Author Archives: Wendy Raeside

EasterZone holiday camp returns!

Our children’s holiday camps for 5 to 12 year olds are coming back and they’re bigger than ever!

We’re now including non-traditional sports plus games and activity sessions in the daily timetable, including Nerf, Drums Alive, Mini Golf, New Age Kurling and much more. Your child will still receive professional coaching in traditional sports, such as football, rugby, and cricket, with all sessions being delivered by experienced and DBS verified camp staff, providing the perfect way to keep your 5 to 12-year olds entertained over the school holidays.

EasterZone

Our next children’s holiday camp is EasterZone on Monday 11 to Thursday 14 April 2022. You can book your child’s place here.

Booking and payment

Booking and payment for EasterZone 2022 is easy and can be completed through our EasterZone online store. A booking form will need to be completed for each child you wish to book on our holiday camps. Spaces can be booked either for individual days or the full four days. Spaces are limited so book your space early.

EasterZone 2022 prices

	University staff / student discount	Non University staff / student
One day	£30	£35
One week (four days)	£100	£120
Late pick-up (per child, per day)	£10	£10

Late pick-ups are available from 3pm to 5pm and include staff-led fun games and creative activities.

If you have any questions about our children’s holiday camps, please email sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 816391. Alternatively, please contact us if you would like to be added to our mailing list for future camps.

International Fair Use / Fair Dealing Week

The University is celebrating its strong tradition of creative reuse as part of international Fair Use / Fair Dealing Week

For the first time, Kent will be taking part in Fair Dealing Week from 21-25 February – a celebration of the flexibility in copyright law allowing creative reuse of copyright material.

At our online event (via MS Teams) on Wednesday 23 February from 17:00 to 18:30, we will demonstrate how research, education and engagement at Kent are underpinned by a copyright literacy strategy. We will also outline associated policy, which encourages Kent staff and students to make informed use of legal provisions.

Draft programme

Introduction from Professor Richard Reece – Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) and Chair of the Copyright Steering Group
The University of Kent Copyright Literacy Strategy and fair dealing – Chris Morrison, Copyright and Licensing Specialist
A Journey of Creative Reuse in Filmmaking – Dr Richard Misek, Senior Lecturer, School of Arts and independent film maker
Teaching Digital Arts students through games and play – Dr Alexandra Covaci, Lecturer, School of Engineering and virtual reality researcher
Parody, pastiche, pandemic songs and copyright – Dr Ben Marsh, Reader, School of History and musical director of the Marsh Family internet sensation. In conversation with Chris Morrison and Dr Jane Secker (co-founders copyrightliteracy.org).

Sign up now

Industrial Action at Kent

From Martin Atkinson | Director of HR and Organisational Development

On 27 January, we received notification that the University and College Union (UCU) has announced further strike days as part of the national disputes over the proposed changes to the USS Pension Scheme and over Pay and Conditions. This will take the form of two periods of action at Kent:

14 to 18 and 21 to 22 February
28 February to 2 March

The UCU’s mandate for Action Short of a Strike (ASOS) remains in place until 3 May.

We regret that this decision has been taken and that it has not yet proved possible to resolve these national disputes. Strikes inevitably lead to some disruption, but we will continue to work with our local UCU colleagues on all of the issues. As with the strike days in December, we have in place plans to mitigate disruption as far as possible for all our staff and students.

While we might have differing views on how to address the various issues, we all want what’s best for Kent. We showed this togetherness in December during a difficult period, and we were able to maintain good relations and minimise disruption for staff and students. I hope that we can all approach this next period of strike action in the same constructive way.

Martin Atkinson | Director of HR and Organisational Development

Sign up now to help at this year’s Celebration Ceremonies and Congregations

Thank you to everyone who has already offered to help at this year’s Celebration Ceremonies and Congregations.

Graduation is a key moment in the lives of all our students and, following the pandemic, we’re keen to ensure this year’s ceremonies from March onwards are extra special.

It’s great that so many colleagues across the University have already shown an interest, but we always need more help – for roles from ticket collection to graduate registration, ushering and handing out certificates.

