From Martin Atkinson | Director of HR and Organisational Development  

Following Government guidance in response to the new Covid-19 variant, we are taking extra measures to ensure the continued safety of our staff, students and everyone in our University community.

From tomorrow (Tuesday 30 November), we will be expecting everyone on campus – unless they have medical exemptions – to wear face coverings in all teaching spaces and communal areas. In shared offices and other spaces, face coverings should also be worn where social distancing cannot be maintained. This is to enable all of us to undertake planned activities as safely and securely as we can. Face coverings are available free of charge from any student reception desk.

We are also stressing the importance of regular testing – everyone coming onto campus should continue to take a Covid lateral flow test regularly and at least twice a week. You can get walk-in tests or pick up take-home kits from the Old Bank on our Canterbury campus or the Old Sports Hall at Medway, or order them online.  If you’re using a home test kit, please remember to report your lateral flow test results to the NHS, using the postcode CT2 7FS, whether they are positive or negative.

If you have symptoms or if you do test positive, you must self-isolate for 10 days from the day your symptoms started and get a PCR test as quickly as possible. If your PCR test is positive, please let your line manager know and also email covidsupport@kent.ac.uk. If someone in your household tests positive, and even if your own test is negative, you should remain at home during the self-isolation period.

Don’t forget that from tomorrow, you will also need to take a PCR test, regardless of whether you have symptoms, if you are travelling to the UK from abroad.

Vaccinations are also critical in national efforts to counter Covid-19. If you qualify for a booster jab, we would strongly encourage you to get one if you can.

As always, if you have any questions or need further support, please email covidsupport@kent.ac.uk.

The health and safety of our staff, students and University community is always at the front of our minds. By taking these extra measures, we can all work together to protect each other in the run-up to the Christmas festivities.

Martin Atkinson | Director of HR and Organisational Development

The Music Department’s final Lunchtime Concert of the term sees jazz/soul/funk trio, The Deptford Rivieras, coming to Colyer-Fergusson Hall.

The concert will take place on Wednesday 8 December at 13.10 

The trio, featuring Hammond organ, is led by saxophonist with the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Phil Veacock; the group has just released its latest album, and brings its unique combination of styles that promises to be a swinging finale to the series this term.

As always, admission is free – suggested donation £3 – please reserve a ticket in advance where possible to help manage socially-distanced seating; audience-members are encouraged to wear a mask if they wish.

For more details please take a look at the What’s On page.

The concert is generously sponsored by Furley Page Solicitors.

The Centre for the Study of Higher Education congratulates the following colleagues who applied for Senior Fellowship and Fellowship of Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) through the Route to Recognition for Experienced Staff (RRES), and successfully gained national recognition for their leadership, excellence, expertise and commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning.  

Senior Fellowship

• Barbara Adewumi – Student Success (EDI) Team
• Jo Collins – Graduate and Researcher College
• Triona Fitton – Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice
• Chris Morrison – Copyright, Licensing & Policy Manager
• Penélope Pacheco-López – Division of Human and Social Sciences
• Chris Shepherd – Division of Natural Sciences

Fellowship

• Fraser James – Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
• David Waterson – Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

On Tuesday 7 December, from 13.00-14.00, we will be holding a staff webchat focusing on  proposed changes to the USS pension scheme and the consultation process.

The session will be led by Jane Higham, Chief Financial Officer, with a presentation by Rebecca Dodd from Mercer, independent pensions advisers. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session.

If you would like to attend, please complete the registration form here. The webchat will take place on MS Teams.

Pensions surgeries

Alan Gazzard, Pensions Supervisor at Kent, will be holding one-to-one pension surgeries in December, to answer any personal pensions questions. The sessions will be held on:

Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 December, 09.00-17.00

Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 December, from 18.30-19.30

Friday 10 December, from 14.00-17.00

Please email Alan Gazzard to book a 30-minute one-to-one appointment. These will be held on Microsoft Teams.

Find out more

To find out more about the USS pension changes, see our webpages, which include information on the current situation, the University position and local consultation process.

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 29 November –  Friday 3 December) webinars are as follows:

Monday 29 November 2021 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please go to webinar link 

Tuesday 30 November 2021 -‘ The benefits of staying positive’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please go to webinar link

Wednesday 1 December 2021 – ‘The positives of structure and routine’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please go to this webinar link

Thursday 2 December 2021 – ‘Tips to manage burnout’
Time 12.00-12.30 – to register please go to this webinar link

Friday 3 December 2021 – ‘Festive wellbeing’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please go to this webinar link

Looking for somewhere social to go for your Christmas Dinner? With your department, or friends?

Woody’s are taking Christmas Dinner bookings now for any date Mon 13 – Thursday 16 December. You can choose between 2 or 3 courses and all meals come with the usual festive trimmings of crackers and mince pies!

2 courses – only £12!

3 courses – only 15!

Bookings can be done by messaging Woody’s on their Instagram or Facebook pages. Or you can drop-in and book at the bar. Click onto the Festive Menu Flyer and get booked in soon!  

Christmas themed classes – Monday 6 December 

Join Jeni and the team for an afternoon of festive-themed Christmas classes, including Santa’s Spin Surprise and 12 Days of Boxfit. Costumes optional! Keep an eye on social media channels UniKentSport where details of all the classes will be shared soon. Classes are free for Premium Plus and Premium members. Make sure you book a space on the class through your online account.

