Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Canterbury IS Service Disruption: Friday 18 March

From John Sotillo | Director of Information Services

** Updated 17.00, Friday 18 March **

Following my earlier update this morning and the regular progress reports on the IS blog, teams have been working throughout the day to get affected systems back online. Here’s where things currently stand:

Wi-Fi and networks

We have been working throughout the day to restore Eduroam across all campus buildings. This should be back up imminently – however, as we are still in the process of restoring systems, there may be further periods of disruption over the weekend as things come online, so do check back if you can’t get access. It will also remain unavailable outdoors throughout the weekend.

Student PCs

Wired connection in campus accommodation has also been coming back online throughout the day and should be fully restored shortly. In the meantime, student PCs are still available throughout the campus.

Affected buildings

The Kennedy Building should be returned to normal usage this evening; Jennison remains largely out of use for the time being. Alternative arrangements are being put in place where necessary to support those affected by this, including rescheduling timetabled events.

Deadlines and Mitigations

Given the impact this will have had on a number of students, we sent out confirmation earlier today that all deadlines for work due today have been extended to Monday 21 March. In areas most affected by the outage, Divisions have arranged separate extensions, with all students informed.

We will provide a further update on Monday morning when we should have a clearer picture following further work over the weekend.

John

John Sotillo | Director of Information Services

Bake and Book Sale – £1000 raised for Ukraine humanitarian crisis!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Bake and Book Sale on Tuesday 15 March in Colyer-Fergusson.

As a university community we raised around £1000 for the Red Cross emergency relief fund for Ukrainian refugees.

Thanks to every who made cakes, gave books and of course to everyone who attended the event and generously donated!

The event was organised by staff members Kasia Senyszyn and Lucie Maslin, supported by fellow staff and students.

Leftover fiction and children’s books were donated to Books For Africa, another charity initiative.

If you have any further ideas about how the University community can support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, please do let us know by emailing ukraine-support@kent.ac.uk.

Events roundup: 14-20 March

All week: WorldFest celebrations

WorldFest is our annual celebration of cultural diversity at Kent. This year’s festival includes the International Food Festival, Student Showcase, Holi celebration on campus and much more! Check out the WorldFest events.

Monday: Online Module Registration (OMR) and karaoke night

Online Module Registration opens today for undergraduate students. It is not first come first served, but in order to give you the best opportunity to register for your preferred choice of modules, make sure you submit your selections by Friday 25 March.

Whether you’re at Canterbury or Medway, on Monday evening you can enjoy some karaoke! Sing your heart out at Woody’s Karaoke or if you’re at Medway you can head to the Deep End for a Eurovision themed karaoke night.

Tuesday: Bake and Book Sale in Solidarity with Ukraine, and This Kent Girl Can free activities

We’re holding a Bake and Book Sale between 12.00-15.00 in Colyer-Fergusson Foyer to help raise funds for the humanitarian crisis taking place in Ukraine. Find out how you can help through baking or donating books.

Want to try out something new? Kent Union’s ‘The Kent Girl Can’ series of events are a great of opportunity to give a new sport or activity a go. On Tuesday you can try out boxing, cheer and volleyball. And look out for more This Kent Girl Can sessions throughout the week.

Wednesday: Considering postgraduate study? #StayOn #StandOut, and College Games

On Wednesday we’re holding multiple events so you can find out about postgraduate study at Kent. Find out if a Master’s in the following subjects could be right for you – Politics and International Relations, Psychology, Anthropology and Conservation and Economics.

#StayOn and #StandOut at Kent.

On Wednesday evening, get a team of 5-10 players together and participate in fun mini games to determine who is the best College, including an obstacle course and nerf battle. It’s £2 per player which will go towards Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Friday: Student International Showcase

Join us for an evening of music and dance as we enjoy performances from student societies as part of the WorldFest celebrations. The International Showcase is a true variety show with a range of unique, original and uplifting performances from Kent students. Book your free ticket.

