Articles by student-services-news

Help us decide how to move forward on Race Equality at the University of Reading.

As a University, we want to take forward our work on racial and ethnic diversity. We need to develop concrete plans that will help us make progress on a range of challenges, and your student voice can help us to do this.

We want to ensure that all our students have an equal opportunity to develop their potential, irrespective of their race or ethnicity.

To make sure that our future initiatives are relevant and stand a good chance of success, we are seeking views from across the University on race and ethnicity.

We would therefore be extremely grateful if you could take a few moments to complete the Race Equality Charter Mark survey – the survey has been devised by the Equality Challenge Unit and should only take around 15 minutes to complete.

The survey is anonymous, but we do ask for some demographic data to allow us to link responses to particular ethnic groups. A similar survey is also being circulated to staff.

Feedback gained through the Race Equality Charter Mark survey will help to give us your views on everything from curriculum and assessments to societies and social facilities. We aim to collect as many views as possible from a diverse range of voices – we want to hear your suggestions on what we could do to advance race and equality here at Reading.

The survey will run until Wednesday 1 November.

If you require a paper copy of the survey, please contact Yasmin Ahmed.

It has come to our attention that colleagues may have received a spamemail pretending to be from the University’s IT department.

The email shows two addresses – it pretends to be from the ‘IT Self Service Portal it@reading.ac.uk’ but the real sender address is carsal@edu.xunta.es. The message says:

“This is to inform you that we are currently updating our Web-mail interface to a new one for all employees and students. This is to improve security and reduce spam attacks on our staff and student account.

“Download and open through your web browser the University of Reading web page attached to this email and follow the Instructions on the page as instructed to migrate to the new Web mail interface.

“This procedure is in accordance with the security update Of the University of Reading policy, non-compliance with this Instruction will result in difficulties, to be taken into account.”

The email includes a HTML attachment for ‘Outlook Web App’.

This is not a legitimate request – please ensure you and your colleagues do not click on the attachment or follow any of the instructions given in the email.

IT would like to remind users to be careful when they receive emails that look suspicious.

Our systems block approximately 3 million spam emails every week – even with these measures in place, a small number of spam emails still manage to get through.

Spam emails can be hard to spot, especially if they use ‘spoofed’ email addresses or pretend to be sent from an existing University system.

These emails can also be malicious, and opening links or attachments from them could put your work and personal information at risk.

We ask you to be vigilant and consider the following actions when opening email at work:

• Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails.
• Email addresses can be ‘spoofed’ to look like an address you trust. Check the email address carefully, and if unsure, check with the sender.
• If the email pretends to be sent from a specific system, check the email carefully – emails sent from the University will include clear sender details and branding (including University email signatures).

A screenshot of the email detailed above is available for reference.

IT also recommend the following security guidelines:

• Use strong passwords, including a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
• Never share your password or write it down.
• Don’t allow family members or non-authorised people to use your work computer.

If you receive an email you believe to be suspicious or would like further information or advice, please visit the IT webpage: www.reading.ac.uk/it

The University of Reading and its long-term partners University Partnerships Programme (UPP) are inviting students, staff, and local residents to view and comment on the proposals for the redevelopment of the St Patrick’s Hall site. This will take place on Wednesday 25 October at 12pm to 2pm in the Old Senior Common Room in The Shamrock Café, St Patrick’s Hall.

We will also be hosting a small exhibition of the proposal boards in the Lower Lobby of the Reading University Students’ Union (RUSU) Building at our Whiteknights campus on Friday 27 October from 11am to 3pm. All students and staff are welcome to come along during the day.

If you can’t make it in person, you can also view the proposals and submit comments online from Thursday 26 October to Thursday 9 November at reading.ac.uk/st-patricks-project/.

Why redevelop St Patrick’s Hall?
It is important that the University of Reading continues to provide students with high quality accommodation.

