The Brum Bulletin - Student Newsletter - 22 June

Welcome to your last Brum Bulletin of the academic year! Congratulations on getting through the assessment season – we hope you enjoyed unwinding at this year’s Valefest and Grad Ball if you attended, both making a much-anticipated return after the pandemic.

Some of you may be heading home for the summer while some of you may be sticking around on campus or in Brum. Wherever you will be, remember there’s always support available for you at UoB. For some of you this may be your final ever bulletin, so we just wanted to say enjoy Graduation and good luck on your next journey - don’t forget to keep in touch!

So, for the final time this year, sit back, relax, and enjoy our selection of campus stories and updates! Many of you will hear from us again in October but in the meantime, you can stay connected to us via the Student Intranet, MyUoB app and the UniBirmingham socials.

In this edition:

  • An end of term message from Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell
  • How Careers Network can help you ‘unlock your potential’ and find your right career path
  • Another exclusive competition: win books signed by iconic Birmingham authors courtesy of Bournville based ‘The Bookshop on the Green’

Message from the VC

As we reach the end of the semester and the end of an academic year, our Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adam Tickell would like to take this opportunity to look back over the year and the year ahead. Read the VC's message.

Unlock Your Potential with Careers Network

Our Careers Network is here for you over the summer in case you want to perfect your CV, learn employability skills, advice on how to land your dream job or to just talk about your options. Watch our video to find out how they have helped students unlock their potential. Hear from students.

News

Meet the people who brought back the bongs

Our beloved Old Joe Clocktower is an iconic campus landmark, but its record-breaking height and respectable age of 114 years mean that making repairs on it is no easy feat. Meet the people who made it happen in this video from the alumni magazine, Old Joe. Watch the video.

Don’t get locked out of your university accounts

From 1 August 2022, all UoB student accounts will need multi-factor authentication (MFA) to help keep your account more secure. Take a few minutes to register now to make sure you have access to University accounts and services at the beginning of the next academic year. Find out more.

Safety on and around campus

Working with the Guild of Students and local police, a lot has been happening to continue to keep your campus and our community safe. From more police presence to new and improved CCTV monitoring, check out some of those safety initiatives and activities for this semester. Find out more.

Meet our new Student Content Shapers!

Drum roll please! We’re chuffed to introduce our new team of Student Content Shapers who will be creating amazing content and showcasing the UoB experience, putting the student voice at the heart of our communications. Find out more about them and remember to look out for their faces in our content! Read the interview.

PG Corner

PGTs, fancy a break from summer work? Join our PGT Ambassadors for their summer events, including a lunchtime tour of the Lapworth Museum of Geology - with an exclusive look behind-the-scenes at their museum archives! - and a summer party. Sign up here.

'My PGT in 3' is open for submissions! Submit a three minute video of your dissertation research for the chance to win £100 from our panel of judges. You'll also develop skills in presentation, creativity, and expressing complex ideas in simple ways, to help your CV stand out from the crowd and perfect your answers at interview. More information here!

PGRs, welcome the summer in true Westmere fashion! On Tuesday 5 July, we will be hosting a PGR summer party from 2pm in the Westmere House gardens. Sign up here.

PGRs, take our IT survey and help shape and improve research computational services and tools at UoB. Hurry though, the closing date is Thursday 30 June. Complete the survey now.

Dates for your diary

Remember, you can find further information on the below highlighted events as well as a full calendar of events by heading to our new ‘What’s On’ page on the student intranet.

UBG&S Presents: ‘Iolanthe'

Thursday 23 to Friday 24 June 6:40pm, Guild of Students Deb Hall

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society present their magical production of this topsy-turvy classic. Will love conquer all, or will a mighty clash between fairies and the House of Lords cause chaos and prevent a happily-ever-after? Get your tickets for Thursday 23 or Friday 24 June.

UoB Summer Festival Orchestra

Friday 24 June 7.30pm, Elgar Concert Hall

The Summer Festival Orchestra celebrates a year of outstanding student music-making with a performance from the joint winner of the Music Society Soloist Prize, along with music by Takemitsu and Prokofiev’s fifth symphony. The concert concludes the annual Summer Festival of Music. Get your ticket.

