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University Updates
Welcome to your regular update
This week in University Updates...
This week there's information on regular COVID-19 testing, wellbeing resources, updates from your Students’ Union and a reminder to get in touch if you need exam support.
Save lives with regular tests
You can now be tested twice a week, every week, with rapid, free testing at the Sports Hall in Penryn. It’s a fast and easy experience. If you’ve returned to your term-time accommodation, whether private rental or University Halls, you can now get tested twice a week, every week.
Regardless of when your in-person teaching starts, everyone can play their part and engage with regular testing to help us protect our community. On-going testing will enable us to spot outbreaks quickly and ensure everyone can live together safely.
The tests are quick and easy, using the Government approved nose and throat swab Innova Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test. Each test only takes around 15 minutes.
You’ve all done a great job in helping to control the transmission of the virus, but with the emergence of new, more easily transmissible variants we need to up our game to avoid any further outbreaks of COVID-19.
Play your part. Book twice weekly ongoing rapid LFD tests:
Please remember to bring your University ID to the test centre with you and continue to follow government guidance.
It’s very important to understand that regular testing does not negate the need to follow the current lockdown restrictions at all times. Further information about our rapid twice weekly COVID-19 tests, including information on what to do if your test result is positive, can be found on our dedicated student COVID-19 test webpages.
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you need a different test
If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 such as a high temperature, new continuous cough or a loss of taste/smell, you must self-isolate and contact the Rapid Response Hub to request a HALO PCR test: book a HALO PCR test using the online form.
Living in lockdown
We realise that lockdown is hard and that the rules have changed, and it can be difficult to stay up to date on the guidelines. However, the new variant of COVID-19 spreads more easily and so it is more crucial than ever to do what you can to protect yourself and others.
Parties and other social gatherings are illegal for a simple reason: they are one of the most effective ways to spread COVID-19. Cases are still spreading across the country and our region, as are the numbers of hospital admissions and deaths. The majority of our community have been extremely careful to stay within their households, so please continue to only meet with your household or support bubble.
Please remember these points particularly:
You can’t move between households – for instance if you’re already living at your term-time address you must remain there and not leave to stay elsewhere
You can only mix with your own household indoors (unless you have created a support bubble under certain, specific circumstances)
You can only exercise outside with members of your household, or with one other person. Health officials strongly recommend that you minimise the number of ‘single people’ you meet with across the week, as the new variant of the virus is more easily transmitted. You should also maintain a social distance from them
When you’re taking your daily exercise, remember to stay local and wear a face covering in busy areas
Keep following the advice of washing hands regularly, wearing face coverings and keeping socially distanced
Remember if you do test negative for COVID-19 the result is only valid at that time, so it's crucial you continue to follow Hands - Face - Space to minimise the chances of catching it
You can read more on the UK government’s website.
Cleaning routines
In order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 it is really vital that we all strive to keep areas where we live and study clean, particularly touch-points. Touch-points include surfaces like fridge/freezer doors, cooker and microwave handles, kitchen sides, taps, kettle handles, switches, remotes and other appliances which are used frequently by multiple people. New to cleaning? Here’s a helpful guide.
Supporting you
We understand that the current situation is challenging for everyone, so please be aware that we are still here to support you – wherever you are. The wellbeing webpages contain useful resources which you can access at any time from home. Here are a few:
Silvercloud - offers secure, immediate access to online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy programmes, tailored to your specific needs such as anxiety, stress and many other areas.
Togetherall - provides safe, anonymous online support with trained healthcare professionals 24/7. You can share your experiences anonymously with your peers at any time of the day or night and find support from those experiencing similar difficulties.
Wellbeing Approaches for Covid - Using these approaches may help you reduce the impact of challenges imposed by COVID-19, better manage the demands imposed by your studies and help you maintain your wellbeing.
