Newsletter sent to all taught student on 27 November 2020
Welcome to the latest edition of your student newsletter, and for some of you, the last one you’ll read in Leeds before the holidays.
This is a busy time of year; a time for looking ahead and getting organised. Some of you will be in Leeds over the holidays, and some will be planning to travel and see family and friends. In the email sent 20 November you would have seen information about end of term dates and arrangements but just to clarify; as the Government guidance requires:
- Face-to-face teaching will end on Wednesday 9 December, two days before the end of term (Friday 11 December).
- Online teaching will continue as scheduled until 11 December (and you should continue with it even if you are not in Leeds).
Preparing to travel by getting a free asymptomatic lateral flow test coronavirus test
If you’re planning to travel during the Government’s ‘student travel window’ (3-9 December) then, we are providing testing facilities on campus between Monday 30 November and Wednesday 9 December.
We encourage students who may be travelling to take this aysmptomatic lateral flow test before travelling, to enable you to know if you are carrying the virus – in which case you will need to self-isolate before making your journey to avoid transmitting the virus to those with whom you come into contact after leaving Leeds. Results will be sent by SMS or email via the NHS track and trace system, typically in a matter of hours. Find more information about the lateral flow test in the email sent on 25 November.
If the booking system is displaying a ‘server busy’ message, please refresh your browser and try again in 5 minutes.
Please note that we experienced a glitch with the Microsoft asymptomatic COVID-19 test booking system overnight on Wednesday 25 November, which has now been fixed.
If you booked a test between 7pm and 11.59pm on Wednesday 25 November and did not receive a booking confirmation email please rebook your test now.
If you are showing symptoms of coronavirus, you must not book an asymptomatic test – instead, you must book a test through the usual NHS Test and Trace Service and if tested positive, report this to the University.
Find everything you need to know about end of term arrangements, travel and testing.
Looking for information about Brexit? Our Bexit pages have been updated with important information for EU/EEA/Swiss students:
- http://leeds.ac.uk/brexit - this includes links to information about visa applications and the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for different groups of students and PGRs
- https://students.leeds.ac.uk/brexit - this includes more detail for students who can apply to the EUSS as well as advice for current EU/EEA/Swiss students travelling home for winter break
If you are a EU/EEA/Swiss students, please read this information as soon as possible, as it may affect your travel plans.
Student Ideas Fund
We have launched a Student Ideas Fund to help bring to life any ideas you may have about making improvements at Leeds. Through this, you can access support and resources and a grant of up to £5000 to help you bring your idea to life. This is a great opportunity for you to become co-collaborators in your education and experience. Find out more and apply.
Live University pandemic events
We’re running a series of live events on YouTube, exploring how the covid-19 pandemic has affected society in different ways.
- COVID-19 and health equalities – Tuesday 8 Dec, 4pm. This event investigates health inequalities in a pandemic using accounts of experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethic Groups in the UK and Black Americans in the United States.
- COVID-19 and communities – Wednesday 9 Dec, 3pm. This event explores how communities responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and the inequalities and implications this revealed.
- COVID -19 and disablity – Thursday 10 Dec,3pm. This event explores the Covid–19 pandemic impact on disabled people, and how it has exacerbated disabled people's marginalisation within society.
End of term celebrations
With the end of the national restrictions taking place on December 2, we’ve been informed by the UK Government that Leeds, like the rest of England will go into a tiered system of restrictions.
If you are wanting to celebrate at the end of term, pleas do so safely. Make sure you understand and follow the current rules in Leeds to avoid getting any penalties or sanctions. These include police fines of £10,000 for anyone organising illegal parties, as well as £200 individual fines for those attending and those breaking laws on socialising with others.
See the Community Conduct Rules and Sanctions page for more information.
Looking after yourself and your belongings
Leeds is a pretty safe city, but it’s worth taking steps to make sure you’re safe, and your belongings are too.
- If you’re walking around, particularly in the dark, keep your mobile phone out of sight.
- Walking with a friend or housemate is better than being on your own.
- Check out the Staying Safe section on the For Students website for practical tips and advice, plus useful contact numbers.
Make sure your belongings are safe if you’re going away too. Read about how to keep your property secure while you’re away.
In Leeds over the holidays?
From next week, we’ll be sharing everything you need to know about what's open on campus over the holidays, our sports and catering facilities, activities you can get involved in, access to study space in the library, as well as how to get in touch if you need us. Keep an eye on our Facebook group and Twitter and on Minerva where we’ll be sharing this.
Don’t forget our Global Community are looking for ideas and activities you might be interested in, so fill in this quick survey and tell them what you think.
Want to find out more about further study at Leeds? If you’d like to know more about continuing to Masters or PhD study at Leeds, join our postgraduate Virtual Open Days. From 30 November, we’re hosting a week of live virtual events, ranging from subject talks to sessions about funding and how to apply. Register now to create your personalised Virtual Open Days account, view the event schedule and book your place on live talks.
Guarantee your Library collection before you leave campus
If you’re a student leaving Leeds between 3 and 9 December, request your items through Library Search as soon as possible to ensure your items are ready to collect before you leave. There’s a slightly longer wait than usual between ordering and collecting items due to increased demand.
If you request items on or before the 3 December, we will make sure that they are ready to collect by 9 December. See Library news for more information
Need to improve your mathamatical skills? On Wednesday 2 December between 11:30am until 2pm, our friendly and approachable maths tutors will be live on MS Teams taking questions and offering support to help you get ready for your assessments. Whether you just need some tips for revising and remembering maths for your upcoming assessments or you have a specific area that needs a little boost, this is your chance to drop in and speak with our experts about any area of maths that you need support with. Sign up to the Maths in your exams Q&A now and we’ll send you all of the details
Support with online learning
If you’re finding it hard to take part in the online or digital aspects of your learning then contact your Academic Personal Tutor or your school student support team. There’s a lot they can help with, including loan laptops for you to borrow.
My art will go on
How do we engage in art when galleries are shut? VIsit out our very own on-campus galleries survey and tell them what you think.
On demand software for your Windows device
From 27 November you'll be able to use University software on your personal Windows computer. The AppsAnywhere service, currently available via the Virtual Windows Desktop (VWD), will be extended to give all students access to a range of teaching software which is being expanded all the time. For more information on the service, including instructions on how to install AppsAnywhere, see the IT website.
For those of you who are travelling – go safely, and thanks for your patience and flexibility during a term which none of us could have imagined a year ago. We’ll start a new year with new hope and optimism, not just for all of us in Leeds, but for all of our friends, family and colleagues globally. Look after yourself, enjoy the break and we can’t wait to welcome you back in 2021.