SMS MSc Student Handbook 2018/19 Draft original: Student Services

11. Student Services

Student Enquiry Centre

The Student Enquiry Centre team provide support to all Postgraduate Taught students and can help with a wide variety of queries. If you are not sure about something or do not know who to contact, they can help. They are located on the ground floor of the Queens’ Building, CB01. Their contact details are:

Student Enquiry Centre Online (accessed via MySIS - www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/SEC-online).

Email: studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 7882 5005.

Health

We have an NHS Student Health Service available on campus if you live on campus in our halls of residence, or off campus but within Tower Hamlets. Further details on how to access healthcare if you live inside or outside these areas are given on the Student Health Service web site.

The Student Health Service (SHS) is a free National Health Service (NHS) providing a wide range of services. Students living in QMUL accommodation at Mile End or Whitechapel and students living in the borough of Tower Hamlets (E1, E2, E3 and E14) are encouraged to register with the SHS (located on campus in the Geography Building, Mile End (number 28 on map). You can see a doctor or nurse there every weekday during term time. If you cannot register with the SHS, you can find your nearest doctor through the NHS website. QMUL students who are not registered patients may be able to use the service in certain circumstances. Please visit SHS for further information.

Disability and Dyslexia Service

The university’s Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS) offers advice, guidance and support for students with disabilities, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia and dyspraxia, from application through to graduation. The range of support that the DDS is able to provide includes:

Support and guidance in applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA).
Support for international disabled students.
Liaison with staff in QMUL’s Schools regarding ‘reasonable adjustments’.
Support in ensuring that course materials are fully accessible.
Screenings for students who think that they might have specific learning difficulties.
Referrals to assess whether or not a student has a specific learning difficulty.
Specialist one-to-one study skills support for students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.
Specialist mentoring support for students with mental health difficulties and autism.
On-site DSA needs assessments.
Access to non-specialist human support, e.g. note-taking.
Access to assistive technology.
Guidance in accessing examination concessions such as additional time.

Their contact details are:

Telephone: 020 7882 2756.

Web: www.dds.qmul.ac.uk/

Email: dds@qmul.ac.uk

Residential Services and Support

Residential Services incorporates:

Housing Services, based in the Housing Hub, Feilden House, Westfield Way at Mile End, deals with halls applications, room allocations, room transfer requests, summer accommodation and residential fees and provides a comprehensive alternative housing service.

There is a 24 hour Reception, based in France House, Westfield Way at Mile End, handling all enquiries relating to the management of residential accommodation, including reporting of repairs and cleaning issues.

Residential Support, also based in the Reception France House, provides support to halls residents, handles issues relating to discipline, pastoral care, social events and complaints.

If you are a resident in Queen Mary accommodation you should consult the Residents’ Handbook for comprehensive information on all hall related issues, and contact details for the relevant section of Residential Services. The contact details are:

Telephone: 020 7882 6474.

Email: residences@qmul.ac.uk

Contact Residential Support

Telephone: 020 7882 5064.

Email: residential-support@qmul.ac.uk

Website: www.residences.qmul.ac.uk

You should familiarise yourself with emergency procedures for all areas in which you work, noting the location of emergency exits, assembly points and equipment. In case of a fire, immediately leave the building by the nearest exit point. Do not use the lifts. Fire action notices are displayed in corridors and by fire escapes.

In an emergency, dial 3333 from any internal phone and clearly state the nature and location of the problem, your name, and the number you are calling from (if known). If there is no internal phone available, call 999 and follow the normal procedure. You should ensure that corridors and doorways are not obstructed and that fire-fighting equipment is not removed from its station.

First aid assistance for minor accidents can be obtained by dialling 3333 from an internal phone, or 020 7882 3333 from any other telephone.

Queen Mary University of London Students' Union (QMSU)

Queen Mary Students' Union is a democratic membership organisation that is the voice of all Queen Mary students. The Union ensures that Queen Mary and the wider community are listening to what students want and works to improve students’ experience. The Union is led by students across Queen Mary. Every Queen Mary student is automatically a member of the Union and has a say in how it is run through elections and their representatives. QMSU also offers advice and support to every Queen Mary student.

The Union provides a number of student-run activities, like sports clubs, societies, student media and volunteering. As well as student-led events and services in Mile End and Whitechapel including a sport and fitness centre and several shops and venues.

Faith at QMUL

QMUL welcomes over 25,000 staff and students on its campuses in London and is committed to encouraging religious understanding, freedom of speech and open social interaction.

QMUL is proud of its diverse multicultural population. With a variety of faiths among staff and students, our facilities are designed to be places where people of all faiths are welcome to use the spaces for contemplation, reflection, meditation and worship.

Please, visit Faith at QMUL for further information, including facilities and services, policies and guidelines and other useful information.

Religious observance and study

QMUL is a diverse community of over 25,000 students and staff. With a variety of faiths and beliefs represented on campus, we are committed to tolerance, understanding and co-operation, as well as to ensuring as far as possible that our policies are consistent across all needs. Many religions and beliefs require their members to pray at specific times during the day, or have special festivals or spiritual observance days. We recognise therefore that students at QMUL often strike a balance between their educational and religious commitments.

One of QMUL’s fundamental aims is to provide an education that is judged internationally to be of the highest quality. It would be both impractical and inconsistent with our aims as a university to suspend teaching for reasons of religious observance, but we will accommodate students’ religious commitments where we reasonably can do so. This may include providing learning materials (potentially including QReview recordings) online and permitting students to attend classes at different times where there is availability.

Students are expected to stay engaged and up-to-date with their studies throughout their time at QMUL. Schools and institutes should make their expectations for attendance and submission of coursework clear to students at the beginning of their studies, and students should inform themselves beforehand about the potential implications of missing learning and teaching activities. Students must also inform their school or institute beforehand if they intend to miss any teaching. We will take religious commitments into reasonable account when reviewing students’ attendance, but we expect students to plan their studies so that they can submit coursework on time.

The following procedures apply in the event that a special festival or spiritual observance day would result in absence from a scheduled assessment:

In the case of an in-class test, students may request permission in advance from their Head of School or Institute to be absent on that occasion. The Head of School or Institute will consider whether reasonable adjustments can be made, for example by permitting late submission or rearranging the test. It is important to submit requests well in advance, in case reasonable adjustments cannot be made.
Students may notify QMUL of any special festivals or spiritual observance days that fall during formal examination periods by submitting the relevant form by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. We will accommodate such requests where we reasonably can do so. We are not able to make allowances for routine religious observance during formal examination periods.

MUSIC

Music is central to cultural provision at Queen Mary and prospective students can apply for music scholarships to cover music tuition fees. The range of provision covers participation and experience with an increasing number of outstanding events in Queen Mary's magnificent spaces. Ensembles include orchestras, choirs, a capella groups, a big band and jazz ensemble, world music ensembles and improvisation groups. For further information please visit Music Scholarships.

Volunteering

There is a range of volunteering opportunities available to Queen Mary students through Provide Volunteering, a scheme that offers students the chance to get involved in the local community, with charities and organisations in Tower Hamlets and across London. Provide Volunteering gives students the opportunity to make a difference, develop valuable skills and get involved in their local area. Full information is available at Queen Mary Students' Union Volunteering.

Students in the Maths Building