Tag Archives: Monday 29 February

Social activities

It’s time for SHU Fest

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Sheffield Hallam University will be bustling with music and dance!

As part of a week-long celebration of the arts, cookery and comedy, to name a few, SHU Fest showcases the talent and diversity of the University’s students and staff.

SHU Fest is now in its sixth year and with more than 40 events planned, SHU Fest 2016 promises to be an extravaganza.

Thai dancing, a Brazilian carnival and a Portuguese language class and are just some of the exciting events on offer to the public from Monday 29 February until Sunday 6 March.

Three Sheffield Hallam professors will kick off the festival with their unique take on some rock, pop and folk music favourites while showcasing their talents on the guitar, mandolin, bass and ukulele.

Meanwhile, the University will transform into the beautiful island of Sri Lanka where staff and students can learn to write their name in Sinhalese, taste traditional home cooking whilst enjoying Baila music and games.

Lessons in salsa dancing and a baking demonstration are just some of the activities taking place on Tuesday while on Wednesday, a stand-up comedy show by the Improv and Comedy Society is set to bring some hilarity to the festival.

The Cocklebread Band made up of Sheffield Hallam staff will provide a treat for the ears of folk and bluegrass fans on Thursday, while the Five and Dime Picture Show returns to host a free screening of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona on Friday, a film that critics have described as ‘one of this century’s great works of art.’

One of the organisers of SHU Fest and Sheffield Hallam’s international experience officers, Yat Fai Tang, said: “Sheffield Hallam University has an amazing range of student talent from around the world. SHU Fest is a fantastic opportunity for students to get involved in something extra alongside their studies, showcase their cultural traditions from home and abroad, and gain additional experience to make their CV’s stand out.

“SHU Fest is one of the many exciting SHU GoGlobal projects which aim to broaden our students’ horizons and foster a feeling of community amongst our 34,000 students.”

Download the events programme at www.shu.ac.uk/shufest

Social activities

SHU Fest – Selfie Competition!

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This year’s SHU Fest Selfie Competition is bigger and better than ever!

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Kim Kardashian-level selfie master then this is the SHU Fest event for you.

If you take a selfie with our booklet or at a SHU Fest event then you could win a prize! Post or share your selfie on Twitter or Facebook

Check out the rest of the SHU Fest schedule here.

Student voice

SHU Fest introduces James Barnett – a classical piano performance

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Article written by journalism student Emily Fitzgibbons:

jamesbarnettePianist James Barnett is set to perform live at SHU Fest, Friday 4 March.

He said: “I’m a little bit nervous but no more than I would be playing anywhere else.”

James, who started playing aged six, said the piano has always been important to him. “I forget about everything else when I’m playing the piano. I remember the first time I heard my teacher playing. It gave me goose pimples and I just thought it was the best thing ever.”

He was classically trained at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and is part of a choir and plays at church services.

James, who admits to not performing solo as much as he used to, is now a professional piano teacher. “Everybody has got music ability. It helps if you start when you’re a kid but I do teach a lot of adults who haven’t had lessons before.

Debussy, a French composer, is James’ inspiration.

Watch his performance at 1pm in Heartspace, Level 2 of the Owen Building.

Student voice

Baking demonstration by Paul Benson

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Article written by journalism student Chloe Botham:

Baker, Paul Benson will be showing off his talented baking skills in a demonstration at SHU Fest on Tuesday 1 March.

SHU staff member Paul, has been a keen baker ever since he was a small boy after watching his mum on baking days, encouraging him to try it out for himself.

With the rise in popularity in baking ever since The Great British Bake Off aired, Paul explained that people are getting a real sense of achievement from baking themselves. He said: “The pleasure is in the doing, seeing the end result and filling your home with a beautiful aroma.”

Paul took his love of baking even further last year, when he started making wedding cakes for loved up couples. He said: “It was a real test of what I had learned and practised over the years. It was a challenging project, but very rewarding when I handed over the finished cake. It was a great feeling.”

With years of experience under his belt, Paul still has the occasional disaster occur in the kitchen, ones which he hopes don’t happen on demonstration day! He said: “It’s all part of the learning experience. Many bakers who have been baking for many years still drop the occasional clanger; it’s what keeps you sharp. Never give up, just keep on baking.”

Paul will be sharing his special recipes for shortbread and ginger biscuits, for all those attending the baking demonstration, which may even include a taster of the sweet treats.

The event will be held at: Kitchen, level 12, Owen Building at 12-1.30pm.

Social activities

SHU Fest 2016 – We’re going to Newcastle!

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All the votes have been counted for the SHU Fest 2016 Trip Vote and the winning destination is Newcastle!
Newcastle 2016

Newcastle is a major city in the North East of England,  with lots to see and explore. Key sites include the ‘Angel of the North’ one of UK’s largest sculptures, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Metrocentre, Europe’s largest indoor shopping centre.
The trip details are as follows:

Date: Saturday 5 March

Time: 8am start, leave Newcastle back to Sheffield at 5pm

Tickets only cost £11 and can be brought from the Student Services Centre, Level 5 Owen Building

Further information about Newcastle can be found here

Remember to take your SHU Fest selfie and enter our competition! Post your SHU Fest selfie and post it on our Facebook page, SHU GoGlobal or Twitter and don’t forget to #SHUFest!

Scam Alert, Support

Scam Alert – targeting International students

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Some of our international students are being called by scammers who claim to be from the ‘Home Office’.

The caller says they are from the Home Office and has the students full name, postcode in the UK and passport number, and asks the student to verify those details are correct.  The caller tells the student to go to the www.gov.uk website, and search for Home Office, and then scroll down to the bottom of the screen, so that the student can see that they are calling from the genuine Home Office number.  The caller ID on the student’s mobile, does show this number.

The caller then proceeds to tell the student they have not paid for an immigration service, and as a result have to pay a fine (usually £1200 – £1520), or else they will be reported to the Police/or the Home Office who will detain them or deport them.

The caller becomes increasingly insistent and verbally aggressive, and as they have so much personal information about the student, the student often feels so pressured and terrified, that they pay up.

The calls seem to particularly target students from India and Sri Lanka.

BEWARE – This is a very sophisticated scam! If they were to call you and you challenge their authenticity they may tell you to Google their phone number and verify their identity. Even the caller ID they use is the same as Home Office switch board number. They will have manipulated the electronics, webpages and links to deceive you. They can be very forceful and authoritative in their tone, even more so if they sense that you are scared.

British Police or Home Office never contact students in this manner, and they never ask for money over the phone.

If you receive a call of this nature, please do not give out any personal details (passport number, address, family details). Please do not download any software they ask you to on your phone or computer. Cut the phone and inform the police immediately. If you are unsure, please feel free to contact International Experience Team on internationalexperience@shu.ac.uk or call us on 0114 225 3813.

Social activities

Chinese New Year

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Chinese New Year is the biggest Chinese festival of the year, and we at GoGlobal love to celebrate it with our students!

New Year event 2
Students sampling some traditional Chinese food!

As it’s based on the lunar calendar, the date changes each year, falling in either January or February to correspond to the black or new moon. As we move into the year of the monkey, we thought it’d be a great idea to highlight the fantastic event that our students put on to mark the start of the new year!

A celebration event was set up and organised by event management students from the Sheffield Business School and our own International Experience Team; the event included delicious traditional food, craft and cultural demonstrations, as well as a chance to learn about how Chinese New Year is celebrated. It was a fantastic success and meant that all students could join in and see in the new year.

For more images, check out this album from Sheffield Hallam on Facebook.

Happy new year to all of our Chinese students 🙂