Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Chair of Royal College of GPs to give Foundation Day Lecture

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), will give the University’s annual Foundation Day Lecture on Friday 27 September.

The title of Professor Stokes-Lampard’s lecture is ‘Healthcare Now and For The Future’. It will take place in the Gulbenkian Theatre on the University’s Canterbury campus 6pm – 7pm. It is free and open to all with no booking required but seating will be on a first-come basis.

The Foundation Day Lecture celebrates the University’s many achievements since receiving its Royal Charter in 1965.

Professor Chris Holland, Dean of the new Kent and Medway Medical School, a collaboration between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, said: ‘I am delighted that Helen will be giving this year’s lecture. She has been an exciting and inspirational leader and role model for General Practice. She embodies the vision of contemporary General Practice that will encourage our future graduates to consider this route as a career.’

The RCGP is the UK’s largest Medical Royal College, representing over 52,000 family doctors across the UK and internationally. The Chair shapes policy and leads the strategy of the College, working with politicians, policy makers and the media to ensure that the ‘voice’ of general practice and GPs is understood and represented.

During her time as Chair Professor Lampard-Stokes has built alliances and collaborated across the breadth of health and social care with the aim of improving the working life for GP’s and insuring the highest possible standards of care for all.

She is a part-time GP partner at a practice in Staffordshire and a professor in the Medical School at the University of Birmingham (Chair of Undergraduate GP Education).

Prior to training as a GP, she worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for several years and this experience shaped her clinical and academic aspirations. She was a personal mentor for doctors in difficulty in the Midlands until 2016, a scheme supported by the West Midlands Deanery and RCGP Midland Faculty.

How to look out for each other

At Kent we’re a community who look out for each other. Here are a few ways to help you look out for your friends and class mates.

Download the SafeZone app

SafeZone is a free campus safety app for all students and staff, giving you quick access to first aid, security or safety assistance.

SafeZone is an easy way to connect to Campus Security, who are on campus 24/7 365 days a year!

More about safety on and off campus.

Stick together and plan your journey home

Always plan your journey home and stick with your friends.

There are lots of buses that run during the night-time in both Canterbury and Medway. The Uni2 bus in Canterbury is a 24 hour service between the city centre and campus.

Getting a taxi? Make sure it is registered.

If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation in Canterbury where you need to take a taxi back to campus or to the police or hospital, you can use the student safe taxi scheme to get a registered taxi back to campus and pay the funds later.

More about getting around.

Check in with your friends

Remember to check in with your friends and course mates to see how they are doing.

If you or a friend needs some extra support, there are plenty of resources available. Contact your School or College Master in the first instance for academic help and any other worries. Your School or College Master will be able to help you, or refer you to someone who can help.

You can also check the wellbeing services that Student Support and your Students’ Unions offer, providing help and advice on a range of issues.

Find support through the Buddy Scheme

Sign up to Kent Union’s Buddy Scheme either to find a buddy or to volunteer as a buddy. Buddy volunteers are there to give you a helping hand and offer you support and friendship. The buddy scheme is available for Canterbury and Medway students.

Inform Kent (InK) online reporting tool

Everyone should feel secure at Kent—we’re here to support you. InK is an online reporting tool that helps record details of incidents such as sexual assault, harassment, relationship abuse or hate crime. Find out more about the services available with Student Support.

A returning student’s checklist

Welcome back! If you’re returning to Kent after the summer break, here’s a helpful summary for settling back in.

Timetables will be on the Student Guide before term starts on the 23 September 2019.

Lectures for all modules and stage 2 & 3 module group allocations will be released on Monday 9 September 2019.

For Stage 0 & 1 modules, group allocations will be finalised by Friday 20 September 2019.

You must be registered on your modules for your personal timetable to show. Continue to go back and check your timetable regularly for updates including other events. Read our Timetabling FAQs.

You will need to register on SDS from Tuesday 17 September 2019 (now OPEN) so we know you’re definitely coming back. You don’t need to register in person or attend arrivals weekend. This is for new students. Please pay any outstanding fees to the University so you can register and delays are avoided. To ensure swift payment of your student loan, you are advised to re-register by Wednesday 18 September 2019. It takes 3-5 working days from the point of registration for funds to be released to your account. Read more.

Term starts on Monday 23 September 2019. Welcome Week is the week before (16-20 September). View term dates

If you’ve got a new phone, tablet or laptop, get it Kent WiFi-ready before you come back to campus by running our WiFi setup tool. For friends or family visiting campus, WiFi Guest is available for those who don’t have a Kent IT Account, an eduroam account or govroam account.