Benefits for you

These are wonderful occasions to share with our graduates and help celebrate their success, but there are plenty of other benefits for you too, including:

The ceremonies are a great way to get to know colleagues in both your own team and across the University.
If you work two or more ceremonies, you will receive a free lunch/dinner.
If you’re on grades 1-6, you can claim for TOIL (time off in lieu) or overtime payments.
If you’re on a higher grade, you may be able to claim time back, subject to agreement with your manager.

Find out more

Watch our video on how you can help make our ceremonies extra special!

Further information on what’s involved is also available in our Congregations Factsheet and you can find out about the ceremony dates here. Feel free to email us at congregations@kent.ac.uk if you have any questions.

If you’re ready to sign up, please complete this form asap.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Liberty Chambers and Chloe Cooper, Congregations team

E-Learning webinar: ‘Pedagogy and Practice when teaching and learning Online’

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Wednesday 16 February from 14:00 – 16:45 (GMT), with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when teaching and learning Online’.

Agenda:

14:00 – 14:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction
14:05 – 14:20 – Professor Kathleen M Quinlan (University of Kent): Returning to the lecture hall? how to trigger students’ interest in large group settings
14:20 – 14:35 – Jessica Moody (Advance HE): Building ‘belonging’ in online teaching
14:35 – 14:50 – John Moran, Professor Debbie Holley & Adam Bancroft (University of Bournemouth): ‘Martian Attack: the story so far…
14:50 – 15:05 – Katalin Hanniker & Irina Niculescu (University of Surrey): Co-designing a module with students and staff from different universities, time zones and cultures
15:05 – 15:20 – Amy Rattenbury (Wrexham Glyndwr University): Locking down the fundamentals for Scaling Up your teaching
15:20 – 15:30 – Break
15:30 – 15:45 – Chris Morrison (University of Kent) & Dr Jane Secker (University of London): Copyright and online learning at a time of transition
15:45 – 16:00 – Dr Mark O Connor (University of Kent): Online and blended provision: What can we learn from MOOCs… and what else do we need?
16:00 – 16:15 – Ben Watson (UCL) & George Rhodes (University of Westminster): What are the foundations for meaningful adoption of a digitally accessible culture in the education sector? Lessons from multiple organisations.
16:15 – 16:30 – Dr Suzanna Klaf & Dr Amanda Irvin (Columbia University): Five Principles for Inclusive Teaching and Learning
16:30 – 16:45 – Dr Julie McGurk (Yale University) & Dr Jamiella Brooks (University of Pennsylvania): Rigor as Inclusive Practice

Please share

Colleagues from outside the University of Kent are very welcome to join this community and so feel free to circulate. Please ask anyone wishing to join to complete the Digitally Enhanced Education registration form if they haven’t already. We add them to the mailing list linked to the series.

If you would like to present at a future event, please submit a short synopsis and Phil Anthony will be in touch.

Best wishes,

The E-Learning Team

Condolences for Sir Crispin Tickell, former Kent Chancellor

We were sorry to hear news of the death of Sir Crispin Tickell, Chancellor of the University of Kent from 1996-2006.

Sir Crispin was a career diplomat. He advised four prime ministers and, as cited in his Guardian obituary, had formidable intellect and displayed impeccable timing when intervening in policy.

In a long career, he had often found himself in the right place at the right time. In 1956, as a junior Foreign Office official, he dispatched a Royal Navy destroyer to deter a threatened Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands, an intervention that was successful.

He was involved in many negotiations on behalf of the British government, from arms control with the Russians, to entry talks to the European Community in 1972. But perhaps his greatest contribution to forming policy was on the environment. He argued for mandatory international pollution control, something that is finally taking shape.

In 1977, while taking a sabbatical at Harvard he wrote Climatic Change and World Affairs, one of the first, and for at least a decade, the only book on the coming climate crisis, and what governments should do to prevent it.

Sir Crispin’s final diplomatic post was as British ambassador to the United Nations and permanent representative on the UN Security Council from 1987 until 1990. It was in this post that he played an active part in the talks to end the Iran/Iraq war.

