Author Archives: Alice Allwright

Kent Sport will temporarily close

It has been decided that in order to protect the safety of our customers and staff, all sports and fitness facilities will temporarily close from Thursday 5 November in line with the national lockdown. We will remain closed until Wednesday 2 December, unless otherwise advised. We are, understandably, upset by this news and we know you will be too. Rest assured, we will be back as soon as possible.

Any updates on our service will be shared through @UniKentSports on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as soon as we are able to. We also have a dedicated Coronavirus webpage for more information.

The Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic will still be able to provide face-to-face physiotherapy and GP referral appointments at the clinic, as well as online consultations. Sports massage and other services are currently unavailable.

Although we won’t be able to provide a physical location for your exercise, we are moving more services online to help you stay active at home. We’ve added some fantastic at-home workouts to our Stay Well @ Home webpage, and we’ll continue to build on this content as we move through lockdown. We’re also recording some of our most popular classes for you to access at home.

From the team at Kent Sport, we hope you stay safe and well and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

National lockdown update and letter from the Government

From Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience:

All universities have been asked to forward a letter to our students from the Minister of State for Universities in which she explains how the national lockdown which will come into force on 5 November will affect you and your studies.

As the Vice-Chancellor said in her email which you will have received yesterday, we are committed to providing you with the best possible education and student experience which is in line with Government guidelines for the lockdown period.

We will continue to offer a mix of online and on-campus teaching/supervision in a Covid-safe environment. Our on-campus accommodation will remain open, as will the libraries and study spaces. Our catering outlets will also remain open, but it is likely that they will need to move to a take-away service and some may need to adjust their hours of operation.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the detailed information we have available online to support you during this challenging time. We will continue to update this information in response to changes in government guidelines.

I would also like to stress that we are here for you. We offer a range of services for our students including wellbeing and support, finance, online learning, IT, housing, accommodation, and immigration.

We are currently waiting for further information from the Government and will write to you again as soon as we have more details.

In the meantime, please continue with your current patterns of study and please talk to your School if you have any immediate concerns.

Best wishes

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience

Care first webinars w/c 2 November 2020

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 2 November – Friday 6 November) webinars are as follows:

Monday 2 November 2020 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 3 November 2020 – ‘Managing Stress & Pressure’
Time: 14.00-14.45 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 4 November 2020 – ‘Stress, Anxiety & Sleep’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 5 November 2020 – ‘How to keep motivated when you’re feeling stressed’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 6 November 2020 – ‘he links between Nutrition, physical activity and stress’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Dr Gloria Chamarro receives grant for Refugees project

Dr Gloria Chamarro, Lecturer in applied linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, has received a grant from the Orange Tree Trust and The Thomas Sivewright Catto Charitable Settlement for her work on The English Hub for Refugees project.

The project helps refugees and asylum seekers gain the English language skills they need in order to integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education and jobs while also allowing University students to gain teaching experience. Apart from the English classes, the project also develops language learning materials for refugees and migrants, which are freely available in our Materials section.

Gloria says: “Thanks to the funding received from the Orange Tree Trust we will be able to continue supporting unaccompanied refugee minors with their language skills so that they can successfully integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education and jobs. It will allow us to continue with our English classes as well as with the development of language learning resources to support these and other migrants for two more academic years.”

Oxford University, Hinduism and Narnia: Nostalgia interview with Jessica Frazier

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Head of the Department of Religious Studies, interviews Jessica Frazier, former University of Kent member of staff and current Lecturer in Theology and Religion for the University of Oxford.

Jessica was born in Washington D.C. and came to England when a child. Jessica reveals how she fantasized about going to Narnia as a kid, and we learn about the appeal of Thailand where it is always summer – indeed, a portal into something magical.

Jessica also talks about teaching Hinduism at Oxford, how she wanted to be an explorer growing up, why she has become more of a Platonist as she gets older, why she has never been frightened of solitude, and how it is okay to be a nerd.

Attitudes to Perinatal Mental Illnesses – Study for recent parents

Are you an expectant parent or did you become a mum or dad last year?

You are invited to take part in an online study about your mental health and wellbeing around the time of the birth of your child.

If you want to take part then click on this survey.

Led by the NHS Kent and Medway Partnership Trust, with the University of Kent as one of 24 formal participant identification centres, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a perinatal mental health multimedia campaign (PATHMC) in England. In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, the study also includes questions which aim to assess the differential impact of COVID-19 on parents and partners.

Care first webinars w/c 26 October 2020

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 26 October – Friday 30 October) webinars are as follows:

Monday 26 October 2020 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 27 October 2020 – ‘Tips for improving posture’
Time: 14.00-14.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 28 October 2020 – ‘Fear & Anxiety’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 29 October 2020 – ‘How the Pandemic has affected how people have accessed support’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 30 October 2020 – ‘Finding joy in 2020’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Halloween Web Hangout

All students are welcome to join this fun, Halloween-themed, Web Hangout on Wednesday 28 October at 12.00!

Meet new students, take part in a fun Halloween-themed quiz, a bingo themed game, plus a chance to test your drawing skills to win points and so much more.

Join us for for a chance to win a voucher of your choice.

Fancy dress is optional!

We look forward to seeing you there.

To sign up fill out this MS Form

Applied health and social care researcher survey

Are you a health care professional, social care professional or an applied health and social care researcher in Kent, Surrey or Sussex currently involved with, or interested in, applied research? Then NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC KSS) would like to hear from you.

ARC KSS is keen to find out how your interests align with its themes and hear about your learning and development needs and preferences. The findings from its survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, will help develop and shape the ARC KSS Academy’s activities that will support applied health and social care researchers across the region, over the course of the next four years.

If interested please complete the ARC KSS survey

If you have any questions about the survey please email ARCKSSacademy@kent.ac.uk

Would you like to be part of a Global Campus Read?

Kent students are invited to join a common reading experience with West Virginia University (WVU), USA.

Each year, WVU engages its campus and community with a Global Campus Read to foster dialogue, critical thinking, and participation. This year’s chosen read is ‘The Girl Who Smiled Beads’ by Clemantine Wamariya.

This online course running from 19th January – 30th March will encourage conversation and collaboration between students from West Virginia University and other universities around the world. Students will have access to virtual Campus Read events, and on completion of the course, students will receive a transcript from WVU.

Please go onto the Global Education website to find out more and to register your interest.

Deadline for applications is 1 November.

If you have questions about this course, please contact studyabroad@kent.ac.uk