Opening Times until Thursday 23 December 2021

Harrison (City) and Walsall Libraries are open:

• Monday to Thursday: 8.30 am- 12 midnight 
• Friday: 8.30 am - 5 pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 am - 4 pm

Hutchison Library (Telford) is open:

• Monday to Friday - 8:30 am - 5 pm 
• Saturday and Sunday - Closed

Opening times for the winter break

Need Help?

You can contact the Library team 24/7 on that live chat service  ASSIST at any time throughout the festive period, where you will receive support from a qualified librarian.

You can raise a call for support, ask a question or help yourself to information about services like MS 365, software, wifi, passwords using the IT Support Portal. 

The IT Support Desk will close from Thursday 23 December at 5 pm and reopen on Tuesday 4 January 2022. During this time students and staff are encouraged to use the IT Support Portal and access self-help guidance. 

If you are experiencing distress and feel that you require some additional support over the Christmas break, you may find this information useful. Please do not forget the importance of talking to someone you trust. Let family or friends know what's going on for you. They may be able to offer support and help keep you safe.

More information is available here: www.wlv.ac.uk/mhw. 

Our University Mental Health and Wellbeing support team is not an emergency service and not a 24/7 service. Complete our online registration form to access our support services. Please note there is generally a wait time for an appointment. Our practitioners will not be operating through the Christmas period from Friday 24 December and will return on Tuesday 4 January. 

Go to our Out of hours support webpage for more advice on accessing support during the winter break. 

If you would like someone from the University to stay in touch with you by phone or email over the festive break, you can request a welfare check here: www.wlv.ac.uk/welfare. 

Coping during a crisis

The mental health charity Mind has information on ways to help yourself cope during a crisis. This includes calming exercises and a tool to get you through the next few hours.

If you are on campus or in your University Accommodation you can contact the University Security Team by calling 01902 32 1555 (or 5555 from an internal phone). They are available 24/7.

Contact NHS Direct Helpline for emergency medical and mental health advice and information 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 111. You can also visit Black Country Healthcare – Help in Crisis.

In an emergency

Call 999 or go to A&E now if:

• Someone’s life is at risk – for example, they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose.
• You do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe
  A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone's time. This NHS webpage will help you find your nearest hospital.

Accommodation hubs are open as usual until Friday 24 December.

• City Campus hub: cityaccommodationhub@wlv.ac.uk  
• Walsall Campus hub: walsallhub@wlv.ac.uk
• Telford Campus hub: telfordhub@wlv.ac.uk
• Maintenance online reporting: HRAMS

If you require an urgent maintenance repair, please call Security: 01902 322106 

From Saturday, 25 December, the accommodation hubs will close, however, security will remain on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During this time, maintenance repairs can be submitted via HRAMS. Hubs will reopen as normal on Tuesday 4 January. 

You can find Christmas opening times for our on-campus catering outlets here: Christmas catering opening hours

Faculty Student Services on campus and on the e:Vision Helpdesk will close on Thursday, 23 December 2021. Please log a Helpdesk call via your e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision) account and someone will respond in the New Year. 

We encourage everyone to download the SafeZone app. The app promotes safety in many ways, including fast access to the University's security team whenever and wherever you are on campus. You can also 'check-in' on SafeZone if you are studying alone on campus or outside regular hours.

Find out more

Spiking

To spike a drink means to put alcohol or drugs into someone's drink without their knowledge or permission. Spiking has also come to mean injecting someone with drugs without their knowledge or permission. The aim may be to incapacitate someone enough to rob or sexually assault them, although sometimes it is just intended as a joke – a bad joke as it is very dangerous.

Over the past few weeks, there’s also been lots of talk about spiking by injection.

Guidance from West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police have lots of officers on patrol looking for suspicious behaviour and we’re working with bars to create safer spaces for fun nights out. If you’re going out we need you to be part of our shared plans.

You can play your part by:

• Being patient while security staff search people and check ID.
• Looking out for each other and reporting suspicious behaviour to bar staff, police officers or city centre wardens.
• Not leaving drinks unattended.
• Setting the expectation that you’ll all stick together and let each other know where you are and who you’re with.
• Keeping hydrated with water and soft drinks so you can save money, stay alert and party for longer.
• Getting home by using black cabs or pre-booked private hires (including Uber) where you know you’re insured and drivers are trained and vetted.

Spiking is against the law. It’s a serious crime with serious consequences.

People are more aware of spiking than ever before so perpetrators are more likely to be found out.

People who have spiked someone to enable sexual activity could face 10 years in jail, and being placed on the sex offenders register.

Criminal convictions change lives. People can lose their job, their home, future careers will be affected when they know about past crimes and people may also face restrictions on travel with countries like the USA not giving visas to people with convictions for serious crimes.

If you think you’ve been spiked:

• If you start to feel strange, sick or drunk when you know that you couldn’t be drunk, seek help from a trusted friend or staff member.
• If you think you have been spiked, get a close friend to get you out of the place as soon as possible and take you home or to the hospital (if seriously unwell). Or ring a friend, relative or partner and ask them to come and pick you up.
• If you feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened you can ask for help from staff and ask them for Angela. This code word indicates that you need help and a trained member of staff will then help you.
• Make sure you can trust the person you ask for help. Don’t go anywhere with a stranger or acquaintance.
• Once you are safely home ask someone to stay with you until the effects of the drug have worn off, which could be several hours.
• Don’t hesitate to call for medical help if you need it. And tell us what happened as soon as possible either by calling 999 if it’s happening now or messaging us via Live Chat on our website west-midlands.police.uk the next day or when you’re safe.

If you’ve been affected by this update, the charity Victim Support can help. Call 24/7 on 08081689111.

All University accommodation students will be able to receive a complimentary Christmas meal on 24 December 2021.

Find out more here: Christmas dinner collection

From Monday, 20 to Thursday, 23 December 2021: 10 am – 2 pm. 

From Tuesday, 4 to Friday, 7 January 2022: 10 am – 2 pm 

Closed from Friday, 24 December 2021 to Monday, 3 January 2022 

Regular service will recommence on Tuesday, 10 January 2022: 9 am - 5 pm 

Please note all SU services, including ARC, societies, and Student Voice, will not be staffed during the closure period. Staff will address enquiries when services resume on 4 January.  

Walsall SU Lounge  

The Walsall SU Lounge will close at 6 pm on Friday, 17 December and reopen on Tuesday, 4 January. 

From Tuesday, 4 January to Friday, 14 January: 10 am - 6 pm.

From Friday, 17 January: 10 am - 11 pm. 

If you would like someone from the University to stay in touch with you by phone or email over the festive break, you can request a welfare check here: www.wlv.ac.uk/welfare. 

If you are a care leaver or estranged student who needs support over the Christmas break, please email: cl_estranged@wlv.ac.uk and a member of staff will respond within 72 hours.