Yearly Archives: 2021

Hedghog friendly campus graphic

Silver award for our Hedgehog Friendly Campus

In July 2019 the University launched its participation in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus project, created at the University of Sheffield, to use the unique spaces that university campuses are, to raise awareness of the plight of UK hedgehogs and take action to safeguard their future.

Since then, the University Hedgehog steering group made up of student and staff hedgehog champions has been working to ensure that the campus becomes a haven for hedgehogs. Activities include hedgehog surveys, litter picking, training workshops and adjusting campus management techniques to ensure they are sensitive to hedgehog ecology.

All these activities have led to a Silver award for the University’s actions and the steering group is now planning its next steps to go for Gold!

The hedgehog is in trouble, with populations plummeting 50% since 2000. Increasing habitat loss means hedgehogs are moving out of their rural homes and into built areas. But here they face a whole host of challenges, including road traffic, litter, poisoning and lack of access to food and water.

The Sustainability Team would like to thank all the students and staff who have taken part in this project and thank the Landscape and Grounds Team for all of their support.

If you would like to know more about the project or want to join the hedgehog steering group, you can find out more on the Sustainability website.

 

women sat smiling at laptop

What’s on this week: 8-14 March 2021

From this week Templeman and Drill Hall Library will be open for longer, you can take part in a guided online mindfulness session and join the online cultural celebrations as part of WorldFest this month.

On campus? Get tested for Covid-19

If you have returned to campus or using university facilities, help keep you and your friends safe by getting tested twice a week. This is quick and easy to do with testing centres on campus.

Covid-19 safety advice

Read our Covid-19 safety advice for everything you need to do to help you and your friends stay safe.

Events for you to try this week:

Browse all events

Have you read this?

Browse all student support

Keep an eye on:

Let us know what you think of these updates by emailing communications@kent.ac.uk

White Privilege webinar

Challenging Racism: White Privilege live webinar – 18 March

Article from the Challenging Racism team

Continuing with our ‘Challenging Racism’ campaign the next Live Webinar on Thursday 18 March at 12.30. We are delighted to welcome Dr Deborah Gabriel speaking on the topic of White Privilege.  The ‘Live webinar’ is a 90min online webinar facilitated by Inclusive Employers, with a guest speaker, panel discussion and Q&A session.

Dr Deborah Gabriel

Dr Deborah Gabriel

Dr Deborah Gabriel is the Founder and Director of Black British Academics, a global network of scholars focused on addressing racial inequality in higher education and society, established in 2013. Key areas of focus are transformation in teaching, learning and research, with an emphasis on equity and social justice. She created and leads the Ivory Tower Project on race and gender inequality in academia and developed the 3D Pedagogy Framework to decolonise, democratise and diversify the higher education curriculum.

Her current areas of focus are community empowerment and collaborative social justice. Her intellectual work is interdisciplinary and broadly focused on the dynamics of race, gender and culture in media, communication, and higher education. These areas of inquiry are approached from a critical race and Black feminist standpoint to analyse the relationships between race, power, privilege, and inequality. As a consultant, she specializes in strategic approaches to equity, diversity and inclusion centred on social justice and transformation in higher education and society.

Book Your Place Today: Eventbrite Registration Link. 

The aim of the ‘Challenging Racism’ campaign is to promote unity, not division and to help understand and develop more inclusive behaviours. To do that we all need to increase our awareness and understanding of racism and how it can be tackled within Kent, to ensure all staff and students feel safe and empowered.  

Please share this and encourage your contacts and teams to sign up so that we can all work together and take the first steps to address racism at Kent and beyond.

#EDI #challengingracismtogether #choosetochallenge 

If you have any questions, contact us via challengingracism@kent.ac.uk

safety graphic

Covid-19: Safety on campus

From Monday 8 March, the first step of the Government’s roadmap for moving the country out of lockdown comes into force. This means that the guidelines are changing slightly and that more of you will be returning to our campuses.

What you need to remember:

Book your asymptomatic test

As long as you are symptom-free, please get tested regularly – you should be tested twice a week if you are living on or accessing the campus.

Socialising with one other person

From 8 March 2021, you can leave home for recreation and exercise outdoors with your household or support bubble, or with one person from outside your household. For example you can grab a takeaway coffee with a friend, just ensure you maintain social distancing.

Other things to remember:

  • Follow local signage on and off campus.
  • Look after your wellbeing and those around you.
  • Report any behaviour you’re concerned about.
  • Remember not everyone is able to wear a face covering – be kind.
  • Travel to and from campus safely.