MyMoodCoach - Learn about your emotions, develop resilience, and build well-being by using the MyMoodCoach App. Researchers from top universities across Europe, including the University of Exeter, are learning how emotions and well-being change over time in young adults. Sign up to the study here, receive our free app, learn about your own emotions and support cutting edge science. You can also earn up to £60 in shopping vouchers for your contribution.
Other apps – the UniWellBeing and Fika apps are available to students to download. UniWellBeing can help you to improve your wellbeing and resilience and you can find out more about it here. It includes live feeds, healthy challenges, podcasts and more. Fika is an app designed to improve your mental fitness and you can access from your app store and register with your University email.
Workshops & Webinars - Wellbeing Services offer a number of webinars that you can attend from home via your laptop or PC. Webinars are interactive online workshops that allow you to participate and learn new ways to approach different areas of your life. Some previous webinars have focused on dealing with exam stress and improving sleep.
Want to know what help is best for you? Please check out this summary leaflet.
New nature experiment launched with BBC Music
A new experiment launches today, as part of a collaboration between the BBC and the University, called ‘Soundscapes for Wellbeing’. The experiment is exploring how people feel when they engage with natural environments through varying digital formats, from rich visual scenes to immersive natural sound recordings and wildlife documentaries.
The study is being led by Wellcome Trust funded PhD student, Alex Smalley. Alex said: “We’ve assembled an amazing team to create this experiment, which fuses approaches from the arts, natural history, and science. We’re hoping as many people as possible will take part, and help us understand how best to bring virtual experiences of nature to those who can’t easily get outside.”
The experiment is online and open to anyone over the age of 18. It takes around 10minutes to complete. You can take part here or visit our website to find out more.
Digital Learning and Development – Bringing Uni Home
Whether you’re studying from home or halls of residence we have pulled together some help on improving the ways we learn and study digitally. For week two of the Bringing Uni Home campaign take a look at these digital resources to help you. They include digital studying skills from Study Zone, boosting your CV and employability via LinkedIn Learning and tips for using the library online. Don't forget that the Digital Hub is also here to support your understanding of the digital tools we all use, like Teams, OneDrive, Zoom and more.
Deadline for Extra Exam Support
If you require exam adjustments such as extra time or rest breaks and you have not already been in touch with Accessibility to organise this, book an online appointment to discuss with one of our Accessibility advisers or email Accessibility@fxplus.ac.uk as soon as possible.
The deadline for arranging adjustments for the May 2021 exams is Monday 15 February at 5pm, and you need to have filled out a disclosure form and sent your supporting evidence to Accessibility by this date and time. If we receive your form and medical evidence after this time, we cannot guarantee your adjustments will be in place for May. If eligible for extra support, you will receive a personalised Individual Learning Plan.
Please be aware that the next examination period in May will take place online. We post information about the exams on the webpages here, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Look out for further updates in the coming weeks.
Introducing the Write Now campaign
We know that things are a little different Write Now. University may seem more overwhelming than usual, and it’s normal to not feel ok. To help you, SU President Exeter, Cara Chittenden, has revived the "Write Now" campaign. The campaign aims to collate academic resources to help you, as well as signpost useful information about welfare resources and academic processes, such as mitigation.
Cara explains “I wanted to revive the Write Now campaign to collate all the resources possible to help you write, right now: whether it’s for exam revision, assignment deadlines or just day-to-day study. I’ve collated tips and tricks to help you with productivity and time-management, information about mitigation policies and more…”. Read Cara’s full introduction here.
Official President Elections 2021 candidate announcement!
The time has come to formally announce the candidates for the 2021 President Elections’. The SU is thrilled that this year they have the most candidates in their recent (and distant) history! The President Elections 2021 are proving truly to be an election like no other, in a year like no other, and this incredible turnout brings a lot of hope for what’s to come. Meet your candidates here and keep an eye out for their manifesto announcements coming soon...
Nominations open for the SU Liberation Committee
Do you want to help the Students’ Union represent marginalised groups and bring the voice of under-represented groups to the forefront of SU policy and campaigns? Then why not consider nominating yourself for one of the five Officer roles available? Find out more here.
