This week our Rising Stars in Res Life series continues as we speak with Tom Truman, Res Life Manager at Coventry University. 2020 has not been an easy year for anyone working with and for students and Tom takes the time to share with us the behind the scenes work that goes on in ensuring students in living in accommodation at Coventry University have everything they need. We often talk about hosting virtual events and Res Life being the fun team, but the reality is often that working in Res Life requires a lot of physicial, emotional and mental labour. Often difficult to measure, Tom takes the time to share some stats about just how much he and his team have been working hard to remain in contact with their student residents.

From creating video content, making 100s of phones and delivering 1000s of meals, Tom and his team have worked hard like many Res Life teams to keep students safe and ensure their wellbeing is of paramount importance.

Free Food, Free Drinks is available on a range of podcast platforms including apple podcasts and spotify. You can follow us on Twitter by following @FreeFoodPod and stay in touch with co-founders and hosts, Rebecca O'Hare and Robert Young by following us on twitter via @Rebecca_ResLife and via @RobertYoungHE.

We love to hear your feedback and ideas and should you wish to pitch an idea for an episode, you can email us via [email protected] 

This week the interview mic is turned towards one half of our podcast co founders Rebecca O'Hare as she discusses her recent Masters thesis research. Her research focus drew her to the world of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) where she has spent half of her career, and to the challenging roles of Accommodation Manager and Deputy Accommodation Manager. In particular, given the rise of PBSA development in the UK, Rebecca chose to explore if and how individuals undertaking these roles are adequately inducted in to the student accommodation sector especially as many transfer from the world of hospitality. 

In this episode, Rebecca discusses key facts pertaining to PBSA development, how research currently available is undertaken and written with investors in mind, how PBSA roles are advertised and how generally, the UK understands little about whether PBSA positively or negatively contributes to the wider student experience. Keen to provide a voice to a cohort of people not often heard from or discussed in the sector,  her research saw her interview 9 Accommodation Managers with experience working for 11 UK operators. The qualitative data gathered was vast, a statement to the eagerness of those keen to share their experiences and while the thesis word count prevented Rebecca from discussing all themes identified, she choose to explore and discuss in this episode the 5 key themes of 'Student Mental Health', 'Conflict Management and Threatening Behaviour', 'Cultural Awareness and Understanding', 'Critical Incident Management' and 'University Partnerships'. 

The intention of this research and episode is to start a conversation about how best we can improve the initial induction and subsequent training provided to Accommodation Managers and their deputies and if you work in student accommodation, we hope this episode sparks a conversation in you too.

Keen to be part of the Free Food, Free Drinks podcast? Know someone who might be? We love to hear from our listeners, so don't hesitate to tweet us @FreeFoodPod or drop us an email at [email protected] 

You can also reach out to Robert Young via @RobertYoungHE or to Rebecca via @Rebecca_ResLife

Illana Snippet

We've reached episode 10! A mini milestone we're very proud of.

This month we've taken the time to identify and interview some Rising Stars and had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Illana Flora, Resident Life Coordinator from the University of Essex. In this episode we talked at length and in depth about topics of interest and passion to Illana including the impact of increased screen time on both students and staff, the myth of the digital native and why it should not be confused with digital literacy, we chat about resilience and the role of universities in developing the holistic individual.

Given that Illana is in the early stages of her career we were amazed at her level of knowledge and loved her passion for reflecting on the work that she does and how small changes can often lead to great results.

On this episode of Free Food Free Drinks we're extremely happy to have spoken with Anne-Marie Graham, Chief Executive of UKCISA. Anne-Marie kindly gave up an hour of her time to talk to us about the major topics in international education and what UKCISA do as an organisation. We discuss the *busy* first year that Anne-Marie has had in her role at UKCISA and the work that they do, the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, Brexit and the new immigration rules we're due to see from January 2021, and UKCISA's new policy position paper. This newly released paper outlines 15 key asks from UKCISA, written in collaboration with UKCISA members and other sector bodies, with a view to making the UK the world's most attractive destination for international students. Take a look at their paper here: UKCISA Policy Paper.

For more information on UKCISA and what they do, take a look at their website. 

A big thank you to Anne-Marie for taking the time out of her hectic schedule to talk to us, we hope that you enjoy this episode!

If you have an idea for an episode, wish to recommend someone we can approach for interview, or better still are interested in being interviewed, don't be shy. Let us know and pitch your idea by emailing [email protected] or Tweet us @FreeFoodPod.

