March 2021 Newsletter
Welcome to your March newsletter! As restrictions start to ease, we hope you find the time to enjoy time outdoors and socialising safely with your nearest and dearest.
We are currently piloting a monthly newsletter, please let us know what you think! Email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk with your thoughts!
Creative Centre Update
Just as Spring returns to campus, the Creative Centre is also coming to life. This custom-built space will provide much needed campus and community performing arts space, including practise rooms and a performance space perfect for smaller gigs, plays or performances.
At the start of the year, York St John asked for staff, students and alumni to submit suggestions for the name of the new building. We are currently waiting for a final decision to be made, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for an alumni suggestion to be used!
Events Catch-up
Since our last newsletter, our Events team have hosted events for LGBTQ+ history month in February, and International Women’s Day in March, alongside other events, including ones with our History department.
Due to the pandemic, all events are being held online via Zoom, which allows them to be more easily recorded. You can watch events like Jamie Windust in Conversation which was part of our celebration of LGBTQ+ History month, the launch of a local anthology called Horrifying Tales, and history events on the Events YouTube.
Upcoming Events
From poetry to US politics, why not book your ticket for one of these free events? For more information, follow the links to their Eventbrite pages to book your ticket.
Tuesday 30th March: Questions in History: Was there a ‘Reagan Revolution’?
Monday 26th April: York Centre for Writing Poetry Series: Q&A with Daisy Lafarge
Tuesday 27th April: Biden’s first 100 days: What next for the US and Anglo-American Relations?
Friday 30th April: The Guntrip Trust Annual Lecture
Old Johns
We might not have been able to host Old Johns this year, but we still celebrated it with the Students’ Union on our social media pages. We had a great response to our Instagram and Facebook story quizzes hosted on the Student’s Union pages, and were able to complete a lively interview between alum Pat who was the cricket captain in 1984, and the current captain and vice captain. You can read a blog post about their interview on the Students’ Union website or read the full Q&A on our blog.
International Women’s Day
On 8 March, we celebrated International Women’s Day by celebrating alumnae achievements.
We highlighted a blog post every day on our social media channels, starting with the Cruse Sisters who taught at the original women’s teacher training school. We followed that with Nora’s memories from Ripon College during World War 2, the Magnificent 7, Michelle’s work to ameliorate child poverty, the #Sew2Save campaign, and a post from musician Premaura. To celebrate Mother’s Day, and the final International Women’s Day post, we celebrated Raynor’s recollections of her time with us as a mature student and mother of 2 in the early 70s.
As part of the university celebration of International Women’s Day, York St John hosted two events: There’s No Place like Home: A Woman’s Place in the Pandemic? and Questions in History: Was the Reformation good for women? If you missed them, you can watch them on the Events YouTube via the links.
Alumni Careers
Could you help current students or our new graduates?
The Careers Team are always looking for Alumni who can offer support to our current students or recent graduates through advertising job opportunities with us, offer work experience, internships or speaking to students as part of a timetabled session. If you can offer help in any of these areas, please email jobs&opps@yorksj.ac.uk and one of the team will get back to you to discuss further.
New graduate opportunities
Are you still accessing LaunchPad Online for jobs, events and careers advice and guidance? As a York St John Alumni you can access LaunchPad Online, to search for jobs, join our events and book a careers appointment for advice and guidance, for life. We know this has been a challenging year for our 2020 Graduates, please don’t forget we are still here for you.
Check out these vacancies recruiting now, with many more on LaunchPad Online
Graduate Management Schemes – Enterprise Rent a Car and FDM
CBT Clinics – Psychological Treatment Co-ordinator
XCM – Digital Communications Executive
Would also like to invite our 2020 Graduates to our Virtual Summer Careers Fair taking place on Wednesday 26 May. If you would like to attend, please register your interest here and we will send you further detail near the time.
Video-interviews: Top Tips
The past year has changed the way organisations recruit with most of their recruitment moving online. If you’re job-hunting, video interviewing is one tool recruiters are using more frequently in their process to give flexibility for both the recruiter and the applicant. Unlike a virtual interview, a video interview can be undertaken at a time best to suite you.
Before your video interview:
- Do your research – research the company and the sector, and remember it is ok to have notes on hand.
- Check your background – is there anything in view you would not want an employer to see!
- Avoid interruptions – switch of your phone, close the door if you are in a shared house and let everyone in your house know when you are completing your video interview.
Where did your postgraduate course lead you in your career?
If you completed a postgraduate course with us, we’d love for you to share your interesting and exciting career stories with us to help inspire the next generation of postgraduate students at York St John University.
Contact marketing@yorksj.ac.uk with your stories and anecdotes.
Pin badges for the Class of 2020
Last year, we asked the Class of 2020 to design their pin badges and sign the Class of 2020 banner. Thank you again to everyone who submitted designs and voted for them, as well as everyone who added their name to your class banner.
If you requested a pin badge via the online form, you’ll receive your pin badge in the next few months.
An Easter Treat
As Easter approaches, why not use your exclusive 15% alumni discount at York Cocoa House? Email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk for more information and to receive your discount code.