Reminder: one month until Graham-Roger Competition closes (£1000 prize!)

How would you change the world? Submissions can take the form of an essay, article, poem, speech or video. Enter for the chance to win the £1000 Graham-Roger academic prize! The deadline for submissions is 10 April. Find out how to enter.

Browse all student events.

How would you change the world? £1,000 Graham-Roger prize

The University has launched the Graham-Roger academic prize for students at secondary schools and FE colleges across Kent and Medway. It will also provide current University of Kent students with the opportunity to win £1000.

The theme for the inaugural Graham-Roger Prize is based on President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 address in which he said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ Kennedy’s address inspired American people and the world to see the importance of civic action and challenged them to contribute to the public good.

University of Kent students are being asked to say how they would change the world. Submissions can take the form of an essay, article, poem, speech or video.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories as judged by the University’s awarding committee. Each category will also have a runner-up prize of a £100 gift voucher.

Year 10 – Tablet (equivalent to £300)
Year 11 – Tablet (equivalent to £300)
Year 12/13 and FE students – £1000
University of Kent students – £1000

The deadline for submissions is 10 April and the winners will be announced at an event in May 2022.

The Graham-Roger Prize for International Citizenship is generously supported by the Marchesi-Reggiori Fund and is dedicated to the memory of two men, one from the USA and one from the UK, both of whom survived Japanese prisoner-of-war camps during WWII.

More details on the Prize and how to enter can be found on the University’s Graham-Roger Prize webpage.

Kent Star: Inspiring Intern Sami

This month, we’re celebrating Inspiring Intern Sami, who stood out to our Employability Points Team for his enthusiasm and dedication to undertaking skill developing co-curricular activities. Sami gained his internship at Reflect Digital through our Employability Points scheme. Hear from Sami:

“I’m Sami Bakaitis and I’m a final year student studying Classics with Italian. I love to travel to unique places and make the most of my time there, such as farming on a volcano in Sicily. Fun fact, I traversed through the Vietnamese jungle at the age of 16! My interests change frequently but I always enjoy going for a run so I can clear my head and keep fit.”

Tell us about your time at Reflect Digital.

“After a skills workshop with Becky Simms, I learnt that the Employability Points scheme was offering students with enough employability points the opportunity to apply for an internship at her company Reflect Digital. As a result, I joined as many sessions that applied to me and undertook extra-curricular activities that would get me extra points, such as starting a blog or updating my LinkedIn profile. Many points later, I was finally able to apply for the internship, ace the interview, and begin my journey with Reflect Digital!

The internship was intense but in the best way possible. The team at Reflect are considerate and always made sure that I was happy with the work I had been assigned. Even though I worked primarily on SEO, I was exposed to many other sectors such as PPC and social media advertising.

From the very first day I was immersed in a transparent workplace that felt relaxed yet always moving. My work consisted of learning the ins and outs of SEO through thorough research and quizzing my colleagues. After a week, I was set copywriting tasks and keyword research for clients. Copywriting involved following a detailed brief and writing a piece of content for the client while following SEO guidelines to help the article rank well. Although there was a numerous amount of copywriting tasks, I did enjoy writing them as the topics were wildly different such as writing content on how often you should replace your mattress to the benefits of cloud computing!

I was sad to go at the end of the internship as I still have one more year to finish at university, but it did give me a lot of confidence in my future career path and skills which I transferred into my uni presentations and assignment research methods.”

What advice would you give to other students?

“Advice I would give to other students is that having a routine is paramount if you want to achieve your goals as it creates free time to be more productive. Dedicating meaningful time to learning a new skill is the best way to explore new career paths. I highly recommend taking an online course to get a surface understanding of the subject and seeing if it is something that you might enjoy. Moreover, mindfulness is a great way to recentre yourself if you keep feeling stressed from all the work. I joined the Mindfulness society here at Kent during lockdown in 2021 and it was the best decision ever!”

