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University Updates
Welcome to your regular update
In University Updates...
We hope you're enjoying your summer! There's lots of information about COVID-19 and returning to campus in this newsletter, and read on for plans for a new food court, plus news from your Students' Guild
Further info coming next week
We're currently finalising the plans for what your education and campus experience will look like when you return, based on the Government guidance and information. Keep an eye out in your inbox next week for an update email from the Registrar.
Keeping our community safe and healthy on campus - what to expect when you're back
The safety and wellbeing of our University community remains our priority and we therefore continue to have a number of measures in place on our campuses to ensure the safety of colleagues and students, and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. These include enhanced cleaning and provision of cleaning products, measures to support good hand hygiene with plenty of sanitiser points, the provision of face coverings for use in University buildings, campus test centres and provision of home test kits, and support for colleagues and students with symptoms and who need to self-isolate.
We also have our Here to Help teams around campus to answer any queries you might have.
There are a number of actions you can take to ensure you keep yourself and others safe:
- Get vaccinated – this offers the best protection against COVID-19
- Keep testing regularly - twice a week, every week www.exeter.ac.uk/coronavirus/students/testing/
- Practise good personal hygiene - wash your hands, avoid touching your face
- Continue to wear face-coverings in shared indoor spaces, unless you are exempt
- Let fresh air in – open windows and doors wherever possible
- Stay at home if you feel unwell – if you experience COVID-19 symptoms, book a test via our Rapid Response Hub www.exeter.ac.uk/coronavirus/rapid-response/
More information on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 can be found on the Government website - www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
COVID-19 - changes to Test to Fly and Test to Release services in Exeter and Penryn
Following consultation with Public Health teams, in the coming academic year we will focus our PCR testing on those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. This means that from Friday 20 August, our Test to Release and Test to Fly services will no longer be offered and you will need to access these tests via Government recommended suppliers. More detail will be provided over the next two weeks.
Protect against COVID-19 - get your vaccine
You can now get your COVID-19 vaccination – this is the best way to protect against COVID-19.
Look out for our campus pop up vaccination clinics taking place on the following dates:
- Thursday, 26 August in Car Park C on Streatham Campus from 10-5pm
- Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September, Car Park C, Streatham Campus, 10-5pm
You can also book a vaccination at Greendale Business Park near Exeter. More information on what to expect when you go for your vaccination at Greendale and how to get there by bus, can be found on the NHS website www.rdehospital.nhs.uk/our-sites/exeter-covid-19-vaccination-centre/#
For students on health programmes, NHS requirements may differ. Your programme will keep you informed on any actions you need to take
Regular testing for COVID-19
Along with the COVID-19 vaccination programme, regular testing is still the best way to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Please keep getting tested twice a week, every week and report your results.
It's really easy to get tested - we have a number of different venues on our campuses, and you can now collect a home test kit to test yourself regularly in your own home. Find out more about regular COVID-19 testing
REMEMBER, if you experience any COVID-19 symptoms however mild, you must follow a different test process to ensure we can prevent onward transmission. Book your test through our Rapid Response Hub.
Help the NHS deliver COVID-19 vaccinations
Our local Devon & Cornwall NHS invites you to complete a short online questionnaire about your vaccination status prior to arrival on campus. It's not compulsory, you won’t need to share personal data and your responses will be anonymous. Data collected will be used by the NHS to help plan the delivery of vaccinations to you, (should you choose to take one) and our community over the coming months. Take part in the survey here.
Students on health programmes
For students on health programmes, some of the above arrangements may differ because of NHS requirements. Your programme will keep you informed.
Beware of scams
Unfortunately, criminals do try to scam students and so please be on your guard. A recent scam reported in other parts of the UK involved Chinese students being approached on social media and encouraged to meet people, supposedly for a currency exchange. They were then robbed of their money. Most scams seem genuine and the criminals can be very persuasive. If you’re contacted by someone and it seems unusual, unexpected or just odd, please end the call/communication, particularly if they are seeking financial or personal details. You can find out more information and helpful contacts if you feel you may have been scammed on our web page.
August Exams
Good luck if you're taking exams this week and next. You can find the information you need to know while completing your online exams here.
Remember, if you experience any issues during a live exam, you should contact the Assessment Helpdesk, so that they can log the issue and give you urgent assistance. Please don’t contact your module tutors during a live examination.
You can contact the Helpdesk by calling +44 (0) 1392 72 6800 or emailing examshelp@exeter.ac.uk. The Helpdesk is open between 8am - 8pm BST from Monday to Saturday and 8am - 12:30pm BST on Sunday. The Helpdesk will close to new enquiries at 1:30pm BST on Thursday 26 August.
Managing exam stress
We understand that the exam period is a stressful time for many of you. Wellbeing services have put together a webinar to help you manage exam stress. The session gives tips on how to deal with stress to better look after yourself and enable you to perform better. If you need additional wellbeing resources, advice and support, you can check out our wellbeing webpages here. We are here to support you.
Student Community Wardens - Here to Help
If you are getting ready to move back to Exeter and preparing to live in your first shared house or flat, your Student Community Wardens can help. Sign up to receive updates from the team on things like bin days, recycling, free glass collections and property marking. We can also send you a link to our handy 'Student Guide' - containing all you need to know about living in a shared house. Find out more about us or send us an email.
