From Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Education & Student Experience

A warm welcome back to all of you who have returned to work this week – I hope you all had a chance to unwind over the Winter Break, and that your plans were largely able to go ahead as intended. My thanks also to all of those who remained working on campus over the break to support the 500 or so students who remained with us. 

Following yesterday afternoon’s Government announcements on the ongoing Covid-19 guidance, I wanted to send a quick reminder to everyone of where things are as we head into the next term. There has been lots of attention on the rise in case numbers nationally, which I know will be concerning for many – I want to reassure you that the safety and wellbeing of our entire community has always been, and will continue to be, our key concern. We will also be holding a Staff Webchat to discuss all of this in more detail on Friday 14 January at 2pm ahead of the start of term – you can sign up for this online. 

Working from home 

The current guidance remains that everyone not involved in the delivery and support of teaching and direct student services or research should continue to work from home until 26 January where possible. Non-essential on-campus meetings or gatherings should also be avoided. 

Teaching in the Spring Term 

As you know, in the Autumn term, we held face-to-face teaching sessions for seminars, tutorials, lab classes, etc but retained the majority of our lectures in an online form. We have committed to provide students with face-to-face lectures in the Spring term, and the Government continues to stress the importance of this in their sector-specific guidance. While the situation is far from straightforward, this is still our intention – we are also taking the associated safety aspects very seriously, including undertaking risk assessments to ensure each area is safe, and reducing lecture theatre capacity in a number of cases to ensure appropriate ventilation.  

Together with the expectation for all staff and students to test regularly and to wear face masks in our buildings, and particularly during teaching sessions, I am confident that returning to in-person lectures is the right thing to do at this stage. We will, of course, continue to closely monitor case numbers locally. 

Face coverings 

Everyone on campus is still expected to wear face coverings in places where social distancing can’t be maintained such as in teaching spaces and communal areas, unless they have a medical exemption. In most cases, those teaching classes will not need to wear face coverings as they will have room to be socially distanced at the front of the class. 

Elsewhere, face coverings should also be worn in shared offices and other indoor spaces where it is not possible to maintain social distancing. 

Together with the expectation for all staff and students to test regularly and to wear face masks in our buildings, including students during teaching sessions, I am confident that returning to in-person lectures is the right thing to do at this stage. We will, of course, continue to closely monitor case numbers locally. 

Testing  

Those coming onto campus should continue to test regularly and report your results to the NHS online. Take-home lateral flow tests are currently available for those on campus from either Campus Security or Templeman Library Deliveries entrance on Library Road – they will shortly be available more widely, with a further update to follow on other locations. If you do test positive for Covid, please inform us by emailing CovidSupport@kent.ac.uk and also let your manager know as soon as possible while you isolate. 

Ongoing support 

Both the national picture and the continued uncertainty as a result is difficult for all of us and it is really important you can access support when you need it. If you are worried or need further support, please do speak with your line manager or email CovidSupport@kent.ac.uk. You can also get free, confidential advice at any time via our Employee Assistance Programme. 

Thank you once again to all of you for the huge efforts I know all are making to keep things going while keeping everyone safe. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and I will provide a further update later in the month ahead of the current restrictions ending. 

Richard 

Professor Richard Reece | DVC Education & Student Experience

As part of our statutory requirements to the Prevent Duty, Higher Education institutions are required to provide staff with Prevent awareness training.

Prevent is an aspect of the University’s Safeguarding and Duty of Care Policy, and we encourage all staff to complete this e-learning module, which can be found on Moodle. This new e-learning module will give staff an introduction to Prevent, our local risk context in Kent and Medway, and advice on what to do with a Prevent related concern. If you have any problems accessing this module, please contact ldev@kent.ac.uk .

Alongside this module, the University continues to provide Prevent Safeguarding Awareness training for student facing staff facilitated by the Centre for Child Protection using the simulation Behind Closed Doors. For more information on these training sessions, please contact Emma Soutar e.soutar@kent.ac.uk .

The Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries Fellowship Programme provides funding for individuals who want to extend the use of their research within the cultural and creative industries.

The fellowship will last for one year and the total funding available is up to £3,000 to spend over the course of the fellowship.  This funding can be used for any activities that:

• Meet the goal of the fellow and follow our four key thematic areas of research:

– Health & Wellbeing

– Creative & Cultural Education

– Creative Heritage

– Human-Machine Creativity

• Foster novel ways of working with our Associate Artists and Kent staff; for instance, around technology transfer, impact, grant applications, network building.

Examples of possible activities include travel, hosting of online workshops, running training events, spending towards prototype development, nurturing or contributing to communities of practice, collaborative activity with other Fellows or Associate Artists.

Full details can be found the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (iCCi) webpages, but if you have any questions please contact icci@kent.ac.uk

How to apply

Applications for the Fellowship Programme 2022 are now open.

Please submit your CV and covering letter to explain your plan for the fellowship and how it will help you and the Institute to achieve goals together.

Email application to: icci@kent.ac.uk

Key dates: Applications close at midnight on April 4, 2022

Online interview: during the week commencing April 11, 2022.

The Graduate and Researcher College (GRC) and Talent and Organisational Development (T&OD) are delighted to announce the launch of the new Central Researcher Induction module.

Designed for all staff who research, especially those who are new to the University, but also colleagues already working here, the module contextualises Kent’s research and innovation activities, signposts available support and resources, and encourages you to plan your career and engage with our researcher community.

It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the module and you can return to it for reference at any time. There is also an accompanying ‘Useful links’ document available on SharePoint (Kent staff login required), which contains links to information sources of use and relevance to you as a member of our academic and research staff.

Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate and Researcher College, said: “The Central Researcher Induction module is one of a series of resources being developed to support staff who research at Kent, as outlined in the University’s Concordat and HRER Award Action Plans. I urge all my academic and research colleagues to complete this excellent short course, which should enhance your appreciation of the research environment at Kent, including the support and resources available to you as a researcher. It is half an hour well spent.”

The module is one of a suite of new eLearning modules available to Kent staff via Staff training Moodle, the learning platform that houses all of the University’s internal eLearning. Information about available modules can be found in this Digital Communication Guide.

The content will be updated going forward so please on completion give us your honest feedback so that it can be improved for subsequent participants. For any queries regarding this module or researcher development at Kent, please email acresdev@kent.ac.uk.

Would you, or anyone you know, be interested in taking part in this study, which is being run through Canterbury and surrounding areas?

The IsoFIT-BP study is investigating whether static, or ‘isometric’ exercise, such as a wall squat (held in a fixed position) reduces blood pressure.  It is led by a group of researchers from the Centre for Health Services Studies at the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and East Kent Hospitals.

Dr Jim Wiles, Principal Lecturer from the School of Psychology and Life Sciences at Canterbury Christ Church University, said: ‘So far our research has shown that as little as 24 minutes of isometric exercise per week can successfully reduce most people’s blood pressure by a clinically significant amount. This in turn dramatically reduces the risk of associated diseases such as cardiovascular disease.’

Doctors already advise patients with high blood pressure to make lifestyle changes like stopping smoking and drinking less alcohol. People are also recommended to lose weight, change their diet, and exercise every day, along with taking medication. However, more than half of patients find their blood pressure remains high because they find it hard to stick to these changes and don’t take their medication.  The study is investigating whether prescribing a quick and simple wall squat isometric exercise is easier to stick to and benefits patients.

Consultant Nephrologist (Kidney Specialist) and Hypertension Specialist Dr Tim Doulton, from East Kent Hospitals, said people could potentially see improvements after only a few minutes exercise, three days a week.

If you are interested in finding out more, please see the image below

You can also email isofit-bp@canterbury.ac.uk with any queries. If you take part in the study, you might be required to travel into Canterbury on one occasion. You can register your interest in taking part by following this link to our registration survey.

From Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor and President

As 2021 draws to a close, I want to send my sincere thanks and good wishes to you all for everything that has been achieved over the past 12 months. It has been quite a time for everyone, staff, students, family and friends, as we have dealt with a range of issues across the year, not least the continued impact of the pandemic. You have all done an incredible job ensuring our students’ education and support continues to be of a high standard, that our research continues to have impact and make a difference to people’s lives and that we are continuing to play our part in our local communities. The Autumn term has also presented challenges with new organisation structures and ways of working, along with KentVision implementation affecting our workloads. However, I remain humbled by how people have responded to addressing these issues and clear that all of us want what is best for Kent, and that spirit of collaboration remains at the heart of our community day in, day out.

There are so many positives for us to look back on this year already. A second Nobel Prize in Literature winner for Kent with the fantastic success of Abdulrazak Gurnah; powerful international events like The Walk with Amal that connect up our research with innovation and creativity across our campuses; Papin-Prize winning colleagues supporting the NHS; our fantastic Staff Recognition Awards shining a light on the way we all pulled together to respond to the pandemic; and only last week a well-deserved Learning Technologist of the Year Award from our amazing E-Learning Team. We really do have so much to be proud of and build on in the future ahead.

As we look towards the Christmas break, I know many will be uncertain or concerned about the latest Covid-19 wave brought about by the Omicron variant. The safety of our staff and students will remain at the heart of all our response to this and we will be keeping a ‘watching brief’ over Christmas for any updates that further affect our community following the recent announcements. However, as we close from Wednesday 22 December until we return on Tuesday 4 January, the most important thing is for everyone to get as much of a break as they can and, where possible, spend time with friends and family – it is fully deserved for all of you. I send my very best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. 

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

The Centres for Postcolonial Studies and Creative Writing have awarded the annual Charles Wallace India Trust Writing Fellowship to Babatdor Dkhar.

Since 1991, the Charles Wallace India Trust has sponsored a Fellowship at the University that enables a writer from India to come and work in Kent for the spring term. Additionally, they have the opportunity to present their work to staff and students in talks organised by Kent’s renowned Centres for Creative Writing and Postcolonial Studies.

Babatdor is a writer and filmmaker who studied Creative Writing at Oxford, has taught English in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, worked as an editor in New Delhi, and is the Founder of Ka Ktien Media and the Chief Editor of Half and One.

The Fellowship will enable Babatdor to live and work in Canterbury whilst writing his novel The Khasi Album which is set in Shillong, a town in the north east of India, and is a work of satire, black comedy, romance and tragedy.

As Babatdor says in his application, the novel tackles “the differences between East and West, nationalism and communalism, small-town mindsets and tribal minority sensibilities in an India that is completely different from the one that is portrayed in mainstream literature and media”.

Dr Matthew Whittle, lecturer in Postcolonial Literature and Director of the Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies says: ‘On behalf of the Centres for Postcolonial Studies and Creative Writing, I’m delighted to welcome Babatdor as this year’s Writing Fellow, and looking forward to fostering a creative voice from an under-represented region in Indian literature such as Shillong.

‘The standard of applicants this year was incredibly high, but Babatdor’s writing really stood out to the judging panel as exceptional. We look forward to his contributions to the rich community of creative writers and postcolonial scholars at the University of Kent, and we’ll be following his writing career with great interest!’

With Christmas on its way, don’t forget our rest day on Wednesday 22 December.

The rest day is a thank you from our Executive Group, in recognition of just how busy things have been and continue to be across the University. Colleagues who have already booked leave for the 22nd should cancel it via Staff Connect. If you’re a shift worker scheduled to work that day, you should agree an alternative day with your manager to be taken before the end of January 2022.

Also this year, in recognition of how hard it’s been to take leave while we’re so busy, staff will be allowed to carry over up to 10 days’ leave rather than the usual five. These should carry automatically via Staff Connect at the end of the year. If you have any queries re either the rest day or the extra leave carry-over, please talk to your line manager in the first instance.

