Author Archives: Ronke Adeyemi

Kent Hospitality Housekeeping staff raise £500 for local homeless charity

The Kent Hospitality Housekeeping team have raised £500 for Catching Lives which is a local homeless charity. They organised a festive Christmas raffle which topped off a fantastic year of fundraising activities.

Becky Verlin and Lydia Lee from Kent Hospitality Housekeeping team made the donation in person to the Canterbury based charity on Wednesday 4 December.

Becky said: “Catching Lives were extremely happy to receive our donation. I am humbled and very proud of the support from staff throughout the year for their generosity for this fundraising and to achieve over and above our expectations is a credit to all.”

Catching Lives is an independent charity aimed at supporting the rough sleepers, homeless and vulnerably housed in Canterbury and East Kent; those who have, for many reasons, fallen through the gaps in society and feel they have nowhere else to turn.

BBC Radio 4 produces documentary based on Anna Katharina Schaffner’s research

BBC Radio 4 has produced a documentary called Exhaustion: A History based on the research of Anna Katharina Schaffner. Anna Katharina is the Reader in Comparative Literature and Medical Humanities for the Department of Comparative Literature.

Are we really more exhausted today than we have ever been before? This programme sets out to discover a forgotten history of listlessness, burn-out and fatigue.

A couple of years ago, I noticed there was a really extreme increase in reports about stress and exhaustion,” Anna explains in the programme, “I found, to my great surprise, that exhaustion really is a ubiquitous concern that many people in many different cultures over many different years have worried about.”

Medway Elf Day and afternoon tea, 6 Dec

Elf Day will take place on Friday 6 December at the Medway Campus to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.

Medway College would love to see as many students and staff in elfish wear as possible. It could be an elf t-shirt or even just an elf hat but please all join in with the festive fun (£2 donation for dressing up or down). On the day, please don your favourite festive gear and bring some cash to help spread some cheer for people affected by dementia.

Micky at the Medway Building reception will be selling raffle tickets to win a tasty elf cake (you can see a photo of the cake at reception). There may also be a cupcake or two for sale in the morning. All proceeds raised will be donated to Alzheimer’s Society.

Join us over in No1 Bistro from 15.00 for afternoon tea and the turning on of the festive lights on the tree. Take a break, play some games, chat with fellow students and staff and enjoy some nibbles. Register for your free afternoon tea by Monday 2 December.

Elf t-shirts are available from Primark, Tesco and Asda from £6, elf hats are available from The Works for just £2 (student discount available). There are also some fab outfits available on Amazon and eBay.

Thank you so much for joining us and we look forward to seeing everyone’s outfits!

Customer Service Pride Award – nomination deadline 4 December

The PRIDE Award recognises members of Kent Hospitality staff who go out of their way to deliver excellent customer service.

Do you know of a Kent Hospitality staff member (permanent or casual) who has shown excellent customer service during the Autumn Term? If so, please take a few minutes to make your nomination online or pick up a paper form next to the red nomination boxes located in Kent Hospitality’s catering outlets and College reception areas – if you prefer you can also email pride@kent.ac.uk.

The nomination deadline is 12.00 on Wednesday 4 December.

Please make your nominations detailed, providing as much information as possible why the nominee should be considered for the award. The panel are looking for staff who achieve more than just what is expected in their role (i.e. hardworking, professional, positive and friendly attitude). Kent staff, students or members of the public can submit nominations.

The award is given out four times a year with each winner receiving £100 of shopping vouchers, a certificate and PRIDE badge.

Winter at Kent

If you are staying over in Kent during the winter break you will be delighted to know that there are many activities for you take part in.

From our campuses at Canterbury and Medway to the town centres, there is everything from visiting Christmas markets, sightseeing, attending the theatre, going Christmas sale shopping or even sledging.

While our campuses have a limited opening hours you will still be able to access the library, IT services, restaurants, bars and sports centre.

With regards to Medway and Canterbury the festive period will be a great chance for you to explore the local area and take part in the many activities.

You can find out about the campus Christmas hours here.

Travel regarding Brexit

If you are a UK National travelling abroad during the Christmas period you will need to head to the UK Government Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) for information where they have a dedicated website with up-to-date travel advice after Brexit.

You can get latest updates from the FCO Travel Advice Twitter feed (@FCOTravel) and via the hashtag #PrepareforEUExit.

The University’s Estates team has information on travel disruption around campus. Many travel providers also have specific Brexit advice relevant to their services on their website, including Eurotunnel and National Express.

If you are not a UK National there will be no change to the rights and status of EU/EEA citizens currently living in the UK until 31 December 2020. This means that if you travel outside of the UK during your studies, you should be able to return as normal.

Students who are non-EU/EEA nationals but are a dependant of an EU/EEA national should ensure that they hold a valid family permit.

For those coming to the UK from outside the EU, you will still be able to travel provided your Tier 4 visa is valid.

