Students make up a large proportion of the local community, and it's great when you can feel at home in a new area. There are various ways you can contribute to your community and help others out. We encourage all students to respect the local neighbourhood and wider community.
First things first
If you’re living in private accommodation, introduce yourself to your neighbours. It’s always nice to be friendly to your neighbours, so take the first step and say hello. We recommend doing this within the first few days of moving in so you can build rapport from the off.
Responsible behaviour
Derby is a popular city, and many families live alongside you in the community. Remember when coming in from nights out to keep the noise level down and be mindful that many of them are working or have children. If a neighbour makes a request, take it on board. It will be much more difficult for you to deal with if you ignore it and they escalate the complaint to the University.
Being a good neighbour involves taking responsibility for your house and ensuring you keep your property tidy and clean. Make sure you bring bins in (and recycle if possible). Don’t leave litter lying around. Arrange for larger bags of waste to be taken away as it is easy to ask the council to do this. You can find out details about waste management from Derby Streetpride.
Driving and parking
If you have a car, please note on-site parking is for blue badge holders only (or permit holders for Kedleston Road site, Derby Campus). Holding a permit does not guarantee a space. If you’re parking your car around our Chesterfield or Derby sites, don’t park your car in your neighbours’ spaces or in areas marked as ‘private’ or ‘residents only’. Don’t obstruct the pavement as this can create difficulties for elderly people and young children using pathways around the University. It can also prevent locals using the space outside their homes.
Derby Campus: Don’t obstruct the entrances and pavements of Brook Medical Centre and Jonty Farmer as this prevents access for pedestrians, wagons and deliveries. The car parks are for visitors so please find alternative places to park and be considerate of our local community.
Find out more transport options and parking around our sites.
Social media is great...
However, please remember to keep safe, be respectful, and professional. You should also ensure you have consent from everyone appearing in the content you post. The use of social media can have a major positive impact on your personal, professional and academic life if used appropriately.
Get involved
Whether it’s by joining the local community Facebook page or getting involved in a neighbourhood watch scheme, there are many great ways to represent the student community positively and learn more about the people you live amongst. If you’ve moved, we recommend registering to vote so that you can have your say in any local or general elections – in the last general election Derby was highlighted as one of the key areas where students had the potential to impact the outcome. You can register to vote at gov.uk.
Politics is an important part of our lives. You’ll be aware of the significant changes this has had on university students, such as the rise of tuition fees. Politics doesn’t just have an impact on universities, it has the power to shape our lives completely. So, it’s important that we all register to vote to contribute to decide who it is that makes these kinds of decisions on our behalf.
We encourage you to get involved in volunteering locally; meet local charities and find out how you can get further involved in your community. Volunteering can make a positive impact on your local community whilst being a great addition to your CV.
Security in the city
In every city you need to take precautions to feel safe, from feeling secure in your home to feeling secure when you’re out and about. Although Derby is a friendly city, we want you to stay safe. Follow our @derbyunistudent social media accounts to find top tips about how you can stay safe in a city. Our helpful and friendly security team will be more than happy to advise on staying safe and give you a safety alarm to borrow that can be collected from any of our reception desks.
To help keep you safe we have a free SafeZone app. You’ll need your unimail address to access SafeZone.
Using SafeZone means you can call for help and assistance when you need it at the touch of a button. It gives you fast access to security whenever and wherever you are on campus. SafeZone also allows you to easily check in and share your location on campus if you choose to – for example if you are studying late or at night.
If you need medical assistance or help, you can immediately contact the security team through the app. We can also use the app to contact you in the unlikely situation that there is an incident on campus that requires building closures or evacuation such as a fire.
If you do feel unsafe at any time, please call 101 for non-emergencies and 999 for emergencies.
Lanyards/security gates
To help reduce the vulnerability of our sites and ensure safety, we have some safety reminders:
- All staff and students are required to wear their University ID card (student card), preferably on a lanyard. You'll be given one during Welcome week. If you need a new one, there will be some available at the Student Hub
- Keep your bags and belongings with you at all times, leaving them unattended could result in disruption to services if they are considered suspicious
- Always report suspicious people, activity and unattended belongings to Security at security@derby.ac.uk or +44 (0)1332 591109
Firearms and weapons attacks are extremely rare, but we must always know to stay safe; National Police Chiefs' Council NPCC have created a Run, Hide, Tell video.
If you need emergency assistance or first aid, always call +44 (0)1332 597777.
#DerbyGoesGreen
We are proud to be a Responsible Futures accredited University, which reflects our commitment to embedding social responsibility and sustainability into the curriculum and student experience.
As a university, we’re very aware of our impact on the local, national and global environment. We are particularly conscious of our collective responsibilities to help protect it. Over the last few years, we have focused on national campaigns such as: Go Green Week, Earth Hour, 30 Days Wild and Pack for Good.
Join students and staff by sharing environmentally friendly tips through the @DerbyUniStudent social media channels with the hashtag #DerbyGoesGreen.
We have a variety of outdoor seating at some of our Derby sites, including an outdoor study space at our Kedleston Road Library and we've recently established several 'no mow zones' at our University sites to help encourage wildlife to flourish.
Enactus Derby
You could join Enactus Derby, a student-led society, which is part of a global network of university students. Enactus Derby currently has team projects focused on food sustainability, plastic waste reduction, and supporting homeless people. There are opportunities for you to start up your own project supported by a team of advisers from industry and the University.
