The University of Kent Players is holding auditions on Thursday 7 March for their next radio play, The Maltese Falcon, taking place in early May. The audition will be held in GS4, in Grimond, from 17.30-19.30.

In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman. As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows… Entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, Sam realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejewelled Maltese falcon.

There are a number of acting and non-acting roles available – we need everyone from cast to tech to front of house.

The Players are a friendly group with diverse levels of experience so everyone is welcome!

Please email players@kent.ac.uk for more information.

In the latest Executive Group blog, Sir David Warren, Chair of the University Council, shares his impressions of the challenges facing the sector and the University, as discussed at a recent Council Strategy Day.

The EG blog is available to read on the OVC webpages.

In celebration of International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, we’re excited to announce a few opportunities to get involved with Kent Sport.

Celebrating through the medium of fitness, dance and beyond, join us for our women-only classes. Booking only available at the Sports Centre and Pavilion receptions. Open to all. Free for Gold and Silver. Non-members pay £2 per class.

Start the day off right with our 30-minute Express Yoga class at 8am. Wake up the body and the mind before stepping out into the world.

Get your blood pumping in our energetic Dance Mix class at 2.15pm. Guaranteed to put you in a great mood, this class blends multiple dance moves so you can learn different routines and feel on top of the world!

Finish off your afternoon with our Relax and Unwind class at 3.15pm. Calm the mind and relax the spirit, perfect for grounding yourself.

As part of the Gulbenkian’s This Girl Can Family Day on Sunday 10 March, join Kent Sport for a very exciting Zumba workshop from 2pm to 2.30pm – a great time for the whole family!

Through our Let’s Play timetable, every Wednesday from 2pm to 3pm Kent Sport offers ‘This Girl Can Lift’ session specifically geared towards female students and staff who want to get in the gym with guidance on weightlifting.

Want to feel really empowered? Join UKC MMA on Thursday 14 March as they host a self-defence seminar taught by the female world champion of Brazilian Jui Jitsu, Claudia Do Val. Tickets are limited, so be sure to book early.

Events:

• Friday 8 March: Women’s Day dance and fitness classes
• Sunday 10 March: This Girl Can Family Day at the Gulbenkian
• Wednesdays: This Girl Can Lift as part of our Let’s Play timetable
• Thursday 14 March: Claudia Do Val

University of Kent staff and students can purchase discounted bus tickets for the following single journeys:

Show your staff or student KentOne card to the driver to receive the discounted prices. You can pay for your ticket with cash or contactless card.

For more information about bus routes, timetables and all of the Arriva bus discounts available, please see our Medway bus webpage

Want to push your pedal to the metal? Think your RPMs are up to speed? Then join Kent Sport for the Kent Velo Palooza, a competitive sprint cycling tournament on static bikes, coming this Friday 8 March at the Pavilion Café Bar.

Doors open at 6pm, with the first race due to start at 8pm. Not everyone needs to get on a bike to take part though – you can come and simply watch all the action while supporting your favourite riders. Food and drinks will be available at the bar throughout the event. There will also be a fun cycling-themed quiz between rounds for the spectators.

The charge for competitors is £2, with all money raised going to the the National Children’s Football Alliance (NCFA) and the Peace Ride.

If you want to join the action, whether cycling or watching, be sure to book early at the Sports Centre reception or by calling 01227 823 623. There will be on-the-day registration for competitors, but subject to availability as spaces are limited.

To stay up to date with Kent Sport news, events and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @UniKentSports.

Block B in the Templeman Library will be closed 06:30-11:00 on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March while essential building work is carried out.

Access to building

The Terrace and Grimond entrances will be open 06:30-11:00 on both days for access to Block A.

The Main Entrance and Library Road Entrance will be open as usual providing access to Blocks C and D.

Access to books and services

There will be no access to the following books and services in Block B during this time:

• Classmarks: B, J, K, L, M, N, P (Journals), Q
• DVDs and viewing stations
• Laptop loans
• Library Café
• Study carrels

Laptop loans will still be available from Block C, Floor 2. The Library Café will open at 12:00 midday on both Saturday and Sunday.

