Monthly Archives: January 2022

Increase in Group B Meningococcal disease in university students

Recent data and analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that in autumn 2021 there was an increase in the number of cases of meningococcal disease in teenagers and young adults, mainly caused by group B meningococcal disease (MenB) – with the majority among university students.

Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening infection caused by bacteria that can go on to cause meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning). There are 5 main meningococcal strains that cause disease in the UK. Men B is the most common strain in the UK and other strains include MenA, MenC, MenW and MenY.

Signs and symptoms of Men B

The disease can progress rapidly so it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms so that you can get medical help as soon as possible. Commons signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia:

fever with cold hands and feet
vomiting
drowsy or difficult to wake
confusion and irritability
severe muscle pain
pale blotchy skin, spots or rash
severe headache
stiff neck
dislike bright lights
convulsions or seizures

If you have any of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.

Have you had your vaccines?

It’s important to keep up to date with your vaccines.

It is recommended that you get the MenACWY vaccine (protecting against 4 types of meningococcal disease) and MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine before starting university. If that is not possible, you should have the vaccines as soon as you can after you arrive.

If you are unsure which vaccines you have had, contact your GP.

Covid-19 Update: Latest Government Announcement

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

As some of you may have seen, earlier today the Government announced that a number of the current Covid-19 ‘Plan B’ measures will be ending on Thursday 26 January (next week). This includes ending the current guidance for people to work from home when they can, along with an immediate end to children wearing facemasks in classrooms.

We are currently working through what this will mean for us at Kent, including seeking HE-specific guidance on what the position is on face coverings in a university setting. For the time being, the current guidance around face coverings for students in teaching spaces remains in place – we will follow up with an update later this week to clarify what safety measures and working practices will be updated at Kent alongside the wider national changes.

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education & Student Experience

KentVision Project Update: January 2022

From Martin Carvey, Project Manager

As we all get back up to speed with the start of the new term, work continues at pace to address the ongoing challenges with KentVision. As I previously updated, we have been working within a more robust project management structure which has helped us more effectively identify the areas where we can make progress quickly.

Project timelines & resource

We are focusing our work concurrently on several workstreams, with timelines linked to both business specific priorities and the academic calendar. These are currently being finalised through individual discussions with different stakeholders, filling in any gaps in knowledge and adding their on-the-ground experience so we can show a realistic delivery roadmap for each area during February. We are also continuously assessing resource levels for the project to ensure we have the right people in the right areas, having recently brought on board four additional KentVision team members to support this.

Stakeholder engagement

Bringing the right people into the project has been a key priority since we reformed the project structure, with stakeholder group meetings being set up with each functional area alongside the more detailed consultations taking place. This feeds directly into the design of the delivery roadmap, and the expertise we are drawing from across the organisation is proving hugely helpful – thank you for your continued engagement with this at a time when I know many of the challenges involved with using the system remain.

We have also now introduced our new KentVision service desk workflow to help us better triage and prioritise ongoing issues. Tickets are being assessed and prioritised before being passed onto business analysts and developers so we can maintain a tighter focus on the key deliverables now, while also better managing expectations around work still to deliver.

KentVision continued delivery

One area where we have been able to move things forward in some areas is around Extenuating Circumstances. While in some areas there is still work to do to fully support deployment, a list of change requests for features and functionality relating to Extenuating Circumstances are being delivered with agreed Divisions this month.

Attendance reports are undergoing user acceptance testing ready for delivery.

A specific KentVision training environment is also being developed as a priority to ensure future deliveries are fortified by an additional focus on training prior to launch.

This continues to be a complex project with multiple deliverables – however, we are now making clear progress and finalising tangible plans for the remaining deliverables across the University. Thanks to you all of you for your ongoing support with the project and I will provide a further update next month.

Martin Carvey | Project Manager

Register to vote

Students can be registered to vote at a term-time address and a home address

How do I register?

Registering to vote is quick, easy and secure.

Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Fill in your name, address, date of birth and a few other details. You will be asked for your National Insurance number, which can be found on your National Insurance card, or in official paperwork such as payslips, or letters about benefits or tax credits. If you do not know or do not have a National Insurance number, please select ‘I cannot supply a National insurance Number’ and enter ‘student’ for the reason.
Students from the UK, EU, Commonwealth, British Overseas Territories and British Crown Dependencies are all eligible to register to vote.

