Category Archives: Your Uni Your Say

Surveys and opportunities for students to give feedback, should be tagged with ‘Your Uni Your Say’ so it shows on the campaign webpage.

How to have your voice heard at Kent

At the University of Kent, your student experience and academic progress are our top priority. We hugely value the feedback you share with us. We are using your input to shape the university, allowing us to focus on the aspects of university life that matter most to you.

Check out just some of the changes made in response to your feedback in 2024. As well changes coming next academic year in the video below.

However, we are always seeking new ways to do more and better.

A key part of this transformation is amplifying your voice. Through various Student Voice channels like Module Evaluations (ME Moodle forms), Student Voice Forums, and national surveys such as the National Student Survey (NSS) and Postgraduate Experience Surveys, we ensure your feedback is heard and acted upon. These forums and surveys, along with the dedicated work of Kent Student Union Student Representatives, help create a strong, student-centred community where concerns are addressed, and positive changes are made.

These efforts, alongside the changes in university structure, will help us build a better future for Kent—one that prioritizes your success and ensures that we are continually improving the student experience. Your voice is vital in this process, and we encourage you to actively participate in shaping your academic journey and the future of our university.

Gulbenkian is recruiting a Student Arts Committee

Meet new people, network with artists and industry professionals and find out what it’s like to be an ambassador, programmer and events organiser!

The Student Arts Committee will give students a central role in creating a vibrant student community at the heart of Gulbenkian, your Arts Centre on Campus.

What you’ll do:

Develop and run a programme of activities and/or performances for new and future students during Welcome Week and Open Days, with your own dedicated budget.
Support the efforts of other student organisations through our ‘Societies Wednesday’ programme
Select, support and promote affordable shows to other students on Campus

What you’ll get:

Networking opportunities with industry professionals and artists
1-2-1 support and mentoring to develop your career in the arts
Experience in programming and delivering arts events
A free Gulbenkian Membership + free ticket to specified shows

We are looking for students with different backgrounds, areas of study, interests and ideas to join our exciting committee!

The committee will meet twice a month in the Gulbenkian Arts Centre. Regular meeting days will be on a Wednesday afternoon, with additional opportunities to meet artists and industry professionals featured in the Gulbenkian Programme.

To apply, please just tell us a bit about yourself & what you’re studying, why you’re interested in joining the student committee, and hope to get out of the experience. Please email m.huet@kent.ac.uk by Monday 16th December at 10am.

Meet your new International Student Advisory Board reps

Welcome to our new members of the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB).

Following a recruitment round where we received a positive response with over 100 applications from our international student community and interviews with 40 students to join our International Student Advisory Board, we are delighted to have our final representatives.

The Advisory Board is made up of 30 current international students from across all levels of the University – Foundation, Undergraduate, Exchange, Postgraduate Taught and Research – representing a range of nationalities.

The purpose of the Board is to inform and provide feedback mechanisms to allow international students to actively contribute towards campaigns, awareness raising and submit suggestions for change, that will benefit all international students at the wider university. The Board creates a new channel for proactive international student advocacy and uphold the principles of the UKCISA #WeAreInternational Student Charter.

Claudia Moreira, VP Post-Graduate & International Experience, Kent Students’ Union, said

“I’m very excited for ISAB and its potential to profoundly improve the experience of international students at Kent. The board provides a crucial space for the University to gain deeper insights into student needs from the students themselves, empowering them to take on active leadership roles. Kent Students’ Union is ready to champion ISAB’s work and eagerly anticipates the positive impact this collaboration will bring.”

Meet with your ISAB reps

We would like to invite all international students to meet with their representatives on Tuesday 19 November, in Nexus, Templeman Library, between 14:00 – 17:00, and share their experiences so far #YourUniYourSay

For more information about the Board and if you wish to submit an topic for discussion at our next Board meeting on 28 November, please contact DeanGlobalLifeLong@kent.ac.uk

Survey: Have your say on Kent Students’ Union

From Kents Students’ Union (KSU)

We’re working on developing a new strategy (check out our current Strategy here) and need your input to make sure we’re delivering the best service possible for our students!

We’re also going to be working on a new look as part of a rebrand, so want to know how the KSU brand makes you feel. Finally, we are collecting some information about how we can best work with the university to support you in your journey as a Kent student!

Complete the survey now.

By completing the survey, you can also enter to win one of these amazing prizes!

£100 Boom Battle Bar Gift Card
£100 Aldi Gift Card
2x £50 Greggs Gift Card

The survey will close at 10:00 on Friday 15 November 2024.

Free sanitary products available on campus

15.9% of Kent students bought less sanitary products over the past 12 months because they were worried about money, according to the 2023-4 Cost of Living survey results.

Period products are not a luxury, and we want to make it easier for you to access them. Find out where you can pick them up for free on campus:

Canterbury campus

Thanks to the ResLife team and Kents’ Students Union, you can now find free sanitary products in the following locations on campus:

Mandela Student Centre – pick up individual pads or tampons
Campus laundry facilities in each College – pick up individual pads or tampons

The Cost of Living Taskforce are looking at ways we can increase the number of free sanitary products available to students.

Medway campus

At Medway, you can pick up free sanitary products from the following location:

Bathrooms in the Deep End, The Hub – pick up individual pads or tampons

See more cost-of-living initiatives and support.

Join a KSU focus group and earn £20 cash for an hour of your time!

Kent Students’ Union (KSU) want to speak to 300 students about their future and how they work with the university.