Following “retirement”, Sir Crispin chaired Major’s government panel on Sustainable Development from 1994 until 2000 and was a member of two Labour government taskforces. He was warden of Green College, Oxford from 1990 to 1997 and Chancellor of the University of Kent from 1996 to 2006. He was also president of the Royal Geographical Society (1990-93) and the Marine Biological Society (1990-2001).

You can read the full obituary for Sir Crispin on Guardian online.

Kent’s response to EHRC statements on upcoming LGBTQ+ legislation

The University of Kent is committed to fostering a positive working environment where all staff are treated fairly, with dignity, courtesy, respect and consideration. We recognise that the response of some institutions, both international and national, regarding plans to legislate for a ban on conversion therapy in England and Wales, and Gender Recognition Act reform in Scotland, are placing our trans colleagues at an increased risk of harm.

We do not – and will not – tolerate discrimination and harassment within our institution. We have been pleased to see growing awareness of the diversity of the trans and non-binary community and increased understanding of the breadth of gender identities. Unfortunately, this visibility has come with a rise in hostility towards some members of the trans community.

We encourage all staff and students to actively engage in increasing their understanding of the issues facing the trans and non-binary communities and to take action to create a more inclusive environment. To understand more around the specific current concerns, the Stonewall response to EHRC statements on upcoming LGBTQ+ legislation and Mermaids’ response to the EHRC highlight the impact that this is having on the trans and non-binary communities.

This is situated in an ongoing context, where Trans and non-binary people face discrimination and harassment:

At work, including from colleagues, managers, customers and clients;
In public, including verbal and physical abuse;
Online, particularly on social media where targeted harassment, bullying and abusive comments and even attempts to find and share trans people’s previous names and current address are increasingly common;
Trans people also face barriers to accessing healthcare, such as long waiting lists for treatment.

As an institution, we are committed to speaking out when we witness or hear transphobia, challenging decisions that exclude trans people, including ways of thinking that perpetuate a rigid gender binary, learning how best we can support our trans colleagues at all times, and educating ourselves and those around us.

For members of our trans, non-binary and intersex communities

Network support

Join our communities – the Staff LGBTQ+ Network, Kent Union LGBTQ+ Network and Trans, non-binary, intersex and questioning peer support group are here to support you.

Gender neutral toilets

We recognise that this is a particular concern for trans and non-binary members of our community, and we have maps of both our Canterbury and Medway campuses highlighting the location of gender neutral toilets.

Harassment reporting

We fully support and encourage all our students and staff to report incidents of harassment and discrimination.

Rainbow Lanyard

The University of Kent Rainbow Lanyard celebrates and promotes our work around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Wearing one shows your commitment to providing a safe and comfortable environment for all of our LGBTQ+ staff and students. It also shows LGBTQ+ people that they can ‘bring their whole selves’ to you without fear of judgement or an unsupportive reaction.

For allies

We recognise that it can be challenging to know how to support other members of our community facing discrimination and harassment or speaking out when we witness or hear transphobia. Below are some actions that you can take.

Update your email signatures

Add your pronouns to your email signature, (Pronouns means how you identify — he/him, she/her, they/them, for instance — and how you’d like other people to refer to you. This is a great, inclusive practice for everyone, even or especially if you’re cisgender – if you’re not sure what this means, Stonewall have put together a helpful glossary).

Active Bystander training

‘Active Bystander’ is an innovative and award-winning training session which gives staff and students the skills to challenge unacceptable behaviours, including those which may have become normalised over time.

We have three sessions planned which are running in April, June and August all bookable via Staff Connect. Students have an online Bystander module that is part of the Expect Respect module on the student Moodle site.

Learn more about the challenges members of our community face

Online training in Staff Training Moodle on Transgender Awareness and LGBTQI – these are easily accessible, available at any time and give an introduction to the challenges members of our community face. We recommend that all staff engage with these training opportunities.

Access resources

Using the resources available removes the burden of questions, explanations and discussions from members of the trans community – the links below are an excellent starting point for people wanting to understand more.

Our LGBTQ+ network have a fantastic blog that covers ongoing news, events and challenges – stay up to date with the issues affecting the community.

Mermaids UK and Stonewall have easily accessible resources and Q&A that cover many of the relevant issues.

