Monthly Archives: October 2024

£3.50 Meal Deals at Canterbury campus

As part of our initiatives to help you with the rising cost of living, learn more about our £3.50 Meal Deals available at our Canterbury campus.

Rutherford Meal Deal

Head to Rutherford Dining Hall for the popular £3.50 Meal Deal. There are two dishes to choose from every day, including a plant-based option. The hot Rutherford Meal Deal is available every day of the week, 12:00-14:00 for lunch and 17:00-21:00 for dinner.

This term, we’ve seen new dishes including Sweet Potato Chilli, Cauliflower Cheese Lasagne, and Tandoori Sweet Potato with Lemon Pilau Rice. These additions will join popular favourites such as Katsu Curry, Tortellini, and the ever-classic Sausage and Mash.

The meal deal offers vegetarian and vegan options, and Halal sourced meat is used wherever possible. See the weekly menu.

100,000 cost of living hot meals

On Tuesday 24 September, Rutherford Dining Hall served its 100,000th cost of living hot meal since its launch in November 2022!

The lucky recipient of this milestone meal was Danylo Stepaniuk, a foundation economics student from Ukraine. Danylo, who regularly eats at Rutherford Dining Hall, shared that he prefers dining there because of the £3.50 meals. His favourite dish is the four cheese tortellini, which he always has with vegetables or salad.

Chicken Katsu with rice

£3.50 Sandwich Meal Deal

The sandwich meal deal includes a sandwich, crisps/fruit and a drink for £3.50, and is available across campus in Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Cafe, Sibson Cafe, Mungo’s, and Rutherford Dining Hall.

More support with cost of living

If you are facing financial hardship, please see our financial support webpages or visit the Cost of Living Support webpage.

Tips for living with flatmates

Halley from our Student Welfare & Community Life team shares top tips for handling issues with flatmates…

Whether you are living on or off campus, we know that sharing space and living with other people can sometimes be stressful, and if you are having ongoing issues with flatmates then this can have a negative impact on your experience at University and on your studies.

Whether it is issues with noise and guests, messy kitchens, shared household responsibilities, etc most of the flat issues that students have are related to not communicating, and not addressing issues when they first arise.

Top tips to help with flatmate issues:

Address issues right away: Report, get help, or try to resolve issues when things first happen, to minimise the negative impact on you and your flatmates. The longer you leave it, the more stressful it will become.

Communicate: Sometimes a conversation is all that you need. Try speaking to the person or people involved directly and let them know:

What you have observed, or what is happening from your perspective,
How it is impacting you and why you feel it is an issue,
What you think would help to resolve the issue.

Focus on a plan: Whatever the issue, try not to blame anyone and instead try to agree on a plan that will help everyone feel comfortable and take shared responsibility.

If the issue is related to bins or shared household responsibilities, Accommodation has a good Household Planner (PDF) that can help you agree on a plan to cover cleaning and household tasks.
If the issue is related to noise or guests, it can help to agree on quiet hours, or times that are best to have guests in the flat.

Do not assume: It will help you to resolve issues if you try to remember that everyone has a different background and perspective. People have different personal habits and different ideas of what is normal. People may be personally struggling with things that you are not aware of which can lead them to act in ways that negatively impact everyone in the flat.

Get support if you need help or if you think that a flatmate may be struggling:

Off-campus: If there is an incident, or if you are concerned that someone may be in danger of self-harm or harming other people, then contact emergency services right away.
On-campus: If there is an incident in your flat, if you want help to handle a situation, if you want someone to check-in, or if you want to report an issue like noise, Campus Security is available every day, 24 hours a day, and you should contact the team right away.

For all students on-and-off-campus: Student Welfare & Community Life is available to email, call or visit:

If you have noticed that a flatmate seems to be struggling and may need support.
If you are not comfortable discussing issues with flatmates directly and want Student Welfare to facilitate the conversation,
If you have ongoing issues with flatmates that you have not been able to resolve,
If you are not comfortable or do not feel safe in your flat and want to discuss options for support.

Final word of advice – if you are having issues with flatmates, remember that we are here to help!

Safety tips and services

As we approach winter and it starts to get darker earlier, here’s a reminder of safety initiatives and services you can use while studying and living at Kent, including:

Campus Security

Security staff are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at our Canterbury and Medway campuses. They offer the free night-time walking taxi service, safety advice, free personal safety alarms, and emergency support. You can contact Campus Security using the SafeZone app or by calling:

Non-emergency and night-time walking taxi service: 01227 823300
Emergency: 01227 823333

SafeZone App

SafeZone is a free and simple-to-use app for all our students and staff. It’s designed to help you get first-aid, security or safety assistance via your mobile phone. Find out more and download the SafeZone app.

