Team Kent takes the trophy in the biggest University sporting event of the year!

The University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University teams went head-to-head to showcase the best of University sport in Canterbury.

Varsity, an annual event between the two Universities, brought together students from across the city to participate in over 30 fixtures and support their University. After 5 days of matches and with the final fixtures played, the Varsity scoreboard stood at 13:21 to Kent, allowing them to hold onto the much coveted Varsity trophy and winners title for yet another year.

This year players wore rainbow coloured laces in support of the Stonewall campaign – to kick homophobia out of sport. The campaign which promotes the message ‘We don’t care which team you play for’ was backed by University of Kent students who re-laced in support and tweeted in their messages using the hashtag #RainbowLaces and #KentVarsity.

The fixtures were attended by members of the public, students and University and Union staff. Sports that competed in Varsity included; Volleyball, Badminton, Cycling, basketball, Netball, Football, Rugby, Hockey, Tennis, Swimming, Equestrian, Snow Sports, Trampolining, Lacrosse and Cricket. Varsity was established in 1999 and Celebrates Friendship, Pride, Passion in sport. The first ever Canterbury Varsity match took place at Canterbury Rugby Club in February 1999, Men’s Rugby 1^st XV. The local regiment the Princess of Wales Royal regiment donated the tiger trophy which is still presented to the winners to this day.

Kent Union Sports and Societies Manager Rebecca Green said: “We are so proud of all of our students who have taken part in Varsity, showing the true spirit of sportsmanship and upholding the University’s and Unions’ reputation. We look forward to working with Canterbury Christchurch Students’ Union in future sporting events.”

Kent Union Vice President (Sports) Nina Mehmi said: “Varsity is a great event to be part of and definitely something students will remember forever. The sporting event has successfully brought together Canterbury’s students, through a common interest in sport, mixed with a little health rivalry! I’m so proud of Team Kent and would like to thank everyone who took part, supported, funded and organised the event.”

Canterbury’s Councillor Terry Westgate joined forces with Kent Union student volunteers and local residents to litter pick around the city.

A group of eight Kent Union volunteer, six members of the community, including Councillor Terry Westgate battled the elements in a bid to tidy up the residential area at the bottom of Eliot footpath.

The volunteering project, organised by the Students’ Union at the University of Kent, was a great success with a grand total of 16 bags of rubbish collected!

Tom Abbott Kent Union Volunteer Projects Coordinator: “The group has made a real and visible difference to the appearance of the area. Our volunteers are a real asset to the community and we really appreciate all the hard work they put in to keep the community clean, for all residents.”

Kent Union Volunteer Ryan Bates said: “It’s good to do something positive for the community, and it makes a nice break from working on a dissertation all day.” Kent Union Volunteer Leon Williams added: “It makes a nice break from working on a dissertation all day!”

Kent Union celebrates highest ever ranking in the Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to work for.

Kent Union has once again been awarded a place in the Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to Work For list 2015. Ranking 15th in this year’s list, it marks the 6^th time that Kent Union has been recognised as an outstanding employer by the Sunday Times and the Best Companies scheme. Kent Union employ over 700 staff, the majority of those are students who not only get the experience and learning and development opportunities that come from being in a workplace, but also get money back into the student pocket.

Tammy Naidoo, Kent Union Union President, says: ‘It’s great to know that our staff are happy and content in their work, especially as so many of them are students. I’m very proud that we can give them a really positive experience of the working world and at the same time help them build skills that complement their degree.’

The rankings and awards are decided by The Sunday Times and the poll, which looks at the best companies to work for across the UK, is based entirely on employee feedback in areas such as leadership, wellbeing, personal growth and how happy the workforce is. Kent Union received top scores in questions about having fun in the workplace, working harmoniously with colleagues and being treated fairly as well as excellent scores in the areas of My Team and My Manager.

Jim Gardner, Kent Union Chief Executive, says: ‘We are incredibly proud to have been placed so highly in this years’ list. The positive scores we have received are a credit to the staff at Kent Union who really make this organisation the happy, friendly and professional workplace that it is. We believe that happy staff are key to the Union’s success and enable us to achieve our charitable purpose of empowering students to have a voice, fulfil their potential and get the most from university.

