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Doctoral College Newsletter 31 October 2022

Welcome to this fortnight's issue of the Doctoral College Newsletter. In the following sections you will find the following:

  • PGR Student Absence Policy
  • Training and Development
  • 1-2-1 Careers Appointments
  • Opportunities
  • Wellbeing
  • Enquiries

If you have a news story or an opportunity you would like to advertise in the next newsletter (14 November) please email: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk by Wednesday 9 November).

 

PGR Student Absence Policy

PGR Student Absence Policy

A new PGR Student Absence Policy is now in place. The policy aims to clarify the different durations of absences and how they are managed. It reduces the administrative pressure on students with disabilities or long-term health conditions for whom short absences are a reasonable adjustment, confirmed in an Individual Leaning Plan (ILP). Further clarification has been made regarding absences before or during a PGR examination or following submission of the thesis. The PGR Student Absence Policy has been linked closely with the PGR Sickness Absence Stipend Policy and the Maternity & Parental Leave Funding Policy.

Sickness Absence Stipend Policy

Amendments have been made to the Sickness Absence Stipend Policy in relation to the new PGR Student Absence Policy. Provision will be made for eligible students who take multiple short periods of absence over a period of study (supported by medical evidence or an ILP) to receive a stipend extension equivalent to the total duration of cumulative short term absences taken throughout the programme. Note that interruptions will not be included in the stipend extension.

Maternity & Parental Leave Funding Policy

Amendments have been made to the Maternity & Parental Leave Funding policy to confirm that students taking paternity or maternity support leave may request an extension at the time that they take leave, rather than requesting the extension at the end of the period of study.

Personal Absence Form

All students who are absent from their programme for less than one month should complete the PGR Personal Absence Form for all absences other than annual leave, even if the absence is a day or two, and medical evidence supplied where necessary. Absences of one month or longer should be requested via interruption, through MyPGR.

Responsibilities

Students are responsible for managing their own absences and for informing their supervisors and the PGR Support Team (via the PGR Personal Absence Certificate) when they are absent from their programme. Students are responsible for requesting absence from their programme at the time of the absence and not retrospectively.
Supervisors are responsible for advising students and reminding students of the need to maintain accurate absence records and submitting supporting documentation on time.
PGR Support are responsible for providing advice to specific student circumstances and for signposting to other University support services as needed.

Any questions?

We encourage you to read through the FAQs on the Doctoral College website. If your question is not answered, or if we can help further, please do not hesitate to get in touch at doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk.

 

Training and Development

The new training and development programme is in progress. The below sessions are now bookable via Inkpath and more will be added very soon! We are aiming to make as many sessions as possible hybrid (accessed online and in person, please check when booking).

You can access Inkpath through your web browser, and by downlading the Inkpath app.

Please note all of our events have limited spaces; if you cannot attend, kindly remove your booking.

To learn more about Inkpath and to get started with your account please watch the following introductory content:

    Continuous tutorial video
    Individual section tutorials

Video Passwords: exeterinkpath2021

You can find all of our sessions on Inkpath under 'Activities.' If you have any technical questions/difficulties using Inkpath please email the helpdesk, info@inkpath.co.uk. If you have any questions about the training programme please contact ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Researcher Development Spring/Summer 2022 Training and Development Programme, please note that all Spring/Summer webinars have been recorded and posted on to ELE.

 

1-2-1 career appointments available

1-2-1 careers appointments with our dedicated PGR careers coach, Kenneth Howgill, are available to book until mid-December. Kenneth is a qualified and experienced career coach, lecturer and learning and development professional with over 20 years’ experience within the corporate sector, universities, further and adult education. He has held management roles in the public, corporate and not for profit sectors, leading professional development, coaching programmes, and recruiting graduates. Kenneth is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and holds a business degree, a master's in music and a professional career coaching qualification.

All appointments are 50 minutes long and can be booked via Inkpath.

 

Opportunities

Henry Fellowship

The Henry Fellowship which Oxford and Cambridge run annually is open to PGRs at the University of Exeter. The fellowship offers a fully funded year at Harvard or Yale and is open to to students of all nationalities who are full-time students at any British or Irish University.

Applications open on the 1st November 2022 for entry in 2023/24. For further information, please visit the Henry, Procter and Choate Fellowships website. 
 

