Monthly Archives: October 2024

Careers fair stands with lots of students talking to employers

Get involved with EmpFest, 7-18 October

What is EmpFest?

EmpFest is a two-week Employability Festival run by your Careers and Employability Service. There will be a programme full of presentations, workshops, guest speakers and opportunities to meet with industry experts.

Who is EmpFest for?

EmpFest is open to all Kent students at all stages of their degree. Whether you are in year 1, 2, 3 or you are postgrad student, there is something for everyone. Explore career sectors that interest you, meet employers, say hello to your Careers and Employability team and discover opportunities to enhance your career prospects.

While the majority of events will take place on the main campus at Canterbury, there will also be some events in person at the Medway campus (which will be clearly indicated on the programme) and, of course, online events. You can catch the Campus Shuttle to travel between Medway and Canterbury campus for free.

What events should I join?

There’s a huge range of events you can join including Employer in the Foyer, skills development workshops, panel events, networking events and the Autumn Careers Fair.

You can gain at least 10 Employability Points by attending all events organised by the Careers and Employability Service. Find out what EP points are and how you can use them to gain employability opportunities!

Browse all EmpFest events.

What is the Autumn Careers Fair?

Our Autumn Careers Fair also takes place within EmpFest and is an amazing opportunity to meet with a wide range of employers and organisations. Taking place on Thursday 17 October 10:00-15:00 in Colyer-Fergusson, the Careers Fair is a chance to scout out work experience, placement and internship opportunities, as well as a graduate career opportunities.

Find out more about EmpFest 2024.

 

Kent Celebrates 100,000th Cost of Living Meal

The University of Kent’s commitment to supporting students through rising living costs has reached an exciting new milestone. On Tuesday 24 September, Rutherford Dining Hall served its 100,000th cost of living hot meal, marking another success for the initiative that has been a lifeline for many students 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.

The £3.50 (ex VAT) cost of living hot meal will continue to be available for the remainder of 2024, offering students and staff nutritious and affordable meal options.

This term, customers have been introduced to 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 cost of living hot meal scheme has made a significant impact by offering nutritious, budget-friendly meals to the Kent community. With new dishes being trialled, this initiative continues to evolve to meet students’ needs during challenging times.

KentVision unavailable on 8 Oct (from 7:30-11:00)

** Update –  KentVision maintenance work is now completed and the system has reopened**

The KentVision system will be unavailable from 7:30 until 10:30 on Tuesday 8 October 2024 due to essential maintenance.

Please make a note of your timetable, including timings and locations, ahead of this KentVision outage.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused while this essential work is carried out.

Should you have any concerns or queries please contact helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

 

students with coco the therapy dog

Pause for Paws: Take a break with Coco the Therapy Dog

Feeling the grind of Uni life, looking for easy way to de-stress? We got you!

[Jump to upcoming dates]

Featuring Coco, the charming therapy dog, ‘Pause for Paws’ in Templeman Library is back at 3.30pm in Nexus (Block D, Ground Floor). Running nearly every Wednesday during term time, this weekly initiative is one of our favourite ways to bring joy, relaxation and sense of wellbeing to students and staff at Kent.

So take a break from your hectic schedules and visit Templeman Library to say hello to Coco. He is a certified Pets as Therapy dog, very friendly, calm and loves being fussed over! It’s an opportunity to boost mental wellbeing, alleviate stress and recharge amidst your daily commitments.

Upcoming Dates (autumn term)

  • Wed 06-11-2024
  • Wed 13-11-2024
  • Wed 20-11-2024
  • Wed 27-11-2024
  • Wed 04-12-2024
  • Wed 11-12-2024

Keep up to date with Library and IT events!

As the ‘Heart of Campus’ we believe in embracing a spirit of discovery and providing an enriching environment beyond the conventional expectations of a library. At the Templeman Library you always get more than you expect. Library & IT events page.

6 cyber security tips

What are the top fraud types to look out for as a student?

  1. Investment fraud: with a total loss of £29,509,631

Criminals will target students looking to make quick-wins with available cash through cryptocurrency or schemes with a promise of high return investment. They are usually easily targeted through social media and online where many investment schemes operate.

  1. Fake job fraud: with a total loss of £149,719

Students looking for job opportunities can be targeted by fraudulent adverts aimed at stealing personal information or money. Students might be asked for an upfront payment for a fake consultation or extra help finding a job, but the fraudster does not deliver.

  1. Rental fraud: with a total loss of £4,270,255

Rental fraudsters often target students looking for university accommodation. Fraudsters ask students to pay fees in advance without seeing a property first, and as a result they lose money as well as somewhere to live.

  1. Online shopping fraud: with a total loss of £9,199,951

Often fraudsters will create fake websites or replicate legitimate online stores to trick customers into providing their personal and financial information for a purchase that isn’t real. This can lead to those details being used for criminal activity.

  1. Ticket fraud: with a total loss of £1,053,493

Fraudsters will use opportunities, like highly in-demand events, to target students by selling fake tickets. Students looking for cheap deals for freshers’ events can also be targets.

