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University Updates
Welcome to your regular update
This week in University Updates...
There's news on winter break testing, travel advice and wellbeing resources. Applications for the Professional Pathways Programme are now open. We also announce a new Mind Over Natter talk and the launch of our podcast: Exeplore.
Winter break testing
A new COVID-19 testing centre is now open on our Streatham campus, to provide testing for those who wish to travel away from the University for the winter break. Appointments are now available to be booked. These tests are voluntary and before booking a test you must understand what you will need to do once you receive either a positive or negative result. The government-supported student travel window is from 3-9 December and any students who remain at University after that period risk not being able to travel. You can find out the full details on our winter break webpage.
Travelling by car?
If you are being collected by car by loved ones or friends to travel away from the University for the winter break, they should follow the government guidance of ‘hands, face, space’. They should not travel if they have symptoms of COVID-19. If on campus, they must wear a face covering, ensure they sanitise their hands regularly, and maintain a social distance from others. Please also be patient at popular departure times. By following this guidance, it will help to keep your loved ones and our whole University community safe, thank you.
Planning to travel by train this winter break?
To keep yourself and others safe, please remember to:
· Plan ahead & book
· Wear a face covering
· Keep your distance
· Wash your hands
· Travel light
Don't forget to check out the new guide from @SW_Help before you travel, which sets out how you can keep yourself and others safe. You can find this here.
Regional restrictions
When the national lockdown in England ends on 2 December, we will return to a system of tiered restrictions. Devon will be placed in Tier 2 (High) and Cornwall will be placed in Tier 1 (Medium). Summary details of the restrictions under the various Tiers can be found on the government website. Please continue to social distance, wash your hands regularly, wear a face covering where required, and respect the rules of the tier you are in.
Students on the Move
'Students on the Move' has paid for extra grey waste collections to occur between normal council collection times in December to combat the uncertainty of when students might leave Exeter for the winter holidays. The scheme also promotes a series of recycling initiatives to encourage the disposal of re-usable items and even useable food. Extra grey waste can be collected from student houses on the 7, 11, 14, and 18 December. Please book a collection by emailing communitywardens@exeter.ac.uk 24 hours before you put your waste out and for any enquiries about this initiative. Please note that all COVID-19 related waste must be stored in your house for 72 hours before you put the waste outside to ensure everyone’s safety.
Face coverings
Please remember to wear a face covering (unless you are exempt) inside buildings on campus, to help keep yourself and others around you safe. If you can, wear a reusable face covering to limit waste and help protect the environment. For disposable face coverings, remember to dispose of them in the general waste bins, as these cannot be recycled on campus.
Concerned about your mental health or someone else’s?
For wellbeing resources, advice and support, you can check out our wellbeing webpages here. If you have serious concerns about your mental health or that of someone else, you should follow this advice:
· If there are immediate concerns regarding your safety or that of someone else then dial 999 and ask for the ambulance service (or the police if there is a threat of violence/breakdown in safety)
· If you have an urgent mental health concern (or concern for a friend) you can ring First Response on 0300 555 5000
· If you’re not in Exeter or Cornwall at the time, call the NHS 111 service or check out this NHS support page
· If you are concerned about your own mental health or a housemate and would like support (not for immediate safety needs), please contact wellbeing@exeter.ac.uk
· Students with mental health needs (but who are not in an immediate crisis) can also message our digital mental health support platform
· Finally, if you’re at all concerned have a look at this web page for urgent advice and information
Keeping things clean
How’s your cleaning routine at the moment? It’s a good idea to make sure you're cleaning those commonly touched areas during COVID-19 – here's a film to help.
Exeplore our new podcast!
We have recently launched a new podcast called Exeplore, which is our official University of Exeter podcast. Each episode we explore a different topic with our students, staff and alumni, which aims to celebrate the richness of life within our global community. This week, we have been talking to students and alumni about Movember, masculinity and men’s mental health. Trigger warning: suicide. You can find our first episode here.
Mind Over Natter Talk – Why it’s OK not to be OK
Join Wellbeing Consultant, Kathy O'Connor at 12.45pm on Tuesday 1 December as she discusses why it’s OK not to be OK and what we can do to feel better. Please note this talk is happening on Tuesday (they usually take place on a Wednesday). Register for your free ticket to this live Teams event here. If you missed last week’s Mind Over Natter talk about the benefits of trees – the recording will be available soon.