Santa Run – Tuesday 7 December

What better way to get in the festive spirit than a gentle 5k run around the Canterbury campus, following Santa on his sleigh? Join our popular Santa Run, starting at the Plaza at 1pm. Festive outfits encouraged, and the first 100 finishers will earn themselves a shiny (chocolate) medal. When you cross the finish line, head up to The Pavilion Café Bar for a nice (free) warming cup of hot choc, a mince pie and Christmas music! We’ll then announce the winners of the best dressed competition.

You can sign up to the event here on the Gulbenkian website. 

Christmas Jumper Day – Friday 10 December

Throw on your best (or worst!) Christmas jumper and join Kent Sport staff as we raise funds for Save the Children. A donation box will be set up at main reception at the Sports Centre.  

Closing dates

We’ll be signing off for the year on Wednesday 22 December, meaning all Kent Sport facilities will be closed from this date. We’ll be reopening on Tuesday 4 January.  

Stay Well at Home

Wherever you’ll be this Christmas, at home or on campus, you can still stay active with Kent Sport through our Stay Well at Home content. Check out our range of virtual classes and wellbeing articles.

As always, follow us on social media UniKentSports for the latest updates. And visit our website.

As a member of Produced in Kent, the Gulbenkian Café is passionate about supporting the diverse range of food and drink businesses in Kent.

The menu showcases what can be done with the fantastic local produce found right here in the Garden of England. Options include cooked breakfasts, burgers and hand rolled pizzas, made with fresh produce from nearby farms, butchers and cheesemongers.

Our suppliers include Foodari, Cheesemakers of Canterbury, Preston Family Butchers, Coastal Farm Eggs, Simply Ice Cream and many more.

Our coffee supplier, Garage Coffee, is an award-winning speciality coffee roaster based in the beautiful village of Hoath, just outside of Canterbury. They roast in small 12kg batches for optimum quality, and only roast speciality grade coffees which are always fully traceable and fairly traded.

Garage Coffee is the winner of the Kent Non-Alcoholic Drink of the Year at the Produced in Kent ‘Taste of Kent’ Awards 2021 for their Maypole coffee blend, which is served right here in the Gulbenkian Café.  

For more information about the Gulbenkian Café, and to view our opening times, please visit our website.

The Transport Team are encouraging students and staff to interact with @unikent_travel on social media by opening a Transport competition with prizes.

The prizes include vouchers for various food outlets on Canterbury campus and the winner will be announced on Friday 17 December 2021.

To enter the competition:

• Get a picture – this can be a photo you have taken or one that you have created.
• Think of a good caption – either promoting road safety or sustainable travel home for Christmas.
• Post the image and caption – you can post this on Twitter and/or Instagram.
• Tag @unikent_travel in your post to enter the competition.

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

Usually when we put together updates for students and staff, we are thinking of the broad community at Kent that we are all part of. However, with today being the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I want to prompt discussion between one group in particular – the men who study, live and work across our campuses.

There is no doubting the extra poignance of today after a year which has seen such hurt, anger and public outcry following high profile and appalling events such as the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. More recently, the reported rise in drink spiking has brought into sharp focus a deep-seated culture of violence, and potential violence, towards women that plays out both nationally and on our university campuses.

If we are completely honest, the way these acts of violence are discussed all too often places the onus on women to protect themselves – don’t dress in a particular way; don’t drink too much; don’t leave your drink unattended; don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know. It is especially painful to hear testimony from women about how systemic violence can force them to think along these lines when simply trying to enjoy a night out. Far from getting to the heart of the problem, these approaches detract from it and place the blame at the wrong door – putting expectations on the victims of crime rather than the perpetrators.

While some may find this challenging, the real message here is much more straightforward. Men need to stop being violent towards women. Harassment is a crime. This is our problem and we need to own it. It is a simple fact that the overwhelming majority of violent acts against women are perpetrated by men. Trying to brush past this as the behaviour of a minority of us misses the point – just because you are not personally violent does not give you the right to ignore, or worse tacitly condone, the experiences of so many women in our community.

As men, we all need to ask ourselves the hard questions. Am I prepared to challenge others when they are acting inappropriately? Do I call out supposed jokes or comments that over-step the mark? Am I clear that I do not have a right to women’s attention or their bodies? At times this may not be easy, or it may not make you popular – however, it is incumbent on us to both change and encourage change wherever we can.

Both the University and Kent Union will continue to do all we can to keep the women of our community safe, including launching our new Consent. Get it. Full Stop campaign this week. We will continue to promote specialist support for those who are victims/survivors of violence, and we’ve more work to do with our partners to ensure all of our venues both are and feel as secure as possible. But that alone is not enough. Men must own violence against women as our issue to address, not theirs. It is only when we do this that things will genuinely improve to the benefit of all.

If you have been affected by sexual misconduct, assault or harassment, through our Report + Support tool we hope to empower you to record details of any incidents and to ensure you can gain access to support from a specialist adviser when you need it. You can also discuss your options for reporting an incident formally or you can choose to remain anonymous – you are in control and we are here to support you.

Staff can report sexual misconduct, assault or harassment using the staff online reporting tool and attend Active Bystanders training. Staff can also choose to remain anonymous when making a report.

#ConsentGetIt