Cornwall One and All Race Equality Forum
Cornwall Council is inviting you to join the Cornwall One and All Race Equality Forum, which is launching on Thursday 4 February 2021, 6 – 7:30pm to coincide with Race Equality Week. This first Forum event will feature guest speaker Cllr Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor of Bristol, who will discuss Bristol’s experiences of tackling racism and racial inequality. For the full Council press release and more information, please visit the Cornwall Council website. Register for the event via the Let’s Talk Cornwall website.
Share your news
Have you been volunteering for your community, won an award, or are running your own company? Whatever your achievements, we want to hear from you. We’re looking to share your stories with others and some could even feature on our social media channels, or as stories on our website (and can be added to your CV!). Submit a brief description (no more than 300 words) to studentcomms@exeter.ac.uk for the chance to feature.
Online Fitness Class Timetable
During the national lockdown, our sports department is offering an extensive online class programme. Please see the timetable below; you can book and join a class here. There is also a Facebook Health and Fitness Group where further health, wellbeing and workouts are shared.
Social mobility prospects in a post pandemic world talk
What can we do to safeguard social mobility in a post pandemic world characterised by widening educational inequalities?
Drawing on his new book and latest research, the University's Professor of Social Mobility, Lee Elliot Major, argues that society is characterised by a grotesquely unlevel playing field. Yet the COVID-19 crisis also offers an opportunity to develop national and regional and university policies to improve prospects for those from less advantaged backgrounds.
This talk is on Tuesday 2 February between 12:30 – 2pm and will be chaired by the University's Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Lisa Roberts. There will be an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation. You can find full details and registration on the Eventbrite webpage.
Microbiology Symposium
On Monday 8 February through to the end of Wednesday 10 February, our Microbiology Symposium will be held online. Each day, from 1:30 - 4:30pm, will feature a variety of academic speakers, whose talks will be live streamed to the ESI Facebook page. You can find out more about the confirmed speakers and sign up for a free ticket here. For further details please contact Devi Whittle.
The Undergraduate Research Showcase is now open!
Our Undergraduate Research Showcase begins today! It’s your chance to learn about the research your fellow students have been working on. Explore our online exhibition here throughout the week to see the fantastic posters and abstracts that have been submitted. Maybe it will even inspire your own project! Missed your chance to share your research? Take part in our twitter challenge and #tweetyourresearch!
WebPrint temporarily unavailable Tuesday 26
On Tuesday 26 January from 2-4pm the WebPrint service will be unavailable, due to a server upgrade. During this period, you can print instead from a desktop to FindMeStudent or FindMe.
Access to Internships (A2I)
Access to Internships (A2I) can help you arrange your own paid internship in the UK. We can provide information, support and generous funding for eligible students. All funding is issued on a first-come-first-served basis until Friday 7 May 2021 for internships at the University of Exeter, and Friday 11 June 2021 for all other qualifying internships. Please visit A2I for further information.
All of the following events will be held online:
Tuesday 26 January (weekly event), 1pm, Together Wherever yoga with your Students' Union, find out more and sign up for free here.
Tuesday 2 February, 12:30 – 2pm, Social mobility prospects in a post pandemic world talk. More details and registration can be found on the Eventbrite webpage.
Wednesday 3 February, 12:45 -1:30pm, Mind Over Natter: The Power of the Pen. Former journalist, current Student Communications Manager and fiction writer, Jo Cole, shares ideas on the power of writing. Register for free here.
Monday 8 February- Wednesday 10 February, 1:30 – 4:30pm each day, Microbiology Symposium. You can find out more about the confirmed speakers and sign up for a free ticket here.
Keep an eye on the Students' Union Website to keep up to date with upcoming events.
Tell us what you think of this newsletter:
Get in touch with your feedback or news stories at: studentcomms@exeter.ac.uk
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