Following this morning’s tragic Air India incident in India, we are monitoring developments and working to ensure everyone connected to the University is safe. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this very sad situation.

Support available

If you concerned about this news would like support, you can get in touch with Student Support and Wellbeing Monday-Friday 9:00-17:00:

• Canterbury students – KentSSW@kent.ac.uk or 01227 823158
• Medway students – MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk or 01634 888474

Or you can access 24/7 support via our partner Spectrum Life, who offer online, text and telephone support.

It’s the last week of the Summer term and the last week of the academic year for our undergrads!

Staying on or near campus over the Summer? See our Summer at Kent webpage for events, support and facility and service opening times.

Monday 9 June: Whitstable trip and planning your career

If you live in on-campus accommodation, you can take a break from exams and join your RLAs for a relaxing day trip to the charming coastal town of Whitstable! Known for its colourful beach huts, fresh seafood, and artsy vibes, Whitstable is the perfect day trip for those looking to unwind and explore somewhere new.

Need help planning your career? This online session will help you plan your career and consider how you may need to be more flexible and creative in your career strategy.

Tuesday 10 June: Mindful colouring with Counselling team and graduation career help

Members of the counselling team will be available to answer any queries you may have about therapy and mindfulness in Nexus on Tuesday 12:00-14:00. There will also be mindful colouring on offer.

If you’re graduating soon, learn about key services provided to students and graduates as well as useful tools to help you in your next steps. Don’t forget, you can continue to access the Careers and Employability Service for three years after you graduate!

Wednesday 11 June: KSU donation drive, butterfly walk and therapy dog

Moving out soon? Kent Students’ Union is making it even easier to give back to the student community. On Wednesday and Thursday, they are doing donation drives for the Campus Pantry and Freecycle, so you can donate food and homeware items. On Tuesday the donation point is in Park Wood and on Wednesday it’s The Plaza outside the Venue. Find out what you can donate.

On Wednesday afternoon you can join Bella from Kent Wildlife Trust in the Kent Community Oasis Garden to learn about butterflies and moths and Wilder Blean. You’ll be observing and counting species to report to the Butterfly Conservation.

It’s the final Pause for Paws event of the academic year! Say hello to Coco the therapy dog in Nexus and take some time to de-stress and recharge.

Thursday 12 June: CV and cover letter support

Need some help with your CV or cover letter? This online session contains practical information, hints and tips to create CVs and cover letters with impact.

Friday 13 June: Gardening

Everyone is welcome at Kent Community Oasis Garden, whether you’re an expert gardener, a complete beginner, or just coming along for a chat. There are open volunteering sessions at Kent COG every Wednesday and Friday, 10:00-14:00 (drop in).

Saturday 14 June: Charity table tennis event

On Saturday, the University of Kent Table Tennis Society and Canterbury Table Tennis Club are organising a charity table tennis day in support of Ping Pong Parkinson (PPP) and Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapies (PCIT), which is based at our Canterbury campus.

The event is taking place at The Prince of Wales Youth Club and is £7.50 per player to attend. The day is about having fun, building connections, and encouraging accessible activity for everyone—no matter your experience or ability.

Opportunities and reminders

• Please return any library books, especially if you are in final year or are moving away for the Summer. Remember, books you have borrowed can still be reserved by other people during the vacation.
• Graduating in July? You can book Bed & Breakfast accommodation on campus for you and your supporters.

Living on or near campus over the Summer? Here’s a list of summer service and facility opening times:

• Borrowing books and studying in the library: See opening times for Templeman Library, Canterbury and Drill Hall Library, Medway.
• Asking your queries at Nexus: Nexus in Templeman Library is open 9:00-18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00-18:00 on Saturdays (closed Sundays). Check the Nexus webpage for the latest updates and to access Nexus online.
• Accessing wellbeing and disability support: Student Support and Wellbeing are open Monday to Friday 9:00-13:00 and 14:00 – 16:45.
• Eating on campus: Our catering outlets have different opening days and times over the summer. See catering outlet opening times. For the campus shops, Library café and Woody’s, see the KSU website or visit their Instagram @kentstudentunion.
• Getting careers advice: The Careers and Employability Service remains open 9:00-17:00, Monday – Friday throughout the summer, so you can continue to book appointments and work on your career.
• Getting study support: The Skills for Academic Success team are available Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00.
• Collecting post or asking questions at your accommodation reception: See reception opening times.
• Spending time at Medway campus: The Hub will remain open throughout the summer but at limited times. Follow The Hub on Instagram to stay up to date. The Deep End is now closed until September. Reminder – the Campus Shuttle does not run outside of term-time.
• Keeping active: You can still use the campus sport and fitness facilities over the summer, check out the Kent Sport vacation opening hours. A full timetable of social sports and classes runs throughout the vacation.
• Accessing KSU services: For KSU services including the Campus Pantry, Advice Service and more, see the KSU website or visit their Instagram @kentstudentunion.

