Make a difference by giving your time
Join us to help with some of the key activities on campus for our students - from graduation, confirmation and clearing, through to our PGR showcase week, we need your help to make these events extra special for our students. Volunteering can provide a new perspective on the student experience and the life of the University, and make a real difference to the delivery of these key student events.
You don't need to volunteer lots of time - you can sign up even if you only have a few hours to spare. With activities throughout the year, you can pick an event or activity that works best with your calendar. You could have the chance to see up close what goes into the world leading postgraduate research that we showcase, or help make our graduation days an extra special occasion for our students and their families.
Please see below the events and dates we are looking for help with, and then fill in our online form to register your interest.
Four weeks in May and one week in early January
Staff are required to support the Head Invigilator in the smooth running of exams across all of our campuses. Participants would also be required to support the running of Special Provision exams, where students are required to take exams in isolation or in small groups. Time commitments would range from 1-4 hours per session.
Typically, staff would need to attend a training session for 2 hours prior to the exam period to familiarise themselves with the invigilation process.
Contacts: Caroline Simon (Penryn) and Hannah Ward h.ward@exeter.ac.uk (Exeter)
August
We are seeking volunteers to help on the University Confirmation, Clearing and Adjustment Helpline in order to manage this intense period of activity. We expect the peak activity to take place on A Level results day on Thursday 16th August and the following day, Friday 17th August. The helpline will be open from 8am to 8pm on both days, with 4 hour shifts (8am-12pm, 12pm-4pm & 4pm-8pm). Previous experience has demonstrated that a large team of operators allows us to deal with enquiries in an efficient way, with minimal delays for students.
In order to allow Admissions Office staff to deal with the more complex admissions enquiries and make offers, we would like to recruit as many colleagues as possible to assist on the helpline. We have capacity for up to 130 operators at any time, but with shift patterns, we will need many more than this number to be sufficiently staffed during these two days.
Colleagues with experience of SITS would be particularly helpful, however this is not essential as all volunteers will receive full training prior to A Level results day, so colleagues with no SITS experience will be able to work on the helpline. The support from staff across the University is invaluable, and essential in the smooth running of this busy period. Anyone able to help complete the form and Becky Wheeler will liaise with you on details of training and shifts allocated too.
Contacts: Jo Thacker (Penryn) and Claire Galliford (Exeter)
July and December
Staff are required to support the smooth running of these celebratory graduation days, where we run a total of 18-20 ceremonies in July, and 3-4 ceremonies in December.
Tasks involve acting as a Marshall during the ceremony, selling programmes and/or acting as a First Aider. Staff would need to attend a training session for 1 hour prior to Graduation to familiarise themselves with their assigned role.
Contacts: Caroline Simon (Penryn) and Jodie Davies (Exeter)
One day in September (Exeter and Penryn)
Staff are required to support the smooth registration of new PGR students, for 2 hours at the beginning of the day and 2 hours over lunchtime.
Staff would need to attend a training session for 1 hour prior to the event.
Contact: Emma Stephenson
May
Staff are required to support the set up and running of the Showcase Week, celebrating the work of our vibrant postgraduate community. Taking place in the Forum, it enables both the University community and external stakeholders to find out about the latest research & innovations of the postgraduate community; whether they were just starting out, or drawing together their conclusions.
Assistance could involve a 3 hours set-up at the beginning of the week, or 2-3 hours to support the celebration event mid-week, and staff would need to attend a training session for 1 hour prior to the event.
Contact: Emma Stephenson