If you experience any problems entering the building or accessing the upper floors please contact our Welcome Desk (01227) 82 4777.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, speaks to Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Reproduction at the University of Kent.

Darren is a world leader in the study of chromosomes, human sperm, IVF and the human genome as well as, more recently, the genomic structure of dinosaurs. Chris and Darren talk about Darren’s extensive media work, growing up in the same village as Alan Bennett, glam rock, his penchant for song lyrics, God, plagiarism, PhDs, his obsession with dinosaurs, what inspired him to enter academia, the need for research to have social relevance, transferring his IVF work to pig embryos, and how the results can feed back into the human IVF world, why the best science can sometimes be undertaken in the bar at conferences, fulfilling the dreams he had from high school, and whether Darren would consider himself to be a looking back or a looking forward type of person.

Chris Deacy also co-hosts a film podcast, the most recent episode of which (an Oscar special) can be found here.

The School of English and the School of European Culture and Languages worked together to organise ‘Writing for a living’, an event for students across the Faculty of Humanities taking place as part of the University’s ‘Humanities for Hire’ festival on Wednesday 27 February.

Dr Jeremy Scott, Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics and a published author, chaired an expert panel of professional writers – including SECL graduate Emily Cook – who discussed the trials and tribulations of making a living from the written word. The panel of writers, drawn from a range of careers including novelists, lecturers, journalists, freelance writers and poets, shared their insights into breaking into this competitive, frustrating and rewarding profession.

Following the event, Heidi Colthup, panellist and Lecturer in English Language & Linguistics, commented: ‘It was great to have a packed room for the panel, and to speak to so many students afterwards who wanted to know more about how to get a career in writing started. The event was a very good opportunity to hear a wide variety of experiences about writing for a living and how surprisingly accessible it can be’

Have you considered cycling to the University? Cycling is a great way to improve your physical and mental health. See our numbered cycle shelter map to find where your nearest cycle shelter is located.

How to gain access to Canterbury lockable cycle shelters

• For access to the Library cycle shelter email TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk with your name, staff or student number, number on back of your Kent One card, type and colour of bike and any identifying features of your bicycle.
• For other lockable cycle shelters come to the Security and Transport Centre with your Kent One card to gain access.

How to gain access to Medway lockable cycle shelters

• For access to the lockable cycle shelter at Medway, email MedwayCardAccess@kent.ac.uk with your name, staff or student number and number on the back of your Kent One card.

From today, 6 March, all staff vacancies will be advertised on a new system and a new look website.

The previous platform, i-Grasp has been replaced with a new system, Stonefish. If you wish to continue to receive job alerts, you must register and create a new account at jobs.kent.ac.uk.

To view and apply for internal only vacancies, you will need to use the Staff Login button which uses your University login details. Internal only vacancies will no longer be visible to external candidates.

This change is the final development in the second phase of Staff Connect, which aims to streamline our HR processes. Since October 2018, this has seen the introduction of training, appraisals (RPD), annual leave and absence management into one system. Although this is part of the Staff Connect project, a separate software solution called Stonefish has been selected as it is more tailored to the HE sector and presents a slicker, more intuitive, user interface which is in line with the Kent brand.

There are a number of benefits to the system:

• Candidates will find the registration and application process easier than i-Grasp.
• Hiring managers will no longer need to complete manual forms. Stonefish will be the single source of information about recruitment and duplication of data entry will be eliminated. An improved shortlisting process will be conducted online along with the ability to have anonymous shortlisting where appropriate (the latter will support the University’s Diversity & Inclusion and Athena SWAN commitments).
• Centrally, having a more uniform automated process will help drive efficiency and consistency and enable the resourcing team to handle high volume recruitment without damaging candidate perceptions or adding to management workloads. It will also provide better and more accessible management information.

Support sessions for all hiring managers are running throughout March and April. There will also be user guides available on the resourcing web pages. Your resourcing contacts will also be available to coach and take you through how to use the system.

If you have any questions, please contact the Resourcing Team at stonefish@kent.ac.uk