Please note, most services and facilities will be closed on the summer bank holiday (Monday 25 August).

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

See our Summer at Kent webpage for all events and support for students living on or near campus over the Summer.

Congratulations to Brendan, captain of the Volleyball team at Medway, who recently won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sport’ award as well as ‘Best Team’ and ‘Best Society’ for Volleyball at the Medway Activity Awards! Hear from Brendan:

“My name is Brendan Papp, and I am in my last year as a Journalism student at the University of Kent. I have been the volleyball president for two years here in Medway, and I am also the Editor-In-Chief of Inquire, the student newspaper at Kent. On top of those, I am the sole student representative for my class, as well as the longest tenured International Student Advisory Board member. Aside from school, I primarily play football and write. I grew up in Washington D.C. and moved to England for university in 2022.”

Congrats for your recent awards in volleyball at the Medway Activity Awards! Can you tell us about the volleyball team you captain and what this experience has meant to you?

“I was very lucky when I joined the volleyball team around three years ago. Alex Kitchen was the president at the time and became a mentor. Alex was not only a phenomenal player, he was also a great leader and a great coach. Alex constantly inspired the team around him through not only his words but his actions too. That stuck with me. I saw the community he was trying to build, and when he left, I knew I wanted to continue his outstanding legacy. Though I was never the player, or the natural leader he was, I had to try. Thankfully, with the team around me, we were more than successful.

Medway is a difficult place to drive engagement as it is a much smaller campus than Canterbury with a much smaller student body. Creating a community with volleyball at its centre had its roots, but we had to expand it to continue volleyball as a sport.

We surpassed all expectations for what a Medway sport is thought of achieving. We had up to 50 people come to games, for both men’s and women’s. People showed up in theme, costumes and colours, to show team support. We proved that the stereotype of apathy in Medway does not actually exist. We do have passionate people here. Students care and will work hard to create something we could all be very proud of. This is my legacy.

I am so happy to have been part of the team that created the best volleyball community in the country. We play in the park weekly now that the season has ended. Afterwards, we play mafia or watch a movie; we stick together. First year, only a couple of my friends played the sport; now, nearly every single one of my friends plays the sport. We are growing yearly, and I am excited to see how we grow next. Konstantin Schmidt and Prakriti Gurung are going to do amazing things for this society and for the entirety of the Medway campus. That continuation means more than any award I will ever receive.”

 What advice would you give to other students?

“I wrote an editorial column this year for Inquire. In each edition, I gave a different piece of advice, but it was all under the same umbrella. Self-love is so important. It is the first piece of a puzzle; if you do not have it, you need to find a way to find it. The rest of the puzzle pieces are a lot easier to fill: teamwork, passion, and doing your best. I hate the notion of being a try-hard being a bad thing. It is not, it is a great thing. It means you have a competitive drive in whatever you do, to be your very best at it. You cannot get stronger unless you push yourself further than you thought you could. Your mentality is the same. When you feel like giving up, do not stop, because that is when you just passed the starting line.”

What are your plans for the next year?

“I will be moving to Madrid in October to start my sports management course with Real Madrid. When doing my work with volleyball and Inquire, I realised how much I loved working with other people. It was my true passion. I am excited to start my master’s there, and it will be my first step to impact the world of sport. I have many different dreams in how I will use that degree, but one is starting to stick out. Community engagement: I love watching a community grow around a central idea or sport, and I want to help people who might not have access to this type of community gain access to it. I am confident I will learn and acquire the tools to help people in new ways.”

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

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.