A number of staff across the University have been approached to attend – at seemingly small or no cost – various conferences and events. Sometimes these look too good to be true – and they frequently are.

Please check and be absolutely certain before you commit to attending anything that may seem suspicious to you. It’s a profitable, ruthless and large industry that’s exploiting our sector and there are now more for-profit providers than scholarly organisations offering these events.

The University has recently reported one particular supplier of these events to the Information Commissioners Office for breaching the legislation and our express instructions around how to handle our data, and we will continue to take an assertive approach to reducing our exposure to these events.

There are a number of characteristics to look out for, including:

• Confusing or similarly named events for well-known industry leaders
• Free or low cost attendance which you might expect to come at a cost if legitimate
• Unusual attendee lists, a lack of familiar or expected speakers, or use of names and images stating attendance of people when this may not happen or seems very unlikely. You may even find your own name there!
• Confusing small print which is difficult to find or non-existent
• Pressurised sales techniques such as frequent calls or emails
• Offers to register you on your behalf
• Lack of appropriate peer review for papers you may submit (ie fast tracked review)
• Invitations that appear to have no relevance to your specialism and expertise or mass, multidisciplinary unfocused agendas.

You can easily block the providers in Outlook using the ‘Junk’ option in any email you may be sent which can block the sender.

Beware also of instances where you may be unwittingly agreeing to a number of ‘client meetings’. Your presence is effectively bait being sold as sales opportunities to companies. If you sign up for one of these, the companies may seek to charge us enormous cancellation fees of up to several thousand pounds.

Kent’s Procurement Team maintains a list of suppliers who we should be wary of using. If you are invited to attend any event that you think may seem suspicious or otherwise not quite legitimate, please do not make any commitments and contact procurement@kent.ac.uk if you require any guidance.

Dr James Newton, Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, has just released a new entry in his podcast series, Newton Talks.

In the series, James discusses topics (mostly) related to cinema, television, and culture. His guests will be from the world of academia, as well as filmmakers and other artists, and each podcast will take the form of an unscripted discussion.

In this episode James talk to filmmakers Sam Mason Bell and Jackson Batchelor, the creative directors of Trash Arts in Portsmouth. Trash Arts have collectively produced numerous features, shorts, and web series, including Lonely Hearts (2018), Conspiracy X (2018), Trash Arts Killers Vol. 1 (2018) and Vol. 2 (2019), and the forthcoming Millennial Killer, along with many others. James and his guests discuss their filmmaking ethos, how to make feature films with no budget, and how to promote and distribute your movie in the marketplace.

To listen to this instalment, please see the page here.

The safety app that already offers many colleagues round-the-clock reassurance via their mobile phones is being installed on staff desktops too.

SafeZone is a simple-to-use app that’s free to download. It’s designed to help staff and students summon security or safety assistance via either their PC or mobile phone.

From 13 November, Information Services has been installing the SafeZone app software onto staff managed desktops across our campuses. Once installed, it will appear as a desktop icon and advice on using it will be available on our SafeZone webpages.

The app will be available via mobile phones and staff managed PCs only at this stage – if you have an unmanaged PC, you should refer to the SafeZone webpages for advice on how to install it.

The SafeZone app was first made available to Kent staff and students via their mobile phones two years ago and a significant number of staff and current students have already downloaded it.

The University’s Chief Operating Officer Denise Everitt said: ‘We strongly support this extension of the SafeZone app as it will enhance the safety and security of our staff.’

Head of Security Mark Arnold added: ‘We’re hoping that by making the app available on desktop computers as well as mobile phones will encourage many others to sign-up. It’s a quick and easy way of ensuring that whatever time you’re working in any University building, you can get help if you need it.’

The app works within designated zones covering the Canterbury and Medway campuses (including Historic Dockyard, Chatham and Liberty Quays student accommodation), as well as our centres in Tonbridge, Brussels and Paris.

If you are lone working or working late at night at any of these places, you can sign-in and contact the Campus Security team in the event of any safety concerns.

To find out more or sign-up for the mobile app, see our SafeZone webpages.

On Tuesday 19 November, the Athena SWAN team ran an event to mark International Men’s Day 2019. The event, open to all staff, comprised an informal networking reception with refreshments, followed by a discussion panel made up of four male University staff members:

-George Baker (Department Administration Supervisor, Estates Department)
-Jake Bicknell (Lecturer in Conservation Biology, School of Anthropology and Conservation)
-James Kloda (Technical Support Officer, School of Anthropology and Conservation)
-Martin Michaelis (Professor of Molecular Medicine, School of Biosciences)

The panel was chaired by Farzin Deravi, Head of the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, who led an insightful and thought-provoking discussion on three key themes arising from the results of the male staff survey hosted by the Athena SWAN team to mark International Men’s Day 2018:

-Does it feel that gender equality initiatives are targeted only at women?
-Is there a macho culture that prevents an inclusive one?
-What is it like being a Dad at the University?

Event attendees also contributed to the discussion and shared their personal experiences, highlighting challenges commonly faced by male staff at Kent and identifying opportunities for developing a more inclusive working environment.

Thank you to our panel members and chair, and to everyone who attended the event. Watch this space for how we plan to follow up on some of the ideas generated during the discussion.

The Learning and Teaching Network are running a workshop on ‘Working with International Students’ on Thursday 5 December, 14.15-15.30 in the UELT Seminar Room.

Presented by Charlene Earl, International Pathways Manager, CEWL and Barbara Sheehy, Student Learning Adviser, SLAS

This interactive workshop is for academic and professional staff who would like to explore ways in which to further enhance their intercultural competence and communication skills. A key element that will be introduced will be the considerations applied when making cultural assumptions.

To confirm your attendance please complete the online booking form.

Message from the Vice-Chancellor

After an open competition I am delighted to announce that Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura has been appointed to the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Strategy, Planning and Performance. Georgina is currently in the interim position and will transition to the substantive post with immediate effect. I am sure you will join me in offering her many congratulations.

With best wishes,

Karen

Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President