There is more information on the potential impact of Brexit on students on the Brexit pages of our website.

If you are staying over in Kent during the winter break you will be delighted to know that there are many activities for you take part in.

Estates Department closure on Friday 13 December

In order to permit members of Estates to participate in their Christmas lunch, the following areas will be closed or operating a reduced service from 11.30 on Friday 13 December:

Estates Customer Services will be closed from 11.30 and will re-open again at 08.00 on Monday 16 December. Anyone with enquiries about emergency defects should contact Campus Security on extension 3300. Authorised intranet users can still report non-essential defects via the Estates customer self-service portal or email estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk

The Postal Counter (for personal mail) will be closed on 13 December. All other Postal Services will be operating as usual.

The Design & Print Centre, including the Shop will be closed from 11.30. The Design & Print Shop will re-open again for orders and branded goods from 09.30 on Monday 16 December.

All other areas of the Estates Department will be operating as usual.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Student Innovation Events

The Hub for Innovation and Enterprise are offering two exciting events in second term, 2020. Both will enable students to gain vital innovation and creativity skills, as well as real world business experience and solutions. You will be working with successful businesses to solve real world problems.

i-Teams is an event run weekly for six weeks starting the 29th of January, at the University of Kent. Your bright minds and the university’s ground-breaking research will be combined to develop commercially viable strategies and build university-industry links. Teams, who are selected from across all academic disciplines, work with the support of their team mentor, the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce receiving mentorship and training. Teams then present their final conclusions to their business sponsor, along with an audience of business and academic experts. Supported by EIRA.

If you’d rather take a weekend off from everything and take part in exciting problem solving activities and outdoor adventures then sign up to the innovation weekender. Combining innovation and an adventurous weekend away, the innovation weekender challenges you to think innovatively in teams to work towards the challenges faced by industry right now. The Hub is offering accommodation and transport to and from Bowles Rocks, and food from the 6th until the 8th March; three days of teamwork, creative thinking and innovation, working on business challenges set by our industry partners. This event is free to attend, but a £15 deposit is required which will be refunded at the event. Supported by EIRA and in collaboration with UEA, Essex, Suffolk, NUA, Writtle College and Harlow College.

If you’d like more information please contact:

E: unikenthub@kent.ac.uk

T: 01227827376

GCDC Doctoral Scholarships 2020

The Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (GCDC) has launched a call for PhD applications for ten doctoral scholarships starting in September 2020. GCDC scholarships are open to new, full-time PhD applicants in any discipline (based in either Canterbury or Medway) whose research meets Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) funding criteria.

GCDC scholars will receive the following:

• Annual stipend at UKRI rates for 3.5 years (TBC but this was £15,009 for 2019/20);

• Annual tuition fees at UKRI Home/EU rates for 3.5 years (£4,327 for 2019/20);

• A Research Training Support Grant of £1,500 per year for the first 3 years of study; and

• Specialised interdisciplinary GCDC cohort training activities.

Applications for GCDC scholarships can be both student-led and project-led.

More information about GCDC project-led scholarships is available via the links below:

• School of Biosciences/School of Economics: ‘Investigating the diarrhoeal pathogens in vulnerable populations in developing countries’

• School of Anthropology and Conservation: ‘Human-elephant co-existence in a post-ivory ban landscape’

• School of Politics and International Relations: ‘Engaging citizens in Post-Conflict Reconstruction’

• School of Biosciences: ‘Defining the molecular basis and health benefits of traditional Asian medicines’

• Kent School of Architecture and Planning: ‘The Urban Agriculture Nexus: an investigation on urban food growing in the barrios of Bogatà’

More information
Visit the GCDC Scholarships page for more information on how to apply.

5th Annual HR Conference draws sector professionals to Kent

The fifth annual HR Conference last week welcomed just under one hundred HR professionals and sector workers to the University of Kent. The event took place at the Canterbury campus and the aim was to learn about and share their thoughts on wellbeing in the workplace.

The event is facilitated by the University’s business and innovation gateway, Kent Innovation and Enterprise, and this year’s sponsors were KIMS Hospital. The goal was to provide businesses and individuals with the knowledge to effectively look after employees and themselves, as well as spread awareness on methods and programmes one can use when struggling with stress and anxiety.

Wellbeing engagement and interaction was high, thanks to our brilliant speakers, and the interactive wall by Wellbeing People. The day included talks from academics as well as leaders in wellbeing from the local business community.

Woody’s have launched their festive menu

Christmas is in just under 5 weeks – how time flies. Woody’s is now taking bookings for Christmas Parties, so if you have not yet booked your department festival celebration, now is your chance.

You can book 2 courses for just £11 or 3 courses for £14 per person. They have a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dishes available.

Pre-orders need 24 hours’ notice for up to 10 people and 48 hours’ notice for groups of 10+ people. All bookings require a £5 deposit per person.

To find out more about Woody’s festive menu or to book a table, please head to our website.