Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Getting around in Medway

Did you know that you we work with Arriva Bus Company so you can get a student discount on Arriva buses in Medway? We want to make it easier for you to get around, as well as reducing congestion and minimising carbon emissions.

We also have a free shuttle bus service between Medway and Canterbury campuses exclusively for Kent students and staff. Book a seat on the Campus Shuttle and explore the Canterbury campus. As a Medway student you are welcome to access all the facilities and services at the Canterbury campus as well as the Medway campus.

Kent students can also book the Greenwich bus from Medway to Greenwich at a cost of £3.50.

You can find the Transport Team in the Security and Transport Centre on the Canterbury campus. Or you can contact them via email TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk or telephone 01227 82 3609 if you have any questions about travel around or between the campuses.

Last chance to get Student Art Pass for £5

It’s your last chance to get Student Art Pass for £5

Don’t miss out on a year of art and opportunities, get yours today

A Student Art Pass lets you dive into culture on a budget with free entry to hundreds of museums and galleries across the UK, and 50% off major exhibitions.

Plus, you’ll gain access to paid opportunities in the visual arts and grow your network by joining the #WeAreArtful @StudentArtPass community. All for just £5 a year.

Available for a limited time until 12 December 2021.

Don’t miss out – get your £5 pass today.

Kent Union at Medway

Kent Union is your students’ union at The Hub. Being partnered with The Hub means you get the best of both worlds. The Hub is a quality £5 million venue jammed packed with activity, resources, support and fun for you to have the very best time at Uni.

Sports Clubs and Societies

They have a variety of student groups that you can join to help you have fun and meet people. It’s not too late to join a sport or society.

Give it a Go and Medway Move

Their events programmes includes our regular fitness sessions and a varied and diverse range of interactive activities, trips and events. You can sign up to everything from Pilates to crafts, trips to laser quest and social football! Keep an eye on their socials or on the The Hub What’s On webpage for the latest.

They have a dedicated team of staff at The Hub to help you access activities or run your own. Get in contact Monday-Friday 10.00-16.00 at the Hub Reception or email thehubmedway@gre.ac.uk.

Advice Service

With so much to think about with your studies you may find you need assistance with housing questions, your finances, or academic concerns. This might feel a little overwhelming so it is important to remember that you can access The Hub’s free Advice Service for confidential and impartial advice helping you make an informed decision to keep you on track.

The Deep End

This quirky bar and restaurant is actually built on top of the old naval swimming pool! Housed in The Hub building, the Deep End hosts events and socials as well as serving up some tasty food and drinks. Follow @thedeependmedway on Facebook and Insta to keep up to date.

Have Your Voice Heard

Kent Union aim to provide you with the tools to shape your student experience, feel empowered to make positive change through championing the views of your fellow students, collaborating on campaigns, and leading on meaningful action.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a way to gain skills, support your academic interests, boost your employability, meet friends, and help to improve the world. The Hub offers lots of volunteering opportunities for you to make the most of your free time.

Follow @thehubmedway on all social media channels to stay up to date and involved.

Support and services at Medway

Are you making the most of all the support and services on offer at our Medway campus? Here’s a quick guide of the support on offer and where to go to access it.

Medway Student Administration Team

The Medway Student Admin Team is responsible for student registration, online registration, record updating and much more. You can find them on the ground floor of Rochester Building.

Learn about all the ways the Student Admin Team can support you from council tax exemption to replacing your Kent ID card.

College and Community Life

As a Medway student you’re part of Medway College. Register your interest in joining the Medway College Committee to help plan and run events for students at Medway.

Learn more about College and Community Life and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Careers and Employability Service (CES)

There’s a wealth of information around careers on the CES webpages. You can also join career events and book an appointment with a Careers Advisor.

Find the Medway Careers Team on the ground floor of the Gillingham Building.

Student Support and Wellbeing

Student Support and Wellbeing supports students who have a disability, mental health condition, long term medical condition, autistic spectrum condition and/or specific learning difficulty, whether already diagnosed or suspected.

Our Advisers can help with Inclusive Learning Plans, study support, Disabled Students’ Allowance and counselling. They can also provide specialist support to students who have experienced sexual assault/harassment.

Medway Student Support and Wellbeing are based on the ground floor of Gillingham Building, room G0-05. You can pop in any time Monday-Friday 9.00-17.00, telephone 01634 888474, email MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk, or complete our registration form.

Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS)

SLAS are here to advise you academically whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student. They hold bitesize (15 minute) online events on topics to help you with your studies. You can also book a 1:1 advice appointment.

Medway Chaplain

Lynne Martin, our Medway Campus Chaplain, is here to support you through your academic journey, providing a listening ear for all students of any faith or no faith.

Find Lynne in the Chaplain’s Office in Pilkington (003/004) or you can email medwaycampuschaplain@gre.ac.uk. You can also follow the Medway Campus Chaplaincy Facebook page to find out about upcoming events.

