Monthly Archives: June 2024

Student eating lunch at Gulbenkian Cafe

£3 Meals moving to Gulbenkian Café for summer

From Monday 24 June, the £3 cost of living hot meals will be moving from Rutherford Dining Hall to the Gulbenkian Café for the duration of the summer. This temporary move allows Rutherford Dining Hall to accommodate language schools during the vacation.

£3 hot meals at the Gulbenkian Café will be available:

• Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 14:00
• Saturday & Sunday, 14:00 – 20:00

Meals will be displayed on the in-house specials board, and there will always be a plant-based option available. Please note that these meals are offered on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to order early to avoid missing out.

Additionally, £3 sandwich meal deals can be purchased at Dolche Vita and Rutherford Dining Hall throughout the summer. Please be aware that the opening times for these venues will vary, so we recommend checking the online timetable for the latest information.

The cost of living meals will be back at Rutherford Dining Hall in September for the new academic year.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact us at catering@kent.ac.uk

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Preparing for resits

Hi, I’m Tim from the Student Learning Advisory Service, here with a few hints and tips as you prepare to resit one or more of your exams.

Firstly, stay motivated. The satisfaction of successfully passing your exams awaits you, so stay highly-focussed on reaching this important goal over the coming weeks. Free up as much time as you can to ensure success, perhaps by rescheduling some less important activities.

Consider any feedback that you may have received on your previous exams. What does it indicate that you need to improve for your resit? Perhaps you need to improve your depth of knowledge around a particular topic, or ensure that you include more key ingredients in your answers. Identify and use feedback to help you steer your preparation.

Reflect on how you managed the previous exam. Perhaps it was not lack of knowledge that let you down, but your exam technique. Perhaps you lost track of time so that you failed to complete the exam paper, or forgot to plan your answers before writing and lost your way halfway through them. Identify and note down any potential improvements to your exam technique that you can make, and practise them before your resit.

Plan your time so that you use it as efficiently as possible between now and your resit. Having identified gaps in your knowledge or aspects of your exam technique that require improvement, draw up a schedule on a time planner that will enable you to address all these issues in time for your exam. Break each day into one- or two-hour chunks of study time, each allocated to an achievable goal – be that revising from your notes on a specific topic, practising writing an essay under timed conditions, or committing important facts, formulas or theories to memory.

Remember that your exam is a performance. While you’ll want to work very hard between now and your resit to achieve the best possible result, you will need to stay fit and well at the same time. Establish a routine that balances your revision with enough sleep, regular breaks, good food and fresh air to keep you in excellent shape for your exam.

Finally, consider a 1-1 with an advisor from the Student Learning Advisory Service, to discuss revision skills, essay writing, exam techniques or any related topics before you resit your exam. You can book an appointment via the Student Learning Advisory Service website, where you will also find printable time planners to help you plot your course to success.

Good luck with your resit.

English Speaking Club – A collaboration with Kherson State University, Ukraine

By Hayley Snoding, International Project Officer, Global and Lifelong Learning

Kherson State University and the University of Kent have been collaborating since June 2022 as part of the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative. During that time we have provided support through the donation of IT and technical equipment, delivery of English classes, guest lectures and supporting the KSU online English Speaking Club and current affairs discussions.

My experience of being a part of English Club

I have been with Global and Lifelong Learning for 8 months now and one of my first projects was getting involved in our English Speaking Club with Kherson State University. I have to say I was a little apprehensive at first, who wouldn’t be? What did I know about being displaced, facing war, having to move away from family and friends, staying positive when facing such uncertainty.

What I found was inspiration and resilience from the Ukrainian students, opportunities to learn about Ukrainian culture and traditions, and even things I never knew about British history and traditions (Google has been my best friend on occasions).

I now look forward to our weekly sessions, which range from talking about books, films and fashion trends to world health, managing your finances and the path to academic success.

What the students say about English Club

I asked some of the students from Kherson State University what English Club means to them:

Maria, “I love it, I joined in 2021, before the war and during. It became quite significant as we are in different cities and locations. It is great to be whole again and not worrying about isolation. English speaking club has interesting themes and it is good to think about something pleasant and practice English. My favourite thing is it makes us a community.”

Alla, “I enjoy the intellectual exchange, discussion of interesting topics and hearing different opinions. Telling stories and jokes is a good way to unite with each other.”

Dimitro, “Very interesting conversation and good to hear from a native speaker.”

Serhii, “I love the ideas and being together. Joining makes learning and education pleasant.”

The English Speaking Club is led by Olena Stavenko, English Language Teacher at Kherson State University. Olena is always upbeat and makes every session fun and interactive. We start with an ice breaker question to get warmed up and then jump right into the topic. In the last year we have had contributions from one of Kent’s own Degree Apprentices and some of our Student Global Officers, who can offer their own insights into studying in the UK and how things differ in their own cultures.