Student Safe Taxi Scheme in Canterbury

The scheme lets students get a taxi home or to another destination, such as a Police Station or local hospital, quickly and safely. You can request a taxi through the scheme even if you do not have the funds to pay the fare at the time of booking, as fares can be paid later on the Online Store.

Connected Routes in Canterbury

Follow the Connected Routes map if you’re travelling home from a night out in Canterbury city centre.

The map includes routes where there are regular patrols, refuge points, and increased lighting and CCTV coverage. It is also covered by the SafeZone app.

Find out more and see the Connected Routes map.

Canterbury Street Marshals

Canterbury Street Marshals support students to stay safe when out and about in Canterbury at night. They patrol the streets where many students live off campus or their routes back to campus after a night out.

Report + Support

Report + Support is the University’s online reporting tool for incidents such as: sexual misconduct, discrimination, hate incidents, harassment, physical or verbal harm and/or abuse, bullying, stalking, domestic abuse, or spiking.

Through Report + Support you can get information about different types of incidents, submit a named or anonymous report and get access to support easily.

Find out more…

See our safety webpages for advice and all safety services at our Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Managing academic deadlines

Tim from Skills for Academic Success shares top tips for managing academic deadlines…

Academic assignments do not always arrive one at a time with their deadlines conveniently spaced out. So here are a few tips that will help you manage multiple deadlines.

Break assignments down: Consider the stages of work that you’ll need to undertake to complete each assignment. These may include tasks such as planning, researching, drafting, editing, and checking. If you identify and understand the individual steps that are required to complete your assignment it will appear less daunting. This, in turn, will prevent you from procrastinating and enable you to start work on it. Starting assignments as early as possible will help you meet your deadlines.

Use a term planner: Seeing your academic deadlines clearly marked on a planner or calendar (alongside all your other fixed commitments such as lectures and seminars) will allow you to plan accordingly to meet them. So, working back from the deadline, allocate time for each stage of work on your planner. If you are working on multiple assignments, you can colour-code each one to give you a clear overview of which assignments you need to be working on during any given day or week. Your term planner will help you stay on track to meet your deadline, but if you find yourself falling behind schedule you can review and amend it.

Work efficiently: Meeting deadlines is not just about allocating time for each stage of an assignment. It also means using that time as efficiently as possible, by breaking each day into chunks of time and allocating a specific task to each of them. Each task should be goal focussed – whether that goal is meeting an assignment deadline or revising for an exam. It should also be achievable. For example, for a two-hour study period set yourself the task of reading and taking notes on a useful chapter of a book (which you can do), rather than the entire book (which you probably can’t). This technique will help you build momentum and feel that hour after hour, day after day, you are taking a series of small but successful steps towards meeting your deadline. Allow time for breaks and vary your activities during the day – perhaps mixing some reading and notetaking tasks with some planning and writing tasks – to help you stay fresh, engaged and productive.

Finally, don’t suffer in silence: Deadlines rarely move, so start assignments as soon as you can, and address problems when they arise. If you don’t understand a question, seek clarification from your lecturer. If you feel you don’t know how to start planning or writing your essay, or feel stuck half-way through writing one, seek advice on essay writing from Skills for Academic Success.

Good luck with your assignment!

Events roundup: 28 Oct – 3 Nov

Find out what’s on this week including events to celebrate Diwali and Halloween.

Monday 28 October: Emergency first aid, coping with nerves and anxiety and UV Games (Medway)

Interested in learning emergency first aid? Sign up for a 2-hour emergency first aid Study Plus session in Kennedy. The practical session will cover topics such as resuscitation, using a defibrillator and the recovery position.

Presentations and interviews can be pivotal moments that can significantly impact your professional path. However, the nerves and anxiety associated with these situations can be overwhelming. If this sounds familiar, join this online session on how to cope with nerves and anxiety for presentations and interviews.

Head to The Hub on Monday evening for UV Games, featuring table tennis, pickleball and chess. All skills levels welcome.

Tuesday 29 October: Black Student Market, Diwali decorations and making applications (Medway)

The Black Student Market returns on Tuesday, where Kent Students’ Union will be joined at the Plaza by dozens of businesses, all led by Black students at Kent. Stalls include food, jewellery and beauty businesses.

With Diwali approaching, join the ResLife team decorating tradition oil lamps (diyas) to welcome the festive spirit of Diwali. Get creative and enjoy a warm community atmosphere crafting beautiful lamps to light up the season.

ResLife are delighted to be teaming up with FareShare to support the Right to Food Programme at Kent. They will be visiting a local farm to pick apples that would otherwise be left to rot on the trees. Some of what we pick will be taken by FareShare to local foodbanks to be distributed and some we will bring back to the University to give to students and some will be used in a cookery class the same afternoon.

Making applications to graduate schemes, job roles or postgraduate study? Come to this session in Medway Building to discover how to create and submit engaging and targeted applications.

