Category Archives: Student Guide

Visit the Christmas Market on Thursday 15 December

It might be a surprise, but Christmas is rapidly approaching! Do you have presents to buy, gifts to wrap, and ideas which quickly running out?

Well don’t fret, we will have a host of talented elves and local suppliers, showcasing their fantastic products – including food, drink, and crafts at the University of Kent Christmas Market, opening on Thursday 15 December from 10.00-14.00 in the Colyer-Fergusson Music Hall.  

This is your opportunity to discover local goods, browse gorgeous craft items, sample some delicious locally-produced food, and pick up unique and meaningful gifts in time for Christmas!

Inclusion pride flag

World Cup: Support for our LGBTQ+ community

We take the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students extremely seriously. Working with Kent Union, we want to capitalise on the world wide attention currently on the FIFA World Cup and the political standpoint of its host country, Qatar, to draw attention to where LGBTQ+ individuals still continue to suffer from a lack of rights, safety and belonging across the globe.

As part of this work, we want to ensure that all staff and students are aware of the support that exists for our LGBTQ+ communities at Kent.

Support at Kent

  • Rainbow lanyards are available for staff and students from most college and library receptions at Canterbury and Medway. Designed around the ‘Inclusion Flag’ which incorporates the Pride rainbow flag with pink, blue, brown and black representing the trans community and people of colour within the LGBT+ community. Wearing the lanyards shows students that they can ‘bring their whole selves’ to you without fear of judgement or an unsupportive reaction.
  • There is a support group in Canterbury that meets twice a month. It is open to trans, intersex and non-binary people at Kent. The group is run by trans/non-binary people for trans/non-binary people. Family and partners are welcome.
  • There are gender-neutral toilet facilities across our Canterbury and Medway campuses.
  • Student Support and Wellbeing offer free mental health support, counselling and peer support groups to all students and have an advisor with specialist LGBTQ+ support knowledge.
  • Kent Union run the LGBTQ+ Student Network and various student societies focused on support for students within the LGBTQ+ community.
  • For staff members, we have the LGBT+ Staff Network that is open to any staff member or student.
  • The Transgender Student Support Policy and the LGBTQ+ Study Abroad Guidance offer practical advice and information for students.
  • Check out our directory of LGBTQ+ self-help resources including details of free, confidential, specialist helplines and support group networks, such as Metro, The Be You Project, and Gendered Intelligence.
  • You can also update your gender and preferred name (which shows on your Microsoft Teams account) on KentVision.
  • Have you heard of the Gender Affirmation Fund? In early October 2022, Kent released a new Gender Affirmation Fund to support students who identify as transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming with the purchase of gender affirming items such as binders, clothing, packers, makeup, hair extensions, pouches, Stand To Pee devices, gendered religious headwear or clothing and minor cosmetic procedures such as ear piercing or for managing body hair. You can access the Gender Affirmation Fund via the link above; you must be a University of Kent student on a registered course and use the funds to support your purchase of gender affirming gear. Applications are capped at £100 per person.
  • Interested in running events or activities to help raise awareness or support our LGBTQ+ community? The LGBT History Month Planning Group (planning activities for LGBT History Month in February) has started meeting and any staff member or student is welcome to join. Email StudentEDI@kent.ac.uk to learn more.

Experienced hate or discrimination because of your gender identity?

You can report incidents of assault, harassment, and hate via the REPORT + SUPPORT tool, with or without giving your name. Even if you don’t choose to request support, by reporting an incident you will help to make the University a safer place for all.  Staff members can report under Ordinance 42. We also have Harassment Contacts available who can provide support and guidance.

Help us create a university community which belongs to all students, and where all students feel they belong by sharing this information on support for LGBTQ+ individuals at Kent. #InclusiveKent

Christmas tree closeup of bauble

Events roundup: 28 November – 4 December

Disability History Month (DHM) continues this week with more events as well as a timeline of disability history at Kent and film series with students, staff and alumni sharing their experience of disability. Check out the DHM website.

Our magical candle-lit University Christmas Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral returns on Monday 12 December! You can collect your tickets this week.

