On Saturday 27th April Gateways to the First World War presents a free lecture-concert with the Invicta Concert Band at Westgate Hall, Canterbury, as part of our AHRC-funded public engagement programme.

Dr Emma Hanna (School of History) and Dr Helen Brooks (School of Arts) will bring together their respective expertise in the histories of wartime music and wartime theatre to explore the story of the West End during the First World War. In August 1914 theatre managers were worried about the impact of the war on their businesses. Yet rather than causing a decline in theatre-going, the war provided a much-needed boost to the British theatre industry. Across the country theatres played a vital role in the war effort: encouraging recruitment, raising money for various war charities, and maintaining the morale of both civilians and service personnel.

With the Invicta Concert Band and professional singers bringing the songs to life, this is a unique opportunity to experience the music and stories from some of the biggest hits of the war years, including Chu Chin Chow, A Little Bit of Fluff, and The Bing Boys Are Here.

A must for any fan of musical theatre and theatre history!

Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Concert starts at 7pm. You can book your place online.

The University of Kent Players present a live recording of The Maltese Falcon, a staged radio play performed outside in the Eliot Cloisters, Canterbury on 4 and 5 May 2019.

In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman. As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows… Entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, Sam realises he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejewelled Maltese falcon.

Radio dramas were once the most popular form of entertainment and were usually broadcast as live performances. This performance recreates the entire experience – from actors performing to a foley team creating sound effects such as slamming doors and gun shots.

The performance duration is approximately one hour. This is an outdoor event, bring a picnic, a blanket and relax outside as we take you back to the golden age of 1940s radio style entertainment. Tickets can be bought online here.

Situated in the heart of campus, Eliot College is accessible to all. Visitors can park in Eliot Car Park (recommended), Becket Court Car Park, and Keynes College Car Park. If using sat nav use post code CT2 7NS.

What is a Staged Radio Play?

Radio dramas were once the most popular form of entertainment and were usually broadcast as live performances. The staged radio plays performed by the University of Kent Players aim to recreate the entire experience- from actors performing to a foley team creating sound effects such as swimming pools and doors slamming.

You can view a highlight reel from the University of Kent Players November 2017 staged radio play – The Philadelphia Story.

Funny Rabbit, the comedy club created by Dr Oliver Double, Reader in Drama in the School of Arts, is a new kind of comedy club – radical and exciting, but also warm and snuggly as a bunny rabbit. Whether you’ve never seen live comedy before or you’ve been watching it for decades, Funny Rabbit is for you.

The third show on 12 April 2019 features star acts Vikki Stone, who has appeared on The John Bishop Show (BBC1), The Now Show (Radio 4), as well as This Morning (ITV), and Jack Gleadow, winner of Great Yorkshire Fringe Comedian of the Year 2017, Amused Moose National New Comic 2017, and Leicester Mercury Comedian 2018. The show will also feature a joke competition from Olly as host and compere.

In addition, two students from the School of Arts will be performing guest acts: Christy Hinchliffe and Patrick Mckinley, who are both studying on the BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre programme.

Tickets cost £5/£7. For details and to book, please click here.

The Department of Religious Studies will be hosting the 2019 Kent-Ghent Asian Studies Day with the theme ‘Health, Well-Being and the Body’, at the University of Kent on Saturday 18 May.

Organised by Dr Leslie de Vries, Lecturer in East Asian Studies, the event is open to students, staff members and the general public, and will explore ideas on health, well-being and the body in a variety of Asian cultures. Combining diverse methodological approaches from the humanities and social sciences, the speakers will cover a wide range of fascinating topics, including meditation, traditional medicine, self-cultivation and modern perceptions of ‘good food’.

The aim of the day is not only to showcase teaching and research on Asia at the universities of Kent and Ghent but also to stimulate debate across academic disciplines and to enhance comparative reflection by taking Asia seriously. How Asia can contribute to the medical humanities and social sciences? How should we raise growing awareness in regards to decolonising the curriculum? The Kent-Ghent Asian Studies day will answer these questions and more, and is the first in a series of research and teaching events focused on Asia organised in the framework of the strategic partnership between the University of Kent and Ghent University.

Nominations can now be made for the 2019 Graduate School Prizes.

The Graduate School annual prizes were set up to recognise the excellence of its postgraduate researchers and the outstanding work carried out by academic and administrative staff members in support of postgraduate research and education.

There are five categories:

• PG Researcher
• Research Degree Supervisor,
• School Director of Graduate Studies
• Postgraduate Administrator
• Postgraduate Teacher

Apply or nominate a candidate now via the Graduate School website. Deadline for nominations is 8 May 2019, and winners will be announced on 30 May 2019 at the Researcher Showcase.