Late Night Exchange: Anatomical Drawing with Alice Roberts

Monday 27 June, 7 – 9.30pm, The Exchange

What can we learn from looking at lungs? What can they tell us about the way we live and breathe? Join anatomist and broadcaster Alice Roberts for this live drawing workshop in the atmospheric setting of The Exchange Banking Hall. £5/3, book here.

Junkbusters

Thursday 30 June 10-1pm, various locations in Selly Oak

Don’t dump it, donate it! A joint project between the Guild and the University comes to multiple locations in Selly Oak every year to help you to have a clear-out before you move out of your student accommodation. Donate your unwanted clothes, books and household items and help raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Find out more.

My Commonwealth Story festival

Tuesday 5 July to Friday 8 July, University of Birmingham Arts Building

My Commonwealth Story is a celebration of Birmingham Stories – our joint campaign with the National Literacy Trust, aiming to raise literacy levels and change the life stories of young people and adults across the city. Join the FREE four-day festival packed with talks, workshops and panel discussions, all focused around literature, storytelling and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Register here.

Gothica Presents: Midsummer’s Gothic

Thursday 23 June, 5-7pm, Zoom

Gothica is an interdisciplinary reading group focused on the role of the Gothic in popular culture. Led by Doctoral Researcher Katrina Jan, join the group on Midsummer’s Eve to unpack Ari Aster’s horror film Midsommar (2019), paganism, cults, and the origins of Midsummer. Email uobgothica@gmail.com for the meeting link.

Win a book bundle!

To celebrate Independent Bookshop Week, The Bookshop on the Green in Bournville is giving away a fab bundle of books signed by some brilliant Brum authors! To enter, just answer this question: Which famous Birmingham landmark inspired JRR Tolkien to create the tower of Orthanc, the black tower of Isengard, in his The Lord of the Rings trilogy? T&Cs apply. Enter the giveaway.

What's on in Brum

Explore 21 private, hidden and intriguing places in Birmingham with Key to the City. The unique project allows you to give and receive keys that open doors to lesser-known places in Brum, allowing you to see the city in a new light. Find out more.

And finally...

  • New final year reassessment option – If you need to retake one or more of your failed modules this year, you now have the option to resit your final year modules in August and defer your graduation to Winter 2022. Find out more.
  • Library summer opening hours – Please note that the Main Library will start operating on reduced hours from Saturday 25 June, returning to its term-time 24 hours a day opening times on Saturday 24 September 2022. Check the opening times for all UoB libraries.
  • Last chance to 'Share the Chair' – Take a photo sitting on the giant deckchairs on University Square and share it with the hashtag #GameChangingBirmingham for the chance to win two tickets to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games! The deadline to enter is Thursday 30 June. Find out more.
  • Have your say in the Staff House redevelopment - UoB is considering redeveloping Staff House to make it an inclusive space for our community, with a diverse food and drink selection that caters to all tastes. Join our session on Thursday 7 July to see the proposals and give your feedback. Find out more.
  • Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey deadline extended - Don't miss out on the chance to have your say about the teaching and learning you’ve had this semester. The Student Evaluation Teaching and Learning survey is open to UG and PGT students until Sunday 26 June – complete it now.
  • Parking in Selly Oak during the Commonwealth Games – If you live or drive in Selly Oak in the run up to, and during, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, you might need to apply for a free Parking/Local Access permit to keep your usual access while restrictions are in place. Find out more and check which roads are impacted.
  • Drones on Campus - Have you seen this breath-taking drone footage of our beautiful campus with all its amazing spaces? It looks amazing but did you know that permission must be obtained before a drone is flown over University land? If you would like to use a drone then check out our policy and guidance for the Safe Use of Unmanned Vehicles (Drones) to make sure it's legal and safe and you obtain permission before you use it.

 

If you have any suggestions for the student newsletter please email studentcommunications@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

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