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.

students walking on campus

Race Equality Week (3–9 February)

Race Equality Week, (3- 9 February), offers Kent an opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress made towards race equality. This week serves as both a celebration of our achievements and a moment to reassert our commitment to advancing race equality throughout the institution.

Progress to Date
Kent has made significant strides in its race equality journey, with key initiatives and milestones marking our ongoing commitment. Notable achievements included the launch of our Challenging Racism Strategy, a comprehensive framework aimed at addressing and dismantling systemic racism within the university and a precursor to our work on the Race Equality Charter. Additionally, Kent’s recent attainment of the Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award in October 2024 is a significant recognition of our efforts and a testament to the dedication of our staff and students in this area.

Role of the BAME Staff Network
The BAME Staff Network has played a crucial role in shaping Kent’s race equality efforts. Through its leadership, the Network has consistently challenged the institution to improve its support for racially minoritised staff. Their advocacy and expertise have been instrumental in ensuring that race equality remains a top priority within Kent’s strategic planning and day-to-day operations.

Kent Students’ Union Black Student Voices Project
Equally important has been the Kent Students’ Union Black Student Voices Project, which has amplified the voices of racially minoritised students across the university. This project has provided a vital platform for students to share their experiences, ensuring that their concerns are heard and acted upon. The insights garnered from this initiative have helped inform the development of policies and practices that better support students from racially minoritised backgrounds.

The 2025–2030 EDI Strategy Consultation
Kent is currently consulting with staff and students on its 2025–2030 Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy. This ongoing consultation is crucial in shaping the university’s long-term approach to race equality. By embedding race equality into the core of our EDI work, Kent is establishing a sustainable framework for continuous improvement, ensuring that progress is not just made but built upon year after year.

Race Equality Charter Monitoring Group
In alignment with the REC Action Plan, Kent will convene its Race Equality Charter Monitoring Group for its inaugural meeting on 7 February. This group will oversee and scrutinise the implementation of the REC Action Plan, holding the institution accountable and driving forward the race equality agenda. Through this group, we aim to ensure that our commitments are not only fulfilled but continually advanced in a meaningful and impactful way.

Race Equality Week is an opportunity to reflect on the work done and the work still to be done. Kent remains committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all, and the initiatives outlined above are just some of the steps we are taking on our journey towards full race equality. As we continue to build on this progress, we remain dedicated to ensuring that the voices of racially minoritised staff and students are heard, valued, and acted upon.

Are you getting heard?

Student feedback is a powerful catalyst for driving positive change and ensuring that Kent remains a dynamic and relevant place to study, both now and in the future. It offers you the opportunity to shape your own university experience while helping Kent continually evolve to meet the needs of its students.

Your voice matters—whether it’s sharing your thoughts on course content, teaching methods, or the overall student experience.

Together, we can create a more vibrant and enriching environment. It’s your university—make sure your voice is heard and help drive the change you want to see.

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 with light projection

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.

International Student Advisory Board group

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. 

ISAB members in discussion

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.” 

ISAB reps talking to each other

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    

WIN! Take our survey and win one of our amazing prizes.

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.

Boxes of sanitary products in Mandela Student Centre

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:

Free sanitary products from ResLife

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:

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:

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.