Anti-racism project fund
Following engagement with students who championed the idea, we have committed £25,000 for you to develop innovative ideas approaches to enhance the anti-racism agenda within the University community and beyond. The Education Incubator will offer project support to students to help ensure that these projects make a real difference.
Please see here to read five top tips to help write a successful project application. The initial deadline for project submission is December 9 at 5pm, with the decision panel consisting of student and staff representatives. You can find more information and an application form here. If you have any questions about applying, please get in touch with us at educationincubator@exeter.ac.uk.
AD(H)D support group meeting
The next meeting of the ADHD Support group will be on Tuesday 1 December between 6 and 7pm. The topic is: Sleep. This group is a friendly, relaxed space where people who have AD(H)D (or who want to know more about it) are welcome to discuss their experiences and strategies, or just listen in. Anyone who is interested should email Anne Betteridge at anne.anne.betteridge@fxplus.ac.uk for a Microsoft Teams invitation to this online meeting.
Trans and Non-Binary Café
Our Trans and Non-Binary Café will be running online on Thursday 4 December, 12:30 to 13:30. Please contact transcafe@exeter.ac.uk for the link. The Trans and Non-Binary Café is a place for trans, non-binary and gender questioning students and staff to meet and share their experiences in a safe and non-judgemental space. We use an online platform that does not require downloads or special software and includes text communications, so if you are closeted and unable to talk where you are, you can still be included.
Class of 2021 Yearbook
Graduating this summer? We’re working with GradFinale to produce the official graduate yearbook for the Class of 2021. The book will be full of individual student profiles, photos and stories that will capture your Exeter experience. It is something you can keep to remind you of your days with us - the events, people and milestones.
If you’d like to be included, please register here and follow the easy steps to submitting your entry. All contributions made online will also be collated into a professionally published book which will be available for you to collect at your graduation ceremonies scheduled in 2021 (or posted to you afterwards). You can order a copy of your printed book now – for £27.00 each. Got a question? Please contact admin@gradfinale.co.uk
Complete a short survey for a chance to win £100!
We'd like to invite you to take part in a short online survey about university reputations. It's a project managed by The World 100 Reputation Network; a group of leading universities of which we are a member. The survey takes around 5 minutes to complete and you can choose to enter into a prize draw to win one of two £100 gift vouchers or 16x £50 gift vouchers. You can take the survey here.
What happens with your feedback?
This term, your course reps have raised your feedback in their SSLCs (Student Staff Liaison Committees). This is where students and staff can talk about any issues raised and seek to find solutions to help support you. Already, some of these issues have had solutions - have a look at your course SSLC here and find your course’s SSLC Action Plan! Remember, if you have feedback, speak to your reps. Without your feedback, change cannot happen! You can find your reps here.
Would you like some study skills advice?
Study Zone offers 1:1 appointments, Writing Cafés, workshops and online guidance covering a range of study skills including essay writing, time management, revision, exam strategies, referencing and proofreading. To find out more visit the Study Zone website.
Registration now open for new online language courses
Registration is now open for our new online language courses starting from 11 January 2021. Courses are discounted for you and are open to all.
Alongside our complete Beginner courses (11 languages) there are shorter lunchtime conversation courses for advanced levels, introductions to Mandarin Chinese language and culture, as well as British Sign Language. If you want to take an exam in French or Spanish, we have DELF/DALF/DELE exam preparation courses, too. For further details and booking, visit our website. If you have any specific enquiries contact elp@exeter.ac.uk.
Undergraduates, exhibit your research!
Submissions for the Undergraduate Research Showcase 2021 are open! This is your chance to share your research from a project on your course as a poster, abstract, or both at an online exhibition 25 – 29 January. You will then have a chance to win an invite to present at a national event or an Amazon voucher. Sign up now to receive support for your submission from Study Zone in workshops and a writing café in December. If you would like feedback, the deadline is 13 December. More info here.
Students' Guild welcomes new Chief Executive
A very warm welcome to Alison Chambers, the new CEO of your Students’ Guild who started on Monday 23 November. Alison joins the Students’ Guild from Greenwich and Kent Students' Unions (GKSU), where she was Managing Director, and comes with a very strong record of leading user-led services and delivering change. Alison is particularly excited to work with the dedicated and talented Guild team, Officers and student community across the campuses, who are also looking forward to working with her.
