It was a bumper round of PRIDE Award winners last month with three staff members winning the award.

Congratulations are due to Angela Forsyth (Accommodation Co-ordinator), Keira Hannigan (Chargehand) and Jason Townsend (IT Systems, Development and Support Officer). PRIDE stands for ‘Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence’ and the panel felt that the hard work and dedication of all three exemplified this and could not be ignored, especially where multiple nominations were received for different projects each was working on.

While recognising how hard the entire Accommodation Team have worked throughout the Clearing and Arrivals period, Angela’s nomination singled her out for her ‘tireless’ work and “unflagging efforts” on the Clearing hotline call centre, both in training the team and responding to student calls. Additionally, Angela contributed and helped to implement a new procedure for processing student data in the Accommodation Office that “increases efficiency, is time saving and improves customer service”

Keira’s award recognised her “dedication, consistency, proactiveness, and her willingness to support and assist the Housekeeping Team in their work”. Her nomination focused on a recent three-month period where Keira stepped up to help run and manage one of the college Housekeeping Teams above and beyond her role. Keira has also taken on extra tasks and hours throughout the Covid-19 pandemic so far and has also helped to support new staff starters and has consistently shown why she is a “valued member of the Chargehand team”.

The final winner was a familiar face; however, the panel felt that Jason’s outstanding work producing 14 fully operational tracking devices from scratch for Kent Hospitality’s catering outlets deserved recognition. Jason designed a bespoke computer prototype, tested it, sourced parts and manufactured the final trackers often giving up his own time to ensure the trackers were ready as soon as possible. An extract from his nomination read that his “innovation, devotion and selfless voluntary service” on this project “has made the jobs of the Catering Team easier and safer”.

Many congratulations to Angela, Keira and Jason on their well-deserved wins.

We are sure that there are lots of our staff going above and beyond, so if you know of any Kent Hospitality staff member from either the Canterbury or Medway campus, it is quick and easy to nominate them for a PRIDE Award. To submit a nomination, just visit the PRIDE website and complete our online form.

The award is given in March, June, September/October and December with each winner receiving £100 of shopping vouchers, a certificate and a PRIDE pin badge.

The closing date for the next PRIDE Award is currently Wednesday 2 December 2020 at 12 noon.

Picture shows; Angela, Keira and Jason with their certificates.

Dr Gloria Chamarro, Lecturer in applied linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, has received a grant from the Orange Tree Trust and The Thomas Sivewright Catto Charitable Settlement for her work on The English Hub for Refugees project.

The project helps refugees and asylum seekers gain the English language skills they need in order to integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education and jobs while also allowing University students to gain teaching experience. Apart from the English classes, the project also develops language learning materials for refugees and migrants, which are freely available in our Materials section.

Gloria says: “Thanks to the funding received from the Orange Tree Trust we will be able to continue supporting unaccompanied refugee minors with their language skills so that they can successfully integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education and jobs. It will allow us to continue with our English classes as well as with the development of language learning resources to support these and other migrants for two more academic years.”

Keeping our university community as safe as possible is a top priority for us all.

Staff working on campus should ensure that they are fully aware of the safety measures we have put in place to limit the spread of Covid-19.  Whether it’s arranging a meeting, in a teaching setting or simply walking across campus, please remember to follow the guidelines for ‘hands, face, space’ and the ‘rule of six’ as they apply in a work setting.

Risk assessment

Make sure you are aware of the detailed risk assessment, which has been applied across the University ahead of staff return to work across campus.

The risk assessment covers measures such as

• Disease control (including downloading the NHS Test and Trace app, and staying at home if you feel unwell)
• Improved hygiene (such as extra hand-washing and sanitisers in all key areas and enhanced cleaning of buildings)
• Social distancing set at 2m in most areas but 1m+ in teaching rooms (where all students should be wearing face coverings and staff have access to face shields, particularly for over-the-shoulder supervision)
• PPE/face coverings
• Safeguards for vulnerable individuals

Code of Conduct

You should also familiarise yourself with our Covid-19 Code of Conduct for Staff and Students.

The Code of Conduct is updated regularly in line with latest government guidelines. It outlines changes to our environment, adaptations to ensure our sites are Covid-secure, and what we all need to do to make sure we keep each other safe.

All staff and students are expected to follow the Covid-19 Code of Conduct guidelines while on campus, as well as standards within our existing Charter/Code of Conduct.

• Student Charter
• Staff Code of Conduct

Find out more

To find out more about staying safe while on campus, see our staff Covid-19 webpages.