Living off campus is very different from living in University accommodation. Read our community webpages for information on bills, bins, neighbours and much more!

Highlights and new developments include:

The new Kent and Medway Medical School – with their first students starting in September 2020.

The Mandela Building is becoming the new home of Kent Union’s Jobshop, the Full Time Officers, the Advice Centre, sports, societies and volunteering. Mandela will also have a small study/social space, a student kitchen, student toilet facilities and union offices.

There have been renovations to the Sail and Colour Loft, home to Kent Business School at Medway.

There are more places to study in Templeman library including study pods and techno-booths for group work, and individual study carrels for private study.

Medfest doubled the number of visitors attending the festival and was a great success, with rides and live performances.

The School of Economics has moved to the Kennedy Building, which is located between the Sports Centre, Jennison and opposite Sibson. The Kennedy building provides more dedicated social and meeting spaces for students and staff. There are also 11 new central teaching rooms in the building including an IT suite.

Team Medway won the inter-campus Varsity 8-4 against Team Greenwich.

Over at the Pavilion in Parkwood, Kent Sport is working on a brand new indoor tennis and events area open to members.

Have a great 2019-20 at Kent!

Timetables now available for returning students

If you are a returning student, tour personal timetable is now available on the Student Guide if you are fully registered on your modules.

This will show your main group classes, such as lectures, and your group allocations, such as seminars or labs, for level 5 and 6 modules.

If you are taking any level 4 modules your group allocations will be finalised by Friday 20 September 2019.

If you have recently changed module or programme of study, there may be a delay to your personal timetable being available.

Continue to go back and check your timetable regularly for updates including other events. If you have more questions, read the Timetabling FAQs.

One Hour Degree narrative based adventure game

The One Hour Degree is a narrative based adventure game that simulates all the key elements of gaining a degree at Kent condensed into as little as one hour.

Developed by the Student Success Project, the game is designed to specifically address issues affecting the transition into university, to highlight best practice, allow students to take risks and see what repercussions this has on their results. As such, it is primarily aimed at students who are about to join or who have recently begun their degree journey at Kent, even though the game is available for anyone to play anywhere.

There are five independent ‘quests’ focused on:

Welcome Week
the first term
the rest of the first year
year 2
year 3

The game introduces key facilities, support networks and social opportunities that are available at Kent as well as being able to view stunning imagery of our parkland campus.

Players will earn ‘knowledge’ and ‘wellbeing’ points along the way as well as a badge for each completed quest. Together they will dictate the classification of the ‘degree’ received at the end before you have the opportunity to be part of your very own graduation video!

With more than 100 million unique pathways through the game, players can easily choose a different story path each time to see how different decisions result in different outcomes.

There has been considerable input from around the University including the Library Services team, Student Learning Advisory Service, Careers and Employability Centre, Student Support & Wellbeing and several Academic Advisors.

The game does not require a login or user account and can be played by anyone who has access to a web browser, on any device. Find the link to the game on the Hello Kent and Student Success web pages. Play the One Hour Degree now.

Kent Sport student membership update

Kent Sport is excited to announce new student membership options for 2019/20 available to buy online or at the Sports Centre and The Pavilion receptions.

In December 2018, Kent Sport and Kent Union launched the #FitForPurpose survey. Students and staff were able to have their say on Kent Sport membership and what they wanted out of their membership options. We listened to what you said and have made changes to our membership options.

Whether you want an all-inclusive membership or to use the gym and classes or even just to try a new sport – we have options for everyone.

• Premium Plus £245 – For less than £1.50/day, our all-inclusive membership combines the benefits of Premium and Plus. Enjoy discounted physiotherapy and massage, exclusive offers at The Pavilion Café Bar, bike hire, seven-day advance booking, and UNIversal BUCS membership.

• Premium £190 – From just 90p/day, this option gives you unlimited gym access, entry to all fitness classes, free access to our Let’s Play activities, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).

• Plus £175 – From just 84p/day, this option gives you free access to club training sessions*, intramural sports club entry, free recreational sports bookings, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).

• Pay to Play £5 – Our low commitment option gives you the flexibility to play when you want, with a £4.50 fee per session.

Make sure you check the benefits table to see what is available for each membership option.
“Over 2,500 students and staff filled out the survey, so thank you so much for making your voices heard! We hope these changes will greatly enhance the student experience.” – Emily Window, Vice-President (Sports)

We have listened to your requests for a more varied membership offering, giving you the opportunity to get active the way you want. We hope you love the new membership options and look forward to seeing you at Kent Sport!

