The Brum Bulletin - Your student newsletter

We'd like to say a huge well done to all students for getting through and completing your assessments this semester. A reminder that your end of year Exam Marks and Progress Decisions will be available on the new Student Digital Services intranet from next month and no longer accessed through the my.bham portal.

Exam marks and progression decisions will be available to access on the Exam and Assessments page of the Student Digital Services intranet from Tuesday 6 July for finalists and Tuesday 20 July for continuing students, unless you are advised of alternative dates by your School. Please do not try to access exam marks until the date they will be available.

Student digital services

We are delighted that we are able to confirm graduations can go ahead!

We have worked closely with and taken advice from Birmingham City Council Public Health who have endorsed our approach to making these events Covid-secure so that we can go ahead with plans for Graduation Celebrations on campus from 14-23 July.

Graduands and two guests will be able to enjoy graduation day on campus with an outdoor celebration in the Green Heart, hospitality, and photographs in the Great Hall ready for the occasion in your cap and gown. If you are due to graduate you will shortly be sent an email with all the details.

Covid vaccines

Medical student, Chevonne Risbrooke interviews Dr Anthony Cox to discuss the Covid vaccine and whether the benefits outweigh any potential risks.

Watch now

Next week there will be a new temporary vaccination centre opening on campus. On Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 June you can get your first dose of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine. All students with an NHS number are eligible. You can book an appointment or walk-in, but there may be a long wait so bookings are advisable. The whole process should take no more than 30 minutes.

We'd also like to remind you that if you're leaving Birmingham soon for the summer it is recommended that you take a PCR test three days before you to travel. You can book a free PCR test even if you have no symptoms, on the advice of Birmingham City Council Public Health Team.

Get jabbed

Changes to the campus WiFi

A reminder that from 1 July you’ll no longer be able to access the campus WiFi through UoBWiFi. You will need to use eduroam and sign in with your University email address and password.

Find out more

Win £50 for your opinion on Welcome

We're looking for first year students to attend a focus group on what they expect when returning to campus. All participants will be entered into a prize draw with two chances to win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Take part

Student Spotlight: Laurie Duncan

Congratulations to PhD student Laurie Duncan who recently won the Unilever’s Our Planet, Our Future competition. His submission “The Birmingham cup” that looks at eliminating single use coffee cups beat 262 other entries to win and secure £1000 to set up his initiative.

National Insurance scam warning

There have been recent reports of scammers targeting international students regarding their National Insurance and asking them to transfer large amounts of money. Find out what warning signs to look out for and what to do if you think you have been targeted.

Advice on scams

Student Social: Winterbourne Gardens

Have you visited the visited Winterbourne House and Gardens yet? Did you know it's free to explore for UoB students, simply show your ID card at the entrance to enjoy the beautiful garden sites.

Explore Winterbourne

Intranet top tip: Student Administration

The Student Administration section features information on obtaining letters and documents, transcripts, fees and much more.

Find out more

Spring into Summer @ UoB

It's the final week of Spring into Summer activities, join us for some garden games, PG Corner, bread baking with the Multi-faith Chaplaincy and our final cinema showing, The Lion King.

Spring into Summer

Dates for your diary

CAL lightning lectures
Thursday 24 June, 10:00-18:00

Watch a range of inspirational talks from each School within the College of Arts and Law, ending with a Pride not Prejudice inclusivity project event. Book here.

Crafted in time: printmaking workshop
Thursday 24 June, 18:30-19:30

Join artist Kaitlin Ferguson for an inspiring evening of printmaking, in response to the Lapworth Museum’s collection. Kaitlin will share her own arts practice as well as her favourite specimens from the collection. Following this, she will guide you through different playful printmaking techniques you can do at home. Book here.

Multi-Faith Chaplaincy leavers service
Tuesday 13 July, 14:00

Join the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Team on 13 July 2021 to celebrate the accomplishments of our leavers and wish them the best for the future. This virtual service will be live-streamed on the Multi-Faith Chaplain's Facebook page (@ChaplaincyUoB). You do not need a Facebook account to watch the service. Please contact Fr Kensy Joseph SJ (K.Joseph.1@bham.ac.uk) or Alex Ferranti (A.Ferranti@bham.ac.uk) for further information on how to join or participate in the service.

Spring into Summer @UoB
Monday to Friday, until end of June

Enjoy the last week of activities on campus and online including arts and crafts, yoga, outdoor games and food stalls. Book onto an activity.

PG corner

Paid Research Groups

The UGS is offering incentives for taking part in focus groups as a PGT or PGR. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter for details of how to take part - all participants will receive a book voucher or JustEat voucher, along with entering a draw to win the infamous Old Joe Lego set!

Dissertation Support

Start your projects off right with PGT Essentials: Researching your Dissertation, on Zoom 23rd June 2-3pm, get expert tips and have your questions answered. Sign up here.

Our Shut Up and Work sessions are continuing throughout June and July, for a focussed place to work and study. Join us to tick off your to-do list and get stuff done! Sign up here.

Postgraduate researcher leave of absence

If you are experiencing significant challenges that are making it hard for you to fully engage with your studies you may be eligible to take an authorised temporary break called a leave of absence.

The PGR leave of absence process has recently been redesigned to make it quicker and more efficient to apply. Similar changes for PGT students will come into effect later in the summer. Find out more about PGR leave of absence.

What's on in Brum: Van Gogh Alive!

Admire Van Gogh's iconic artwork in this immersive experience, taking place at Birmingham Hippodrome theatre until 11 July.

Explore Birmingham

Win tickets for Van Gogh Alive!

You and a friend could attend Van Gogh Alive! for free. Answer this question: What is our final showing at the outdoor cinema this week?

Enter the prize draw

And finally...

Drink spiking test kits available to collect from the Guild and Vale Village. Stay safe when out at bars and restaurants with these free drink spiking kits. Find out how to use and where to collect them from.
University train station temporary closures. Work is underway at University station to greatly increase capacity, improve facilities and enhance the passenger experience. Crane lifts are taking place on a number of weekends that require part of Vincent Drive, the railway line and the canal to be closed to keep the public and workers safe. The first closure is from Friday 25 – Monday 28 June 2021. Full details can be found on the Transport for West Midlands website.
Donate your unwanted items to Junkbusters. The Community Wardens will be out in Selly Oak 1-3pm every Friday in June and on move-out day (Wednesday 30th June) to collect donations for Junkbusters, who donate unwanted items to charity. Find out and where to drop your items off and what items are accepted.
Exam board guidance for UG students is available. With assessments drawing to close, we're sure you'll be waiting to get your results. In the meantime why not read through the exam board guidance for UG students.