Monthly Archives: June 2023

Windrush boat

Windrush exhibition: call for student contributions

Calling all painters, photographers, writers and artists! 

Are you a hobby artist? Do you love to paint and draw? Are you a photographer or a digital artist? 

Are you proud of your Windrush heritage? 

Did you grow up listening to stories from your parents, grandparents or great grandparents about what life in Britain was like for the sons and daughters of the Windrush? 

Do you want the opportunity to share those memories? 

Get involved in the Windrush exhibition

In honour of the 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Landing, and in preparation for Black History Month 2023, the #Black365 group is asking for students and staff who grew up listening to stories about the Windrush to contribute a piece of art, poetry, writing or video about their thoughts, views and memories of their families relationship with the Windrush, and with post-Windrush Britain. 

It could be an emotion or oral history expressed in paint, a linocut of the view of Tilbury Docks, a digital collage of photo’s, a recipe brought over by your grandparents the lyrics of a lullaby sung to you by your grandparents, a piece of music played at your parent’s wedding, a video of the stories your grandparents told you, absolutely anything that you think helps to embody the significance of the Windrush generation and the ongoing experiences of being Black in Britain throughout the 1950s, 60s 70s and beyond.  

All submissions will form part of an exhibition that will be hosted in Keynes College and online throughout October 2023. Any staff member or student (including those due to graduate in summer 2023) are welcome to contribute to the exhibition.  

Submission requirements

The only requirements are the following 

  • Each piece must be able to be wall hung or be able to be uploaded to a virtual exhibition space 
  • Each piece must reflect either your personal, family, or Black community experience of being part of the Windrush generation 
  • Each piece must be completed by and with us, ready for installation, on Monday 11 September 
  • The artist/contributor should have some personal connection to the Windrush or post-Windrush Britain 

If you have an existing work of art that you feel meets the brief then please feel free to submit that as your piece of art. The University will reimburse up to £20 per person for cost of materials.  

Interested? Get in touch

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Becky Lamyman on R.S.Lamyman@kent.ac.uk for the submission form ASAP or by the 10 July 2023. 

For more information, or if you have any queries, please get in contact with Becky.

Internship experience UK 26-29 June. Apply now

The Internship Experience 2023 – embrace your potential

The Internship Experience UK, organised by the Bright Network, is a transformative virtual four-day event designed to provide students and recent graduates with valuable insights into sectors that interest them and potential career paths. Taking place from the 26-29 June, this immersive internship experience offers participants the opportunity to fast track their careers and gain practical knowledge from industry experts. Here’s what to expect if you apply and are accepted onto the programme.

Day 1: Opening doors to new horizons

The experience starts with a keynote address which will set the stage for the career journey ahead. Participants will then experience informative sessions lead by professionals from diverse industries, including finance, technology, marketing and more. These sessions will provide an in-depth insight into the workings of each sector, offering valuable information about career prospects and necessary skills.

Day 2: Diving into the working world

The second day will immerse participants into the practical aspects of chosen sectors. Interns then break out into groups and enjoy informative sessions led by professionals from the sector they have shown key interest in. There will be tasks which will provide hands-on experience and enable participants to apply theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios.

Day 3: Networking and personal development

As networking plays a crucial role in career advancement , day three offers the opportunity to engage with industry professionals, build connections and gain valuable insights from their experiences. Workshops and interactive sessions will enable you to enhance your networking skills and allow you to forge meaningful connections.

Day 4: Showcasing skills and future opportunities

The final day of the experience is focused on showcasing skills and exploring future opportunities. Each group will present their work samples to industry professionals, receiving feedback and guidance. You’ll be able to demonstrate your capability and receive valuable insights into potential career paths. The day will conclude with a closing session, celebrating achievements and growth of all interns.

Interested in taking part? Find out more on the Bright Network’s website.