The Department of English Language and Linguistics are looking for students to support the English Hub for Refugees project, taking place during the Summer Term, every Tuesday from 11:00 to 13:00.

The project helps unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers aged 16 to 18 to integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education by working with them to improve their English language and computer literacy skills.

The project involves undergraduate and postgraduate students teaching English to the young refugees for two hours every week. Students work very closely with the refugees using an online programme, which also allows them to develop computer literacy skills, as some of them have not used a computer before or do not have access to a computer at home. Developing English language and computer literacy skills are key for the refugees to be able to access mainstream education and to work. Many of the young refugees who started the project in 2016 are currently attending college.

Students are interested in volunteering as part of this project can contact Dr Gloria Chamorro at G.Chamorro@kent.ac.uk.

Eliot College presents ‘TS Eliot – In Different Voices’, an evening of poetry, prose, music and drama, on Wednesday 10 April

The event, in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall, Canterbury campus from 19.00, features the works of TS Eliot, Charles Dickens, Sergel Rachmaninoff and Mozart. It will be followed by drinks and canapes

Tickets, priced £6, are available from Gulbenkian box office – email boxoffice@kent.ac.uk or click on Gulbenkian webpages.

Kent Union, Kent Hospitality and Kent students came together recently to host the Cultural Food Festival; the first event of its kind at the University.

The event, held in Rutherford Dining Hall on Wednesday 20 March, was part-funded by the International Partnership Fund and sponsored by the Kent Opportunity Fund and Kent Hospitality.

As one of the many events organised as part of the busy Worldfest 2019 programme, the festival highlighted the diversity of the University, promoted global and cultural awareness and gave cultural societies the opportunity to share their culture through cooking and serving food to students and staff.

Sasha Langeveldt, Vice President (Activities), started planning the event in conjunction with Kent Hospitality in October 2018. When elected, her aim was to create a sense of community for our students, while celebrating different culture and creating social change. Sasha wanted to organise the Cultural Food Festival in response to a demand from cultural societies who had expressed their desire to share their culture through food. Students and staff were welcomed to the festival to celebrate the night not only with food, but also with tradition, native dress and live performances.

Sixteen cultural societies cooked 29 different dishes with help and guidance from Kent Hospitality’s chefs, overseen by the University’s Chef de Cuisines, Ben Elsbury and Rob Grimer, in Darwin and Rutherford College kitchens. In total, students created 940 dishes to serve to hungry customers, and dishes ranged from muhalabiya to souvlaki, butter chicken, stuffed vine leaves, mapo tofu and many, many more. Kent Hospitality enjoyed the challenge of sourcing authentic ingredients to ensure the dishes created were a true representation of the students’ culture. Geoff Wilcox, Food and Beverage Manager of Rutherford Dining Hall, was heavily involved throughout the planning of the event, and was on hand throughout the day to check the societies had everything they needed to make the festival a success.

The success of the Cultural Food Festival can be credited to the partnership between the University’s students, Kent Union and Kent Hospitality. Working together to organise, promote and run the event proved to be an invaluable experience for all.

We are inviting all staff and students to take part in our ‘Belong and Grow – it’s your BAG’ week, taking place from 13 May.

The aim of the week is to celebrate diversity, promote wellbeing and encourage learning for all staff and students. The week encompasses EDI and Mental Health awareness, Learning at Work week, Deaf awareness week, International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and the staff networks.

We have 40 bookable events and more!

We are confident that you will find something that you will enjoy being a part of.

The full timetable is available here and you can view more details and book your place through Eventbrite.

If you have any questions, please email LDev@kent.ac.uk, or call Helen Oliver on 3487.

What are they?

Progress Profiles are an information sheet produced for students that show you personalised progress and attendance information. They are produced regularly throughout the academic year for all undergraduate students. Progress Profiles show SDS information in a simplified, graphical way making it easier for you to spot anomalies and identify possible areas for improvement, especially when revising for exams. They are also a great starting point for any discussions you have with your Academic Adviser so you can make the most of your contact time with them.

Where are they?

Your current and all previous Progress Profiles can be found on MyFolio. Simply click the ‘MyFolio’ link at the top of your Moodle page and follow the link to Progress Profiles.  Progress Profiles can be viewed, saved or downloaded as required.

Where can I find more information?

For more information about Progress Profiles go to

https://www.kent.ac.uk/studentsuccess/progressprofiles.html

or email studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk