Did you know Student Services has a new podcast? 

Hi! I’m Charlie Gurr, I’m a student intern working as part of the Student Services Communications team. In October 2021, we started the Kent Voices podcast as a way of connecting with the University of Kent community through audio. From healthy relationships to disability history month, there have been lots of interesting discussions with staff and students.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the things that have featured on the Kent Voices podcast so far, which you can listen again to via KentPlayer:

Halloween and Bonfire Night: Hear all about staying safe on Bonfire Night, as well as having fun at Halloween! 

Sex and Healthy Relationships: Marking United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, this episode covered some important topics such as consent, and first times, as well as some funny bedroom anecdotes! 

Faith and Belief at University: Celebrating interfaith week, this podcast looked at the impact of faith on campus, from the perspective of two faith leaders. They spoke about what faith meant to them, and how students can get involved. 

Living, Working, and Studying with Hidden Impairments: With a panel of University of Kent staff and alumni, the guests discussed how hidden impairments have affected them throughout their lives, how people’s perceptions can have an impact, and what support could, and should, be available.  

Keep a look out in 2022 for what’s coming up on the Kent Voices podcast… we cover so many themes from disability and mental health, to faith groups and communities, sustainability, citizenship, volunteering, employability opportunities, getting involved in our local areas and campus events. If you’ve got an idea for a future podcast episode, get in touch via email at: StudentServicesWeb@kent.ac.uk 

I hope you have a great time over the holidays, and I look forward to bringing you more Kent Voices podcast episodes in the New Year! 

Written by Charlie Gurr, 2nd year student, on 20.12.21 

Do you have a unique idea for a new product or research project in global health? Apply for the Institute of Global Health Innovation’s Health Innovation Prize (formerly known as the Student Challenges Competition) for the chance to turn that idea into a reality. 

This exciting competition offers you the opportunity to showcase your idea and win £10,000 to fund it. Winners will be decided in a Dragon’s Den-style virtual event featuring a panel of experts in health innovation. 

The competition is open to all UK university students. Projects can cover any aspect of global health innovation; see examples of last year’s finalists. 

Entries open here on 10 January and will close on 6 February, 23.59. The final will take place in March (exact date TBC). Be sure to not miss out on this opportunity that could kick-start your journey in healthcare innovation, and help improve the lives of people across the world. 

Submit your entry online. Contact ighi@imperial.ac.uk if you have any questions, and follow IGHI on Twitter for updates!

We’ve introduced notifications on the Uni Kent Student App so we can notify you when there is a key news update.

When will you send out notifications?

Don’t worry, we’ll use these sparingly! We will send a notification to the app for:

• News that is for most or all students at Kent
• Reminders of key deadlines
• Significant changes or disruption to key services
• Student support information that would benefit all/most Kent students
• Emergency or urgent communications. These types of communication would also be emailed to all students.

How do I change my notification settings?

Within the app, press the three lines icon in the top left-hand corner, go to ‘Settings’ and ensure ‘Receive notifications for new stories’ is ticked to receive notifications. You may also need to check your phone notification settings for the app.

What is the Uni Kent Student App?

The Uni Kent Student App is designed to:

• Give you quick access to Moodle, your emails, KentVision are other key links
• Help you stay up to date with what’s on and what’s new at Kent
• Provide easy access to support webpages and contact details.

Can I give feedback about the Uni Kent Student App?

If you have any feedback about the Uni Kent Student App, both good or bad, please let us know by emailing communications@kent.ac.uk.

From Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education & Student Experience

Ahead of the Christmas break, I am pleased to confirm that your Spring Term timetable is now available on KentVision. This should also have pulled through to your iCal feed. 

We will be updating some of the rooms and finalising group allocations over the Christmas vacation, so do check back in before the start of term for your confirmed class schedule. In the meantime, thank you all again for your fantastic efforts over the last term and I wish you and your families the very best for the Winter break. 

At Kent, we wish to encourage excellence amongst students, leading by example. In light of our Good Neighbour initiative, we aim to celebrate local student residents who exemplified what it means to be a kind and respectful neighbour.

We are launching a Good Neighbour Awards campaign to recognise the amazing student residents in our local community.  

At Kent, our aim is to inspire students to be good neighbours, by drawing from the model students living in our communities and bringing them to the forefront. We would like to recognise the achievements of those students who go the extra mile and embed themselves within their neighbourhoods.  

Do you have local student residents displaying exemplary behaviour and community spirit in your area?  

Are your student neighbours benefitting the area where you live and giving back to their community?  

We would like you to get in touch with information about your excellent student neighbours. Please provide their address and some information about why your neighbours deserve recognition for the award. Contact us on communityliaison@kent.ac.uk.

We look forward to hearing your experiences and celebrating students who deserve recognition for their contributions to our local community.  

We plan to interview the winners of the Good Neighbour Awards and share these case studies with our cohort of students to inspire and empower them. We will use these real-life examples to inform our resources for the future and make them relevant to students living locally in years to come.              

Throughout October 2021, the University of Kent, alongside the Canterbury Safety Partnership, visited student homes in the local area to talk about being a good neighbour and staying safe while living and studying in Canterbury.  

The Canterbury Safety Partnership visited areas of Canterbury with a high density of local student residents. We were able to engage with hundreds of student properties throughout the city, providing a warm welcome and information about staying safe in Canterbury.

This was a positive start to the new academic year, being able to discuss the importance of being an active member of our local community. The partnership encouraged students to join their local residents’ associations, report crimes online and to share information with their local council to enact positive change to their local area. Kent students confirmed that these interactions with our local services have a huge impact on how integrated they feel as a local resident.  

Kent Union president Aisha Dosanjh said: ‘Meeting and chatting with representatives from local services in an informal way really changes your perception of them for the better. Not only does it make you feel more like a local resident of Canterbury but it also puts a face to who you may be reporting to.’  

You can see the joint safety pages that the Canterbury Safety Partnership provided to students on the Canterbury City Council Webpage.  

This was an amazing opportunity for the Partnership to meet more local residents in the area and discuss safety issues they may have been facing, and how local students impact their neighbourhood. We received an overwhelmingly positive response to the year so far.  

This is set to be an annual occurrence, which we look forward to taking part in next year. 

The Community Safety Partnership comprises the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent Union, Christ Church Students Union, Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council Wardens, Kent Police and Kent Fire & Rescue. The partnership is working towards a safer Canterbury where our many students can thrive in their local community.          

My name is Josh and I am the Community Life Officer at the University of Kent. I work towards engaging students in their local community and providing support to help them thrive in their studies. I am passionate about embedding Kent students within our local community. I grew up in Kent and share a love for what our corner of the UK has to offer, with the lively spirit of our cities and the charm of our picturesque town. I am delighted to share this place I know so well with students who come to study with us from all over the world.

At the start of this term, we have seen the return of students to Canterbury and Medway, as in-person learning has resumed at Kent and facilities have opened once more. It has been a pleasure to welcome back students for face-to-face learning, to share our community, and to immerse them in our plentiful and historical culture. It is great to see the campuses and community bustling with the energy and excitement that our students bring.

Although this return provides us with reason to celebrate, this has been a hard time for some as the return to “life as normal” has not been an easy transition to make. Many students have missed over a year of valuable lessons that we learn when we live away from home, understanding our responsibilities and role within our communities. With this in mind,  we are thrilled to continue providing our students and communities with the support they need, sharing what it is to live in our communities responsibly and respectfully.

Engaging local student residents with messages on staying safe and being a responsible neighbour through our neighbourhood days, and community safety hubs in the city centre is a priority. I look to the future with optimism for further outreach and events that will see our student community grow and learn together.

I would like to wish you all a wonderful holiday period. Following a year where many of us were not able to gather together with our families and loved ones, I hope that your festivities this year are filled with joy and celebration.

All the best,

Josh Turner, Community Life Officer

This year has come with many difficulties. If you find yourself struggling financially, you are welcome to apply for financial support from the University. Please note the deadlines and university office closure dates below.

Kent Emergency Short Term Loan

You will need to have your application for the Kent Emergency Short Term Loan completed by 16.00 on Tuesday 14 December to receive any money by Christmas.

