back onto campus on a staggered basis. This is to ensure that social distancing can be adhered to and that the testing programme is ready to manage the volume of tests required. I will provide further information on how this will work once we receive the guidance from DfE.

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience 

The University was very sorry to hear that Marianne Du Sautoy had passed away peacefully at home on 14 November 2020.

Marianne joined the University in 2005 as PA to Professor Keith Mander, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, after previously working in London and relocating to her beautiful cottage in Kent.

Marianne had a strong, colourful personality and made quite an impact at the University from the start.  She could appear quite terrifying on first meeting, but in reality she combined years of experience, consummate professionalism, great attention to detail, kindness and charm, so that whatever needed to be done was done, and done well. With Marianne, there was also an air of fun and excitement, not to mention the most vibrant wardrobe, shoe and bag collection ever seen in the corridors of the Registry!

Marianne retired from the University in 2015 and went on to spend much of her time travelling – to New Zealand, California, Machu Picchu and many European and UK destinations – as well as pursuing her passion for music and theatre.

Marianne’s friends in the Vice Chancellor’s Office tell how, after leaving the University, there were so many friends and colleagues who wanted to stay in touch and hear the many stories that Marianne always had to tell, that the ‘Audience with Marianne’ event was created. Marianne would visit the Gulbenkian over a period of a couple of hours or so, and her various friends from across the University would ‘drop in’ to say hello and enjoy a lively catch up. Her friends tell how ‘there was always so much laughter at these gatherings and Marianne always left us with a smile and something fun to talk about!  When we learnt of Marianne passing away, we found it hard to comprehend how we wouldn’t see her again. However, the conversations quickly turned to ‘do you remember’ and we were all laughing again at the lovely memories she left us with, be it about fun, determination and strength, fashion, tales of travels or simply remembering what an impact Marianne had on us’.

Marianne’s strength and steely determination to live life to the full will be part of her legacy.  Friends will raise a glass to her in celebration of a life lived to the full, and in grateful thanks that she shared so much laughter and friendship with us.

Professor Keith Mander pays a touching tribute to Marianne Du Sautoy

Donations in memory of Marianne, can be made to Cancer Research UK.