From: Dan Todman<\/p>\n
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Hello fellow historian,<\/p>\n
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I hope this finds you well. You will have seen the news I am sure about the\u00a0spread of the Omicron variant\u00a0<\/b>and its heightened transmissibility, and the government\u2019s response in implementing increased restrictions including\u00a0mask wearing, working from home and covid passports<\/b>. You will have got this afternoon an email from the Principal, which explains how these measures apply to the university. I am copying it below my signature, but\u00a0in short,<\/b>\u00a0we keep going as we are<\/b>. Nonetheless I know that for some students and staff this will be a time of heightened uncertainty and worry, and at a time when everyone has been worn down by the last two years of the pandemic. So, I would like us to do\u00a0three things<\/b>\u00a0as a School to try to look after everyone in the last eight days of the semester.<\/p>\n
First, keep up the good work<\/u><\/b>.\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
I have been so impressed at the commitment History students have shown to keeping everyone safe this semester \u2013\u00a0getting vaccinated, testing regularly, isolating when necessary and wearing face coverings when asked to do so<\/b>. I applaud you if you have done all these things. I know that keeping up these routine measures is boring and frustrating, but let\u2019s please make an extra effort to stick with them right through to the end of the semester.\u00a0If you can wear a face covering, please bring one with you so that you can wear it while moving around indoors on campus or if asked by a member of staff.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
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Second, everyone\u2019s tired – be kind to yourself<\/u><\/b>.<\/u><\/p>\n
We will all have deadlines, work, and responsibilities that can\u2019t be put off, but\u00a0I would like everyone please to try to find 10 minutes a day for doing something that makes you feel well<\/b>.\u00a0This will mean not doing something else, or doing it less well, and that is all right<\/u>. I would rather you did ten minutes less preparation for seminars or reading for an essay and did something that helps you preserve your energy in the medium and long term. The academic year is a marathon, not a sprint. Different things will work for different people: I know for myself at this time of year I need to take every opportunity I can to be outside in daylight, so I will be going for a walk around the block. Rosie, the QMSU School Rep, recommends taking a nap.<\/p>\n
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Third<\/u><\/b>,\u00a0plan ahead to allow yourself a winter break<\/b>.\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n
I know that not everyone will be able to have a rest when the semester ends \u2013 whether because of January assessment deadlines, paid work or family responsibilities. But\u00a0this is a time when all of our focus should shift and the closure of the university makes it possible to concentrate on other things<\/b>. Many second or third years I know will not have had a proper break last summer as they completed work for deadlines extended from the spring \u2013 if this is you,\u00a0you definitely deserve and need one\u00a0<\/u>now! I know too how hard first years have been working to adapt to university life.\u00a0It is a big change and you should take some time to recover<\/u>. Staff too need a chance for a rest to regenerate so that they can keep up their extraordinary teaching efforts in the second semester.<\/p>\n
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The university will be closed from 22 December to 3 January \u2013 this includes the History School Office \u2013 and all History staff will be on leave during this time.<\/b>\u00a0You can find out more about other\u00a0University services during the closure period via this site<\/a><\/b>\u00a0\u2013 the library is open up to the 24th<\/sup>\u00a0and open again from the 29th<\/sup>\u00a0December for example. The same page gives advice about help in a crisis, stress and wellbeing and campus services.\u00a0If you need to contact staff about assessments due after the closure period, you need to plan ahead and do so before the end of the semester or after we re-open \u2013 they will not be able to reply to email while they are on leave<\/b>. If you need an extension to a January deadline for a HST module, due to unexpected extenuating circumstances, you can apply for one via the link on the\u00a0QMPlus History Landing Page Quick Links section here<\/a>. The FAQs sheet at the same link explain what Extenuating Circumstances are. Extension requests will not be processed during the closure period, but don\u2019t worry, they will be processed as soon as the University re-opens.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please do try and do all three of these things over the next eight days. I will be recommending to staff that they do the same. Above all please do take care of yourselves and have confidence that while the current situation with the pandemic is unsettling, things will be better in the future. The School will get there like we got here, together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best regards<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dan<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Coronavirus email from the Principal\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dear student,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hope this email finds you well, and you are enjoying your time at Queen Mary. If you have any questions or concerns, please remember your Advisor is your first port of call.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n New government guidance for universities: no change to your educational experience<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yesterday, the Government announced some\u00a0new measures to slow the spread of the new Covid-19 variant<\/a>. These measures are precautionary: scientists are still studying the new variant and its impact. Universities have now been issued with further guidance under these new measures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m writing to reassure you that under the new government guidance, face-to-face teaching and research can continue<\/b>. This means there will be no impact on your educational experience at Queen Mary, and you should continue to come to our campuses for your face-to-face educational activities, to study and to engage in research as needed for your course. All our student support services, our libraries, study spaces, University-run cafes etc and our residences will remain fully open as they are now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Face covering policy<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is no further change needed to our face covering policy. Please do wear a face covering when walking around in our buildings in corridors, communal areas, stairwells and in lifts.\u00a0You will also need a face covering if using public transport and in shops, and in some other public areas.\u00a0Visit the gov.uk website for further information<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social activities<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bars and restaurants can remain open under the new guidance, and sporting activities can also continue. We are waiting for further guidance on running large events. Please keep an eye on our\u00a0calendar of activities<\/a>\u00a0for the latest updates.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Travel guidance<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is no extra guidance beyond the\u00a0restrictions currently in place<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lateral flow testing<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Everyone should aim to take a lateral flow test at least twice a week. Home test kits are available from our campuses. The new guidance advises that students travelling at the Christmas break should take a test before they go, and before they return. Please remember to register the result of the test with the NHS, even if it\u2019s negative.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I realise we are once again living in uncertain times. Please be reassured that the number of cases of\u00a0Covid-19 among our communities<\/a>\u00a0and in the local area remains very low. The single most important thing we can all do to keep safe is get vaccinated. If you have not yet been vaccinated please go and get a jab! We are hosting a vaccination centre on our Mile End campus, which can be used by students, staff and the general public. You can either\u00a0book via the NHS<\/a>\u00a0or simply attend as a drop-in. If you have had one jab, please do make sure you get your second, and also book for your booster jab as soon as you are eligible.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n If you have any questions, please contact your Advisor, the\u00a0Student Enquiry Centre<\/a>\u00a0or of course you can contact me at the address below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I will write to you again when I have a further update.<\/p>\n Best wishes,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colin<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Professor Colin Bailey, CBE, FREng, BEng, PhD, CEng, FICE, FIStructE, MIFireE<\/p>\n President and Principal | Queen Mary University of London | Mile End Road | London | E1 4NS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From: Dan Todman Hello fellow historian, I hope this finds you well. You will have seen the news I am sure about the\u00a0spread of the Omicron variant\u00a0and its heightened transmissibility, and the government\u2019s response in implementing increased restrictions including\u00a0mask wearing, working from home and covid passports. You will have got this afternoon an […] Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emails"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":548,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.history.qmul.ac.uk\/student-information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}