University Updates

 Welcome back to your regular University Updates.

This week in University Updates...

There's information on an upcoming COVID-19 vaccination talk and walk-in clinics. You can also find out about digital support services and the SafeZone app. Look out for our new-look version of University Updates, which is coming soon. It'll still be packed with tons of info and events for you.

COVID-19 case numbers

The daily numbers of confirmed positive cases for students and staff can be found on our COVID-19 statistics web page. The data shown uses a 7 day rolling average and provides the last date for which case numbers have been collated.

The overall rate of positive results on our campuses remains low - to ensure we continue to protect our University community, we must all continue to follow Government advice – test regularly, wash hands, wear a face covering and use the NHS test and trace app. Alongside the vaccination programme, following this advice will help us to keep case numbers low and keep our University life moving.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, the test you need is different

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms – cough, loss of taste or smell, high temperature – you need a PCR/HALO test. This is different to the regular LFD testing we encourage everyone to take part in. If you are symptomatic, you must self-isolate and take a PCR/HALO test – you can order a free test via the Government website, or book a test via our Rapid Response Hub Please do not travel to our LFD test centres or try and collect an LFD home test kit. If you have any questions, contact our Rapid Response Hub.

Lateral Flow Tests 

If you’re studying at the Penryn campus and haven’t done a lateral flow test before, you can email the Rapid Response Hub: rapidresponse@fxplus.ac.uk who will be able to offer a supervised test with you to help.

LFD home test kits can also be collected from the Penryn Heart Reception or at Falmouth University’s Falmouth Campus Reception, 9-4pm, Monday - Friday. You’ll need to book a time to pick up your kit. 

Face coverings 

Please continue to wear your face covering in our indoor spaces, unless you are exempt. This will help protect yourself and others and keep University life moving. Don’t forget to read and respect our ‘Safe Community Charter’ which sets out the personal commitments we must all make, alongside our commitment to managing the risk presented to us all by COVID-19.

Your COVID-19 vaccine questions and concerns answered 

Have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine? If so, join our online COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A with experts from the University and NHS - from 17:00-18:00 on Monday 27 September.

To join the session, all you need to do is click on this link using your University email address. You’ll have the opportunity to put questions to the panellists.

The event will be recorded, so if you’re not able to join us on Monday 27 September, you’ll be able to access the recording by clicking on the event link (above) a few days after the live session has ended.

Get vaccinated! Grab your jab at Penryn  

We’re hosting more drop-in vaccination clinics on our Penryn and Falmouth Campuses. The clinics will offer the Pfizer vaccine and will be open from 10am – 6pm at both locations:  

Wednesday 22 September - outside the Stannary, Penryn 

Thursday 23 September - Falmouth Campus, Woodlane (signage will be in place to direct you to the clinic) 

You will need to book a vaccination slot at these clinics. Click on ‘Activities’ and choose the date of the pop up vaccination clinic you’d like to attend, then book a time slot for ‘COVID-19 vaccination’. You can get your first or second dose - if it is your second dose, your first dose must have been Pfizer, and must have taken place at least eight weeks ago. 

Further dates will follow in the coming weeks, and you can also look out for other pop up vaccination clinics local to you online. 

For students on health programmes, please note that NHS requirements may differ. Your programme will keep you informed of any actions you need to take. 

Do you need a Flu jab?

More people are likely to get flu this winter as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re encouraging all those eligible to get their flu vaccination, alongside the COVID-19 jab, as soon as you are able. This will provide the strongest possible protection over the colder months.

If you’re eligible for the free NHS flu vaccine (see the NHS web pages), your doctor will contact you to arrange an appointment. You can also book a flu jab via your local chemist or supermarket and a quick online search will show your nearest provider. Find out more on the NHS website.

Education Welfare Support in Penryn 

The Education Welfare team in Penryn is here to support you should you have any health or welfare issues that impact you and your studies. We are available between 9am - 5pm on weekdays and can offer in-person meetings, video calls, telephone meetings and an online chat drop in on a Wednesday between 2 - 4pm. You can also email us if you’d like a bespoke introduction to support available for yourself in a 1-1 or with a group of friends. For more information, email us at welfare.penryn@exeter.ac.uk or head to our webpage. 

Returning students' webpage

Please check out the returning students' webpage, which contains all of the latest information you will need to reconnect with our friendly, inclusive and supportive community this autumn.

Students' community guide

We’ve also produced a guide to help you settle back into life in Cornwall, filled with advice which will be useful throughout the year. At the back of the guide you’ll also find a list of useful contacts for the University and beyond. 

IT and Digital Support Services

Exeter IT has published a list of IT and digital support services available for students at the start of term, you can find this within the Digital Hub SharePoint site. 

Student Check-In 

During some or all of your sessions, your lecturer may share a One Time Code for engagement monitoring. At the moment, each course chooses whether or not to monitor your engagement this way, so don’t worry if your modules don’t all follow the same procedure.  

 How does it work? 

Your lecturer will share the code with you during your session - you’ll need to log into iExeter, input this code and register your attendance. If you don’t have a device for accessing iExeter or you have difficulty using the system, don’t worry, try refreshing your sessions or let your lecturer know so they can log in on your behalf. 