Here’s a roundup of our top events this week:

Monday: Meet Staff Disability Network and Medway Study Night

Meet with the Staff Disability Network as part of Disability History Month. Have a drink and biscuit with members of the Staff Disability Network to learn about their activities and how you can get involved. Find out more about what the network can do to support you.

Join a Medway Study Night in the Oasis Lounge on Monday. There will be tea, coffee, biscuits and treats to keep you going.

Tuesday: Finger Casting, careers values workshop and free manicure/massage (Medway)

Come along to a Finger Casting Workshop – create a Plaster of Paris sculpture by casting your fingers and try your hand at Foil Embossing to create your own miniature wonders of art with local artist Wendy Daws.

Match your values to your career journey in this online workshop. The session shares tools to help you to work out your career goals, desired outcomes, preferences and personal values. It also includes practical exercises to help you use your values to find the right role for you.

On Tuesday at the Hub, you can choose between a free gel manicure or a massage to help you relax and unwind.

Wednesday: Industrial action support drop-in, cooking session and Christmas decoration making

Wednesday is a UCU strike day, so your teaching may be affected today. The College and Community Life Team will be offering drop-in support sessions for any students affected by the industrial action. You can head to Locke Building between 9:00-17:00 to chat to one of the Residential Life Assistants or College Life Officers. Find out how to prepare for a strike day.

Want to improve your cooking skills? The chefs of Darwin kitchen are running a cooking session (£5 per person) making pasta with tomato, courgette, parmesan and homemade spinach balls. Yum. Book your place.

Get into the Christmas spirit and make some decorations for your accommodation. Drop in, listen to some festive tunes and get creative.

Thursday: Careers events and Neurodivergent workshop

On Thursday there are a few careers with social impact events including NHS Careers and Skills in Healthcare, Science and Social Care virtual panel, How to start a career in think tanks and policy and how to answer interview questions.

LSSJ presents ‘How to Manage your Workload: The Neurodivergent Way’. Do you often feel overwhelmed by deadlines? Learn how to use online tools, tips and tricks to make your workload seem manageable. This is a hybrid event so you can either join in Kennedy Building or online. The workshop is led by a fellow neurodivergent student, and followed up with a social event with light refreshments.

Saturday: Wild Wellbeing Christmas tied door garlands

On Saturday you can make some Christmas tied door garlands at the Kent Community Oasis Garden. Spent some time in nature and craft using natural materials.

See more student events.

Opportunities

See more student opportunities.

 

 

Safety

Free personal safety items

College and Community Life and the Transport Team recently set up a stall in the library to hand out safety equipment including personal alarms, torches and anti-spiking devices.

Students looking at free personal safety items in library

With earlier sunsets as winter gets closer, we have a range of free items which support getting home safe including personal safety alarms, torches and high-visibility bands.

We also have a variety of anti-spiking devices you can pick up for free to take with you on a night out.

You can visit Security and Transport Centre or Medway Security Office to collect any of the following items for free:

  • Personal safety alarms
  • Torches
  • Stop Topps (Single use cup covers)
  • Bottle caps
  • Be bright be seen snap bands
  • Information on University safety services
Industrial action

Reminder: Industrial Action 24-25 and 30 November

Some members of the University and College Union (UCU) will be going on strike this week on Thursday and Friday (24 and 25 November), as well as Wednesday next week (30 November). This is happening at all universities across the UK and is part of a national dispute – as such our influence over this is limited.

We’re sorry for the disruption this is likely to cause to your week. We are here to help and will do all we can to minimise the impact on your studies – we’ve put together some key links and info below.

What to expect on strike days

  • Some of your classes may be cancelled; union members don’t have to tell us if they are taking strike action so we won’t always know in advance.
  • You might see UCU members picketing on campus; these are peaceful protests which will be stewarded by the union
  • Other services may be affected but we’ll work to make sure all essential support services are running as usual. Our libraries and catering outlets will also be open as usual.