Tuesday 28th May was our last session for this academic year as there will be a break over the summer while the Ukrainian students take their exams. I wish them all every success in their exams. But there will be an opportunity for me to meet some of them when they visit us next month. It will be wonderful to meet some of them in person.

Want to get involved?

If you are interested in taking part in one of our English Speaking Club sessions in the next academic year, and joining in the discussions, please get in touch. It is a wonderful way of broadening your own development and understanding of cultural awareness.

Email: H.Snoding@kent.ac.uk to find out more.

Further information

Global and Lifelong Learning will be hosting a networking event with staff and students from Kherson State University on Monday 17th June, 11:00-13:00. If you would like to join us, please complete the online form: https://forms.office.com/e/cTtZTkwEp6

You can also find out more about our collaboration with Kherson State University from the links below:

Twinning Voices – KSU & Kent – YouTube

Kent and Kherson State (Ukraine) universities sign historic twinning agreement

“Art Against War” Exhibition at Kent: An exhibition of art by students and graduates from Ukraine’s Kherson State University (KSU)

One of our English Speaking Club sessions held on zoom.
We start each session with an ice-breaker like this one.
students drink coffee

Summer vacation campus facility opening times

On campus over summer? Here’s a roundup of the summer vacation opening times:

Dolche Vita

Campus catering update

As part of our wider work to give students the best experience possible and investing in our staff and students, we are looking at alternative options for catering on our Canterbury campus. This includes investigating options around outsourcing, if an appropriate partner can be found.

We are really proud of the work that has been done by our catering team to continuously deliver a high quality of service on campus, in the face of rising costs and challenging external factors. In order to continue to improve the catering experience on campus and cater to the evolving needs and wants of our staff and students, we are aware that future investment is needed.

We will be looking to use this as an opportunity to invest in our outlets and technological infrastructure, modernise our facilities and introduce well-known and recognisable brands to improve the experience of our staff and students and supporting a healthy community on campus.

A key part of the process will be finding a provider who can support and align with Right to Food objectives, ensuring healthy and affordable food is readily available for staff and students on our campuses. It will also include looking for a partner that can deliver development opportunities for our catering staff and minimise disruption to our workforce as well as the staff, students and visitors who eat on campus.

During this process we will continue to value and work with our excellent catering team and ensure they are supported throughout and that they are able to continue to deliver the high-quality service they currently provide.

We are at the very beginning of this journey and have just started a competitive tender. No decisions have been made regarding the future catering provision, but we will keep you informed if and when things change.

campus sign

Update on student encampment

This update follows our previous statement of 15 May, where we committed to give an update on different areas of university activity that have been under discussion.

Like many around the world, we have watched with great alarm the lack of a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war in Gaza. The continued devastation, most recently through the bombardment of Rafah, remains very distressing with a profound emotional impact across our community here in Kent. We condemn violations of international law and any actions that target civilians and express our gravest concern for the loss of innocent lives that has affected so many. We also express our full support for the movement towards a ceasefire and the release of all hostages that is now on the table, which would lead to an immediate pause to military action and for urgent aid to reach Gaza as a priority.

There has been a devastating impact over the last year on universities in the region. International estimates suggest that 80% of universities in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by the war, with large numbers of students and academics killed and 90,000 Palestinians denied access to education. Any loss of life is a tragedy, but the effect of war on universities not only deprives Palestinian people of their right to learn and share knowledge but also further destabilises a region in desperate need of peace and recovery. Education is a fundamental human right that should be respected and protected universally, and the global community must recognise and act upon the critical need to protect it wherever it is restricted.

Investments and Partnerships

All of our activities at the University of Kent, including investment decisions, are governed by ethical principles that make sure we contribute positively towards a sustainable and peaceful future. Our Socially Responsible Investment Policy guides how and where we invest our money, which to clarify includes not investing directly or indirectly in weapons companies. We are committed to our shared responsibility to support global peace and educational preservation in how we work, collaborate and invest.

These principles also apply to our international partnerships. Any proposed partnership at the University is scrutinised and approved by our International Partnerships Approval Panel, whose membership includes representation from Kent Union and the wider academic community. These are then approved by our Academic Strategy, Planning and Performance Board with authority from Senate. We firmly believe that a free exchange of ideas is critical to academic advancement. However, our existing policies ensure that, while we would support individual projects that pursue peaceful and humanitarian ends, we would not form formal links with any organisation that fell short of these ethical standards. Both this and our investment policy reflect long-standing commitments that apply equally across all countries and territories, and which we are determined to maintain.