Thank you for looking after our University community.

Libby Burgess

Music Department’s In Conversation with Libby Burgess

The Music Department’s In Conversation series continues on Weds 10 March at 19.00, with pianist and festival director, Libby Burgess.

Pianist, chamber musician and accompanist, Libby’s work has taken her to festivals and concert-halls around the country. She is also Artistic Director of the New Paths Festival, founded in 2016 and which takes place each spring in Beverley, and Co-Artistic Director of Beverley’s own Chamber Music Festival.

In this interview with Head of Music Performance, Dan Harding, Libby reflects on finding new ways to engage audiences for the New Paths Festival in light of the pandemic, her own responses as pianist and vocal coach, and looks ahead to her ‘ Bach Project48,’ setting herself the ambitious challenge of playing all of Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues in each of the forty-eight counties of England, and what effect playing the entire set in different venues throughout the country might have on her own relationship to the famed set.

The interview is free to watch on the Music Department’s YouTube channel.

 

 

Lord Rennell

Dr Philip Boobbyer publishes book on Lord Rennell

Reader at the School of History, Dr Philip Boobbyer, has recently published his new book, The Life and World of Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell (1895-1978): Geography, Money and War (Anthem Press, 2021). Dr Boobbyer has long known that Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell was a possible subject for research, but it’s only been in recent years that Philip explored his late grandfather’s life in greater detail. The book follows an article Dr Boobbyer published in the journal War in History.

Having already written two books of a biographical nature, S. L. Frank: The Life and Work of a Russian Philosopher 1877-1950 (1995) and The Spiritual Vision of Frank Buchman (2013), this third book was enhanced by papers at the Bodleian Library and the Royal Graphic Society, and Dr Boobbyer’s access to family letters of a more personal nature.

Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell led an incredibly interesting life; he ran the first military government in Allied-occupied Europe in World War II, made a robust stand against the Mafia in Sicily, he was well-known as a geographer for his journeys to south-central Sahara in the 1920s and President of the Royal Geographical Society (1945-48), friend of Lawrence of Arabia and was an early influence on the Long Range Desert Group, which was active in guerrilla operations in North Africa during the Second World War.

Here’s the Telegraph’s review of Dr Philip Boobbyer, book, The Life and World of Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell (1895-1978): Geography, Money and War .

The Human Experience

Call for submissions: Digital art competition and exhibition for students

Students across the university are invited to send in their submissions for a new digital art competition and exhibition based on the themes of identity, injustice and artivism.

‘The Human Experience: Know Justice, No Peace’ is co-organised by two Kent student societies: the Afro-Disasporic Legal Network and Kent People of Colour Arts, with prizes sponsored by Kent Law School.

The competition is open to all students at Kent with a deadline for submissions on Sunday 21 March. The exhibition will launch on Wednesday 24 March.

Artworks submitted will be exhibited publicly on an online platform and judged by representatives from Kent Law School and the student societies involved.

Submissions in the form of painting, mixed media, photography and audio (spoken word and music) are welcome. They must highlight any of the core themes:

  • Identity: Identity captures our personalities, beliefs, qualities, and ideas. It allows us to be multidimensional and unique. It makes it so that we can mould into different spaces, belong to and relate with different groups of people. So, tell us “Who are you?
  • Injustice: Discrimination, Gender inequality, Sectarianism, those are but a few of the injustices and disparities we face in our lives time and time again. What does it make you feel?  Frustration, anger, denial, passion, acceptance. Do the emotions cripple you or make you want to fight? Channel those feelings and tell us what injustice means to you
  • Artivism: Given our recent political climate filled with violence and discrimination, Artivism advances creativity as means of advocacy and social progress. It creates a canvas for the oppressed in a world where their voices have been toned down and their freedoms limited. It ensures that we cannot be overlooked. We want you to illustrate the struggles of your home country. Take this opportunity to highlight inequalities across the world and stand in solidarity with their movements.

To participate in the exhibition complete this form.

For any queries, email the organisers: thehumanexperienceart@gmail.com

close up of doctors arms holding stethoscope

Changes to GP services in the Medway local area

From Clare Delap, Engagement Lead, NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

I am writing to let you know about some changes to local GP services and to ask for your views.

Not registered with a GP service in Medway? 

If, like many students, you spend more weeks of the year at your university address than your family’s address, you need to register with a GP near your university as soon as possible.

That way you can receive emergency care if you need it, and access health services quickly and easily while you’re away.