How to prepare for strike days

The impact of industrial action can be hard to predict and is likely to be different in different areas. It’s best to plan ahead as far as you can and get in touch if you’re not sure about anything:

  • Talk to your lecturer – to find out if they are taking part in strike days. Not all staff will be on strike and many classes will go ahead as scheduled so it is best to ask in advance so you can plan around it.
  • Keep receipts – if you arrive at a lecture or seminar to find it has been cancelled, keep a record of the direct costs you incurred so we can reimburse you.
  • Still submit work – if you have a deadline on a strike day. You still need to submit work unless advised differently by your Division or lecturer.
  • Meet with your lecturer after strikes – for support and advice on how to catch up with missed work.
  • Ask for help if you need it – see our support webpage for who to contact if you have questions or concerns about industrial action.

Academic Experience Reporting Tool

Use Kent Union’s Academic Experience Reporting Tool to record any missed teaching and to let us know if you have incurred any direct costs as a result of this, so we can reimburse you.

Buttermarket, Canterbury

Job opportunity: Safer Streets Canterbury project

The Canterbury Community Safety Partnership is looking to hire Student Partners to support the project deliver of Safer Streets 4. This is a paid role.

The partnership has been awarded funding from the Home Office to identify ways to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls and conduct research on how we can make Canterbury safer for its residents, including students. This funding is supporting the development of research, training, safety resources, a central website and safety packs for patrons of Night Time Economy (pubs, clubs and bars) in the city, alongside other exciting projects.

This role is an opportunity for you to be an active participant in change for Canterbury, making it a safer place to live and study. As a member of the project team , you will be required to (but not limited to):

  • Conduct research, including research design, data collection and analysis.
  • Organise and facilitate focus groups/semi-structured interviews.
  • Liaise with key partners, including attending meetings.
  • Provide advice and gather information in a coordinated manner from students and the wider Canterbury community that will aid the project’s progression and provide
  • important strategic insights.
  • Contribute to developing and delivering training packages that focus on awareness
  • Contribute to the development of key resources and the production of safety packs.

Interested in applying? Find out more and apply for the role.

Find out more about the Safer Streets Canterbury project.

1000 chances to win £100

1,000 chances to win £100

If you’re looking for some extra funds ahead of the winter break, the Santander Universities £100k Winter Giveaway is here for you. They’re giving away 1000 lots of £100 to any UK university students- even if you don’t bank with them!

Winners can spend the £100 grants at the Santander Aspire webstore on a variety of items; Pick up some supermarket vouchers and get ready for that holiday feast or use the funds towards a new laptop and get a head start on your revision.

Apply before 30 November at 23:00 for your chance to win!

Apply now >

#100kWinterGiveaway #NeverStopLearning

Students climbing outdoor stairs at Medway campus

Events roundup: 21-27 November

Here’s a roundup of the top events this week. And huge congrats to our students who are graduating this week! #KentGrads

Monday: Medway Pool Tournament

Get to know new people by playing a game of pool in the Oasis Lounge at the Medway Pool Tournament. This event is hosted by your Medway Residential Life Assistants, come by yourself or bring a friend.

Wednesday: Warner Bros. Studio Tour, DHM events and free talk on Sleep

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Explore iconic sets and discover what it took to bring the Harry Potter films to life at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Kent Union at a discounted ticket price (travel included).

On Tuesday you can join some Disability History Month (DHM) events including plant pot painting inspired by sunflowers, often used as a visual clue for those with hidden disabilities. Plus a DHM workshop about accessibility and coming up with ideas for inclusion, and a chance to kickstart your career with Change 100 and learn how to ask for adjustments in the workplace.

The Medway Talks open lecture series continues with a free talk ‘Sleep and our Biological Clock’, by Professor Gurprit Lall, who is a neuroscientist based at Medway School of Pharmacy. Open to all, but registration is required. Sign up now.

Thursday: Cultural Food Festival and industrial action support drop-in

Thursday is a UCU strike day, so your teaching may be affected today. The College and Community Life Team will be offering drop-in support sessions for any students affected by the industrial action. You can head to Locke Building between 9:00-17:00 to chat to one of the Residential Life Assistants or College Life Officers. Find out how to prepare for a strike day.

