This year the University Kent is applying for University of Sanctuary status. As part of the City of Sanctuary movement, the Universities of Sanctuary network aims to ‘make Higher Education institutions places of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary’.

To help ensure that the University’s application process is properly reflective and self-critical, the Migration and Movement SRT is holding a series of seminars throughout the year that address the question ‘What is Sanctuary?’

Speakers from a range of disciplines, career stages and backgrounds will discuss what sanctuary means and entails. Contributions will be a mix of academic talks and reflections on lived experience.

All sessions are online. Everybody is invited to join the conversation.

What is Sanctuary 2, 16.00-17.00, 7 December 

Dr Lucy Williams, Senior Visiting Research Fellow (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research) 

This paper will consider sanctuary in a time of ‘crisis’. East Kent, and especially Dover and Manston, are yet again in the eye of the migration storm. In this fevered atmosphere what is the role of ‘sanctuary’? Policy makers rely on closely prescribed (yet flexible) categories to sift the worthy from the unworthy but in forcing people to prove their lives fit into these categories, experience is simplified, and the person is lost. Can encouraging sanctuary in our communities and workplaces be a way to bring attention back to the individual to challenge both policy and public portrayals of migration?

Dr Rachel Gregory Fox, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow (School of English) 

This paper will consider the subject of the camp as presented in Yousif M. Qasmiyeh’s Writing the Camp. While refugee camps, in some respects, represent places of apparent safety, community, and shelter, they are also contingent and precarious. The paper will consider how these two aspects of the camp call into question the possibility of its status as a place of sanctuary. Qasmiyeh’s poetry sets institutional oversight and international charitable aid within the camp alongside what Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh identifies as ‘refugee-refugee relations’. The paper considers how Qasmiyeh thus disrupts more centralised views of host-relations, hospitality and sanctuary.

Basma El-Dhouki, GCDC Doctoral Candidate (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research) 

Basma El-Dhouki is a Palestinian refugee living and working in Lebanon. For twelve years she has been active in humanitarian and development work with refugees and asylum seekers within UNHCR, UNRWA and international NGOs in Lebanon and Syria. Her work has focused on sexual and gender-based violence, child protection and general protection, prevention and response programs. Basma’s PhD focuses on “The role of Refugee-Led Organisations in providing protection and assistance for displaced communities in the Lebanon, Syria and Jordan”. The project explores the nature of refugee-led organisations, the factors conditioning their impact and interventions, and the inclusion of refugees in their own development. Basma’s talk will address the question of sanctuary from the perspective of her professional background.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 851 6610 5867
Passcode: 235681

Kent Sports will be hosting a Tennis Open Day on Sunday 11 and Sunday 18 December within the Kent Indoor Tennis and Events Arena at the Pavilion outdoor facilities. All staff are welcome to book a free 45-minute session where you will be able to experience the fantastic indoor courts, play on the acrylic surfaces, and chat with our experienced staff, including LTA Level 5 coach Nick Skelton and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) qualified coaching team.

Sessions start from 10:00 for adult coaching, with the last session bookable at 12.45 on both dates. There are also multiple junior and children’s sessions on the Open Day, so there’s plenty of opportunity for you or your children to get involved. We also offer the option of booking your place without the need to choose a session to join.

On the day you’ll be able to experience the courts, chat with our experienced tennis staff, and find out all you need to know about our tennis coaching programmes and our membership offering.

Spaces on our tennis Open Day are limited so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment. Book your free space now.

Can’t make the Open Day? Don’t worry, you can also sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest information about tennis at Kent.

As a sector, we understand the importance of internationalisation and global mobility from student and staff recruitment, partnerships and producing high-quality globally collaborative research.

The pandemic changed how we work, with remote and hybrid working increasing significantly, in fact, 38% of working adults have worked from home at some point over the past 7 days! A rise in remote working has led to some employers offering fully remote working opportunities, expanding the applicant pool across the UK and worldwide. However, legislation and liabilities such as employment law, tax, pensions and insurance can create issues, putting both the University and staff at risk.

The Global Mobility Project

Our Global Mobility project will first identify staff partially or fully overseas, then we will develop a policy and procedure that supports our internationalisation strategies, whilst ensuring the University and staff remain compliant.

Please notify us of any current or planned overseas travel/work.  You can do this by completing the overseas travel form.

For further information on our Global Mobility project and what information you are asked to provide, please visit our webpages.  You may also contact your HR team or Emma Milton on E.L.Milton@kent.ac.uk.

It’s that time of year again and it means Christmas Jumper Day is returning on 8 December. So indulge in a bit of holiday spirit and come to work (or work from home) wearing your most festive jumper!

Send a picture of you or your team wearing your Christmas Jumpers to communications@kent.ac.uk for a chance to feature on our socials!

Christmas Jumper Day is also a fundraising event for Save the Children. This year however the government has agreed to match whatever donations are submitted to Save the Children which will provide all that much more relief to the children who need it the most. Just £20 can buy enough antibiotics to help ten children beat malnutrition. We’ve got a new JustGiving site set up for Kent where you can donate as much as you’d like towards our goal of £500.

You can also donate by texting the code KENTDAY to 70050 to donate £2, £5 or £10 by adding the corresponding number to the end of the text code (ie. KENTDAY5 to donate £5). Though Christmas Jumper Day is on December 8^th, the donation page will be live for the entire month until January 6^th, so there will be plenty of opportunity to donate.

By Corina-Andreea Apostu, University Operations Coordinator

For many of us, 2022 has been another challenging year.  Workloads have remained high and we have all had to work hard to get used to new systems, new structures and our new post-pandemic normal.