You can also find out more on our HR webpages.

Services available

If you do happen to be on campus over the Winter Break, there’s a handy list of services  available, including places to eat, at Canterbury and Medway on our Student webpages.

Emergency contacts

If you’re on campus and require urgent help/advice, our Campus Security team are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can find them in the Security and Transport Centre (Canterbury) or Medway Building (Medway). Or you can get in touch by calling 01227 82 3333 (emergency)/01227 82 3300 (non-emergency) or via the SafeZone app.

From Nikki Hyde, Deputy HR Director and Chair of the Wellbeing Working Group 

There really is a lot going on at the moment and if you’re anything like me then you’ll have found the last term has flown by – I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling more than ready for the Christmas break! The Government announcements over the last couple of weeks have also been a reminder of what an unusual environment it is we are all still working in. Together with the workload issues we continue to face, this adds pressure on all of us and can have a real impact on how much we’re able to enjoy our work day-to-day. 

Through the JSNCC Wellbeing Working Group, we’ve been working together to try and better understand and address the issues that are impacting us all. We want Kent to remain a great place to work; seeing people back on campus has been a real highlight over the last term, but I know the ongoing workload and wellbeing issues mean that this last term has not been any easier for many of us. All of the recommendations of the Wellbeing Working Group have been accepted and are now being taken forward and I hope that they will soon start to have a positive impact for staff. As part of this in Spring 2022, we’ll also be holding focus groups so we can hone in on the issues specifically driving the high workloads there are right across the University – and, ahead of this,  we’d like to get wider views from across the University to help us focus on the right areas. 

Workload and Wellbeing survey

With that in mind, working together with staff and Trade Union representatives, we’ve put together a Workload and Wellbeing survey which is open from today. The survey itself should take no longer than 15 –20 minutes to complete; we do recognise though that asking you to complete a survey on workloads when you are all already very busy is another thing to add to your to-do list. We also want you to have time to reflect on the questions in the survey and have some space to be able to answer them. Managers have therefore been asked to allow all staff up to 45 minutes during work in the coming weeks to complete the survey.  Do take a look if you get a chance before Christmas so you can have a think if you want to over the break, and we’ll then follow up in early January with a reminder on how to add your views. The survey will remain open until 21 January. Given how busy we all are I know this may feel like ‘one more thing to do’, but I really appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey as your views will really help us address the issues that are currently holding us back. 

Lastly, I want to wish you all the best possible Christmas, whatever you have planned, and I hope those that can have a bit of festive fun with friends and family over the next fortnight. I appreciate Christmas isn’t always an easy time for everyone though, so do read our blog from our Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager, Brenda Brunsdon, on looking after yourselves over the festive period. Do get some rest if you can and I look forward to working together to make life at Kent as positive and rewarding as it can possibly be when we get back. 

Nikki Hyde | Deputy HR Director and Chair of the Wellbeing Working Group 
On behalf of the Wellbeing Working Group 

The University has updated its travel guidance and suspended bookings to countries that were announced as Red List Destinations in late November. Whilst these countries were removed from Red List status at 4am on 15 December, travel to these countries is still high risk and cannot be booked via Key Travel. 

Until further notice, travel bookings are suspended for countries including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This will be reviewed in early January 2022.

University Travel Policy

Our University Travel Policy states that you should only travel for work when absolutely necessary and unavoidable. If you are attending an international conference, and the conference offers online participation, you should attend virtually for all bookings until otherwise advised. International travel is still a very high risk activity and should be minimised.

If travel is unavoidable, you should always book flexible tickets that allow for time/date/name changes and cancellations. Cheaper, but non-refundable, tickets should not be purchased.

At all times, colleagues should ensure they’re following our University Travel Policy. The policy includes guidelines on continuing to stay in a destination beyond work-related activity. Extending your stay for more days than the work-related activity, or by more than a maximum seven days (whichever is shorter) is not permitted.

Find out more

Further information on our travel guidelines is available on our Finance webpages.