Wednesday 30 October: ResLife Rodeo and managing stress workshops

One of the biggest ResLife events, the ResLife Rodeo, is back. Ride the rodeo bull and compete to win a £50 amazon voucher for the student who lives in on-campus accommodation and can stay onboard the longest. Register on the Home at Halls app for your free complimentary food tickets including a burger or curry and choice of churros, ice cream or candy floss! If you don’t live on campus, you are still welcome to join the fun.

Feeling stressed? There’s an online Study Plus workshop on how to manage stress when you are busy or have a heavy workload. Or if you are a PGT student, there’s also a specific managing stress workshop you can join to help you manage your work life balance.

Thursday 31 October: Halloween events and drug and alcohol support drop-in

Happy Halloween! At The Hub there’s Huboween with pumpkin carving and painting, a Halloween photobooth, quiz and much more. In Canterbury you can join a fancy dress Halloween Kahoot quiz, with a £20 Amazon gift card for the best fancy dress, plus prizes for the quiz winners and runners up.

Are you worried about you or your friend’s alcohol or drug use? Each Thursday, there’s a drop in event in Keynes run by With You Kent, where you can have a confidential chat about any concerns and get support.

Friday 1 November: Autumn Global Hangout and Diwali events

Join us for our Autumn Global Hangout, run by our new student Global Officers. It’s a fun afternoon with creative craft activities, games and refreshments and is open to all students.

If you live in on-campus accommodation at Canterbury, celebrate Diwali with a showing of a popular Bollywood movie with some traditional snacks.

At Medway, The Hub and the Deep End are hosting a Diwali Extravaganza with authentic Indian food, Diwali Pooja Rangoli, a sparklers celebration and after party!

See all student events.

Restorative Justice Clinic – resolving student conflicts

Conflicts are a natural part of university life, but they don’t have to be disruptive or damaging. Our free service offers a constructive approach to resolving conflicts involving students.

What is the Restorative Justice Clinic?

The Restorative Justice Clinic is a student-led service which deals with minor conflicts and harms involving students. The Clinic helps students to find a mutually agreed, positive solution. The service is free, confidential and professional. The Director is Dr. Giuseppe Maglione, an international expert and practitioner in the field.

How can I access it?

Any student can freely access the Restorative Justice Clinic directly by emailing rjclinic@kent.ac.uk. Alternatively they can be referred by relevant student services.

Benefits

Ask any unanswered questions in a safe space
Get the chance to speak and be heard
Explain the impact that the conflict had on their life
Encourage future positive behaviour and find a solution

Services

There are two types of Restorative Justice, direct and indirect.

Direct Restorative Justice would involve a meeting between the people involved in the conflict. A trained facilitator and the Clinic Director would be present in the room at all times.

Indirect Restorative Justice means that the dialogue takes place through letters, videos etc.

What types of conflicts can be referred to the Restorative Justice Service?

Any conflict involving students, including roommate disputes, academic disagreements, interpersonal conflicts, and more.

Find out more about the Restorative Justice Clinic.

Free sanitary products available on campus

15.9% of Kent students bought less sanitary products over the past 12 months because they were worried about money, according to the 2023-4 Cost of Living survey results.

Period products are not a luxury, and we want to make it easier for you to access them. Find out where you can pick them up for free on campus:

Canterbury campus

Thanks to the ResLife team and Kents’ Students Union, you can now find free sanitary products in the following locations on campus:

Mandela Student Centre – pick up individual pads or tampons
Campus laundry facilities in each College – pick up individual pads or tampons

The Cost of Living Taskforce are looking at ways we can increase the number of free sanitary products available to students.

Medway campus

At Medway, you can pick up free sanitary products from the following location:

Bathrooms in the Deep End, The Hub – pick up individual pads or tampons

See more cost-of-living initiatives and support.

Kent Stars: Airport Helper Heroes

This month’s Kent Stars are our wonderful student helpers who gave up their time over Arrivals Weekend so they could welcome our new international students at Gatwick and Heathrow airports. Working with the Global and Lifelong Learning team, they welcomed 250 students and helped them and their luggage onto 13 coaches and 8 taxis to get to our campuses! Hear from one of our student helpers, Thomas:

“My name is Thomas, a 4^th year Politics and International Relations student who has just recently finished my Year Abroad in Tokyo. I am really interested in international politics and contemporary history and have been since I was young, therefore, I am really glad to have chosen this course at Kent.”

Tell us about your experience welcoming new students at the airport over Arrivals Weekend.

“Welcoming international students has always been something that I wanted to do for a long time given I am also an international student myself. I can completely understand the mixed emotions new students might have when they first arrive in the UK, the excitement of being in a fresh environment, but also the worries or fear of not getting used to it. Therefore, the role we played during the Arrivals Weekend was very important. We were the first people the students would have talked to, and we did our best to make sure they were as comfortable as they could possibly be.”