In recognition of these challenges, the extraordinary efforts of colleagues across the University and the impact on staff wellbeing, Wednesday 21 December will be treated as a respite day and so the Christmas closure will begin on 21 December, with the University re-opening on Tuesday 3 January 2023.

Colleagues who have already booked leave for this day should cancel this via Staff Connect. Part-time staff who do not normally work on Wednesdays, those rostered to be on shift and staff in front-line roles who are required to work on this day should make alternative arrangements to take equivalent time off prior to 1 February 2023 in discussion with their line manager.

Annual Leave

We understand it’s often been difficult to take annual leave again this year, so as an exception to normal arrangements, all staff may carry forward up to 10 days leave (pro-rata) from their 2022 allocation into 2023.  Where this applies this will happen automatically via Staff Connect.  Any leave carried forward must be used by the end of July 2023.

Any exceptional carry-over of annual leave from 2020 and 2021 that has not yet been used will also be carried over automatically.

We continue to encourage all staff to take their annual leave regularly across the year to help maintain a reasonable work-life balance.

Winter can often be a challenge. Short days, limited daylight and cold days can all play a part in lowering our mood. Alongside this, Christmas is just around the corner. For many of us, Christmas will be a time for us to relax, enjoy ourselves and have a positive effect on wellbeing. However, for some, Christmas is a time of financial stress, family problems and feelings of loneliness.

If you find yourself affected by any of the issues outlined above, you can access support 24 hours a day through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This scheme is managed by Sodexho/Care first and provides easy access to expert help with both workplace and personal issues. You can phone Care first/Sodexho, free of charge, on 0808 168 2143 and get free and confidential advice from an information specialist or accredited counsellor. You may prefer to access services through their website. To log-in, use the username: uokent and the password: university. Their website contains information on a host of subjects relevant to how we live our lives and the challenges we face. There is even an AI interaction available for those who are drawn to technology.  

They also offer weekly webinars on topics such as how Care First can support you and grief awareness. Here’s the schedule for next week: 2022 Weekly Publicity Calendar – 5th December 2022.docx

The EAP is not just for Christmas and New Year; it’s there any time you need help; contact details are exactly the same. Please, keep this information handy so it is there if you need it. 

Brenda Brunsdon, Health and Wellbeing Manager

6 December 10.30-13.00: Medway Staff Forum and Christmas Social

Please join us for an end-of-term event on Tuesday 6 December:

Medway Staff Forum (M1-22) 10.30-11.30

An opportunity to receive updates and ask questions about the strategic direction for the University and the Medway campus.

Led by Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Strategy Planning and Performance, and Dr William Collier, Strategic Lead for Medway.

Christmas Social (Oasis Lounge) 11.30-13.00

A festive buffet, Christmas tunes and the chance to catch-up with colleagues.

If you would like to attend, please register using this form.

We hope to see you there!

6 December 17.00-18.00: Carols on Campus in the Touchdown Cafe, Rowan Williams Building.

Come along and join us for an evening of carol singing on the Medway campus. Refreshments will be served from 16.30. For more information email medwayinternationals@gmail.com

13 December 11.00-13.00: Staff Coffee break in the Oasis Lounge, Rochester Building

To mark World AIDS Day on 1 December, we are fundraising for the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Working to end the HIV/AIDS crisis

World AIDS Day is a time to come together to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS, and to work together to end the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Remember that if you are sexually active, you can protect yourself and others by using protection, including PrEP. It’s also important to get tested regularly, share your test results with your sexual partners, and where possible ask them for their test results. HIV-positive people can go on to lead healthy, happy lives, but it’s important to catch an infection early on to maximise the efficacy of treatment.

We must also campaign for fair distribution of PrEP and other preventatives, as well as sex education, not only within the UK but also to the Global South – more than a million adults and children die of AIDS each year on the African continent alone. Western governments and corporations control much of the supply of HIV-preventatives, and as citizens it is our responsibility to push to redistribute these more fairly.

How to donate

Terrence Higgins Trust are the UK’s leading HIV and Sexual Health charity. They support people living with HIV and amplify their voices, with the aim of destigmatising sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS in particular.

On Thursday 1 December, it will be 40 years since the first case of HIV/AIDS in the UK. We will be taking the time to remember all those who were lost in the epidemic. If you’d like to wear a red ribbon to show your support, you can find these in Nexus, located in the Templeman Library, available for a small donation either in cash, online or via phone:

Text RIBBON1 to 70580 to donate £1

Text RIBBON5 to 70580 to donate £5

We have now launched our Emergency Support Fund in response to the cost-of-living crisis. This fund aids staff facing a short-term, emergency cash flow problem. The fund is intended as a safety net and is not designed to help staff facing long-term financial problems.

Staff can now apply for a one-off grant by completing an application form, which will be sent to the HR Reward team. Send any questions to emergencysupportfund@kent.ac.uk and one of the team will get back to you. Please note, all enquiries will be handled in confidence.

Important FAQ’s

What qualifies as a short-term financial problem?

There is no set list of situations, however, the fund is to help purchase essential products or services that have arisen from an unexpected situation. For example, you travel to work in your car but it has broken down and you don’t have the immediate funds to cover the cost of repairs.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, staff must:

• Have been in employment at the University for at least 6 months
• Have no received a grant from the fund in the last year

How much help can I get from the fund?

A net of £500 maximum on one occasion. The amount provided to an employee will be at the discretion of the panel as will the method of payment e.g. cash or voucher

What information is required when I apply?

• How much money you need and a breakdown of these costs
• Information detailing the unforeseen circumstances
• A declaration that you do not have the funds to cover these costs
• A receipt if the goods or services have already been purchased or an estimate/formal quote

Who will decide the outcome of the application?

A panel comprising of the Reward and Recognition Manager, a representative from Finance and an employee representative.

See the HR webpage for further information and FAQ’s