What are your plans for the next year?

“I will be taking an exciting role at Reflect Digital in early April as a PPC Analyst. This varying job will push me to explore new areas of digital marketing and learn a range of useful skills. One of my goals for the future is to start my own digital marketing company, and I believe that this role will help me work towards this goal.”

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.

LGBTQ+ Mythbusters are back and open for applications

What is LGBTQ+ Mythbusters?

LGBTQ+ Mythbusters are University of Kent students from the LGBTQ+ community who go into secondary schools to speak to students (16–18-year-olds) candidly about their experiences, both in terms of their sexuality and/or identity, their coming out process and about university life in broader terms.

We have run the Mythbusters programme since 2015 and have over 100 alumni who have all said that they found being part of the programme incredibly beneficial, and they wished that something like this had been available to them when they were at school.7

How does it work?

Mythbusters are put into teams (minimum two people per team, up to four) and allocated to a group of approximately 30 students. Students ask their questions anonymously by writing them on post-it notes and submitting them. The Mythbusters then pull the questions individually and can choose whether they wish to answer them. All groups are supervised by a teacher from the school.

The aim is for young people to be able to ask questions in a safe and supportive environment that they may not previously have felt comfortable or able to ask, to find out more about life in university for someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and to ask questions about their own experiences and emotions that they may be unsure about from someone who truly understands what it is like.

Do I get training? What is the time commitment?

Each School session lasts for approximately 1 hour, normally with at least 2 rounds of questions being submitted (we have noticed that the school students relax much more and are much more forthcoming with questions during the second round). There is sometimes the opportunity afterwards for students to speak to the Mythbusters on a 1:1 basis.

We train you and pay for your transport to the sessions and you are entitled to collect Employability Points. All Mythbusters need to commit to at least one school session, which run throughout the Summer Term. Please see the LGBTQ+ Mythbusters Role Description for more information.

To request an Expression of Interest form, email rsl7@kent.ac.uk by 20 March.

Events roundup: 7-13 March

Here’s a quick round up of our top events this week:

All week: Creative Careers Week events

This week is National Careers Week and at Kent, we’re hosting a Creative Careers Week. We have events around TV and online broadcasting , gaming, the arts and much more.

Don’t miss the Kent and Creative Access Showcase on Monday, 17.00-18.00 to hear from Kent and Creative Access alumni about their creative careers in marketing, music, performing arts and television.

Monday: Consider your wellbeing

Our Student Support and Wellbeing Team are hosting a lunchtime tea and coffee drop-in session for students affected by the Ukrainian and Russian conflict at 13.00 in Keynes. This is open to all students and is facilitated by two Mental Health Advisors.

You can also try Sleepercise at Woody’s 15.00-16.00, which involves gentle background music, mats and blankets to create a feel-good and calming session.

Or give yoga a go, 17.15-18.15 at the Hub, Medway to calm your mind while moving your body.

Tuesday: International Women’s Day and British Asian Heritage Week deadline

Tuesday is International Women’s Day. Check out the Library’s Women’s History reading list if you want to find some books and resources on the topic. And keep a look out on our social media as we celebrate some of the amazing women at Kent.

Tuesday is also the deadline to share your stories and photos for British Asian Heritage Week at Kent. Did your family come to Britain from South Asia in the 30s, 40s, 50s or later? We’d love to hear from you.

Thursday: Kent Union Leadership Elections voting day and plant giveaway at Medway

Thursday is time to vote for your Kent Union full-time Officers! Your Kent Union Officers represent students across the University so make sure you cast your vote. Voting is open 7.00-22.00 and you can vote in person or online.

Student Support and Wellbeing will be outside Drill Hall Library 12.00-14.00 on Thursday giving away plants and answering your questions around mental health support as part of University Mental Health Day celebrations.