What can you do to protect yourself from fraud?

Here is some guidance to help students and others protect themselves online, whilst starting the new the school or university year.

  • Protect your online accounts: the password you use for your email account should be different from all your other passwords for online accounts. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
  • Be cautious about how you send money: avoid paying via bank transfer and don’t be pressured into transferring large sums of money. Any trusted organisation will not force you to transfer money on the spot and only a fraudster will try to rush you. For making purchases online, use a credit card if you can.
  • Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or contact on social media: from seeing unbelievably good deals on tickets, to seeing a suspicious rental property advertised, always double check the authenticity of what you are going to buy online before making a purchase or paying upfront fees.

How to report suspicious emails and texts 

  • Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk
  • Report suspicious text messages or spam calls free of charge to 7726

For more tips on student safety: actionfraud.police.uk/studentsafety

If you’ve lost money or provided your financial information to someone, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Destination Success Bootcamp. Canterbury campus 8-10 November

Free Destination Success Bootcamp, 8-10 Nov

The Careers and Employability Service are running the ‘Destination Success Bootcamp‘. This is an exciting, 3-day intensive training programme with the purpose of helping you map out your journey to success and build confidence in your abilities. This programme is suitable to those across all years, including recent graduates.

This programme will be delivered face to face on the Canterbury Campus (Friday 8 November 12L00-16:00, Saturday 9 November 10:00-16:00 and Sunday 10 November 10:00- 16:00).

The programme will focus on:

  • Understanding you – This module aids self-reflection so you can better understand how you work, this will include completing a personality profile, exploring your personal values, your strengths and development areas, imposter syndrome and the power of positivity, finishing with looking at what you want to get out of life.
  • Navigating you – This module with focus on how to nurture and build good relationships, focusing on team dynamics, exploring learning styles and rules of teamwork, having challenging conversations and how to communicate in the workplace.
  • Universal Life Hacks – This final module will give you a toolbox of ideas to hit the ground running, including decision making, planning, prioritising and delegating, mapping your skills and looking at whether you would employ yourself.

Find out more and book your place.

If you have any queries, please email studyplus@kent.ac.uk

campus sign

Global conflicts and your wellbeing

Although you may wish to stay informed, it is important to be aware of your limits.

Distressing events around the world, such as the recent escalation in cross-border attacks in Lebanon, Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza, can have a big effect on our mental health. It is absolutely natural to feel anxious and frightened, and to feel that events are out of our control. You may be feeling disturbed by the images you have seen on the news. You may be feeling worried about the safety of loved ones. If you have lived through similar events yourself, the current crisis may be bringing up some very traumatic memories.

Staff in Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) are here to support you during these unsettling times and are running ‘War, Conflict and World Disasters Emotional Support Drop-ins’ in Keynes College (in the Red Room) every Monday from 12:00-13:00.

SSW have also put together the following tips and advice:

Try to be intentional in how you are consuming news, avoid long ‘scrolling through’ sessions 

  • Take a break from watching the news – consider checking in at certain times of the day only.
  • Mute or turn off news notifications on your phone.
  • Mute or unfollow social media accounts if you are feeling overwhelmed, or limit your news intake to once or twice a day.

Make time for people, activities and actions that are positive for your wellbeing 

What helps will be different for each person, but here are a few ideas; 

  • Connect with friends and family members. 
  • Go for a walk in the fresh air. 
  • Listen to a podcast. 
  • Listen to some soothing or inspiring music. 
  • Write out your thoughts and feelings in a journal. 
  • Go to the gym. 
  • Grab a coffee with a friend. 
  • Connect with nature.
  • Try to have a regular sleep pattern.
  • Try to eat healthily which will help when you are feeling emotionally depleted. 
  • Listen to some guided meditations as these can really help as a distraction from racing thoughts.

Focus as much as you can on hope 

Amidst all the horrors of war, there are also reports of wonderful acts of courage, bravery and compassion. The majority of people are committed to peace, with global efforts to support victims of war reflecting this. 

Student Support and Wellbeing – professional support at university 

Did you know that Kent has a professional support service of over 100 specialist staff? We’re here to support you with mental health, disabilities, and neurodiversity such as specific learning difficulties or autism, through 1:1 support as well as peer support groups and events. Here’s a video of top mental health tips from our mental health team. To book an appointment with the team email kentSSW@kent.ac.uk or if you are at Medway MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk

Emergency support 

If you feel you need urgent support from our team from Monday to Friday 9:00 – 17:00, please phone on 01227 826573 for the Canterbury campus or 01634 888474 for Medway or email KentSSW@kent.ac.uk or MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk and ask for urgent mental health support. 

Out of hours support from Spectrum Life and other providers 

Feel like you really need to talk to someone but the Student Support offices are closed? Check out the Emergency Support page with details on online and telephone support available round the clock, such as our partners Spectrum Life, who you can call in the evenings and at weekends on 0800 0318227 and pressing option 1. Spectrum also has an amazing online app that is available for free for all University of Kent students. See instructions on how to access the app and you can do guided mediation or use the online virtual exercise groups.