Robert Young has been working in Student Services for 10 years, is an International Student Adviser at Royal Holloway University and an Executive Committee member of the Association for International Student Advisers (Twitter: @RobertYoungHE)

Rebecca O'Hare has been working in the student accommodation sector for 11 years, is the Head of Partnerships and Resident Experience at Student First Group and the Chair-Elect for the ACUHO-I Global Initiatives Network (Twitter: @Rebecca_ResLife)

In this episode, Robert and Rebecca interview Ian Munton, Director of Library and Student Services at Staffordshire University. We continue the discussion about sexual violence on campus from last episode, moving away from the research side and into the practicalities of supporting survivors on campus.

Ian speaks on the importance of approaching the topic holistically within an institution, and how collaborating with stakeholders leads to successful implementation of support mechanisms for students. We discuss the “behind the scenes” side of student support and Ian’s experience of addressing sexual violence and providing effective support, working effectively with student unions, running campaigns, and the difficulties of tackling major topics in a modern student affairs environment. We thoroughly enjoyed our chat with Ian, and we hope you do too.

If you have an idea for an episode, wish to recommend someone we can approach for interview, or better still are interested in being interviewed, don't be shy. Let us know and pitch your idea by emailing [email protected] or Tweet us @FreeFoodPod.

Robert Young has been working in Student Services for 10 years, is an International Student Adviser at Royal Holloway University and an Executive Committee member of the Association for International Student Advisers (Twitter: @RobertYoungHE)

Rebecca O'Hare has been working in the student accommodation sector for 11 years, is the Head of Partnerships and Resident Experience at Student First Group and the Chair-Elect for the ACUHO-I Global Initiatives Network (Twitter: @Rebecca_ResLife)

Rebecca and Robert would like to note that this episode was recorded before the killing of George Floyd in the United States, and the subsequent protests that have occurred across the world. The Black Lives Matter movement is of critical importance to the social fabric of the world, and we stand in solidarity against racism in all forms. We are discussing how best we, as two privileged white content creators, can best provide a platform for the voice of our black colleagues in Higher Education across the world.

On this episode of Free Food Free Drinks we speak to Erk Gunce (@erkgunce; pronouns: he/his/him) from King's College London. Erk is currently working at King's as a Diversity & Inclusion Project Intern and came onto the Free Food Free Drinks podcast to chat about everything equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). With professional experience from various universities, the NHS, the Office for Students, and the Mental Health Foundation, Erk had a lot to share on EDI in Higher Education. We discussed language and its importance in EDI, the Equality Act, pedagogy, and much more. We hope you enjoy this episode!

If you have an idea for an episode, wish to recommend someone we can approach for interview, or better still are interested in being interviewed, don't be shy. Let us know and pitch your idea by emailing [email protected] or Tweet us @FreeFoodPod.

Robert Young has been working in Student Services for 10 years, is an International Student Adviser at Royal Holloway University and an Executive Committee member of the Association for International Student Advisers (Twitter: @RobertYoungHE)

Rebecca O'Hare has been working in the student accommodation sector for 11 years, is the Head of Partnerships and Resident Experience at Student First Group and the Chair-Elect for the ACUHO-I Global Initiatives Network (Twitter: @Rebecca_ResLife)

If like Robert and I you're keen to learn more about the topic of widening participation, then who better to hear from then Dr. Paula Dalziel, Head of Student Support, Wellbeing and Inclusion at Staffordshire University in the UK. A well known and popular figure in the Student Services and Residence Life space, this episode covers a broad range of topics including inclusion and access, covid challenges, adaptability, peer support and mentors, academic support, university values, connection and connectivity, the thrive models, digital poverty and planning for September.

What was clear throughout the episode was Paula's pride for her teams and the work they all undertake at Staffordshire University. An episode we think you will enjoy and no doubt, learn plenty from.

If you're enjoying the Free Food Free Drinks podcast (and we love making it!) don't forget to subscribe to wherever you get your podcasts from and give us a cheeky follow on Twitter @FreeFoodPod. Start an online conversation via Twitter about what you've learned, share with your colleagues and friends and if you're interested in us covering a topic or better still, wish to be on the podcast we'd love to hear from you. You can email us via [email protected].

Join us in Episode 4, where Robert and Rebecca speak with Cheryl Hutton and Christopher Tucker from the University of Edinburgh on the topic of 'Students As Staff'. They share with us some tips and insight into recruiting Resident Assistants, they training they provide and how the support of the wider University enables them to do great work within their department.

An insightful episode and useful for those working in Residential Life teams, Student Unions' or for those aiming to improve their knowledge around supporting student staff roles.

Keen to be part of the Free Drinks, Free Food podcast? Don't hesitate to tweet us @FreeFoodPod or drop us an email at [email protected]