Why should I register?

To vote: You need to register in order to be able to vote. If you are not registered to vote, you won’t have the chance to have a say on who represents you or how things are run. Some people also register to vote because they want to apply for credit. This is because credit reference agencies use the register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit in order to counteract fraud.

As a student, you can register at both your term time address and at the address you live at outside of term time. At local elections, you can vote in both areas if they are in different council districts. You can only vote once in a national election such as a UK Parliamentary General Election, it is a criminal offence to vote twice in these elections. If you are unsure which elections you can vote in, check with our Electoral Service team.

But I thought I was already registered to vote?

If you are unsure whether you are registered please contact Electoral Services, Canterbury City Council . Students need to register at their term-time address each academic year.

What if I don’t wish to register in the Canterbury area?

If you do not wish to register in the Canterbury area as you only wish to register at your home address, please email electoral.services@canterbury.gov.uk informing Electoral Services of your wish not to register, together with your term time address and full name.

Electoral Services, Canterbury City Council Contact details

Phone: 01227 862 007
Email: electoral.services@canterbury.gov.uk

If you have any problems or queries with your registration, please contact Electoral Services.

Professor Ben Cosh’s Christmas single raises money for homeless charity

Professor Ben Cosh has written and performed a Christmas song Christmas is Coming, which has raised over £400 for Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity.

Ben is the Director of the Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and has been at the University and in his role leading CEMS since September 2021.

He said: ‘I write, play and record music in my spare time and this was a fun project including online collaboration with some friends. The song is about Christmas having two meanings; on the one hand family, gifts and wintertime, and on the other a celebration of the birth of Jesus, which means a lot to some of us.’

The song gathered some attention in his local area and was featured in the Henley Standard. Ben said: ‘I’m a little embarrassed really. The initial reason for doing it was just to enjoy creating the song and make some music with friends. The money raised so far has been a splendid bonus. I certainly wasn’t expecting my local newspaper to pick up on it. However, I’m glad they did as it has helped raise further funds for a cause that is worthy all year round.’

To donate to Shelter, click on Ben’s Just Giving link.

Developing yourself with our Professional Practice MSc

The Professional Practice MSc, offers academic and professional service colleagues the opportunity to make your work your study and your study your work.

The course is a standard 180 Credit Master’s degree but spread over three years (two 30 credit modules a year-with a 60-credit dissertation module in the final year). Over the duration of the programme, the focus of all the modules is your professional role within the University. Modules are taught over two extended weekends (Friday-Sunday). There are no exams as all the modules have final assessment which involves a short presentation followed by a written work-based assignment.

As a member of staff doing a part time Kent course, you are entitled to 50% fee remission – this means you get a Master’s qualification for half the price. In addition, if you currently hold level 7 credits and/or experience, you may be able to gain accreditation for prior learning (APECL).

Delivery

After a couple of induction days, you will start the Evidence Based Practice module. This module explores the nature of information used to answer work-based/practice-led questions and develops critical thinking.

The second module is the Learning and Development module. Here, you will explore the way we learn as professionals, which as you know is totally different from learning at school or college.

Successfully passing the first year means you have a PgCert in Professional Practice and then commence on the 2nd year, which starts with an optional module and continues with a module to develop skills and prepare your research proposal for the final year.

You can find out more about the Professional Practice MSc on our Postgraduate course pages.

If you would like to find out more about this programme, please drop-in to our informal Teams meeting on Tuesday 5 April from 12 – 2pm. Sign-up now via this link.

Global WebHangout – International New Year, 21 January

All students are welcome to join this fun and informal, Global WebHangout with a focus on international New Year celebrations. We will also be looking ahead and suggesting ways to keep yourself happy and healthy in 2022. This WebHangout will be taking place on Friday 21 January from 14.00-15.00 (UK time).Meet new students, take part in fun activities and share what the New Year means to you. This event will be opened by Dr Anthony Manning, Director and Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at Kent and we will have guest speakers to share helpful information with you.We will focus on positivity and wellbeing for the year ahead so we hope this will be a great start to your year!All students are very welcome, from the UK or overseas. We look forward to seeing you there! Sign up for the Global WebHangout.