Virtual Christmas Craft Market
Every year we run the Student Christmas Craft Market with stands hosted by students. For 2020 we are hosting a Virtual Christmas Market to showcase student skills and crafts. Online shopping runs from 30 November to 4 December and we hope you can support these creative students who are selling a wide range of useful, beautiful, and sustainable products. You can find the 2020 Christmas Craft Market here.
Family Christmas Lecture - Solar Orbiter, Building an Instrument to Study the Sun
Join us for the annual family-friendly Christmas themed lecture from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the University. This will be an evening of fun, facts and physics about how our star creates and controls the giant bubble of plasma that surrounds the whole Solar System and influences the planets within it. The guest speaker is Chris Brockley-Blatt, BEng(Hons) CEng FIMechE, Project Manager of the Solar Wind Analyser instrument on Solar Orbiter. The event will take place on Tuesday 8 December between 6:50 – 8 pm. More details and event registration can be found here.
Digital Innovation Award
The Interactive Virtual Environments for Teaching and Assessment (InVEnTA) software, run by the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES), lifted the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year trophy at this year’s Times Higher Education Awards. The InVEnTA software, which uses 3D visualisation and gaming techniques to recreate environments from around the world, was created by three senior lecturers in physical geography – Steven Palmer, Damien Mansell and Anne Le Brocq.
When students and researchers are on a virtual field trip, they can walk up to signposts that launch multimedia content, while location-triggered sounds help to create an immersive experience. The Business School was also highly commended for their work on sustainability in the ‘Business School of the Year’ category. You can find out more here.
Guardian Sustainability Award
The transformative work carried out by the University’s Climate Emergency Working Group won the Sustainability category at the annual Guardian University awards. We also secured a runner-up position in the Business Collaboration category, for our work as part at the SETsquared Partnership’s Scale-Up Programme.
Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter said: “It is a wonderful achievement to have secured the Guardian Sustainability Award; this is richly-deserved recognition for the hard work and dedication shown by our students and staff on tackling this important issue.” For more detail on this exciting achievement please follow this link.
Eat and Shop discount codes
We have extended our 15% lockdown discount code for iSCA Eats for an extra week, so it is running until Friday 4 December. All you have to do is enter the code LOCKDOWN15 when placing your order for food and drinks and the discount will appear on your total! We also have an offer on our Exeter University Outfitters online shop. Here we have University branded clothing, gifts, stationery and accessories. For all orders placed on Friday 4 December using the code FRIDAY15, you can get another 15% discount.
Professional Pathways 2021 – Applications now open!
The Career Zone’s Professional Pathways Programme is returning in June 2021 and applications are now open via the new Handshake careers platform. Successful students will complete two days of online training, delivered by industry professionals, followed by completing a paid 35 hour internship. The scheme is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from all disciplines, year groups and campuses. You can find further information on the available Pathways and how to apply on our website here. Applications will close on Monday 18 January 2021. If you have any questions, please get in touch with the team at professionalpathways@exeter.ac.uk
Career Wellbeing
We can all agree, 2020 has been an unusual year. As we head towards the winter break you might want to focus on some well-deserved self-care and reflection. How we feel about our careers can have a big impact on other areas of our life. That’s why we recommend making your wellbeing a priority from the start. We’ve put together resources on finding the right work-life balance, developing emotional intelligence, positive relationships and resilience, to help you discover more about what you need not just in the short-term, but throughout your working life. And as always, no matter where you are, we’re here to help.
Stand out from the crowd with the Exeter Award
Enhance your CV and develop a range of skills to take with you into the job market with the Exeter Award. Learn how to deliver an effective presentation, how to manage your stress and time, and how to work productively in a team with our Personal Development sessions. The Exeter Award is available for current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students and can easily be completed alongside your studies. All skill sessions are now running online. Sign up now and find out more here.
All of the following events will be held online:
Tuesday 1 December, 12:45pm, Kathy O'Connor - a wellbeing consultant - talks in our 'Mind over Natter' series on why it is OK not to be OK and what we can do to feel better. Register for your free ticket to this live Teams event here.
Tuesday 1 December, 4:30pm, Joao Florencio, ‘COVID-19: Pandemics, Care and Communities’. Find out more and book here.
Tuesday 8 December, 6:50pm-8pm, Family Christmas Lecture - Solar Orbiter, Building an Instrument to Study the Sun. Find out more and register here.
Thursday 10 December, 4:30pm, Hazel Carby (Yale University): ‘Imperial Sexual Economies’. Find out more and book here.
Keep an eye on the Students’ Guild 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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