We recommend you read the full guidance on student check-in, including troubleshooting advice and screenshots, within the Digital Hub SharePoint.  

Check-in information allows us to review engagement for welfare purposes and helps ensure Tier 4 visa holders meet their attendance requirements. 

New tool available to help you with referencing 

You have access to Cite Them Right online. This provides guidance on: 

• Plagiarism and how to avoid it 

• How to correctly reference a range of sources 

• How to correctly reference using Harvard, APA, Chicago, IEEE, MHRA, MLA, OSCOLA, and Vancouver styles 

Most University referencing styles have been replaced with those in Cite Them Right online. Please take a look at our updated referencing guide to check the guidelines for your department. If you have any questions contact the Library. For support with referencing, visit the referencing guide or contact Study Zone.

English Language Skills 

Want to improve your English for your studies and everyday life? We offer a wide range of courses, workshops and 1 to 1 learning, which covers everything from academic writing, seminar skills, presentation skills, pronunciation and conversational English. It’s all part of our Insessional English Language Skills Development programme.

Courses and workshops can be booked throughout the academic year; you can find out more here. Independent study materials can also be found on the Guided Independent Learning site here.

Disability Network meeting dates 

The Disability Network meetings will be the last Wednesday of the month:

• 29 September, 1-2pm 

• 24 November, 1-2pm 

• 15 December, 1-2pm 

For accessibility information & the meeting links, please email disabilitynetwork@exeter.ac.uk All are welcome to attend, including allies, and it will be an open discussion. 

Mind Over Natter 

In January 2016 Laura Penhaul crossed the pacific in a 29ft rowing boat. For 253 days she lived and worked with her three teammates. Nine months after setting sail from San Francisco the team arrived in Australia having rowed 9,000nm and earned 2 World Records.

Laura joins us for the first Mind Over Natter of term to share her experiences and offer tips on looking after your wellbeing while facing the unknown. Are you feeling apprehensive about starting a new year? Or perhaps you’re moving in with some new flat mates and looking for advice on keeping your relationships ship shape? Come along to Mind Over Natter on Wednesday 29 September, 12:45pm for some of Laura's top tips gleaned from life on the pacific. Sign up here. 

Register with your local doctor

If you haven't already, we recommend registering with a doctor in Cornwall – you can find details of local surgeries here. You can also follow Penryn Surgery’s Penryn Campus Health page on Facebook.

Your Students’ Union  

Check out your Students’ Union Welcome 2021 page for all the very latest sports clubs, society activities, volunteering, fundraising, student-led events, opportunities and welcome events.  

FREE drink spiking test kits and personal alarm

While our campuses are safe places to live and socialise, for those who would like them we have free personal alarms and drink spiking test kits. They’re available from the Glasney Lodge, the Compass Helpdesk, Students' Union Office, the Security Information Building and the Stannary Bar). We also recommend you download the Safe Zone app (see below)

Drink spiking is the act of adding unwanted chemicals or alcohol to someone’s drink. Remember - don’t leave your drink unattended and never accept a drink if you haven’t seen it being poured/opened, or accept a drink from someone you don’t know or trust. If you think your drink’s been spiked, get help straight away. Drink spiking carries a maximum 10 year prison sentence - adding something to a friend’s drink may seem like a bit of fun, but it can be very dangerous and could result in criminal charges. Find out more here.

Emergency numbers 

If there is an immediate emergency call 999 and ask for the police, ambulance, fire service or coastguard (for emergencies on the coast/at sea). If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use their textphone service 18000 or text 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergency SMS service. Find out more here.

For support on campus, you can also contact the FX Plus 24/7 Emergency Line on 01326 254444 or Campus Security on 01326 255875 or securityservices@fxplus.ac.uk. If you live in the Glasney Lodge Residence, you can contact the FX Plus emergency line on 01326 253503. You can also find out more information here.

For emergency mental health contacts visit our urgent support webpage.

To call the police for non-emergency enquires, use 101. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use their textphone service on 18001 101. You can also call the NHS for non-emergency health issues on 111 or visit their website here.

Changes to SafeZone in Cornwall  

We introduced SafeZone earlier this year. The app is now being rolled out to all campus users in Cornwall.  

SafeZone is an online app that helps us help you whilst on campus if you request it. The app is available for you to download and sign in to if you wish. Please find more information on our coming to campus pages. 

You will need to make a slight change to the settings on your app. You’ll need to add ‘FX Plus’ as an organisation to make sure the app works on all of our campuses. This is quick and easy to do: once you’re logged in to the app using your University credentials, go to “add organisation” and search for ‘FX Plus’. You can find help on how to do this online. 

Please drink responsibly

If you chose to drink alcohol, please do so responsibly to avoid any damaging effects on your physical and mental health. To learn more about the risks of drinking too much, see the NHS alcohol support webpages. Tips on how to cut down and consume alcohol more safely: 

• Keep count; record how many drinks you have using a drink diary. This may help reduce or slow down your drinking.
• Pace yourself; try to sip drinks slowly and make sure you only have one drink per hour.
• Don’t forget to eat; eating food can help reduce cravings for alcohol.  
• Do something else; take up a hobby, begin an exercise programme. Find something that will occupy the time in which you would normally drink. 
• Avoid drinking near bedtime; give your body time to process the alcohol you’ve drunk before you sleep – on average it takes an hour to process one unit. 

