Student Services News

When it comes to sexual health, it’s really important to know where you can go for professional, confidential advice and support.

Safe Sex Berkshire is a one-stop-shop for advice covering a wide range of issues relating to sexual health and relationships, including information on what local services are available to you and how you can access them.

The site covers a huge range of topics, including:

• general advice surrounding sex and relationships, including gender identity and consent
• information on types of contraception available, including emergency contraception
• local and home STI testing, including information about treatment for STIs
• pregnancy testing and options to think about if you are pregnant

Click through, take a look, and bookmark the page!

Safe Sex Berkshire also provides advice and information regarding what support is available in cases of sexual assault, as well as what you can do if you are worried about a friend.

If you are feeling worried or anxious about something and would like to speak to someone, the Student Welfare Team are here to help. The team offers a drop-in service in the Carrington building, available Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 16:00, where you can come along and speak to someone in person. Alternatively, you can send them an email at studentwelfare@reading.ac.uk and ask to arrange an appointment with a member of the team.

Do you have what it takes to promote your University to future students?

We’re almost at the end of the academic year, but there will be plenty of services, facilities and support available to you throughout the summer break.

Library
The Library building will be open 9am-5pm on weekdays during the vacation period and will be closed on weekends, with the following exceptions:

• Saturday 20 July: Open 11am-5pm
• Saturday 17 August: Open 11am-5pm
• Saturday 21 September: Open 11am-5pm
• Closed Bank Holiday Monday 26 August.

Please note that the Library@URS building will close to users after the end of Summer term, once Library study space furniture, services and collections have returned to the Library.

Student Services Reception
Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm and Fridays 9am-4.30pm.

Support Centres
Open Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm. You can find your Support Centre here.

Student Financial Support Team
The team do not provide a drop-in service outside of term time, so recommend that students email on studentfunding@reading.ac.uk or telephone 0118 378 5555 to ask for an appointment to speak with a member of the team, or visit the money matters website.

RUSU
The reception desk will remain open from Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm throughout the summer vacation period.

Mondial will be open Monday-Friday from 9:30-2:30.

Mojo’s will be closed throughout the vacation period.

Accommodation
This service is open same hours as usual:

Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm,
Friday 9am-4.30pm

The Halls Hotlineis a 24/7 on-site service desk dedicated to responding to issues or concerns in halls accommodation. The Halls Hotline team are available seven days a week and 365 days a year. You can call the Halls Hotline by calling 0118 378 7777 or by dialling 7777 from any of the wall-mounted phones located around halls. You can also e-mail reading.helpdesk@upp-ltd.com. If we need to get back in touch with you for more information we will call the mobile number you provide us with.

Catering

• Park Bar
  Open until 22 June then Closed. Midday to 11pm
• Park Eat Food
  Closed
• Ice House, Wantage Bar, Northcourt Bar, St. Patrick’s Catering and Wantage Catering will all be closed.
• Park House
  Monday – Friday 12.00-23.00. Closed Bank Holidays
• The Dairy
  Monday to Friday, 8.00-00.00
  Saturday 12.00-00.00
  Bank Holidays and Sunday Closed.
• Eat at the Square
  Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm
• AGRICULTURE CAFÉ: Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 3.30pm
• ARCHITECTURE CAFÉ: Closed Summer vacation period.
• BEFORE & AFTER: Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 3.30pm
• CHE VITA: Monday – Friday, 8.00am – 6.00pm
• ENTERPRISE CAFÉ: Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 4.00pm
• HENLEY BUSINESS SCHOOL CAFÉ: Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 4.00pm
• LIBRARY CAFÉ: Monday-Friday, 9.00-4.30
• SPORTSPARK CAFÉ: Monday-Friday, 8.00am–8.00pm,
  Saturday-Sunday, 10.00am-5.00pm

Please watch this space for further updates on University opening times over the summer period.

Congratulations to all the students who have finished exams and best wishes to those still studying. We know many of you will want to relax and enjoy the summer before the end of the year, but if you are living in privately rented accommodation, please do be considerate to your neighbours who are still getting up early to go to work and who may have young children going to school. You may also have student neighbours who are still sitting exams.

Landlords and neighbours have also asked us to pass on the message to not sit on flat roof extensions or drag furniture out onto it. Some of these roofs will not support the weight and may collapse. Additionally, this is intrusive for your neighbours.

If you are planning to hold house parties, please let your neighbours know in advance and if it is on a week night, please keep the music indoors with the bass low after 11pm. Terraced housing is often thin with little insulation, so many people will be disturbed by loud noise after 11pm.

We don’t want to stop you having fun as we appreciate you will have worked hard all year, but please respect your neighbours and be considerate when you are socialising late at night.

Following the gas leak on Wednesday, our Estates colleagues have been working with specialist contractors to restore supply to the Whiteknights campus ring network. So far, supply to the following buildings has been restored:

• Park House
• Eat at the Square
• Cedars hotel
• RUSU building
• Little Learners Nursery

Those buildings were identified as a priority for the weekend. Starting next week (Tuesday/Wednesday), supply to the remaining buildings will be progressively restored. The buildings are:

• Knight Building
• Minghella Studios
• AMS basement
• HBS offices
• HBS
• ICMA (x2)
• Estates Building
• Old Whiteknights House
• Archway Lodge
• Chemistry
• Park House Lodge (Chaplaincy)

Thank you for your patience and understanding whist we have we have worked to restore the gas to site over the past two days.

