Presidential Report (August-September)!

Dear Postgrads,

This document serves to highlight the activities, events, and engagements of the KPA and its Officers since August 1st. Myself, Michel, Aayush, and Shargava, along with our brilliant KPA Clubhouse staff, are looking forward to lots of exciting events over the course of the year, tailored just for postgraduates like you.

I want to wish you good luck for your upcoming submissions, and for everything you do in the future!

Since the beginning of August, we have undertaken a lot of training, such as Officers’ Training, Social Media Training, Trustee training, First Aid training, Disciplinary Committee training, Communication and Leadership training, Financial Management training, and some other workshops that ensure we are ready to assist you. All the committee members have received handover from the earlier officers and guidance from our able trustees.

What’s up… ongoing...

We have continued to run our ‘Productive Postgrads’ sessions on Mondays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., which have been a resounding success. These are fantastic opportunities to study, combat isolation, and have a free coffee, and some lunch at 50% off! It is also an opportunity to get to know fellow postgrads and members of the committee. Additionally, Thursday’s ‘Coffee Mornings’ from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. has been fruitful. This is an interesting opportunity for our members to come and meet fellow students, and discuss different issues whilst enjoying free hot drinks and biscuits.

New addition...

We have also planned some fun, exciting, and informative events, including the crucial CV and Cover Letter writing workshop designed solely with Postgrads in mind, offered by the Careers and Employability team of Keele. The Careers team has graciously agreed to support us by providing us with some PG-focused guideline documentsso that students can access them as and when they need them, through our website. Furthermore, an upgrade to the KPA website is forthcoming.

We've also introduced "Submission Writing Retreats" to support our students in combating loneliness over this crucial stretch of the year. We successfully gathered anonymous written input at that point, and in order to make it more valuable, we will now introduce the suggested improvements.

Remember, we are here to help you - we regularlysupport students' cases making use of our university contacts to ensure cases are handled swiftly. This way our students are stress-free and able to focus on their studies.

A huge thank you to all attending and engaging postgraduate students at our events. Forthcoming is Freshers Week, with all the fun that entails. We are excited to welcome so many new faces to our postgraduate community, and hope that you will join us in making them feel welcome.!

What more…

We met with the KDA (Keele Doctoral Academy) to collaborate with them to organize some learning-focused events for our students, such as presentations and talks with minimal PPT to practice before their final research presentations. We have extended support to the Summer School events.

Additionally, the KPA hosts both weekly committee meetings and monthly KPA meetings to ensure smooth operations and improved teamwork. In order to explain the KPA to our incoming students and give them the opportunity to actively benefit from the KPA's presence, we have communicated with all the schools regarding their induction meetings. Work on progress on the Constitution, Elections process, Communication strategy, and the pay policy continues.

Our Vice President is busy with Education Committee meetings and other faculty-level meetings,representing our PG community interests there.

The Association Secretary is taking care of our comms, working closely with different departments, and keeping our members updated on various platforms, with the support of the clubhouse team leaders.

We are currently in the process of finalizing our Governance documents such as the Constitution, Bye-Laws, Policies, and agreements with other organizations for the smooth running of the KPA so that you, as our prestigious members, can have the best student life experience while pursuing your PG study at the Keele University.

So, finally, I would just say that watch this space for exciting activities and events that will be coming your way!

What next…

To help us leave a dynamic KPA for the incoming class of students, we will shortly be launching an intriguing feedback survey. Please participate and add your voice. We want to hear your suggestions…including any events and activities you would like to see. Here at the KPA, we endeavor to hold as many postgraduate student-inspired events and trips as possible! If you have any suggestions or ideas, please get in touch at kpa.chair@keele.ac.uk, kpa.coordinator@keele.ac.uk or kpa.vp@keele.ac.uk, we would be happy to help!

Best wishes,

Rachana Dhaka

KPA President