Support for victims of war

We also stand in solidarity with all students and staff at the university who are affected by the war in Gaza. This includes taking tangible steps to support victims of war – through continuing our work with external organisations like CARA, who are guiding us on practical ways to provide support and in particular education support, and through our existing Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme. We are actively working towards setting up scholarships for Palestinian students at the earliest opportunity, with funding secured for one place in 2024/25 and alternative funding arrangements being actively pursued for additional places next year and the year after.

Alongside this, we recognise the emotional impact the war is having on our students, and especially those who have lost family or seen their homes destroyed. We pledge to work with them to further enhance training for staff, including in cultural awareness and understanding the emotional needs of victims of war, and to provide additional student support, including mitigation and mental health support.

Supporting the right to protest

The University of Kent respects and supports our students’ right to peaceful protest and freedom of speech within the law. This has been consistent throughout the current student encampment, which has been organised and managed in a safe and respectful way. Through dialogue and advocacy, we are determined to continue our support for both peaceful resolutions to war and for the universal right to education across the world.

Read our previous statements

We appreciate the strength of feeling generated in both staff and students across the university by recent events. At all times we strive to be an organisation where everyone feels welcome and supported and take a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism, Islamophobia or any form of discrimination or harassments on campus. If you experience any discrimination, please use our Report + Support tool so that we can quickly take action and connect you with appropriate support within the University.

15 May 2024: Student encampment on campus

8 December 2023: Israel and Gaza: Supporting our community

10 November 2023: Israel and Gaza reflections

28 October 2023: Israel and Gaza

9 October 2023: Conflict in Israel and Gaza: Support for students

Student on large deck chair

Paid job: Student Content Creator

Are you an enthusiastic and outgoing Kent student with a flair for creating engaging social media content? Do you have an eye for the latest trends on Tik Tok and Instagram?  Are you confident on camera?

If so, we’re looking for Student Content Creators just like you to help bring the student experience at Kent to life online.

As a Student Content Creator, you’ll work across our digital channels to produce a wide range of content from Instagram reels and trending Tik Toks to vlogs and blogs and everything in between.

This is a great opportunity for a student interested in a career in social media as well as Marketing, Advertising, Communications and PR.

The job:

You will help shape and promote online and social media community experiences for the University. It will involve representing the institution on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the University website.

The Social Content Creator will:

  • Be active across the University community, researching and producing high quality content for the University website and social media.
  • Create interesting, timely and engaging social media content on a regular basis.
  • Be a visible presence at events and on campus – promoting events, posting live, taking pictures and video, interacting with students and presenting on camera when required.
  • Support the University with student and general online communications, providing feedback and recommendations for improvement.
  • Present on camera and interview students to help promote university services, support and values.
  • Help create content for blogs, the website and email.
  • Work across a wide range of content themes. Areas include: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); sustainability; support; wellbeing; faith and belonging; employability; sport; music and Medway campus life.

Skills and attributes:

  • Enthusiastic and passionate about the University and social media.
  • Excellent communication skills and be able to work independently as well as within a team.
  • Expertise in all main social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc).
  • Good understanding of social media fundamentals, effect on customer experience and brand perception.
  • Good presentation skills and happy talking to camera.
  • Outgoing and prepared to professionally interact with others on behalf of the University.
  • Reliable, motivated and creative.
  • Some proven experience in photography, videography and/or blogging. Including editing (Capcut, VN and on platform).
  • Well organised and able to multitask.

Hours: 4-8 hours a week during term time.

Salary: £12.82 per hour

Contract: Start on 1 September 2024 and finish on 13 June 2025, with a one-month probationary period.

Apply now: To apply, please send a short ‘Day in the life’ video (60 secs max), reel or TikTok. Sharing what your typical day at Kent looks like, to give us an idea of what you study, your interests and any extracurricular activities. If you have a particular interest or network in one or more content themes listed above, please include that in your video. The more creative the better!

Find out more and apply through Jobshop.

two students smiling and looking at phone

New student website launching this summer

Over the summer break 2024, you may notice some changes to the student website as we get ready to launch our new student website for 2024-25.

The new student website will be designed for current students making it easier for you to find the information you need while studying at Kent.

Benefits include:

🔎 A search bar that only searches services and information for current Kent students

📚 All your Kent services and systems in one place

🚀Improved design informed by students and user experience experts

🗺Website navigation designed for current students only

These changes are following student feedback that you find it hard to find the information you need on the current Kent website.

This is the start of a journey of continuous improvements to the website experience for Kent students. So once it launches tell us what you like, and don’t like, so we can continue to improve the student website for you.

What do I need to do?

