Category Archives: Student Guide

Student voter registration

Want to make sure your voice is heard in the next election? Register to vote with your new term-time address on your return to University.

Why do I need to register?
You will be deleted from the electoral register at your existing student address during July / August this year.

When can I register?
When you return to Canterbury in September / October, you will need to register to vote (www.gov.uk/register-to-vote) giving your new term-time address.

What if I don’t want to use my vote?
If you return and decide that you do not wish to register to vote in Canterbury, please send an email to electoral.services@canterbury.gov.uk giving your name, address and stating why you do not wish to register to vote.

When is the next election?
The next planned election for the Canterbury area is the City election which will be held on Thursday 2 May 2019.

The Green Room: From tree to building

A University of Kent Crowdfunding Platform is being launched by the Development Office to support student projects at Kent.

First up are a group of enterprising students who are raising money to build an environmentally sustainable round wooden timber-framed building – using materials taken from the University’s own coppiced woodland.

This exciting project will create a teaching, learning, and social space set within an ethnobotanical garden. They need your help to prepare the site, assemble the circular structure, add the roof, and then design and construct the floor and walls.

You can follow their progress on Facebook or on Twitter @tree2_b

The crowdfunding launches this weekend!

Kent Student Awards Gala Dinner 2018

On Friday 1 June, Kent Union and the University celebrated outstanding co-curricular student achievement at the 2018 Kent Student Awards Gala Dinner.

Over 250 students were nominated in 11 categories, with the entire shortlist being congratulated for going above and beyond in a number of activities and initiatives that benefit others.

Student of the Year

The overall ‘Student of the Year’ award, chosen from the category winners, was presented to joint winners Lily Dedman and Valiant Dorian.

Lily won for her amazing work as Kent Union’s Women’s Officer and for organising a wide range of events, including the ‘Reclaim the Night March’ and International Women’s Week.

Valiant won for being a dedicated Kent Union LGBT+ Trans Officer, from helping with the University’s new trans policy to organising a variety of LGBT+ events, notably ‘Fit for LGBT+ Trans Swimming’.

Group of the Year

The Kent Islamic Society was awarded the additional honour of being named ‘Group of the Year’ by judges. This is for their work celebrating and supporting the diverse cultures at the University, fundraising for international charities and celebrating multiculturalism at the Cultural Food Fair.

Highly commended students

The following students were highly commended across multiple categories:

Phoebe Lionakis (Local Community and EDI categories)
Amy Hunting (Arts & Culture and Media & Communications categories)
Paris Society (College Life & Academic Communities categories)

Read more about all the winners and runners-up here.

Prestigious Inner Temple scholarship for Kent student

Kent Law student Andreas Malekos is one step closer to achieving his ambition of becoming a barrister after being awarded a prestigious scholarship of almost £20,000 by the Inner Temple.

The Inner Temple BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course) Scholarship of £19,700 will help support Andreas during his year of vocational training. The BPTC is designed to equip Andreas with the skills, knowledge, attitudes and competence to prepare for pupillage, the next stage in his professional training.

Andreas was interviewed at the Inner Temple, one of four Inns of Court that aspiring barristers are required to join, in March. After being taken to the Inn’s magnificent library, he was given half an hour to read an unreported case from a choice of three in his chosen area of law. He chose a criminal case involving psychoactive substances (legal highs), a topic he had studied in Public Law 2 the previous year.

He was then interviewed by a panel of four Inner Temple barristers, two of whom were Queen’s Counsel. Andreas said: ‘The panel members were incredibly charming and I immediately felt more at ease. I was first asked to analyse the case which I did by summarising the arguments made and the decision given. I was then asked for my opinion on the case – I criticised the judge for the lack of expert evidence referred to when reaching the decision that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) was not a medicinal substance.’

Andreas plans to begin his BPTC at City Law School in September. Although his main interests currently lie in both Criminal Law and Property Law, he says he is yet to come across an area of law that he doesn’t enjoy and will approach the BPTC with an open mind.

Kent to host festival on Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression

The Department of Religious Studies will host the Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression Workshop and Festival over the weekend of 2 and 3 June.

The two-day event is open to students, staff and members of the public, and the programme is as follows:

2 June 2018

Performing Blasphemy – a panel session chaired by award-winning director Shakila Mann. Other panelists include Christa Harris (director of documentary Inside Pussy Riot) and feminist activist Inna Shevchenk.

Blasphemy, Colonialism and the Politics of ‘World Religions’ – a panel session chaired by Yasmin Rehman from the End Violence Against Women Coalition and the Centre for Secular Space. Other panelists include writer and journalist Gita Sahgal and Professor Richard King from the Department of Religious Studies.