 

Students walking with Canterbury Cathedral in background

Summer services and opening times

Living on or near campus over summer? Here’s a list of services and opening times:

  • Borrow books and study: Templeman Library, Canterbury, opening times and Drill Hall Library, Medway, opening times.
  • Ask Nexus: Nexus is open to answer all your queries. Nexus is open Monday-Friday 9:00-17:00 over the summer (closed on bank holidays). Between 17-21 July, Nexus will be online only as Nexus staff help out at graduations.
  • Support: Student Support and Wellbeing reception remains open 09:00-17:00 throughout the summer break, apart from national bank holidays. Find out what you can join in with to boost your wellbeing over the summer wherever you are on our Wellbeing page, where you can also find out about support available, including 24/7 online, phone and text support.
  • Catering outlets: Our catering outlets have different opening days and times over the summer. See catering outlet opening times. Over summer, the £3 meal deal is a sandwich, crips and drink offer available at the Gulbenkian Cafe and Dolche Vita.
  • Careers advice and activity: The Careers and Employability Service remains open 09:00-17:00, Monday – Friday throughout the summer (apart from the national holidays), so you can continue to book appointments and work on your career.
  • Study support: The Student Learning Advisory Service remains open 09:00-17:00 throughout the summer, apart from national bank holidays. You can book face-to-face and online appointments on all areas of study support.
  • Reception areas: Some receptions will be operating on different opening hours during the summer. See reception opening hours. Security and maintenance services will operate as usual
  • The Hub (Medway): The Hub reception will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00-15:00. The Deep End will be closes until September, with the exception of some events.
  • Sport and exercise: You can still use facilities and join classes over the summer, apart from national bank holidays. Check out Kent Sport opening hours.

And of course, Campus Security staff are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Have a great summer!

Sport and fitness membership summer sale

Kent Sport summer membership offer

Our ever-popular summer membership offer for students, staff, and members of the public is nearly here! You’ll be able to take out a Premium Plus membership with us for one month at a time, between 1 June and 31 August 2023, giving you access to all the modern sports and fitness facilities on the Canterbury campus including:

  • Access to our extensive, air-conditioned gym with a wide range of cardio, weights, and functional kit
  • A full timetable of the most popular fitness and dance classes, including our new Les Mills Virtual offering
  • A wide range of sports within our indoor sports halls and outdoor artificial pitches
  • Use of our Indoor Tennis and Events Arena, featuring four acrylic tennis courts
  • Plus a choice of one of these free extras:
    • One week of bike hire from the Cycle Hub
    • One Personal Training session

Summer membership prices

Everyone is welcome to become a member of Kent Sport:

  • University of Kent staff – £13 per month
  • University of Kent students and Juniors* –  £18 per month
  • Alumni and public – £20 per month

Purchasing a summer membership

You can purchase your membership online or by visiting the Sports Centre and The Pavilion receptions. Our summer membership offer is available for purchase from 1 June to 31 August 2023 inclusive and is for use for one month from the purchase date. Membership terms and conditions can be found at kent.ac.uk/sports/membership. Once you purchase a membership, you’ll also have your online booking account, meaning you can book a wide range of activities online.

Not ready to take out our summer membership yet? Why not try our free Pay to Play membership, giving you access to Kent Sport facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis. Sign up online quickly and easily.

*To apply for the junior rate, you must be aged 16 to 17 years old. Proof of age will be required when purchasing a Junior membership. *

For Kent Sport news, events and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter UniKentSports.

Students enjoying sunshine with Canterbury Cathedral in background

Events roundup: 12-18 June

It’s the final week of the summer term and so the final weekly events roundup of the undergraduate academic year! Find out what’s on this week:

Monday 12 June: Wellbeing Café

On Monday, it’s the final Wellbeing Café of the year. The Wellbeing Café is a space to connect with other students in a relaxed environment with a focus on promoting your wellbeing and mental health through activity.

Tuesday 13 June: Ancient languages, graduating action plan and summer lawn games

Are you curious about hieroglyphs, cuneiform, or Sanskrit? The Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies is organising an Ancient Languages Extravaganza on Tuesday and Wednesday. No prep or prior knowledge required.

Graduating soon? Use this workshop to create your own graduating action plan. This checklist will help you reflect on your career readiness and help you to set actions to fill any gaps. This is a hybrid event in Eliot and streamed online.

Get outside and have some fun in the sun playing lawn games on Templeman Library lawn. Try your hand at Spikeball, Stakk or Mölkky with the Park Wood Residential Life Assistants.

Wednesday 14 June: PG Summer Coffee Morning, creative language development workshop and archiving stories of migration

On Wednesday it’s the PG Summer Coffee Morning. All postgrad students are welcome to this multi-divisional PG coffee morning, with Gordan Lynch (Director of the Graduate and Researcher College), as well as the GRC Team and PG Network representatives. It’s a great opportunity to meet the wider PG community. In the afternoon there’s also a webinar for PGR students around staying well in difficult times.

Are you interested in migration, movement and people’s stories? Ahead of Refugee Week, our archiving stories of migration and movement workshop explores examples and challenges of how stories of migration and movement can be reflected in archive collections.

If English is not your first language, join us for this creative language development workshop, which will use a variety of media such as music, plays, news articles, as well as outdoor activities to develop your English language skills.

Thursday 15 June: Reflective writing workshops, outdoor games and food and drink festival

Reflective writing is a powerful learning tool which can help you to understand your own thinking processes, challenge your assumptions and explore logical approaches to arguments. On Thursday we have in-person reflective writing workshops at both Canterbury and Medway.

Join the Woolf College Residential Life Assistants for some outdoor games including table tennis, Molkky, Stakk and Spikeball. Plus there will also be free pizza provided!

The Taste of Kent Food & Drink Festival at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre is open to everyone, showcasing more than 50 amazing award finalists, who will be promoting, sampling and selling their delicious food and drink products. Tickets costs £6 in advance or £8 on the door.

Friday 16 June: Kent Community Oasis Garden

Want to spend some time outside? Come along to the Kent Community Oasis Garden (Kent COG) for an open gardening session. Everyone is welcome, and sessions are very flexible. Kent COG will need volunteers over the summer, so if you’re around, considering going along.

See more events.

Staying on or near campus over summer?

If you are staying on or near summer over campus, there’s still lots you can get involved in:

See summer services and opening times.

Student working behind a bar

Paid roles: summer catering jobs

Are you looking to earn some money this summer?

Kent’s Catering Team are currently seeking warm, positive people with bags of energy to help out over the busy summer season.

Ideal candidates must be reliable, punctual, and possess excellent communication skills. They should have a friendly and approachable personality, with the ability to work well in a fast-paced, high-energy environment.

If you’re looking to start a career in hospitality, or just want to learn new skills while you study, this could be the perfect job for you!

Responsibilities will include:

  • Greeting customers and taking orders
  • Serving food and drinks in a timely and efficient manner
  • Ensuring a clean and organised dining/kitchen area
  • Handling payments

Candidates must be available to work flexible hours (possibly including evenings and weekends), throughout the summer season. Prior experience is not necessary, but it is desirable.

How to apply

If you’re interested in applying for this role (Food & Beverage Assistant), please send your CV, along with a potential start date, to catering@kent.ac.uk

Flexible casual contract with a total hourly rate equal to £7.83 – £10.89p/h (depending on age),

Application deadline: Friday 16 June 2023

Laptop and notebook

Changes to academic appeals policy

We have made some changes to our academic appeals policy in response to student feedback.

What has changed?

  • Annex 13 of the Credit Framework (Academic Appeals) had been replaced with a new standalone Academic Appeals Policy.
  • The policy has been amended in line with the most up-to-date Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education Good Practice Framework.
  • The deadline to submit a Formal Appeal has been extended from 15 working days to 28 calendar days. However, we still recommend you submit your appeal as soon as possible, especially when the outcome of your request may affect graduation, resits or continuing your studies.
  • Standing Orders Governing Research Appeals have been replaced with Appendix 4 of the new Academic Appeals Policy (this applies to postgraduate research students only). No changes have been made to this content.

The updates to the policy have been made following a period of consultation and feedback with stakeholders across the University involved in the academic appeals process, including Kent Union.

Read the full Academic Appeals policy.