Parties and Noise
If you’re staying in Exeter over the summer, please continue to be mindful of noise levels, as you may have neighbours with young families, or early morning work commitments. If arranging a gathering, it is important to socialise safely and considerately by consulting the noise section of the student guide (pages 24 and 25).
IT news and services:
Multi-Factor Authentication
We've now completed our rollout of multi-factor authentication: thank you for helping improve our security. We recommend using the Microsoft Authenticator app to authenticate. If you install it, please take care to keep it on your phone. If you're changing your phone soon make sure you can still access your account.
From 23 August we'll be adding MFA to our virtual private network (VPN) service. To find out how this affects you visit this page.
IT support changes for the 2021/22 academic year
IT-related requests will no longer be supported by SID and will be handled by the IT Service Desk (formerly known as IT Helpdesk). Before the start of term, we'll be launching a new IT service portal: you'll be able to use this to make requests to our Service Desk. Stay tuned for more information
Laptop troubles?
We’re also excited to launch Tech Experts at the Digital Hub: a new 20 minute in-person service aimed at helping you get your laptop sorted. You can find out more here.
New Food Court coming soon!
A new food and drink social area is coming to the centre of Streatham Campus. Located next to Pret A Manger on the South Piazza, the new Forum Food Court will feature two food and drink providers that will regularly switch, alongside a University provider, to offer ever-changing dishes and food experiences. Work begins later this month, which will involve closure of the Forum Cycle Store. Construction of the new Food Court is due to start in late September 2021 and we expect to open in early 2022. You can find out more about this new area here.
Student Health Centre - Holiday update
The Student Health Centre is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the summer holidays. You can contact the practice by calling +44 (0) 1392 676676 or by sending in an E-consult for non-urgent matters. They will be offering remote consultations, nurse appointments and face-to-face appointments with clinicians, where clinically necessary. On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can still access their NHS health services, however if you need to be seen, you will be asked to attend one of their sister sites.
Congratulations to our Student Startup award winners
You can watch the recording of the ceremony online or check out this short highlights reel from the 2020/21 Student Startups programmes.
This year’s winners were: Max Harrington, Annabelle Percy, Daisy Anderson, Sanmarie Grobler, Tom Trow, Natalia Lemanska, James Tetlow, Harvey Mitchell, and Leo Carr. Awards were presented by Director of Regional Engagement, Chris Evans.
Your Students' Guild 2021/22
Your new Officer team has been working hard over the summer to get ready to represent you when you return to Exeter! Lily (President), Izzy (VP Opportunities), Marion (VP Liberation) and Bella (VP Education) are all so excited to get started. Want to get in touch with them? Check out their profiles here.
Freshers' Hub now live
Your Students' Guild is thrilled to announce that their Freshers' Hub is now live. It is only a month away from Freshers' and the start of the new year, and the Guild is looking forward to welcoming you back to Exeter. They have got loads of events on campus and digitally too. You can find more information here.
The Guild will also be holding an in-person Freshers' Fair again, which is one of the best ways to kick off another year at Exeter. You can find out more and get your tickets here.
Barterd: Try out Exeter alumna's bartering website
A new website which allows people to swap products and skills, is available for you to use – and it’s free if you sign up with a friend. The start-up, Barterd, was set up by Exeter alumna, Amanda Brend, as a means of helping people make the most of the things they have. It does this by reintroducing the idea of bartering, rather than using money to buy the things you need. Through Barterd you’re able to make a profile, list your swaps and get matched. Sign up and try it out here.
Centre for Social Mobility research grants available
Our Centre for Social Mobility is looking to fund research projects. These will test out and evaluate innovative educational interventions, which aim to reduce inequalities and disadvantages in Higher Education. Our whole community is invited to apply for the funding and lead on their own research proposal. Successful projects could receive up to £5,000 to run throughout the academic year 2021/2022.
To find out more, visit the Centre for Social Mobility webpage here. Closing date for applications is Thursday 16 September 2021.
Join the launch of the DIGIT Lab
The EPRSC £3.7M Next Generation Digital Economy Centre, DIGIT Lab, will be officially launched on 21 September 2021.
The research team, led by Prof Alan Brown (INDEX), is working closely with industry for digital impact, transformation, and innovation. The launch will be an opportunity for Alan, academic leads, and industry guests to outline DIGIT Lab’s achievements to date, its ongoing research, the four core DIGIT Lab themes and the centre’s research questions.
To attend this online launch, please reserve your tickets here.
You don’t want to miss this:
If you haven’t activated your Handshake account yet, now’s the perfect time to do it.
What’s Handshake? It’s our new careers portal where you’ll find all our vacancies (from part-time jobs to graduate roles), skills sessions, employer events, careers fair and more.
Why do you need to activate Handshake? Because if you don’t, you’ll miss out on our essential career services.
Why is now a good time? Because it’s one less thing to do in September when you’ll have a million other things to sort out. It only takes you a couple of minutes. Activate it here.
Questions? Email us on careers@exeter.ac.uk
Student 'Jobs in Sport' Opportunity
Looking for a paid or voluntary job in sport to complete alongside your studies? Fill out an expression of interest form for the Sports Park to find out what roles they have available. Alternatively contact Sports Development Manager Stephen Brown, for more details at s.brown4@exeter.ac.uk
Tell us what you think of this newsletter:
Get in touch with your feedback or news stories at: studentcomms@exeter.ac.uk