Friday: Kent Union Elections results night

The votes are in… who will be your new Kent Union Leadership Team for 2022/23? Come to the Venue, 18.00-21.00, to find out and celebrate with the candidates.

Browse all student events this week.

National Careers Week: What career support is there at Kent?

This week is National Careers Week (7-11 March 2022) and so it’s a great time to remind yourself about all the careers support on offer at Kent. Our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you now, and for three years after you leave Kent.

Whether its finding internships and work experience, volunteering, or your dream graduate job, we are here for you. We can even help you with selecting postgraduate study options.

Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser

You can access our help through online or face-to-face appointments using our booking system, where you will find 15-minute Quick Advice appointments, 45-minute Careers Guidance appointments, or even practice interview slots for when you have a job interview lined up.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do after Kent, a Careers Guidance appointment will help you in making decisions and future plans.

If you just have a quick question, or would like a CV or application reviewed, a Quick Advice appointment is best.

Online resources

We also have a wide range of online resources that can help with achieving your next career goal. We have an online CV reviewing system that can check your CV and even match it against a job description, giving you a real edge over other applicants. If you haven’t got a CV, or think it might need a lot of work, we have some handy guides to CVs and applications.

We also have a practice interview system that will help you improve your video interview performance.

If you find yourself being invited for an assessment centre, you might want to check out our practice tests which give feedback on how you are performing. If you’re looking to gain some experience, but want to work remotely, we have a guide to developing skills at home.

Help getting your dream job

We also have the Careers Award, which takes you through the process of thinking about, and planning for your future career – and you get 60 Employability Points for completing it!

If you want help getting into your dream job, we have some helpful guides on working in different roles and sectors, or alternatively, you can find out what people go on to do that have studied the same subject as you.

Events and workshops

We also run a large number of events and workshops at which hundreds of employers every year come onto campus to give insight into the world of work. This includes our sector themed weeks where we soon have charities and NGOs, Inspiring Women, Creative Industries and Science and Data.

This week, we’re also hosting Creative Careers Week to bring a spotlight to different creative industries and careers you might be interested in.

Earn Employability Points

Don’t forget, that any activities that you do, are likely to give you Employability Points, which can help you gain work experience and internships.

Industrial Action Update

From Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education and Student Experience

I want to bring you up to date on the UCU marking and assessment boycott that is due to begin tomorrow (Thursday 3 March).

As I said in last week’s email, we do regret that the Union plans to go ahead with this action, though we are continuing our talks with the local reps to see if we can reach a solution and avoid the boycott.

Webpages – more information and support

We have updated our webpages with information about what we know so far about what the marking and assessment boycott will involve, how it might affect you, and what we are doing to ensure your studies continue as smoothly as possible. You will also find sources of advice and support.

There is also some background information on the reasons the UCU has called this boycott.

What this means for you

Although it is impossible to tell at the moment what effect the boycott will have on individual students, we are continuing to put in place mitigation plans so that no-one is disadvantaged by this action. The effects are likely to vary from Division to Division, depending on the number and spread of UCU members taking part, and we will be monitoring the situation closely day by day and taking action where necessary to protect your studies.

Once again thank you for your patience during this period. I recognise that it has been a difficult time for you all; we are doing everything we can to limit the effects of the industrial action on you and your studies.

With all good wishes,

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education and Student Experience

Covid-19 Vaccination pop-up, Canterbury campus, 2 March

Join the thousands of students getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

We’re running an additional vaccination clinic on campus on Wednesday 2 March, 13.00-16.00. in the Old Santander Bank on the Canterbury campus.

Come along for your free Covid-19 vaccination – 1st, 2nd and booster vaccines are all available.

For 18s and over the gap is 8 weeks after the first dose and 12 weeks for the booster after the second. Anyone who has recently had Covid should wait for 28 days before getting their vaccine/booster.

Can’t make this date? Find a Covid-19 vaccination centre near you in Kent and Medway.