What advice would you give to other students?

“My advice to all the international students would be a quote that I hold very dear to myself, ‘don’t be afraid to fail, you can’t always win, but don’t be afraid to make the decision’. The key message here is that you have to be openminded and brave, be ready to try new things, explore everything around you as much as possible because while you are still hesitating, time will fly by silently and cruelly.”

What are your plans for the next year?

“I am graduating next summer, so I am fully aware time is not necessarily on my side. Ideally, I would like to find myself a job in London or anywhere in the UK and stay in this country for a few more years. I might go to study another language if I have time, because I always believe language is the carrier and key of a culture, being able to speak and understand another language would open a new door in life for you to explore a whole new world.”

Do you know an inspirational student or student group? Let us know.

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.

Events roundup: 21-27 October

Find out what’s on this week including study support, crafts and Black History Month events.

Monday 21 October: Emotional support group and essay planning help

On Monday there is the War, Conflict and World Disasters Emotional Support Group in Keynes Red Room. This is a weekly drop in where specialist staff are on hand to help anyone affected by ongoing conflict around the world.

Get help with considering an essay question and planning an essay, taking place in-person at Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Tuesday 22 October: Crafts and thriving as an introvert

At Medway, you can join a Black History Month themed Crafternoon, exploring crafts that honour the contributions of Black artists and makers.

Are you an introvert? You can join an online session about thriving in the workplace as an introvert. From the interview stage onwards, owning and playing to your natural strengths as an introvert will have you standing out for the right reasons.

For students who live on campus, join the ResLife team for some air dry clay crafting and create decorations for your room, for example cute fridge magnets.

Wednesday 23 October: PG Talk, using AI and creepy crawlies (Medway)

If you’re a postgrad student, join the PG Talk: Climate Change and You, an in-person talk exploring how our planet’s climate is changing and what you can do to help.

Unsure how you can legitimately use artificial intelligence (AI) in your studies? Find out at this AI webinar, which will explore some of the fears, misconceptions and opportunities offered by AI software applications.

Experience creepy crawlies at The Hub, in Medway on Wednesday afternoon. Discover insects, spiders and other little creatures and learn about the vital role they play in our ecosystem.

Thursday 24 October: Guest speaker and Dancing Queen

As part of Black History Month, guest speaker Bryn Price, Director of Safer Kent will give an online talk about their personal journey, why change is needed and how you can lead change.

Each Thursday night is Dancing Queen at K-Bar, the DJ night designed especially for Kent’s LGBTQ+ community, and those who just want to dance the night away to cheesy pop and dance floor classics.

Friday 25 October: Gardening, graduate schemes (Medway) and feeling homesick

Get involved at the Kent Community Oasis Garden on Friday for one of their open volunteering sessions (Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00-14:00). It’s a collection of students, staff and community members working to create a sustainability hub centred around growing food.

Unsure about grad schemes? Join this in-person session at Medway to find out more about what a graduate scheme is, what they involved and hints and tips to get one.

Feeling a bit lost, lonely or homesick? Drop in and visit the Student Welfare and Community Life team. Stop by to chat with a friendly Welfare Officer, meet new people, or just hang out.

Saturday 26 October: R&B Throwback Brunch and brat halloween

Woody’s are holding themed brunches each month and for October it’s a R&B Throwback Brunch in celebration of Black History Month. Get ready for a lively afternoon of rum punch, street food, dancing and R&B throwbacks.

Brat summer might be dead, but brat halloween is here at the Venue!

Sunday 27 October: Halloween arts and crafts

If you live in on-campus accommodation, you can join your ResLife Ambassadors for some Halloween arts and crafts. There will be pumpkins to carve and decorations you can make.

See all student events.

Opportunities

Are you passionate, organised and motivated to represent international students at Kent and make a difference to their student experience? Apply to be on our International Student Advisory Board by 29 October.
Santander is giving away 10 lots of £1,000 for University of Kent students. Win £1,000 with the return of the Brighter Futures Grants Programme.
Join a Kent Students’ Union focus group and earn £20 cash for an hour of your time!

See all student opportunities.

Join a KSU focus group and earn £20 cash for an hour of your time!

Kent Students’ Union (KSU) want to speak to 300 students about their future and how they work with the university.

Join one of their focus groups and earn £20 cash for 1 hour of your time!

Held in The Venue, you’ll be allocated to a group and asked some questions by friendly KSU staff on what you think about the KSU brand, strategy and how they work to represent you to the university. There are no right or wrong answers, this is all about your opinions!

There will be snacks and drinks available as well, and at the end of the session we’ll give you £20 cash for your time!

Sign up today and help make a better students’ union 🙂