See information on how to register with a GP.

For students using GP services in Medway

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is planning the future of five GP sites in Medway:

  • St Mary’s Island Surgery, Chatham
  • Green Suite at Balmoral Gardens Healthy Living Centre, Gillingham
  • Twydall Clinic, Twydall
  • Pentagon Centre (Boots), Chatham
  • Sunlight Centre Surgery, Gillingham

The five sites were previously managed by DMC Healthcare until July 2020 when, following concerns about quality and safety, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) took urgent enforcement action. The CCG then awarded a 12-month contract to Medway Practices Alliance Ltd (MPA). MPA, which is rated ‘good’ by the CQC, is the GP federation that brings together practices and GPs from across Medway to provide quality healthcare.

We know that many students from the University of Kent Medway Campus are registered at Pentagon and the Sunlight Centre. If you are registered with any of these practices, please be assured that you do not need to do anything as services will continue to be provided by MPA until September. You can contact your surgery in the usual way on 01634 890712.

The CCG has been hearing from patients and local communities and is currently speaking to local GPs to make a long-term plan for all the patients registered.

It is important that we also hear from students. To give us your views please email: Kmccg.engage@nhs.net by Friday 26 March 2021.

In particular we want to know:

  1. Whether you are registered with a GP practice in Medway?
  2. If you are not registered, can you tell us why?
  3. Which Medway GP practice are you registered with?
  4. What matters most to you when using a GP practice?
  5. If you have any experience of using these Medway GP services over the past year, how satisfied are you with the services and why?

We will be writing to all patients registered at these practices again in the coming months to let you know about our proposals for these sites and to find out what you think. We will communicate with students again through the University.

In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours,

Clare Delap

Engagement Lead

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Vinyl recorder by Jace & Afsoon on Unsplash

Vinyl Countdown: Vote for four colleagues competing live on air!

There’s a special episode on Thursday 11 March at 14.00 of Vinyl Countdown, the Music department’s live webshow featuring a panel battling live on air for viewers’ votes for their nominated album to be crowned Album of the Week!

Hosted by Dan Harding, Head of Music Performance, the virtual studio will welcome Dr Harmonie Toros (School of Politics and International Relations), Dr Olly Double,  (School of Arts), Dr Chris Deacy (School of European and Cultural Languages) and Will Wollen (School of Arts).

The show will stream live on Facebook, Twitter, and also here on YouTube. 

Viewers can vote in the comments on their preferred platform of choice!

Make sure you watch when the show goes live; who will win this week’s coveted title ? You’ll have to be there to find out – and make sure you vote!

Kent logo

Covid-19: Step 1 Government roadmap update

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

As of 8 March, the first step of the Government’s roadmap for moving the country out of lockdown comes into force. This means that the guidelines will change slightly.

It is still important that you stay at home and only leave home for specific reasons including access to University facilities, work, essential shopping or to access medical supplies.

However, from 8 March you may meet with one other person from outside your household outdoors socially as well as for daily outdoor exercise.

Please ensure you socially distance when meeting others not in your household and continue to follow all advice concerning Hands, Face, Space.

Please note you should not return to campus unless you have been specifically invited to do so by your academic school or fit one of the existing criteria (for health, wellbeing and study space reasons).

For those of you who are returning, more detailed information concerning travel, testing and our campus facilities is available on our Spring Return page.

Once you have completed the correct return travel and testing steps, please remember that as long as you remain symptom-free, you need to be regularly tested for Covid-19 twice a week if you are living on campus or visiting the campus to use equipment or facilities. Should you develop any Covid-19 related symptoms, please follow our Self-isolate, Test, Inform procedure.

Returning from within the UK

For those of you who have been contacted by your academic school regarding coming back to campus from 8 March, please get tested at a community facility local to your current home if possible before you return. You must then be tested twice at our asymptomatic testing site before you use any campus facilities and then continue to be tested regularly.

Returning from abroad

For those of you who have been prioritised for return and are currently in another country, please ensure you follow the relevant guidance to travel back safely. Please check our International student advice page and ensure you read the Government guidance fully.

Unless you are prioritised for return to campus, the Government is still against international travel.

Next week I will provide further details on our plans for next term including online examinations and our Summer events programme. Postgraduate research students can also expect a further Covid update from the Dean of the Graduate and Researcher College, Professor Paul Allain.

If you have any questions, please see our Student Coronavirus webpages or email CovidSupport@kent.ac.uk for further support.

Best wishes

Richard

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