If you are eligible to apply you will need to log onto your KentVision Portal and select My Fees & Finance, Apply for funding, to apply for a KESL.

Other financial hardship packages

The other financial hardship packages are still available for students to apply but please be aware that any application may not be processed or finalised before Christmas. Students should therefore not rely on receiving any funds granted before the New Year for these packages.

Office closures

The Financial Aid Office will be closed from 16.00  on Tuesday 21 December 2021 and will re-open on Tuesday 4 January 2022.

As the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence comes to an end, where are we as an institution?

Hopefully you will have noticed that lots of different staff and students from various teams and departments at the University of Kent all came together to declare their solidarity for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign. Most women who experience violence do so at the hands of a partner or potential partner. Eradicating violence against women means obtaining consent in all situations.

How is the University of Kent walking the walk on this issue? We have launched a sex-positive campaign to cultivate and strengthen a culture of consent in our community of staff and students. Everyone should be able to explore their sexuality with confidence, and we know that consent is key and necessary for all sexual activity. Getting consent might at first seem tricky so, we have created a consent webpage where you can learn about what consent is and read some tips on how to ensure you have it, and how you can give it clearly to your partner(s).

As a University and with the collaboration of Kent Union, we are actively working on making sure that we…

• are transparent with you about our approach and response to sexual misconduct and harassment.
• clearly inform you of the procedures, expectations, and actions taken within the university are.
• give you all the information you need about the support we offer and how you can access it.

Check out our YouTube video on the launch of the Consent campaign at Kent:

Links mentioned in the video:

• Feedback group form
• Connected Routes
• How to submit a report on Report + Support (video guide)
• Visual guides

As part of our aim to be transparent with you and make sure you know where to get support, we have put together the following guides:

• How to get support for Sexual Assault and Harassment
• How to find Health and Emergency Services
• What happens in a Sexual Assault and Harassment Meeting
• What happens in Sexual Assault Responders Meeting

Will you help us put a full stop to sexual assault and misconduct? Join us in making our university the safest it can be – look up #ConsentGetIt on socials to see what activities are coming up soon.

Written by Filipa Paes, third year student, and Natalia Crisanti, Student Services staff 06.12.21

Rainbow Lanyard

Our new 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+ students and staff. It also shows LGBTQ+ people that they can ‘bring their whole selves’ to you without fear of judgement or an unsupportive reaction.

Designed by our LGBTQ+ Staff Network, and based on the Inclusion Flag, the Kent Rainbow Lanyard is a symbol that you are aware of the hardships marginalised members of the community have faced and continue to face, and that you are committed to supporting our LGBTQ+ staff and students by being a friend, advocate and a safe space, otherwise known as an Ally.

We know that being an Ally is not always easy, and like any skill it takes practice, awareness and education, which is why we have developed resource pages to help support anyone who wants to enhance their Allyship knowledge and skills. We would encourage anyone wearing a lanyard to explore these resources and self-educate to ensure that they feel confident in their allyship abilities.

Wearing a lanyard and displaying symbols of Pride at our sites is an important way to remind our LGBTQ+ staff and students that they belong here in our community, and should always feel safe, supported, and able to bring their whole selves to work and study with us.

There are three different types of Rainbow Lanyard available – one for staff, one for students, and one for Student Ambassadors. The lanyards are available in most outlets and reception desks across our Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Sunflower Lanyard

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a globally recognised symbol for non-visible disabilities, also known as hidden disabilities or invisible disabilities.

Not all disabilities are visible – some are not immediately obvious. They include autism and learning difficulties as well as mental health conditions, mobility, speech impairments, and sensory loss such as speech, sight loss, hearing loss, or deafness. They also include respiratory conditions as well as chronic conditions such as diabetes, chronic pain, and sleep disorders when these significantly impact day-to-day life. Although you may not be able to see these invisible impairments and conditions, they’re still there.

People living with these often face barriers in their daily lives including a lack of understanding and negative attitudes. So some choose to wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to discreetly identify that they may need support, help, or just a little more time in shops, transport, or public spaces.

You can collect your Sunflower Lanyard from Student Support and Wellbeing Services in Canterbury or Medway.