On Thursday evening, come along to Rutherford Dining Hall for a Cultural Food Festival! Find out about other cultures as our student groups will be there throughout the night serving up their dishes for all to try.

Friday: Celebrate Consent, Bubble Football and industrial action support drop-in

Friday is a UCU strike day, so your teaching may be affected today. The College and Community Life Team will be offering drop-in support sessions for any students affected by the industrial action. You can head to Locke Building between 9:00-17:00 to chat to one of the Residential Life Assistants or College Life Officers. Find out how to prepare for a strike day.

Celebrate consent with craft, books and action at Nexus in Templeman Library. Drop by and have a look at the ‘Consent. Get it. Full Stop.’ book list, pick up a free bookmark, and take part in craft activities including badge making. You can also make your pledges for the #ConsentGetIt campaign.

At Medway, have a laugh playing Bubble Football. No football experience required!

See more student events

Opportunities

See more student opportunities

 

padlock

Update: Internet service disruption

We are aware that over the last 48 hours there has been some disruption in internet service and brief outages across the network. We are sorry for the inconvenience these may have caused you. 

These outages were linked to planned work where we have been replacing the internet firewalls. Following the replacement, an unforeseen issue led to several interruptions to the eduroam network.  

Our teams worked closely with the supplier to quickly identify the issue and provide a fix. We can now confirm that affected systems are back online and internet access has been restored in all campus buildings, accommodation, and teaching spaces. We are not expecting any further wide-scale disruptions. 

The new campus firewalls will provide the University with greater security protections against incoming cyber-attacks. These devices sit between our campus network and the internet, keeping our services and your data safe.  

We apologise once again for any inconvenience these incidents may have caused you. If you have any questions or need further help, please contact:

IT and Library Support 

Online help: Nexus Self Service

Email: helpdesk@kent.ac.uk   

Visit us: Nexus, D Block, Ground Floor, Templeman Library

Tel: 01227 82 4888  

Millie Knight

Kent Stars: Paralympic Powerhouse Millie

Our Kent Stars campaign celebrates our students doing amazing things – and Millie Knight already has some incredible achievements under her belt. Being visually impaired from a young age, she has not let this stop her and is not only a Paralympic Medallist in Skiing, but also a Commonwealth Karate Champion! Hear from Millie:

“My name is Millie Knight, and I am a 23-year-old 4x Paralympic medallist and 2x World Champion in Alpine Skiing. I am also a National and Commonwealth Champion in Karate. I also happen to be blind, but that bit is dull. I studied Psychology at Kent (graduating this week) and received an Honorary Doctorate in 2017.”

Tell us about winning a Bronze Medal at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. 

“The 2021/22 season was extremely busy with Nationals, European Cups, World Cups, World Championships and Paralympics within three months. Winning the World Championships was an unexpected result and a significant confidence boost going into The Paralympics.

Beijing was my third Paralympic Games and a different experience from my previous two Games (2014/2018). Due to Covid restrictions, there were challenges, like no spectators and a requirement to wear FFP3 face masks all day (even when skiing). Despite the limitations, I enjoyed my time in Beijing and made the most out of the situation. I had no expectations of winning any medals at these games, as I knew my performances weren’t where they were four years ago. The Bronze felt like Gold to us; it was an incredible feeling.”

What advice would you give to other students? 

“Make the most out of your time at Kent, there are so many things available to you, but you must make an effort to push yourself and experience as much as possible. Three years sounds like a long time, but it flies past, don’t wait to try something next year; do it now, and you won’t regret it. If you are struggling, there is help, and people do care! I couldn’t believe the amount of available support at Kent compared to my previous university experiences.”

What are your plans for the next year?

“I plan to keep progressing with my performance in both my academic and athletic careers. Fingers crossed, I get selected for the European and World championships for karate. I will not be competing in skiing this year which will give me the time to fully recover from multiple injuries sustained over the last few seasons. Starting my old job at Kent Sport again will be exciting, so if you are in need of a sports massage, head on over to see me at the sports centre!”

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.