There has been a £100m investment in on-campus accommodation through the University’s partnership with University Partnerships Programme (UPP), which has increased overall capacity by 1,500 rooms to 4,982. This is in response to increased demand for high-quality, competitively priced accommodation and to grow our provision of on-campus rooms.

St Patrick’s Hall is the next site to be redeveloped, expanded and upgraded.

What has changed since the previous application?

Some of you may be aware that we withdrew our original application to redevelop St Patrick’s Hall in light of the Council’s decision to locally list Pearson’s Court. We postponed a second public exhibition in January 2017 to allow for further detailed design development with our partners, key stakeholders and heritage advisors.

Our revised plans maintain the University’s objectives to respond to the growing demand for on-campus accommodation, whilst preserving the campus’ heritage. In response to feedback from across the community, changes have been made to the proposals which were last viewed at our public exhibition in October 2015.

How many new student bedrooms will there be at St Patrick’s Hall?

Our latest proposals aim to provide 702 additional student bedrooms.

The proposed scheme will increase capacity, improve the quality and provide a greater choice of accommodation for undergraduates, postgraduates, and returners. The new proposals provide a good balance of accommodation styles at a variety of rents.

Visit reading.ac.uk/st-patricks-project to find out more. Contact stpatsproject@reading.ac.uk with any queries.

Cyclists should note that the bike sheds outside the front of the Library will be out of use from Wednesday 11 October.

The hoarding outside the Library entrance will move forward to safely enclose refurbishment works around the front of the building – as a result, the bike sheds need to be removed.

The nearest place to park your bike will be the bike racks outside the URS building. Other racks are available in the Palmer quad and outside Whiteknights House.

Please be sure to move your bike from the Library cycle sheds before Wednesday 11 October.

Stay up-to-date

All of the latest Library refurbishment news is available on the Library blog – keep checking back for updates.

For more information on the refurbishment, please see our dedicated Library Refurbishment Project page.

Share your story through the Feedback & Experience scheme

The Global Recruitment (UK) office are running an activity this year for current undergraduate students from the UK to return to their former school/college to share their experiences of living and studying at the University of Reading with other students. You get to pick the day and time you go back, and we’ll pay your travel expenses!*

The school visit should take place ideally at some point before July 2018 with the opportunity for the school to arrange a campus visit or join us on one of our Open Days.

Information and guidance for the scheme will be provided. This is a fantastic opportunity to help others by providing information and guidance to your younger peers who face the same questions you had about University. It will also enhance your CV, through the development of presentation and work experience, and it also counts towards the RED Award** – an employability skills certificate awarded alongside your degree.

To express an interest in taking part complete the sign up form here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/readingfeedbackscheme or you can get in contact via (reena.kaur@reading.ac.uk) if you have any questions.

*Reasonable travel expenses will be paid in line with the University of Reading policy.

** To find out more about the RED award (Reading Experience and Development) please contact Daniel Mitchell (d.mitchell@reading.ac.uk).

So if you fancy taking on a new challenge, gaining volunteering hours alongside your degree, enhancing your education and meeting hundreds of like-minded people- this might be one of the best decisionsyou make this year!

Becoming an Academic Rep will give you the chance to make positive changes to your programme (including assessments, modules and resources), develop professional relationships with your staff in your school and in the Students’ Union. There are loads of extra benefits of being a Course Rep or School Rep including free training and skills workshops, Pizza and Prosecco Party and hours towards your RED Award!

Remember – nominations close at 3pm Tuesday 10th October!

If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact academicreps@rusu.co.uk

#run4RUSU

Our Reading campuses are currently experiencing problems with the incoming water supply. A burst water main off campus caused the problem and remedial work is being carried out currently by Thames Water.

The supply to the campus has resumed but it may take some time for the water pressure to be back to normal. In addition, please be aware as repairs are undertaken there is likely to be some further interruption at some stage which may affect our water pressure.

You may notice low water pressure this afternoon. Until the water supply is fully restored, it is recommended that all students and staff limit water use where possible.

We will provide you with an update once we have further information.

