We know many of our colleagues and students will be deeply concerned by the earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday 6 February – you may have family or friends in the region and be worried for their safety and wellbeing, and even if you do not have personal links you may be feeling unsettled or want to know how you can help.
Our University community is one that demonstrates support and care for one another, so please do reach out to colleagues or classmates if you need to talk, or take time with your colleagues and friends who may wish to.
For those who feel able to contribute financially to the support effort, you may want to consider well-established organisations such as The British Red Cross, who have an emergency appeal set up.
We are aware there are fraudsters who will try and take advantage of a crisis situation in the form of scams, so as always please remain alert to possible scams and fraud.
Support
We have several resources that can help support you, including confidential listening and counselling spaces.
For staff:
You can contact your line manager to discuss any support or use one of the resources below:
- You can contact AskHR to find out more about support available to you.
- The Employee Assistance Programme is a 24/7 confidential service for all staff who need support with mental health, wellbeing or stress related issues. Calls are handled by qualified counsellors and advisors.
- We also have First Aiders for Mental Health across our University who can offer advice and a confidential listening space.
We know this may be a challenging time for many colleagues and encourage you to access our wellbeing resources and advice.
For students:
- The Student Hub is available to contact 24/7. You can speak to a member of the team via email, online chat, in-person or by calling 02380 599 599.
- The SUSU Advice Centre is also available to provide free, independent and confidential advice.
- The UK Council for International Student Affairs Advice Line can be reached on +4420 7788 9214, open Monday to Friday (except for public holidays): 13.00 to 16:00 (UK time).
You can find further information about support via The Student Hub.