“I would absolutely encourage all new students to get involved in sport. Even if you’ve not really played sport before coming to campus, there are so many different ones available of varying levels of ability and seriousness. Engagement in sport has 100% been my fondest memory of being at University.” – Ieuan Gale, Scholar of the Year 2018/19

New options are also available to the University of Kent staff, alumni and the public. For more details about all membership options, benefits, and terms and conditions at Kent Sport, visit kent.ac.uk/sports/membership.

To stay up-to-date with the latest Kent Sport news, activities and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @UniKentSports.

Sexual Assault Responders required for Medway Campus

Student Support and Wellbeing are looking to recruit staff to the Sexual Assault Responder (SAR) team at Medway.

The role of the Sexual Assault Responder is to provide immediate support to victims of serious sexual assault or rape at the Canterbury and Medway campuses out of hours (between 17.00 and 9.00) and at weekends. Currently we are only recruiting SARs for the Medway Campus.

Full training is provided, and SARs operate on a rota system. The role is to provide advice and guidance to victims of serious sexual assault or rape with regards to aftercare support procedures. The role is NOT a counselling role.

SARs receive a £100 remuneration for joining the team and completing the training, and receive £70 for the first hour of a call out, with time and a half for subsequent hours. Any transport costs are also reimbursed.

A Sexual Assault Responder must meet the following criteria:

• Be a University of Kent member of staff

• Be able to access the University of Kent Medway campuses within 45 minutes of receiving a phone call from Campus Security out of hours (considering the accessibility of a staff member’s usual mode of transportation when accessing the University)

• Attend a training session

• Have the permission of their line manager to register for the role of SAR.

For more information, to request a role description, or to express an interest in becoming a SAR, please contact Becky Wyatt in Student Support and Wellbeing rfw@kent.ac.uk .

Brush up your language skills or learn British Sign Language

Kent staff are eligible for reduced fees on the eight ‘Language Express’ world language courses run by the Centre for English and World Languages. You can choose from Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish at Canterbury, or French and Japanese at Medway.

The fees for staff are £269 for 40 hours of classes during the autumn and spring terms. Courses start in October and most classes take place in the evening.

As a member of staff, you can apply for 50% funding towards the course fees, whether or not the language studied is relevant to your role at the University. You may be awarded 100% funding if the language studied is directly linked to your current role. Please apply for funding via Learning and Organisational Development

CEWL also offers Level One and Level Two British Sign Language courses. The fees are £458 and £680. Please note that the funding does not apply to these two courses.

Find out more and book your place on the CEWL website

Success at TUCO Awards for Kent Hospitality

Congratulations are in order for the catering team at Kent Hospitality as they were awarded the prestigious ‘Member of the Year’ Award at the 2019 TUCO (The University Caterers’ Organisation) Annual Conference earlier this month, held at the University of York.

The award recognises the institution that has made the most significant contribution to the work of TUCO with Kent praised for their support of framework agreements, attendance at events, training courses, tender working parties and other activities. The other two shortlisted Institutions were the University of Manchester and the University of St Andrews.

Head of Trading, Keith Williams said on the win: ‘Our team are delighted to have won this award reflecting the efforts put in to bring a quality service to Kent. We have played an active role in TUCO over the last few decades, recognising it as the perfect platform to benchmark against competitors, train and develop our team and benefit from leading market research and trend data by remaining up to date on industry standards and contributing to the work of TUCO. To have this recognised is a great honour.’

TUCO is the leading professional membership body for in-house caterers operating in the higher, further education and public sector. They are committed to advancing the learning and development of catering and hospitality teams, and work to provide quality standards, advice and information to those working in in-house catering.

Hello Kent welcome campaign update

Every year we run our welcome campaign for new and returning students.

This year the welcome campaign is a joint University and Kent Union project and is part of the Hello Kent initiative, an outcome of the Welcome, Induction and Transition project commissioned by Student Experience Board.

The campaign will feature on buses and bus stops, buildings and poster sites, e-newsletters and digital screens as well as t-shirts worn by helpers and even a Hello Kent tent run by Kent Union.

The main welcome website, which includes advice blogs and events, is now live: www.kent.ac.uk/hello

Hello Kent branded images and templates for posters and plasma screens are now available to download from the branding website

Schools will receive printed Hello Kent marketing packs over the next few days.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, contact communications@kent.ac.uk