Improve our social spaces

We're keen to find out how you socialise and what you do in your spare time to help make improvements to our social spaces on the Penryn Campus. Please complete this anonymous survey and have your say.

Mumps is around - have you had your MMR vaccination?

Mumps is around at the moment and we’ve had some recent cases of mumps on the Devon campuses. While most people recover without the need for treatment, in some cases it can cause complications and it’s also contagious. It’s most recognisable by painful swellings at the side of the face under the ears, a bad headache and/or fever but you can read more about symptoms here. If you think you may have it, please go and see your doctor and if you have swollen glands please stay away from lectures and social gatherings for five days. If you’re not sure if you’ve had the MMR vaccine it’s recommended that you speak to Penryn Surgery (or your own doctor, if different) and arrange to receive it.

Meningitis - get protected

Infections such as meningitis can spread easily within university communities. Make sure you do what you can to protect yourself. All students under 25 years should make sure they have received the free Meningitis ACWY vaccination - contact your doctor's surgery to arrange an appointment if you have not yet had this vaccination. Find out about the symptoms of meningitis here.

National Student Survey

Don't forget the National Student Survey (NSS) is open for final year undergraduate students and we encourage you to complete it. This anonymous survey, run by independent agency Ipsos MORI, is your opportunity to feedback about your University experience and help shape future plans. The survey is open until 30 April. You can complete the survey here.

Be aware on campus!

We've had a couple of near misses involving pedestrians and vehicles recently. Please keep within the speed limit if you're driving on campus and if you're on foot, be aware of vehicle movements.

Five is the magic number

When smoking or vaping, please remember to keep more than five metres away from buildings. We carried out a survey on smoking and vaping on our campuses with over 1,000 responses. Nearly 450 non-smokers responded that they had been adversely affected by second hand smoke in their work space. Following the survey, some focus groups will be arranged to discuss our policies and consider actions such as increasing smoking shelters. Look out for calls to join these groups and in the meantime, please read and follow our current smoking policy.

Cashless campus

A very brief survey has been put together to gather campus users’ views about going ‘cashless’. As explained at the start of the survey, cashless campuses are:

Fast – it takes an average of one to two seconds to process a cashless transaction and six to seven seconds for cash.
Convenient – no need for ATMs, queues in banks or changing big bills.
Secure – no need to carry cash around with you.

The survey contains just three questions and is intended to start the conversation and flush out any potential issues with the idea. The deadline is Friday 22 March and the survey can be completed online.

Campus bus route modernisation

You may have noticed there are now screens on the Penryn Campus bus loop with real time passenger information showing which buses are due when. These are supplied and maintained by Cornwall Council and we hope they will improve your bus journeys.

Introducing your 2019/20 FXU Presidents

Nearly 2,000 students voted to elect the four FXU Presidents who will represent you for the 2019/20 academic year. Congrats to Joe Rigby (incoming FXU President Exeter) and Allie Guy (incoming FXU President Community & Welfare), who will be joining the re-elected Callie Edwards (FXU President Falmouth) and Sarah Redman (FXU President Student Experience) in June. Visit the elections page for more info, photos and videos.

Our new Vice-Chancellor: the search begins

Professor Sir Steve Smith will be retiring in August 2020, and the recruitment process to find our new Vice-Chancellor is about to begin. We want the job description and person specification to be influenced by feedback from across our University community; including the Students’ Guild, FXU and student groups. We’re looking for your feedback via our webpage, which we hope will help us to understand what sort of leader you feel we need. Go online to find out more about our process to find the right leader for our University, who is involved and timings.

Nominate an outstanding member of staff

Do you know a member of support staff who has gone above and beyond to support you or who you think makes an outstanding contribution to the University? Nominate them for a Professional Services Recognition Award. All University students can put forward a nomination, and all professional services colleagues are eligible to be nominated, so get thinking - who will you nominate? Nominations open now, read more details and nominate on the website.

Institute of Coding Summer School - 24 June - 12 July

Learn to Code this summer with beginner’s classes in Python, R, and Artificial Intelligence. Open to UG and PGT students across all disciplines. No coding or maths experience needed, just a desire to challenge yourself and learn to code. The programme will take place over three 1-week learning blocks on the Streatham Campus. Participants can chose to join the school for just 1 week or a combination of all 3. All successful candidates will receive a tuition fee waiver, and accommodation bursaries are available! Apply now at www.iocsummerschoolexeter.org, or email ioc@exeter.ac.uk for more information.

STEM internships 2019

These teaching internships are a fantastic opportunity for four-week, well paid, supported internships in Devon schools from 17 June until 12 July 2019. Open to penultimate year STEM undergraduates only from Exeter or Penryn. Find out more and complete the application form by Sunday 31 March. If you are a first year STEM undergraduate, there’s a small chance that the scheme will open to you at a later date. If you wish to be notified should this happen, please register your interest by emailing Helen Hicks.

Application deadline extended for Career Mentor Scheme

Not had the chance to complete your Career Mentor Scheme Application? Don’t worry! We are extending the deadline until 29 March 2019. There are still plenty of mentors left in a wide range of professional sectors, such as

•             Accounting and Auditing
•             Advertising, Marketing and PR,
•             Education, Teaching, Research,
•             Information Technology,
•             Management and Consultancy
•             Politics and Government

It’s open to all students and graduates for up to 3 years post-graduation. Find out more information here. Find a list of available mentors by searching in Mentoring Opportunities on My Career Zone.

Scholarship for MSc Policy Analytics

There's still time to apply for a scholarship for the MSc Policy Analytics, for those students joining the course for the 2019/20 academic year. Full tuition fee and living costs will be awarded and you'll need to apply for the scholarship by Friday 12 April 2019. You can find out more here.

Choose your day

Why not explore this beautiful county of Cornwall in a different way - all you have to do is Choose Your Day! This scheme, jointly funded by British Colleges and Universities Sports (BUCS) and Sport England, allows you to kayak, paddle board, hike, yoga or surf your way around the coast for free. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to boost your mental and physical wellbeing, sign up here! Want to find out more? Pop into the FXU office or email activitiesteam@fxu.org.uk

Graduation Yearbooks - Class of 2019

The Class of 2019 Yearbook Deadline is Midnight SUNDAY 24th MARCH! If you haven’t finished your Yearbook entry online, please do so ASAP via the GradFinale website.If you have any problems uploading your pictures online or you have forgotten your login details, please feel free to email: admin@gradfinale.co.uk. Class of 2019 graduation Yearbooks are £27 and are available to order online now via the GradFinale website.

Falmouth Spring Festival, sites around Falmouth, 14 to 24 March
This is a University of Exeter sponsored event and activities include a spring clean of sites around town, Science in the Pub sessions, a tour of the Penryn Campus grounds and heritage talk and family rock pooling. Full details on the Falmouth website.

Antarctica 2017 and 2018: the ICEBERGS Project, Friday 22 March, 17:00, Old Chapel Lecture Theatre, Penryn Campus
This talk, by James Scourse, Alejandro Roman Gonzalez, Katy Sheen and Sev Kender, will present results from the first two years of the joint UK (NERC) and Chile (CONICYT) ICEBERGS Project to the western Antarctic Peninsula, a region experiencing rapid ice loss with implications for the future of the Earth system. ICEBERGS is a multidisciplinary project involving physical oceanography, glaciology, geophysics, marine biology, geochemistry and marine geology with the aim of identifying the impacts of rapid deglaciation on the Antarctic benthic ecosystem. The presentation will feature stunning photographs and video footage of the 2017 and 2018 expeditions. No need to book, just come along.

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