If you have any questions, please contact appeals@kent.ac.uk

 

Students and staff at Pride March

How to join Pride Canterbury and Pride Medway

Happy Pride Month! At Kent, we stand for Pride and will be marking the month in a number of ways, including sponsoring Pride Canterbury and also Pride Medway later in August. Find out how you can join the Canterbury and Medway Pride events:

Pride Canterbury, 10-11 June

Pride Canterbury is this weekend! Pride Canterbury is a spectacular celebration of LGBTQ+ identity in the heart of Canterbury. You don’t need a ticket to attend Pride Canterbury, but if you’d like to join the University of Kent section of the Pride March, you’ll need a free wristband which can be picked up from the Gulbenkian on Thursday and Friday (first come first served). **change to pick up times** Thursday: 12:30-14:00 and Friday 12:00-13:30. The parade is followed by live entertainment with food and drink in Dane John Gardens.

Pride Medway, 19 August

Join Medway’s biggest LGBTQ+ Pride event, Pride Medway, on Saturday 19 August. You need to register for a free ticket if you want entry into Rochester Castle Gardens where performances will take place. You can register for up to four free tickets through the Eventbrite link (select ‘get tickets’ and then scroll down to ‘Medway Pride 2023. Rochester Castle Fest. Student’).

Make sure you book your ticket before July as any leftover student tickets will then be released to the general public. If you realise you can’t attend the event, please return your ticket to Eventbrite so it can be redistributed.

There will also be a Universities at Medway section of the Medway Pride March. Look out for more information on this soon.

 

Win an Ipad Pro! Ener by 13 July. Exclusively to uni students, even if you don't bank with Santander

Santander Universities iPad Pro prize draw

The last Santander Universities prize draw was so popular that they’re back with another! This time, there are 10 iPad Pro tablets up for grabs. These prize draws have been designed to help enhance your university experience and make sure you have the tools you need to succeed.

All students can enter including undergraduates, postgraduates, part-time and full-time students. Even those graduating in a few weeks are eligible!

To enter you need to visit the Santander Scholarships website. If you’re not already registered, you’ll need to sign up for an account. After registering you’ll get a confirmation email and then you can enter the prize draw. On 13 July, once applications close, Santander will select 10 students at random for the winners.

Enter now for your chance to win.

#UniKentWellbeing

Summer wellbeing activities at Kent

There’s lots going on at Kent this summer to help support your wellbeing. Check out our #UniKentWellbeing summer courses and workshops below, and have a look at the Student Support and Wellbeing events calendar to find out which of your regular groups are ongoing throughout the vacation.

😁 Self-confidence – online course Thursdays 15 June to 13 July, 14:00 – 15:30.

Join one of our counsellors in a small group setting to learn how to confront your inner critic and control your relationship with your thoughts.

✍️ Writing for wellbeing workshops  Tuesdays 27 June and 18 July, 14:00 – 15:00

A simple and rewarding way to connect with ourselves and play with creative writing as a means of self-expression. No writing experience needed!

🌱 Positive mental health workshops – Wednesday 21 June 14:30-16:00 and Sunday 9 July 11:00-12:30

What constitutes good mental health? We will discuss five ingredients that are foundations for evaluating progress in taking care of your mental wellbeing

🤝 Self-compassion group – Tuesdays 25 July to 15 August, 14:00 – 14:30

Learn techniques for showing yourself and others compassion, as well as how to cope with feeling overwhelmed, distressed and self-harming behaviours.

🔀 Managing change – online workshop – Monday 7 August, 10:00 – 11:00

Explore how to cope with common feelings surrounding change such as fear and disappointment and how to effectively manage change in a healthy way.

👣 Walk and talk – every Tuesday, 14:00-15:00

Let’s go for a walk where we can talk and explore. Led by mental health advisers, these sessions will run throughout the summer break.

Need more help or support for your wellbeing?

We’re still here for you during the summer vacation. Check out the Student Support and Wellbeing webpages to find out how to get in touch with us, and about accessing 24/7 support from our partner organisations wherever you are, whenever you need it. You can also find us on Instagram @UniKentSSW