Sticks and Stones: Why Words Still Hurt – A talk by Maureen Freely from the University of Warwick.

Film screening: Stewart Lee’s 90s Comedian – A screening of Stewart Lee’s comedy performance 90s Comedian.

3 June 2018

Law, Blasphemy and Censorship – A panel session chaired by Professor Maria Drakopoulou of Kent Law School. Other panelists include Shakila Mann and Clara Connolly, lawyer and activist.

Speaking Out on Sexual Violence within Sikh Communities: An Interview with Gupreet Kaur Bhatti – Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti is a British Sikh writer who writes for stage, screen and radio. Her play Behzti [Dishonour] was controversially cancelled by the Birmingham Rep after violent protests. Her most recent play is Elephant. She will be interviewed by Sukhwant Dhaliwal.

Blasphemy and Comedy – A discussion with comedians Daphna Baram, Giacinto Palmieri, Ravi Holy and Sameena Zehra, chaired by Dr Shaun May of the School of Arts.

Stand-Up Blasphemy – A comedy session in the Gulbenkian, performed by Daphna Baram, Giacinto Palmieri, Ravi Holy and Sameena Zehra.

2018 Summer Schools

The dynamic and exciting range of summer schools at the University of Kent are back this July.

The summer schools are for students or professionals looking to enhance their knowledge on a subject they are passionate about. With more than 50 institutions across 20 different countries to choose from, why not get a taste of the Go Abroad experience this year?

Martina Saiu, an International Business undergraduate, attended an Intensive German Language Summer School in Vienna and gave the following testimonial:

“I am really glad I was offered the possibility of attending the summer school. It was a wonderful experience, which helped me to improve my skills, widen my horizons and open my mind to new cultures and lifestyles.”

Attending a summer school overseas is a great way to experience another culture, gain a global perspective, enhance your studies and make friends from around the world. Don’t leave it too late to apply!

Peer recognition for placement student Hubert Dziedziczak

Hubert Dziedziczak, a Computer Science (Networks) with a Year in Industry student, has won the Employee of the Quarter award while on placement at the Wates Group. The award formally recognises individuals who perform tasks far beyond their job description in helping the company achieve its objectives. Nominations are made by colleagues, with the employee with the most votes announced at quarterly team briefings.

Hubert said: “It was great to be recognized by my colleagues for all my hard work, and to see that people understood that I’m trying my best to push my year in industry to its boundaries in order to learn as much as I can.”

Hubert is the fifth computing student from Kent to do a year in industry with The Wates Group and another student will be joining the group in the summer. The School of Computing sends more than 100 students on placements every year. The School has strong links with industry in Kent, nationally and internationally and has two dedicated placement officers who help students secure roles. The Industrial placement programme is available to all undergraduates and taught Master’s students in the School.

Hubert’s award follows the success of Jordan Norris, another Year in Industry student who won an employee award for going ‘above and beyond’ during his placement year.

Kent Student Awards 2018 shortlist

We are proud to announce the 2018 Kent Student Awards shortlist.

The Kent Student Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution students make to the Kent student experience.

Our judges had the very difficult task of narrowing down over 250 excellent nominations to the following shortlist.

The winning students will be announced at the gala dinner on Friday 1 June.

The winner in each category will receive their very own brick in the University’s ‘Footsteps Path‘, a certificate and their achievement will be recognised on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) when they graduate.

The awards are brought to you by Kent Union and the University of Kent.

Participants needed for study on biofeedback of eating behaviour

Researchers from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts are seeking participants to take part in a study relating to biofeedback of eating behaviour.

This study aims to investigate the interaction of users with biosensor driven feedback during the consumption of a small meal. Participants are required to take part in a single study session lasting no more than 60 minutes.

You will be asked to consume a selection of free food during the session, including pizza, jam sandwiches, yoghurt, apples and water. In return, you will receive a £10 Amazon e-voucher on the successful completion of the study session.

If you would like to learn more or volunteer to take part in the study complete the online form or email Ben Nicholls.

Last pubTALK of the year – Monday 21 May

Please join us next Monday (21 May) at The Jolly Sailor, Canterbury for the last pubTALK of the academic year!

We are excited to welcome Professor Alex Stevens who will be joining us to discuss ‘Countering drug deaths’.

As usual, pubTALKs will be in the upstairs function room at The Jolly Sailor, Canterbury. Doors open at 19.00 for a 19.30 start and entry is free of charge. Everyone is encouraged to stay behind after the talks to continue the discussions for a drink or two!

Please feel free to invite colleagues and friends – all are welcome. You can also get up to date information via our website or mailing list.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there.
The Q-Step team

DIARY DATE: pubTALKs will be back again from October 2018 when they will be held on the second Monday of each month.