Kent Union at The Hub

Learn all about how Kent Union can provide support and opportunities for you at the Hub.

Drill Hall Library

Drill Hall Library offers a variety of study spaces from individual silent study booths to relaxing sofas in the group zone. You can contact the Library Team by emailing dhlhelp@medway.ac.uk or calling 01634 883878. Get the latest news from your library on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Campus Security

Campus Security are on campus 24/7, 365 days a year. You can find Campus Security on the ground floor of the Medway Building next to reception. Come say hi and pick up a free personal safety alarm.

Finance

The Student Finance Team are committed to helping you understand the cost of study, how to manage your money and how to take full advantage of any financial support you are eligible for.

The team are based on the ground floor of the Medway Building and are available via email and telephone Monday to Friday 9.00-17.00.

Industrial action from 1 December 2021

From Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

As I updated you last week, members of the University and College Union (UCU) will be taking three days of national strike action next week from Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 December. We regret this, and are continuing discussions with our local union so that we do as much as possible to prevent disruption to your studies.

Why industrial action is taking place

We are one of a number of universities around the country affected by the industrial action, which is centred on national-level disagreements over Pensions and Pay and Conditions. While the overall decisions affecting the dispute are taken nationally, we appreciate the strength of feeling among some of our staff and take the issues on the ballot seriously at Kent. There is more information on what we are doing on each issue on our Industrial Action Student Webpages.

What this means for you

From Wednesday to Friday next week, it is probable that:

lectures or other timetabled classes may be disrupted or cancelled at short notice;

research activities could be cancelled at short notice;
other University services you use might be affected.

The Union is not obliged to tell us which of its members will not be working on the strike days so we will not know in advance what the level of disruption will be. However, we will share with you on Moodle any specific information we receive, and we recommend that you check your online course groups and your emails frequently to keep up to date about any changes that might affect you.

Wherever possible, we will work with staff to prioritise essential Student Support services so that these remain in place throughout the industrial action.

How to find out more

Alongside the information on our Industrial Action Student Webpages, Kent Union will be hosting student forums today and tomorrow where we can listen to any issues you would like to raise and answer any questions you may have. These will take place in The Venue at the following times, while you can also join online:

Tuesday 23 November, 12:00 – 13:00 (Join via Teams)
Wednesday 24 November, 13:00 – 14:00 (Join via Teams)

Your Divisional team will also be there to support you and will be in touch direct with details of who to contact with any queries.

Thank you for your continued patience as we manage this period, and I will continue to keep you informed of any updates as soon as I receive them.

With all good wishes,

Richard

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

Where to eat at Medway campus

NEW: Rich Aroma 21 food truck

Have you tried out the new Rich Aroma 21 food truck yet? They offer hot drinks, fresh cakes, sausage rolls and more. Find them outside the Medway Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays 08.30-14.00. Check out Rich Aroma 21 on Facebook and Instagram.

Other places to eat on Medway campus

The Deep End, The Hub
Pilkington Café, Pilkington Building
Archibald Hay Mess café, Drill Hall Library
Pembroke Café (Starbucks), Pembroke Building
Touchdown Café, CCCU Building

Did you know, as a Kent student you can get a 10% student discount at The Mess Deck and The Wagon Stop restaurants at the Dockyard?

We hope you find a tasty treat next time you’re on campus!

Disability History Month 2021 at Kent

Information on this year’s national themes, and what is happening at Kent that you can participate in over the next month.

What is Disability History Month?

Disability History Month is a yearly nationwide celebration from 18 November to 18 December, which was started to shine a spotlight on historical and current achievements and issues to do with disability.

UKDHM is the national organisation which strives to celebrate the lives of disabled people; challenge disablism or stigma around disability; and achieve equality. This year two themes were chosen: Disability, Sex and Relationships, and Disability and Hidden Impairments. UKDHM adheres to the social model of disability, in which the barriers of attitude, environment and organisation cause most of the disablism people face. At Kent we actively work to remove those barriers to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for everyone, and there is expert support for students with disabilities at Student Support and Wellbeing.

Disability, Sex and Relationships

For millennia, people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, have been de-sexualised, viewed as perpetual children, actively discouraged from forming adult relationships and, horrifyingly, sometimes actively segregated in single-sex institutions or forcibly sterilised. Thankfully, in the UK today all children, regardless of disability status, are entitled to sex and relationship education and action is taking place to break down previously held stigmas about sex in relation to disability.

Disability and Hidden Impairments

More than half the 13.5 million people currently identified as disabled in the UK have hidden impairments – which means many staff and students in our Kent community too. What’s a hidden impairment? This could be many very common physical conditions which you can’t immediately see, such as chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, heart conditions, diabetes, hearing or visual impairments. It could also be cognitive or neurological impairments such as specific learning difficulty like dyslexia, dyspraxia; neurodivergence, or mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar or schizophrenia.