Join one of their focus groups and earn £20 cash for 1 hour of your time!

Held in The Venue, you’ll be allocated to a group and asked some questions by friendly KSU staff on what you think about the KSU brand, strategy and how they work to represent you to the university. There are no right or wrong answers, this is all about your opinions!

There will be snacks and drinks available as well, and at the end of the session we’ll give you £20 cash for your time!

Sign up today and help make a better students’ union 🙂

Kent receives its first Race Equality Charter Bronze award

We are proud to announce that the University has achieved its Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award from Advance HE – a major milestone in our work to identify and address the barriers facing our racially minoritised students and staff.

The Race Equality Charter provides an externally recognised framework to help universities improve the representation, progression and success of racially minoritised people in higher education.

To reach this point the University’s REC Self-Assessment Team have been actively listening to and engaging with our racially minoritised students and staff about what it is like for them to work and study at Kent. There has also been the analysis of a large amount of data and benchmarking. This work has highlighted areas for urgent, future and continuous improvement and it has led to recognition and reinforcement for a number of outcomes and initiatives to improve race and intersectional equality across the University. These include our:

Sector-leading Diversity Mark project
Student Success initiatives
Report and Support for students and staff
Living Black at Kent
Anti-Racism Strategy
Inclusive staff training and recruitment

Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, the University’s Acting Vice-Chancellor and President said: ‘This award is an important reflection of the collective progress made to improve the culture, experience and outcomes for our racially minoritised students and staff. I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible through their commitment to anti racism and determination to help reduce racial inequalities and ensure that Kent is a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. There is much more to do but this achievement is an indication that we are heading in the right direction.’

Kent is hosting this year’s Living Black at University Commission conference on 8 October, the theme of which is ‘Engaging With Equity’. Conference delegates will have access to practical university case studies on actions taken as a result of Living Black at University and the Commission, including a Black student panel, hosted by Student Minds.

Further information on our Bronze Award and the work we are doing to challenge racism can be found on our Challenging Racism webpages. If you would like to get involved please contact equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk.

Apply for the Wellbeing Student Advisory Board

Applications for the Wellbeing Student Advisory Board are now open.

The Advisory Board’s purpose is to help guide Kent Students’ Union and the University of Kent in improving our approach to student wellbeing and ensuring our work is impactful and accessible to all students. This will involve discussing current and future plans and offering suggestions based on the board’s shared expertise and experiences. Topics discussed at meetings will include mental health, safety initiatives, the cost of living crisis, sense of community and belonging, as well as anything else that is important to you. You will help shape student wellbeing at Kent.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for 12 students on undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, from a range of courses and years to create a diverse and inclusive panel. Any student who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Kent can apply to be part of the panel.

No prior experience is required to be a member. All you need is to be passionate about student welfare and helping all students to love their time at Kent.

What to expect

A two-hour meeting will occur three times in the academic year with additional opportunities to get involved in projects and campaigns. Invitations for these meetings will be sent once membership to the board is confirmed.

Students based on the Canterbury campus will receive £20 KentOne credit (or an Amazon £20 Voucher) in exchange for their active participation in the two-hour WSAB meeting. Students who are not based on the Canterbury Campus will be compensated for their time at the same rate through an alternative method. Students will also be able to earn Employability Points throughout the academic year.

How to apply

To apply, please submit either a maximum of a 500-word response or a 2-minute-long video telling us a bit more about you, what skills and experiences you feel you would bring to the role and why you would like to get involved.

The deadline to submit your application is midday on 23 October 2024

Apply now

If you have any questions please email Teslimat Bello (Vice-President Welfare and Community) at Kent Students’ Union, t.bello-650@kent.ac.uk

The meal deal is back with more variety

The popular meal deal in Rutherford Dining Hall will return for another academic year this September.

Your Uni Your Say

You said you wanted a meal deal that is more nutritious, better quality and has more variety. We have made these changes, however, to do this we have had to increase the price by 50p.

New dishes offering better quality, choice and value

From 14 September 2024, for £3.50 you will get a hot main meal with two sides of your choice. New dishes include:

Sweet potato chilli
Cauliflower cheese lasagne
Tandoori sweet potato with lemon pilau rice
New sides include dressed salad niçoise and kimchi fried rice.

There will be two options for you choose from each day, with at least one plant-based option. The meal deal offers vegetarian and vegan options, and Halal sourced meat is used wherever possible. See the menu.

The sandwich meal deal will also be £3.50 from 14 September in Dolche Vita, Gulbenkian Cafe, Sibson Cafe, Mungo’s, and Rutherford Dining Hall.

If you are facing financial hardship, please see our financial support webpages or visit the Cost of Living Support webpage.

My Kent, the new website for students, is now live!

The new My Kent website is designed for current students making it easier for you to find the information you need while studying at Kent.

Let us know what you think by emailing communications@kent.ac.uk or using the feedback button on the new site.

Benefits include: 

🔎 A search bar that only searches services and information for current Kent students 

📚 All your Kent services and systems in one place 

🚀Improved design informed by students and user experience experts 

🌍 Website navigation designed for current students only 

These changes are following student feedback that you find it hard to find the information you need on the current Kent website. 

This is the start of a journey of continuous improvements to the website experience for Kent students. So tell us what you like, and don’t like, so we can continue to improve the student website for you. 

What do I need to do? 

Nothing – you will be automatically redirected to the new website. This change won’t affect Moodle, KentVision, your email or timetable. 

For consistency, the name of the student app has also changed to My Kent Student App.