Kent receives its first Race Equality Charter Bronze award

We are proud to announce that the University has achieved its Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award from Advance HE – a major milestone in our work to identify and address the barriers facing our racially minoritised students and staff.

The Race Equality Charter provides an externally recognised framework to help universities improve the representation, progression and success of racially minoritised people in higher education.

To reach this point the University’s REC Self-Assessment Team have been actively listening to and engaging with our racially minoritised students and staff about what it is like for them to work and study at Kent. There has also been the analysis of a large amount of data and benchmarking. This work has highlighted areas for urgent, future and continuous improvement and it has led to recognition and reinforcement for a number of outcomes and initiatives to improve race and intersectional equality across the University. These include our:

Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, the University’s Acting Vice-Chancellor and President said: ‘This award is an important reflection of the collective progress made to improve the culture, experience and outcomes for our racially minoritised students and staff. I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible through their commitment to anti racism and determination to help reduce racial inequalities and ensure that Kent is a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. There is much more to do but this achievement is an indication that we are heading in the right direction.’

Kent is hosting this year’s Living Black at University Commission conference on 8 October, the theme of which is ‘Engaging With Equity’. Conference delegates will have access to practical university case studies on actions taken as a result of Living Black at University and the Commission, including a Black student panel, hosted by Student Minds.

Further information on our Bronze Award and the work we are doing to challenge racism can be found on our Challenging Racism webpages. If you would like to get involved please contact equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk.

Black History Month 2024 with graphic of key Black figures

Black History Month: find out what’s on

Black History Month national theme – Reclaiming Narratives 

October can only mean one thing. Black History Month is once again being celebrated at Kent across all our sites. This year, the national theme is Reclaiming Narratives and this has never felt more pertinent. This theme is not just about revisiting history; it’s about taking ownership of the stories that define Black culture, Black contributions, and Black identity. It’s a call to action for Black communities across the UK and here at Kent to step into the role of storytellers, historians, and custodians of Black heritage. For far too long, Black histories have been narrated by others, leading to distorted portrayals that fail to capture the full breadth and depth of Black experiences. 

Black History Month is an opportunity for us as an organisation to celebrate and recognise the myriad of ways in which Black people have contributed to the arts, science, culture, history and technology of Britain and the wider world. It allows us to shine a spotlight on those achievements, and also provides a platform for staff and students to discuss and reflect on their own experiences. It is organised by a team of people that include the BAME Staff and Student Networks and representatives.  

What’s on at Kent

Events to look out for include the Vision and Voices student showcase featuring a panel discussion on the topic of Reclaiming Narratives, the Nigerian Independence Day party in the Venue, an Afrobeats Brunch, the Woody’s BHM Quiz, an exhibition in Keynes featuring the work of Abolore Sobayo on the life and works of Professor Wole Soyinka and inspired by his significant literary works, quotes, book cover designs and his beliefs in Yoruba mythology, guest speaker Andrew Morris, film screenings and more, including a wealth of online resources.  

You can find out about everything that is on offer on the Black History Month webpages 

Get involved with our Caribbean Creation series 

At Kent, we are committed to ensuring that all our students and staff, including our Black students and staff, have the best experience possible whilst they are with us. It is important for us not to limit this celebration to just one month a year. That is why we have #Black365; a series of events and activities that take place throughout the year that continue the legacy of Black History Month. This BHM we are launching our Caribbean Creations series, and are asking staff and students to get in contact with us to showcase their Caribbean heritage inspirations and heroes. These can be individuals from the worlds of politics, food, literature, academia, sport, music, art, science or even your friends and family who have inspired you. Please send us a short piece (written or filmed) and a picture describing who they are and why they are a hero to you by the end of the month. All entries will be showcased as part of the #Black365 campaign after Christmas. Entries and queries should be sent to Becky Lamyman on StudentEDI@kent.ac.uk. 

Race Equality Charter Bronze achievement

This year we are delighted to announce that we have achieved Race Equality Charter Bronze status. This achievement acknowledges the work and labour that our staff and students have undertaken over recent years to make Kent a place that strives to be anti-racist, advances equality of opportunity, is committed to a decolonised curriculum and advocates for students and staff from racially minoritised backgrounds. The award is just the start of the journey; now the real work towards the realisation of our 5-year Race Equality Charter action plan begins. You can find out more about this work on our Challenging Racism webpages.  

Report + Support

Black History Month can be a time of celebration, but also highlights injustices, past and present. The increased awareness of racism during Black History Month can be challenging. Use our online reporting tool ‘Report and Support’ to be part of a culture shift and get the support you need.   

Feedback

We really hope you explore and enjoy all the different events and activities that have been organised by staff and students for staff and students. We are always seeking to improve though, so if you have any ideas for the future, or feedback, please do get in contact with us on StudentEDI@kent.ac.uk 

Happy Black History Month 24! 

#BHM24