SOLE and the Students Records System will be unavailable 5th and 6th January for scheduled maintenance.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

All Network Services will be unavailable between 07:00 and 12:30 on Sunday 13th December for essential maintenance to the power supply. Services will be at risk until 14:30.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

If you missed the 1st December deadline to apply for a University Scholarship (details below) there will be a second opportunity to apply with a deadline of the 1st March

Are you involved in voluntary work, do you compete at a national level, want to attend a summer school, or volunteer to coach or teach overseas?  We may be able to help you achieve your goal 

The University runs a University Scholarship Scheme each year to assist students with participating in extra-curricular activities.  You can apply for funding, up to £1000, to finance extra-curricular involvement in activities either directly related to or distinct from your course of study. 

Some examples of students who were successful:- 

Category 1 – Voluntary activities which are community based

In 2009 a group of students received help with funding a trip to Thailand to provide voluntary teaching and another student received help with funding a trip to Sri Lanka to coach football and cricket. Other students were funded to assist them travelling to voluntary placements in the UK with charities such as Turning Point and Save the Children.

It is important when applying for a scholarship for this category that you include information about the charity you are working for, the hours involved and the location of the work.  You should provide evidence that you have been accepted as a volunteer.

 Category 2 – Activities relating to a pastime or interest in which the student is involved (e.g. music or some other arts based area; elite sport)

Last summer students received scholarships to assist them in participation in national sports competitions in a variety of sports including: rowing, golf, swimming and trampolining.  A student also received help in funding a trip to New York to participate in the Centenary of Guiding celebrations.

It is important when applying for a scholarship for this category that you include information, and evidence, of the costs involved. 

Category 3 – Activities which are course related but voluntary but, if undertaken, are likely to contribute to the scholar’s academic performance

This year a student has received a scholarship to assist her in attending a drama course outside of the University. She has undertaken to feed back to her peers the knowledge she gains.  Other students have received funding to assist them in attending archaeological digs which will supplement their learning experience. Again these students will provide feedback to their peers on the knowledge they have gained.

It is important when applying for a scholarship in this category that you provide written evidence of the costs involved and quantify the impact the activity will have on your academic performance.

 To apply for a University Scholarship please complete a form which you can access here or from the Student Records Enquiry Counter in Woodbury. The deadline for applying is the 1^st December 2009. You will need to supply supporting documentation with your application e.g. details of any study visit, invitations or bookings. 

Please note that successful applicants will be required to participate in some form of feedback on their activity and the form this will take will be notified in the award letter.

 All applications will be considered by the Scholarship Panel and applicants will be notified of the outcome before Christmas.

 Completed application forms should be submitted to the Student Records Enquiry Desk by the 1^st December 2009.  The next opportunity to apply for a University Scholarship will be March 2010.

 Please note that this fund is not available to pay for the cost of courses run by the University.  If you are struggling with course costs or have other financial difficulties please contact the Student Welfare and Financial Advice Service http://www.worc.ac.uk/wfa/  who will be able to advise you.

Refurbishment works on the Dining Hall floor will shortly be undertaken and, as a result, it will become necessary to close the Dining Hall for a period of 5 weeks, from Saturday 12^th December 2009 until Sunday 17^th January 2010 inclusive.

During this period, the dining facilities, including vending machines, will be relocated to the Students’ Union. Please find attached the proposed opening times of these facilities.

Cafeology will not be affected and will remain open as normal for the duration of the works, as per attached opening times schedule.

Please note that there will be no authorised access to and through the Dining Hall during the works and all sets of doors into the Dining Hall will be barriered off.

Facilities Management apologises for any inconvenience these essential works may cause.

Opening Times Christmas & New Year – Cafeology

Opening Times – Xmas New Year 09-10 – The Rest

The timetable for the end of semester one exams (January 2010) is now available on the Registry Services web page and can be accessed via the following link:

http://www2.worc.ac.uk/registry/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=66&op=page&SubMenu

Please note that if you are entitled to additional support during your exams, you will be contacted individually with details of the arrangements.

If you have a clash in your exams, or have any other questions, please contact Hannah Pipkin, the Exams and Awards Officer, on h.pipkin@worc.ac.uk or 01905 855032.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you are eligible for a bursary and receive all or part of the Maintenance Grant from the Student Loans Company, the standard £500 bursary will be increased to;

£640 if you are awarded part of the Maintenance Grant

or

£770 if you are awarded the whole Maintenance Grant

The university finance office will not be able to arrange the extra payment if they haven’t seen a copy of your Maintenance Grant statement so you should take a copy to the cashier’s office unless they are already aware of your award.

The payments will be made as follows:

5 installments for undergraduates payable on:

15th December 2009
15th January 2010
15th February 2010
15th March 2010
15th April 2010

3 installments for PGCE students payable on:

15th December 2009
15th January 2010
15th February 2010

Anyone who is experiencing flu-like illness should stay at home to limit contact with others. You should access the National Pandemic Flu Service at http://www.pandemicflu.direct.gov.uk or telephone 0800 1513513. If you have severe symptoms which are not like flu you should contact your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. Let the University know by email to goodhealth@worc.ac.uk.

You can now follow the posts on this blog via Twitter at www.twitter.com/regservices

During last year we received feedback from students that there was currently potential for inconsistencies in the interpretation of the late submission procedures when applying the 24 hour or 5 day rule. A single submission time was implemented to help remove these inconsistencies and ensure that staff staff at the university could provide consistent and reliable advice to students regarding late submission.

Following discussions with the Institutes it was agreed that a 9.00am submission time would be the most appropriate standard time. The rationale for adopting this time is that it allowed students to work during the evening and early hours before submission, it will not discourage students from missing taught sessions on the day of a deadline and that it will treat part-time students who are unable to attend between 9am and 5pm equitably.

We have however received comments from a number of students who have expressed dissatisfaction about the time of 9.00am that was selected – in particular from part time students who live off campus. The University last year introduced a new electronic assessment receipt system to enhance the information students receive after they have submitted assessment items and it is committed to retaining a universal submission time.

We would value your views and participation in this poll will help us establish the level of dissatisfaction and provide some guidance as to what your preferred submission time would be. Clearly it is impossible to please everyone but we do want to hear your views.

The times identified below have been selected in order that staff in the academic support units are best placed to handle submissions effectively.

The existing 24 hour and 5 day rules still apply. For information concerning late submission see http://www2.worc.ac.uk/registry/pdf/Proceduresforlatesubmissionofassignments.pdf

This December the University will hold its first Carol Service, in Worcester Cathedral on the evening of Friday 4 December at 7.15pm.

The service will be held in support of the University’s current Charity of the Year: the Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign. This Campaign, which is close to the heart of so many of us in the University, aims to raise an additional £2.5 million to help fund the development of a specialist breast cancer care unit on a new site at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

I hope you will be able to join us for the first of what will hopefully become an annual event in the University’s calendar, and also help us support a most worthy cause.