Take a Covid test on Medway campus, and have a tea/coffee on us

It’s as important as ever that we all continue to get regular Covid tests – until 28 January, every time you get a Covid test on Medway campus, you can claim a free tea/coffee on us.

Getting regular Covid tests on Medway campus is quick and easy to do, and it’s a way of helping to keep everyone on campus and your friends and family safe.

Through our work with Medway Council and the universities at Medway we’re continuing to encourage you to get regular Covid tests on campus, and we’ll offer you a free tea/coffee in exchange. Simply take the registration card provided at the test centre on campus to the Deep End and have a tea/coffee on us.

Thank you for helping to keep us all safe.

FAQs

When is the test site open?

You can find details on the Medway Council website.

How do I claim my free drink?

Simply take the registration card provided by the test site to the Deep End, and order your drink. The card will be stamped and it can only be used once.

Can I claim a free drink for collecting home test kits?

No, this is only for tests carried out on campus. The home test kit collection service remains available.

How long is this running for?

This opens on 17 January and closes on 28 January.

Can I claim my free drink after 28 January?

No this closes on 28 January and all free drinks must be claimed by that date.

College and Community Life events this term

The College and Community Life Team have a huge range of events and opportunities to support you and provide new ways for you to engage with others in your College.

What’s on this term?

Song writing competition | 17 January – 18 March 2022

Are you a budding musician? Would you like the opportunity to record a song of yours in a professional recording studio? Enter our song writing competition for the chance to shine and show your creativity!

Cooking workshop | 25 & 26 January 2022

This “Veganuary” learn to make chapattis, butternut and onion rice and Keralan curry from scratch with Kent Hospitality. Look out for monthly cooking workshops coming soon on Canterbury campus, with videos and recipes for those who want to cook along at home.

Inter College Games | 2 March 2022

Get your friends together and prepare to play a variety of sports and active games up against other College teams. All are welcome and no experience required!

Regular Events

Monthly Movie nights | Last Thursday of every month from 18.00

Relaxed social evenings screening movies voted in by you each month, with free popcorn included!

Plant a seed | Every Wednesday from 14.00-15.00

Visit the Community Oasis Garden and get your hands in the earth, meet others and learn new gardening skills in a relaxed outdoor setting.

Borrow Puzzles, Games & Baking Equipment

Looking for something to do at home or want to get together friends for a board games evening? Browse our collection and borrow from us!

Visit the College and Community Life Events Calendar for more information, including booking details if applicable.

Discover Kent Opportunities

Discover Kent is a scheme which provides subsidised and free opportunities to help you see the local sights and socialise, with additional Covid safety measures and support in place. These opportunities are here to prevent isolation and loneliness at Kent.

12 February 2022 | Margate & Broadstairs day trip

26 February 2022 | Dover Castle & Folkestone day trip

13 March 2022 | Whitstable & Herne Bay day trip

26 March 2022 | Brighton day trip

If you would like to find out more about joining one of our Discover Kent visits, please email CCLTeam@kent.ac.uk

Get in touch

We’re here to answer your questions, help or redirect you to the best support for you. Email us at CCLTeam@kent.ac.uk

If you live on-campus please download the Home at Halls App, we regularly use this to communicate our events, competitions and more!

Deadline approaching: Apply to be on our NEW International Student Advisory Board

Are you passionate, organised and motivated to represent international students at Kent and make a difference to their student experience?  #YourUniYourSay

We are delighted to launch our new International Student Advisory Board which is in collaboration with Kent Union to ensure that the needs and voices of our international students are heard.

The purpose of this Board will be:

To inform the inclusivity and accessibility of university-wide services and policies at both the University and Kent Union, for the benefit of all international students at the University of Kent
To provide feedback mechanisms to allow international students to actively contribute towards campaigns, awareness raising and submit suggestions for policy change
To support internationally focused activities and events such as, Welcome week, Annual Worldfest and International Education Week.

We are looking for up to 30 individuals to join this newly established Board which will provide a wonderful opportunity for you to represent and make a difference to your student experience while at Kent.

To apply:
– You must be a current international student at the University of Kent
– You must have enthusiasm and commitment to improving the international student experience
– You must be available to attend all the meeting dates advertised

For more info and to apply please see our webpage. Deadline for applications is 18 January .