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Head of the Department of Religious Studies, interviews Jessica Frazier, former University of Kent member of staff and current Lecturer in Theology and Religion for the University of Oxford.

Jessica was born in Washington D.C. and came to England when a child. Jessica reveals how she fantasized about going to Narnia as a kid, and we learn about the appeal of Thailand where it is always summer – indeed, a portal into something magical.

Jessica also talks about teaching Hinduism at Oxford, how she wanted to be an explorer growing up, why she has become more of a Platonist as she gets older, why she has never been frightened of solitude, and how it is okay to be a nerd.

Are you an expectant parent or did you become a mum or dad last year?

You are invited to take part in an online study about your mental health and wellbeing around the time of the birth of your child.

If you want to take part then click on this survey.

Led by the NHS Kent and Medway Partnership Trust, with the University of Kent as one of 24 formal participant identification centres, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a perinatal mental health multimedia campaign (PATHMC) in England. In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, the study also includes questions which aim to assess the differential impact of COVID-19 on parents and partners.

Don’t forget to have your say in the BAME Staff Network All Staff Survey 2020, which is open until 8 November.

Why we are running this survey
The University of Kent has committed to addressing racial inequalities and creating an inclusive culture and environment where individuals are able to thrive, irrespective of their race, ethnicity or various intersections. To help facilitate progress, the University of Kent’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network is working in collaboration with the University senior management team.

We want to hear your views on working at the University of Kent, and whether you think there is anything the University can do to eradicate racial discrimination and advance race equality. This survey is just one of the ways you can be involved. We will be communicating with you regularly to keep you up to date with the race equality work we are undertaking and will seek your views on future actions we intend to propose. If you would like to be further involved in this work, or become a member of the University of Kent Staff Network, please email bamestaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk.

Who should take part?
This survey is for both BAME and White staff working in academic or professional services roles within the University of Kent.

Why should you take part?
This survey is the first part of a wider piece of research that seeks to understand the culture of the University of Kent, in order to advance race equality. By taking part in this survey, you are adding to the knowledge of the University of Kent and helping us to identify areas for improvement, and ways to make those improvements.

The results of this survey will be published on our website. We hope you will see your views and ideas acted upon and reflected within the University Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, in order to make progress on race equality. The survey will be followed by a qualitative study that will involve participants from this survey who have willingly expressed an interest in being part of a case study. The second phase will involve participants of the survey who have willingly expressed an interest in being part of a case study who will be contacted by the management research team. At the end of this survey, you will be asked to indicate if you would be willing to participate in the case study.

Data security and anonymity
Throughout the survey, please only answer the questions with which you are comfortable. All of the information you provide will be held in the strictest confidence and will only be seen by the University of Kent BAME Staff Network management team which comprises the four co-Chairs of the BAME Staff Network, Dr Heejung Chung and research associate (RA) Hyojin Seo. The data will be stored according to the Data Protection Act 2018. The University’s privacy notice contains information that outlines how your personal data will be processed as part of this research process.

Only the research team will have access to this database. Aggregated, anonymised analysis will be shared with other departments in the University to inform the development of services, policies and processes. At no point will the information you provide be shared in a way that would allow you to be personally identified. Any published material will be anonymised.

If you have any questions about this survey that have not been answered by this information page, please contact the BAME Staff Network by emailing bamestaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk.

Proceed to the survey
To proceed to the survey, please click on this link.

The link also includes more information about the survey’s purpose and objectives, and outlines its complete anonymity and confidentiality.

The Survey will be open until 8 November 2020 and the Network hopes that as many staff members as possible will participate. Please remember, if you have any questions about the survey, email the Co-Chairs at bamestaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk

Thank you,
Bridget, Dave, Barbara and Vanisha, Co-Chairs of the BAME Staff Network

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 26 October – Friday 30 October) webinars are as follows:

Monday 26 October 2020 –  ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 27 October 2020 – ‘Tips for improving posture’
Time: 14.00-14.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 28 October 2020 –  ‘Fear & Anxiety’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 29 October 2020 – ‘How the Pandemic has affected how people have accessed support’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 30 October 2020 – ‘Finding joy in 2020’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Are you a health care professional, social care professional or an applied health and social care researcher in Kent, Surrey or Sussex currently involved with, or interested in, applied research? Then NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC KSS) would like to hear from you.

ARC KSS is keen to find out how your interests align with its themes and hear about your learning and development needs and preferences. The findings from its survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, will help develop and shape the ARC KSS Academy’s activities that will support applied health and social care researchers across the region, over the course of the next four years.

If interested please complete the ARC KSS survey

If you have any questions about the survey please email ARCKSSacademy@kent.ac.uk