Any of these ‘invisible’ conditions, whether temporary or permanent, can alter the way a person lives, works, studies and socialises, and being aware of the ways in which we can adapt to one another’s needs will help us create a more inclusive environment, in which everyone is respected, valued and equal.

DHM at Kent

As part of our work this month, we want to shine a spotlight on some of these challenging conversations about hidden disabilities and disability, sex and relationships, looking at where we have progressed but also where there is still work to be done in our own communities. We have developed an exciting programme of activity for all staff and students to engage with, both online and in person at our Canterbury and Medway sites. The University of Kent and Kent Union are proud to collaborate to raise awareness of the issues people with visible and invisible disabilities face today, and share ideas and opinions both within our community and the wider community to educate, de-stigmatise, and work together for a more inclusive and equal society.

The full programme is available on the Kent Union website, and some key highlights include: A virtual exhibition, consisting of TED Talks, documentaries and recommended films that explore the themes of the month which you can look through in your own time, or plan to read, listen to or watch with friends; workshops delivered by Mind Facility; Accessible Film Club screenings; Staff and Student sessions on support mechanisms for people with hidden disabilities; Accessible sport sessions.

We hope you enjoy the programme and that you use it as a starting point for deeper thought and conversations with your friends and colleagues. Follow #DHMKent21 on social media for the latest, and if you would like to contribute your experience and perspective to conversations, podcasts or articles on this theme during the month, please email StudentServicesWeb@kent.ac.uk.

Written by Natalia Crisanti and Becky Lamyman, 18.11.21

Industrial Action at Kent

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

Yesterday evening the University and College Union (UCU) informed us that the Kent UCU branch will be taking three consecutive days of strike action from Wednesday 1 December to Friday 3 December due to the ongoing disputes over national changes to Pensions and over Pay and Conditions. This follows their mandate secured in the recent ballots.

I know this may be concerning news for many of you and want to reassure you that we are actively working to put plans in place to minimise any disruption to your studies or research as far as we can.

What this means for you

On Wednesday 1 December, Thursday 2 December and Friday 3 December, it is likely that UCU members at Kent will not be working, which means that teaching or research activities on those days will probably be disrupted. There could also be disruption to some of the other services you use across the University.

How to find out if this affects you

While we know the days when strike action is due to take place, we won’t know in advance which members of staff will be taking part. This means that we won’t always be able to let you know ahead of any classes being cancelled – please check Moodle, any online course groups and your emails regularly in the run-up to the strike days for updates which we will share wherever possible.

How we will support you

We are here to support you throughout this period and we know how important it is that your studies continue as smoothly as possible. We will shortly share student webpages with information on what we will have in place to support you throughout any strike activity, along with the opportunities you will have to ask questions about this and who to contact with any queries.

We are also continuing to seek open and constructive dialogue with the Kent UCU branch to make sure we do all we can to avoid this planned action from taking place. I will keep you posted of any further developments throughout.

With all good wishes,

Richard

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

Using other academic libraries: the SCONUL Access scheme

Do you sometimes spend time in another university town and would like to use their library? Does another academic library have specialist material you’d like to consult? If they are members of the SCONUL Access scheme, you can!

Kent is a member of the SCONUL Access scheme, which gives you (our students and staff) borrowing rights or reference access at participating Higher Education libraries in the UK and Ireland. The scheme was suspended due to the COVID pandemic, but is reopening on 15 November.

To find out more about how the scheme works and to apply, visit the SCONUL Access website.

What access and borrowing rights you’ll get depend on the library you want to visit and on your academic status. If you’re a full-time undergraduate, you will be able to visit but not borrow from other SCONUL libraries. Staff, postgraduates and part-time, distance or placement students may get borrowing rights.

Once you’ve applied, we’ll process your application and check that you are registered at Kent and have no outstanding fines or overdue books.

Find out more about the SCONUL scheme and other ways to access material from other libraries on our using other libraries guide.

Collect your free Christmas Carol Concert tickets

Every year there is a magical candle-lit University Christmas carol service at Canterbury Cathedral which will be at 20.00 on 6 December 2021.

Entry is by ticket only, and you can get up to 3 free tickets per student.

To collect your free ticket to attend this year’s candle-lit University Christmas carol service at Canterbury cathedral, please bring your student ID to Grimond foyer at one of the times stated:

Monday 15 November 12.45 – 14.00
Tuesday 16 November 17.45 – 18.30
Monday 29 November 12.45 – 14.00
Tuesday 30 November 17.45 – 18.30

Tickets will be distributed on a first come first served basis. If you are unable to collect a ticket in person due to disability, please email Reverend Stephen Laird at s.c.e.laird@kent.ac.uk to ask for other arrangements to be made.