24 Feb 2025 - Starting your dissertation

Welcome to your undergraduate student news summary of key things happening this week.

Join the University’s newly established Peace Lab for a thought-provoking roundtable event bringing together academics, practitioners and journalists. Taking place tomorrow (25 February), Roundtable: Visions of Peace - in the midst of war and violence will explore peace in three ‘impossible cases’. 

We wish all our Muslim students a blessed Ramadan. Read our information about Ramadan for details of local faith communities, prayer times and arrangements for students in catered accommodation.

Our Eat and Drink loyalty scheme is now available in the MyUoY app! Collect points on the app and exchange them for money off future purchases. Current paper loyalty cards will still be accepted until they are completed. 

First York will be outside Berrick Saul Building on Thursday (27 February) between 11am and 3pm for you to ask questions about bus services and share any feedback. There’s also a chance to take a tour of the electric buses and grab some freebies.

Our teams will be carrying out excavation work outside Spring Lane Building from today (24 February) until 10 March to repair district heating. Some noise and vibrations may occur periodically during the work. Thank you for your patience. 

Starting to write your dissertation can feel like an overwhelming step - but you don’t have to navigate it alone. The Academic Skills Community undergraduate dissertation writing workshop series starts on Wednesday (26 February) to help break down dissertation essentials into manageable chunks. We’ll look at the introduction and literature review, methods and results, and finally what to include in your discussion and conclusion.

Generative artificial intelligence (or AI) is rapidly becoming part of our daily lives - but how does it really work? How should we use it and can we trust what it creates? Read our Using AI generation tools guide and join the Academic Skills community on Friday (28 February) for a What is generative AI and can you trust it? workshop exploring available tools, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using them. You should also be familiar with Student guidance on using AI and translation tools.

Talking about money doesn’t come naturally to everyone - but support can be for anyone. From budgeting advice, to free period products, all the way to emergency support loans - whatever your circumstances, our Cost of Living Hub is here to help you. For questions about Personal Independence Payments, Disabled Students Allowance and more, you can also speak to specialists at our monthly money money advice drop-in sessions for disabled and neurodivergent students, starting on Wednesday (26 February).

Not sure where to start? Our Student Hub Support and Advice team offer free, confidential advice to help you better understand your situation. Complete a self-referral form to start the conversation - no worry is too big or too small.

Good luck to the teams taking part in College Varsity this weekend! The annual Varsity series between York and Durham University showcases the most successful college sports teams, with 30 fixtures taking place across 15 different sports. Spectator support is more important than ever when we’re away from home soil - find out about travel ticket packages to support our teams in Durham on Sunday (2 March). 

Join York SU for the return of their annual Community Conference: a one-day event, aimed at students like you! Featuring a programme of sessions that will challenge your thinking and expand your horizons, it's a great opportunity to engage with other students, meet new people, and maybe even learn a thing or two. Register your interest in the Community Conference by Friday (28 February).

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Things to know this week is produced and distributed by the University's Internal Communications Team. Please email any feedback to 
university-internal-comms@york.ac.uk.

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