The Students in School scheme is a brilliant opportunity to work alongside teachers in local schools with the aim of raising the aspirations of school pupils and encouraging them to continue into higher education

If you’d like to take part in this scheme, see below for the full list of training dates until January 2018.

Training Dates for 2017 -18

Wednesday 4 October  2 – 4 pm – Palmer 102

Thursday 5 October  6:30 – 8:30 pm- Palmer 102

Wednesday 18 October 2. – 4.pm – Agriculture 1L08

Wednesday 29  November 2 – 4pm – Chancellors G04

Thursday 30 November 6:30 – 8:30pm – Palmer 109

Wednesday 10 January 2 – 4pm – Palmer 103

Thursday 11 January 5 – 7 pm – Palmer 103

Apply now and Book a Training Course

If you need to change an existing booking for a training course :you can do so here

The University of Reading is hosting a roadshow on Wednesday 4 October, organised by Reading Council to provide advice and information to private tenants as part of their ‘Private Sector Housing Action Week’. The roadshow will be on a double-decker bus by the Minghella Building on Whiteknights campus between 10:30 – 15:00.

The Council’s Private Sector Housing team will be joined by representatives of other Council services, external agencies, and Berkshire Credit Union. Our very own RUSU Housing Advice Team will also be present, along with Rose Lennon, RUSU Welfare Officer.

Whether you’re already living in private rented accommodation or are looking into the options for a future year of study at Reading, don’t miss this opportunity to speak to the experts about important things you should consider. Advice on a range of tenancy issues will be available, including deposits, fees, inventories, disrepair and safety.

If you’re unable to attend in person but looking for advice on renting in the private sector, don’t forget you can drop in to speak to RUSU’s Housing Advice Team at any time or contact them by phone or email.

Teaching and Leaning staff of the highest calibre were recognised at a recent special event celebrating teaching excellence at Reading.

Each year, the Celebrating Teaching and Learning Success awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of talented and committed colleagues who go above and beyond to enrich the student experience.

The award schemes, coordinated by the Centre for Quality Support and Development (CQSD), enables the University to formally acknowledge the strength of our teaching and learning culture and the continuing innovative, imaginative and inspirational work provided by staff in Schools and Services.

Winners of the 2017-18 awards are:

National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS)

• Professor Elizabeth McCrum, Teaching & Learning Dean
• Dr Matthew Nicholls, Classics

University Teaching Fellowship Scheme (UTFS)

• Dr Chloe Houston, English Literature
• Melanie Jay, Institute of Education
• Dr Madeleine Davies, English Literature
• Kate Fletcher, Pharmacy, University of Reading Malaysia

Collaborative Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning

Breaking Down Barriers project

• Dr Geoff Cook, Construction Management and Engineering
• Dr Joe Doak, Real Estate and Planning
• Christina Duckett, Visiting Fellow, previously School of the Built Environment
• Dr Faustina Hwang, Biomedical Engineering
• Dr Jeanne-Louise Moys, Typography and Graphic Communication
• Adrian Tagg, Construction Management and Engineering

Promoting research-based learning through an innovative text and performance module

• Dr Mark Hutchings, English Literature
• Dr Chloe Houston, English Literature
• Dr Lisa Purse, Film, Theatre and Television
• Kerry Webb, Library
• Lisa Clark, Film, Theatre and Television
• Josh Oliver, Film, Theatre and Television
• George Ormisher,Film, Theatre and Television

David Malvern APP Prize

• Rachel Roberts, Institute of Education

Gavin Brooks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, said:

“I am delighted to take this opportunity to congratulate all the award nominees and winners this year and to pay tribute to their exceptional contribution of the very best in teaching and learning practice and the impact they have had on students’ learning experience and the wider T&L community.”

Recognising and rewarding the outstanding contributions of colleagues to teaching and learning are key elements of the University’s T&L Strategy and are fundamental to the fulfilment of our vision.

For more information on CQSD and our Teaching and Learning initiatives, visit www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd.

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The team behind the ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ project were among this year’s winners.