Have you heard… Using Music as a Decolonising Tool: A FREE seminar and workshop day. Saturday 5 November, Dartington Hall

The Music Research network at the University of Exeter invites musicians, music educators and researchers to join them to expand their conversations around decolonisation in relation to their own experiences and practice. The day includes practical music making open to participants of all musical backgrounds led by early years music educator Eleanor Rashid, and a keynote presentation from Guillermo Rosabal-Coto, Professor of Music Education at the University of Costa Rica. For full details and booking, visit the Eventbrite page.
 

The PhD Life Raft Symposium

Running from Monday 7th November 2022 to Friday 11th November 2022 The PhD Life Raft Symposium brings together 15 experts in the field of PhD researcher support to provide a mixture of Q & A sessions; co-working groups and holistic practice sessions including yoga and mindfulness. Students are welcome to come to as many or as few sessions as they would like. Find out more and save your seat.
 

Critically Interpreting Data Course

This short course will develop your ability to think critically about data. Using practical, real-world examples, you will examine a range of data uses from creation to communication. By the end of the course, you will feel more confident in your ability to interpret representations of data in daily and academic life. All courses are completely free and funded by the European Social Fund as part of the SMART skills project.

For more information - Critically Interpreting Data | Handshake (joinhandshake.co.uk)

Please note, RSVP-ing on handshake does not count as registration. Both courses will be held on Stretham Campus.
 

Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP): A Student Conference in Animal Studies

This international conference takes place online between 11-12 November 2022.  Registration is free and open to anyone with an interest in how humans relate to and interact with other animals. Hosted by the University of Exeter’s Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) working group.

Presentations on variety of topics related to anthrozoology were selected and include contributions from students and early-career researchers around the world. Register for free via Eventbrite.
 

Queer Immigrant Regeneration: Healing through our Global South Community

We are delighted to announce that on the 14th November, 2022 (16:00-17:00), Dr Jad Jaber will join the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies to host a virtual workshop. 

In the workshop, which is open to all, but which particularly welcomes those with experiences of migration and/or marginalisation, Dr Jaber will present on their work with their NGO, the Marginalised Majority, describing experiential themes arising from their longstanding work with marginalised queer people, and the healing strategies developed by and for these communities. Find out more and register to attend via Eventbrite.

 

Alzheimer's Research UK South West Network Conference

Join the Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) South West Network conference, at the M Shed Bristol, on Monday 28 November. Showcasing the current dementia research taking place in the southwest with talks from lead researchers across member institutions, as well as shorter talks and poster presentations from early career researchers. Please register your attendance via Eventbrite.
 

GW4 Diversity in Postgraduate Research – Thinking Beyond Admissions

The symposium will bring together academic, professional services staff and PGR students across the GW4 Alliance universities to consider diversity and inclusivity across the postgraduate research student journey. Find out more and register your interest on Eventbrite.

 

Wellbeing

Every Mind Matters
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The NHS have expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. See their website here.


Spectrum.Life
Sprectrum.Life provides a confidential telephone, video, and live chat counselling service to help with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, bereavement and more.


Wellbeing Centre
If you would like to speak to our PGR Support Advisor for Welfare, Cathryn Baker can be contacted at: welfare.pgr@exeter.ac.uk or tel: 01392 726207. Further wellbeing information, tools and support can be found on our
wellbeing webpages.

 

Enquiries

Details on how you can contact the PGR support team, either via email, telephone or face to face via our hubs (located on all campuses) is available on our contact us webpage.

Remember you can come along and meet the team or to ask any enquiries you might have at either of our helpdesk hubs below at any of our campuses:

The Streatham PGR Hub is open from 10.00am – 3.00pm Monday to Friday. The Streatham Hub is situated in the Old Library Ground Floor next to the Quiet Study Space and Bill Douglas Centre.

The St Luke’s PGR Hub is open from 10.00am – 3.00pm Monday to Thursday. Students wishing to access the hub should go to the Info at St Luke’s desk and request PGR support, the PGR team will then be called to see you.

The Penryn PGR Support Office is open from 10.00am – 2.00pm Monday to Friday and is based in the Postgraduate Suite in Daphne Du Maurier building 3 (next to the FXU and opposite the Stannary).

For enquiries surrounding training and development, please contact the team on: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk.

To view previous versions of the newsletter, you can do so here.

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