‘Our position within the list, and the inclusion of 2 other students’ unions this year alone, really shows the professional nature of the modern students’ union – a far cry from the stereotypical union of the past. It’s a great feeling to know that we can really benefit those students who need our help and support, but what makes it all the more fulfilling is that we can do so with a team of staff who really enjoy their jobs.’

Kent Union is the only Union in the UK to have been ranked in the list multiple times and this year have obtained the highest rating that any Union has received. Best Companies, who conduct the survey, have awarded Kent Union their accreditation of three stars which is the highest accolade available. Late last year, Kent Union was also awarded reaccreditation of Investors in People Gold which confirms just what a great place it is to work.

For more information about Kent Union visit: www.kentunion.co.uk

For more information about the Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to work for visit: www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/best100companies

Kent Business School’s highly anticipated Enterprise Day received a record number of attendees in 2015. 160 students and guests filled the lecture theatre to hear three award-winning Kent alumni guest entrepreneurs speak about starting a business and participate in creative workshops on start-ups.

The Vice Chancellor, Dame Julia Goodfellow was also in attendance to present prizes to the winners of the University of Kent’s 50^th Anniversary Pitch It! t-shirt competition along with the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Phillipe de Wilde.

The afternoon featured presentations from three entrepreneurs and alumni of University of Kent, Bal Sandher, Young Business Entrepreneur of 2014; Sebastian Brock, Chatoo App Developer and Neil Westwood, BBC Dragons’ Den winner.

Neil Westwood, the brains behind Magic Whiteboard ™  , coined by Theo Paphitis as ‘most successful Dragons’ Den investment of all time,’ shared top tips on how to make £1 million profit with aspiring entrepreneurs. He commented, “It was good to come back to Kent and interesting to hear from [other enthusiastic young entrepreneurs].”

The feedback received from the audience was also encouraging as one student reported, “I wasn’t sure how to start my business, but after today it became clear.”

The workshops and Q & A session with the panel members also proved successful as students discussed their own business start-up ideas including a cooking app for students on a budget.

Another participant said, “I feel it will help me in my future career. Meeting successful entrepreneurs and doing workshops has really helped to develop my commercial awareness.”

This year’s successful Enterprise Day was also part of the University’s 50^th anniversary.

As competition winner, Jacob Roberts-Mensah of KBS was awarded the top prize of £500. His t-shirt design will be available to purchase as official University merchandise this year.  Shanell Grandez-Vitaliano and Manuel Crepin were also congratulated for their designs and received a £100 prize.

“Enterprise Day gets bigger and bigger each year,” said David Williamson, the School’s Director of External Services. “More than ever before, our students are showing an interest in starting their own business and this reflects a growing national trend. Perhaps the key takeaway from this year’s event was the importance of market research and anticipating customer demands”

Stefanie Hundehege, a PhD student in the Department of German, has just published a chapter in an anthology about writers in the Third Reich.

The chapter is published as part of the volume Dichter für das Dritte Reich Band 3 [Poets Writing for the Third Reich Volume 3](Aisthesis, 2015).

The article, entitled ‘Baldur von Schirach der “Sänger der Bewegung”‘ [‘Baldur von Schirach The “Singer of the Movement”‘], highlights Baldur von Schirach’s impact as head of the Hitler Youth, the Reich’s Governor of Vienna and as a self-proclaimed poetic authority on literature and culture during and before the Third Reich.

Schirach, who was an early follower of the National Socialist movement and later a high-ranking party member, first became active as a writer as a student in Munich in the late 1920s. He produced a great number of poems, which he devoted to the service of the National Socialist party and its leader. Previous studies on Schirach focused almost exclusively on his political role in the Third Reich.

By focusing on a literary and ideological analysis of his main poetry anthology, Die Fahne der Verfolgten [The Flag of the Persecuted] (1931), Stefanie’s chapter is an attempt to place him as writer in the National Socialist movement and focus on his cultural and ideological contribution to the establishment and stabilisation of the Nazi dictatorship.