Nothing. When the new student website launches we will let you know and you will be automatically redirected. This change won’t affect Moodle, KentVision, your email, timetable or the Uni Kent Student App.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please email communications@kent.ac.uk

Students sat on bench on campus chatting

Events roundup: 10-16 June

It’s the final week of summer term and the end of the undergraduate academic year! Find out what’s on this week.

Staying on or near campus over the summer? Check out the Summer at Kent website for events and ways to meet other students.

Monday 10 June: From Wild to Web talk by Conservation Practitioner

Join Louisa, a Conservation Practitioner with over two decades of experience, as she shares her unique career journey evolving from Field Researcher to Academic Dean and Independent Consultant ‘From the Wild to the Web 3.0: An Unusual Journey’, focusing on sustainable conservation practices across Africa. This event is taking place in Kennedy and you are welcome to stay for refreshments and activities afterwards.

Tuesday 11 June: Reflective writing, free breakfast at Medway and help if you are graduating soon #ClassOf2024

Try out this reflective writing workshop that includes a walk to the labyrinth on campus.  Reflective writing is a skill that can help you to nurture a sense of progress and development, both personally and professionally.

If you’re based at Medway, on Tuesday morning you can enjoy a free community breakfast at the Hub.

Graduating soon? Find out how the careers service can help you if you are about to graduate, plus there’s also a workshop on how to reflect and identify questions to ask before deciding what to do next.

Wednesday 12 June: Chill zone, therapy dog and trip to Rye and Camber Sands (Medway)

Take a break in the Chill Zone in Templeman Library DG-01/02 (near Nexus) where you can play Nintendo Switch MarioKart, relax with arts and crafts and play some board games. Plus enjoy some refreshments.

Looking for an easy way to de-stress? Enjoy the last Pause for Paws of the summer term featuring Coco the therapy dog.

At Medway, you can join a full day trip to Rye and Camber Sands. Explore and meet new friends.

Thursday 13 June: Free breakfast at Medway

At Medway on Thursday, you can join for a free community breakfast at The Hub. As a Right to Food University, these breakfast sessions symbolise our ongoing dedication to tackling food insecurity.

Friday 14 June: Record your 3 Minute Thesis and Kent Community Oasis Garden

If you’re a postgraduate researcher, you can book a slot to record your 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) which celebrates research and encourages you to explain your research in three minutes in appropriate language to a non-specialist audience.

Get out in nature and volunteer at the Kent Community Oasis Garden. Everyone is welcome at Kent Community Oasis Garden, whether you’re an expert gardener, a complete beginner, or just coming along for a chat.

See more student events.

Opportunities

 

photo of open box with clothes and trainers in

Donate Clothes, Contribute to Sanctuary Initiatives

This Thursday 13 June, a new staff group called The Sanctuary Collective will launch – a way for us to do something helpful and productive for asylum seekers and refugees in our work time using a range of skills and interests that might not be part of our current roles.

One of the first initiatives will be a men’s clothing drive – encouraging staff, students, and friends to donate good quality men’s clothes for asylum seekers and refugees in our community.

What clothing can I give and how?

We’re looking for men’s clothes because in July we’re hosting a group of residents from Napier Barracks in Folkestone, many of whom arrived in the UK recently with just the clothes on their backs. As we are providing sporting activities on campus as part of an ‘Exploring Higher Education’ day, it would be great to be able to offer changes of clothes to participants (particularly sporty gear – t shirts, shorts, tracksuits, sweatshirts, trainers, socks).

Bring clean, useable men’s or unisex clothing to the Sanctuary Collective launch in Rutherford Lounge at 2pm on Thursday 13th June, or bring to Rutherford Annexe foyer (low building next to Rutherford College) whenever suits you Monday-Friday between 9-5pm – any questions, message Natalia on n.crisanti@kent.ac.uk

Why should I join the Sanctuary Collective?

Be a part of the University’s civic mission in your paid Kent volunteering hours, and spend some time in your working life doing something that has a real practical impact on a part of our society that’s often overlooked or even stigmatised.

Grow your transferable skills and contacts as you meet people from across the university and work together on projects that give you another perspective, as you share and gain knowledge with colleagues about civic mission, philanthropy, events and communications.

In agreement with your line manager, you can use your staff volunteering hours to do this meaningful socially useful work as part of the 25 hours’ of volunteering time you get per year (pro-rata for part-time staff.) More information on volunteering and how to record your volunteering hours can be found on the People and Culture SharePoint site.

I’m interested – what next?

Join our sympa mailing list via our online form to be invited to meetings and activities, and participate in our first in-person launch meeting in Refugee Week:

The Sanctuary Collective Launch, 2-3pm on Thursday 13 June, in Rutherford Lounge – an informal meeting to see who we are and discuss ideas about what we can do to shape and mobilise the collective. By signing up via the form, you will be invited to this and future events.

Look forward to seeing you there!