Rainbow Lanyard

EDI Forum: Join us for our first ‘open-access’ meeting on 3 February

Do you have an Equality, Diversity or Inclusion matter you would like to raise or discuss? The EDI Forum is the place to do this.

The EDI Forum provides an open-access channel for any member of the University (staff or student, regardless of location) to discuss an idea, issue, good practice initiative or concern relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity at Kent.

As the Forum is open to anyone, all meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. We strongly encourage members of the equality staff and student networks to attend, as well as Divisional and Trade Union equality representatives and leads.

The Forum will be chaired on a rotational basis by its members. The (Interim) Head of EDI will be in attendance to ensure relevant ideas, issues or concerns are raised, investigated and addressed directly with EDI Strategy Strategy Group.

The first meeting is taking place via Teams on Thursday 3 February from 14.00-15.30. If you’re interested in joining the conversation, please go to the EDI Forum webpage where you will be able to link directly through to the meeting.

You can also find out more about the EDI Forum on the EDI Forum webpage.

If you have any questions please email equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk (staff) or becky.lamyman@kent.ac.uk (students).

Time to Talk Day – Thursday 3 February

From Claire Chapman, Talent and Organisational Development Consultant

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation and it’s nearly here! Taking place on Thursday 3 February, it’s the day that we can all come together to talk, listen and change lives.

Why talking is important

One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year.We want everyone to feel comfortable talking about mental health – whenever they like. Talking about mental health reduces stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.That’s why opening up the conversation about mental health problems is so important – by talking about it we can support ourselves and others. Talking and listening about mental health has the power to change lives. Each conversation we have contributes to reducing mental health stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it

Walk and talk

Side by side conversations can make talking about mental health feel less awkward. Check out these tips for talking to help break the ice. Why not combine getting out in the fresh air with a chat, come and join the Walk and Talk on Thursday 3 February at 13.00. Meeting out the front of the Registry (Darwin Side), we will have a 30-minute walk around the campus, maybe taking in one of the routes of our campus walks. However you do it, have a conversation about mental health.

Support for you

Remember the University has a number of resources available to you, from the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to Mental Health Allies and our Training and Referral Scheme – full details can be found on our Mental Health and Wellbeing webpages.

There are also a number of resources available to help you on Time to Talk day – from interactive bingo, screen savers and meeting backgrounds to true and false information and a conversation starter game. You can download these and other resources from the Time to Talk website.

Claire Chapman | Talent and Organisational Development Consultant

Covid-19 International Travel Update – January 2022

From Mark Reed, Assistant Director of Finance (Procurement)

Following changes to the Government’s international travel guidance, you may now book work travel to regions no longer on the Red List.

Please remember, however, that there are still some specific regions where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises only essential or no travel.

Staff should not travel into regions where the FCDO advises against all travel, and should only travel to regions where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel when it is business critical and genuinely essential.

For any travel into a region where FCDO advises against all but essential travel, you will require a Travel Exceptions Authorisation Form signed by the Director of Division. You will also need a travel risk assessment, reviewed by our Safety, Health and Environment Unit.

Limited international travel

Taking account of both Covid-19 and costs involved, international staff travel should only occur where unavoidable and absolutely necessary. Conference attendance should be online where at all possible for the time being. Adding significant extra time to a trip for personal travel is in breach of our University Travel Policy You should not assume you will be able to travel as often as you may have done before the Covid-19 pandemic.

All travel should follow the Employee Personal Expenditure Policy – always check on our Finance webpages to make sure that you are using the most recent version of the policy.

Student travel overseas

Student travel overseas remains suspended until further notice and should not be booked this financial year unless it is essential to the subject studied and the promised student experience. Any student travel regarded as essential will require written permission, with a Travel Exceptions Authorisation Form, signed by the Director of Division.

Undergraduate students should not travel into any region where the FCDO advises against all travel or essential travel only. Postgraduate students should not travel into regions where the FCDO advises against all travel. Travel into any region where the FCDO advises essential travel only is subject to similar procedures as staff travel.

Find out more

Further information is available on our Finance webpages. If you have any queries, please contact any of us in the Procurement Team.

Mark Reed | Assistant Director of Finance (Procurement)