If you need support with cutting down on drinking, please contact our wellbeing services. 

'Learn About Weather' with a free online course   

Have you ever wanted to learn a bit more about the weather? Would you like a better understanding of the forecast information or climate change data that you see on TV or online?  

The University, Met Office and Royal Meteorological Society are offering a free four-week MOOC (open online course) on weather. It opens on Monday 27 September, but don't worry if you miss this date, you can join after this point (although the later you leave it the less you will be able to take advantage of the discussion and guidance available).  

You can sign up or see more information on the course here.  

Win £100 for signing up to Green Rewards  

Join our sustainability programme for your chance to win vouchers for taking positive environmental action.

Green Rewards is our way of rewarding you for caring about our planet. Sign up via our web platform or app, then take part in sustainable actions to earn ‘Green Points’. Each month, the four top Green Points earners win a £20 voucher to say thanks for their efforts!  

Sign up by Thursday 30 September, to earn a bonus 2,000 Green Points and be entered into a draw for 1 x £100 voucher.

National Fitness Day – Wednesday 22 September 

The Sports Centre would like to celebrate 'National Fitness Day' with you by offering free access to the gym / studio classes / Sports Hall and Multi-Use Games Area facility. 

What is on offer:

• Gym Session 
• Studio Class 
• Badminton court - Sports Hall - 1hr 
• Basketball - ½ court – Sports Hall - 1hr 
• Netball - ½ court – Sports Hall - 1hr
• Table Tennis table - Sports Hall - 1hr 
• 5-a-side - Multi-Use Games Area - 1hr 

A personal profile is required to book your gym session / studio class. Visit: fitnesscentre.fxplus.ac.uk  To book the Sports Hall activities or Multi-Use Games Area, contact reception - 01326 370770. 

These offers are valid on Wednesday 22 September, subject to availability. 

Soccersixes 

Soccersixes is a 5-a-side league; 40-minute matches will take place in the Multi-Use Games Area on Tuesday evenings between 7-9pm. The league starts on Monday 28 September, if you're interested in entering a team or would like more information, please call 07528380094. You can register online here.

Food and Drink Vouchers  

To welcome you back to campus, we are giving out Food & Drink voucher booklets; if you didn’t get one over arrivals weekend, a limited number are available at our catering outlets. The booklet includes vouchers for: 

• x2 Cornish Tea & Coffee - Buy 1 get 1 FREE at the ESI Café, Sustainability Café, Stannary Café Bar, and AMATA Café  
• Hot drink FREE when you buy a reusable coffee cup redeemable from Koofi Café, ESI Café, AMATA Café, Sustainability Café and Stannary Café Bar 
• Meal Deal 5% OFF daily specials from the Lower Stannary Kitchen daily specials counter 
• Starbucks coffee 10% OFF at Koofi Café 
• Smoothies 2 of the same for £5 at Koofi Café  
• Reusable water bottle 20% OFF at Sustainability Café, Koofi Café, and Shops 
• Sketchbook 5% OFF at the Penryn Campus Shop and Falmouth Campus Art Shop 
• Doughnut - FREE when you buy a tea/coffee at the Lower Stannary Kitchen Mon to Fri between 2-4pm only. 

The vouchers are valid until Friday 8 October 2021. See voucher pack for full Terms and Conditions. One per person and supplies are limited. 

Virtual Careers Fairs 2021 

The Career Zone has three dates for your diary: 

• Casual Jobs and Internships Fair, Tuesday 5 October, 11am - 2pm  
• Virtual Careers and Opportunities Fair, Wednesday 20 October, 11:30am – 3:30pm 
• Law Virtual Careers Fair, Wednesday 10 November, 11:30am – 3:30pm  

All the fairs are taking place through Handshake so make sure you have claimed your account to book your space and take advantage of group sessions and 1:1s with top employers.   

We also have a range of events with employers or our graduates (alumni), as well as lots of skills sessions happening this term that will also be listed and bookable through Handshake – don’t miss out, log in now! 

Saturday 25 September, 8pm – midnight, Silent Disco at the Stannary. Please make sure to purchase a ticket in advance. 

Monday 27 September, 1-2pm, ESI Talk, “Small but Might; how Microbes change the Earth”, with Dr Laura Newsome.

Monday 27 September, 5pm-6pm, online – COVID-19 Vaccine Q&As. A chance to ask questions about the COVID-19 vaccines with academics and a panel member from the NHS.

Wednesday 29 September, 11:30am-1pm, online event, Catalysing Institutional Reform: Creating an inclusive learning environment for British Muslim students, with Dr Zain Sardar.

Wednesday 29 September, 12:45-1:30pm, Mind Over Natter: How to cross your own pacific with Laura Penhaul.

Don't forget to also keep your eye out on events and activities run by your Students' Union.

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Read the A-Z of services and support for students