This month, PC Julie is back to talk about the importance of consent.

Hello all,

It has been a while since my last blog. I hope you all had a very enjoyable and safe Easter and now back to University for the final push until summer!

I know you will be launched into ‘quiet time’ as this is the term for exams, so good luck.

My blog this month is about CONSENT. This is a big issue, and it is vital to understand that sex without consent is rape. Here are some important points to remember when you are confirming whether or not you have consent from somebody:

• The person seeking or initiating sex is responsible for getting consent.
• Ask yourself if the other person is capable of giving consent – if they are on drugs or too drunk, asleep or unconscious they cannot choose.
• Check the other person’s body language to see if they are eager and comfortable.
• You can ask them if they are okay.
• If they seem unhappy, or you are not sure they are consenting,
• Silence, or the absence of a ‘no’, does not guarantee somebody is consenting.
• Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Think about your future, your lifestyle, your friends and family. Anything you do has an impact on others and can ruin lives, including your own.

If you wish to talk about any issues, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.  As you know, I am your Police Officer for the University and I will make myself available to support you if needed. You can get my details from the Security Team.

For more advice and information on consent, you can visit consentiseverything.com.

Once again, for those of you who are taking exams, good luck, try not to stress and have plenty of breaks when you are studying (this is the mum coming out in me!)

Late on Wednesday 22 May we discovered a gas leak in the URS Building at Whiteknights. The building was closed immediately and the Library was kept open overnight to provide study space.

This morning, Thursday 23 May, we have been able to clear all gas from the URS Building and it has been re-opened.

When the leak was discovered, the gas supply underneath the URS Building was cut off as a safety measure. This means there is currently no hot water in URS and a number of other buildings.

We are working with external contractors to restore the gas supply as soon as possible but we have been advised that this may take several days. We will keep you updated once we have further information.

As summer beckons and days become warmer it can be tempting to leave windows open, but bear in mind if you have expensive items on display, or allow easy access, you may become a target for burglars.

Thames Valley Police has had a number of burglaries reported around Reading, often with entry through open windows. However, there is no need to be alarmed if you take care to secure your house and your valuables.

Please find some tips and advice below.

Tips on keeping your home and belongings secure

• Always remember to lock your doors and windows when you leave your house.
• Do not leave downstairs or easily accessible windows open at night, unless attended.
• Keep laptops, valuables and cash out of sight.
• Use security cable kits to secure computers, printers and so on to the desk.
• Mark your valuables with a UV light to deter burglars and record them free of charge using one of the accredited property databases to prove ownership. Find out more.
• Read the Thames Valley Police Home Security Guide, which has detailed information on how to keep your home and valuables secure.
• Follow our advice on keeping your bicycles and cars secure. Ensure you use an approved lock such as a ‘D-Lock’ for your bicycle and register it on Bike Register.
• Read the University’s Security team guidance on personal safety.

The RUSU Partnership in Teaching & Learning Showcase was held on Wednesday 1 May, in 3sixty, to celebrate the winners of the RUSU Excellence Awards.

This annual event highlights the importance of collaboration, and further encourages student-staff educational partnership to promote positive teaching and learning experiences. It also provides an opportunity for staff who have been recognised by students in the RUSU Excellence Awards to share best practice with colleagues from across the institution.

Students are invited to nominate members of staff who they believe have gone above and beyond expectations to improve their teaching and learning experience. The outstanding work of Course and School Reps is also recognised, through the School and Course Rep Awards. This year, over 150 members of our community were nominated.

Award Winners 2019

We are pleased to congratulate the 2019 winners as follows:

Get involved – nominate a member of staff for 2020

All students are welcome to nominate a member of staff for the RUSU Excellence Awards. If you would like to recognise someone who you believe has enhanced your teaching and learning experience, keep an eye on RUSU’s website for information about when the 2020 nominations open.

The European elections 2019 are fast approaching, and it’s important to make your voice heard. Citizens of the UK and other EU member states resident in this country and aged over 18 can vote, provided they are registered to do so.

If you haven’t already, register to vote by the deadline on Tuesday 7 May so that you can cast your vote on Thursday 23 May.

Why vote?

Voting is about having a say in your future. It can sometimes be difficult to believe that your voice will make an impact, but your vote really does matter. Even if you don’t believe your candidate will win, it’s important not to give up. Your vote can still make a difference. Find out more about why your vote counts here.

How do I register to vote?

You can register to vote quickly and easily online through the gov.uk website – click here to start your registration. It usually takes about 5 minutes to complete your application. You may need the following, if you have them:

• Your National Insurance Number
• Your passport if you’re a British citizen living abroad, and want to vote in England, Scotland or Wales.

Please note that you do not need to register again if you’re already registered.

Find out more

To find out more about the importance of your vote, how to vote, and to keep up with news related to the upcoming elections, visit https://www.european-elections.eu/.

For the latest information on voting in the UK, you can also follow @YourVote_UK on Twitter.