Newsletter #27: Kentucky Fried Console; York nails a Christmas delivery; Google eats its shorts

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📺 What’s on UniTube

To kick off 2021, we’re introducing a new series: UniTube.

Brought to you by Aston University’s video creator Josh Crawley, expect a monthly dive into the latest university videos on YouTube - from the brilliant to the bizarre.

Today on UniTube: New York University flexes its Estates Team; Bradford likes a good VHS effect; Georgia Tech pulls off a socially-distance graduation. Look

📰 HE news

I hope the “truly international” Turing Scheme (the one replacing Erasmus+ funding for UK students) is as good value for money as Gavin Williamson says. £2,800 isn’t going to get you very far overseas, probably only midway across the Atlantic, if you’re planning on studying in the States and paying tuition too. Bad times. Read

Recent data by UCAS shows that Covid-19 has accelerated the long term trend of students choosing to study locally. I’m sure seeing fences being put up around halls was also a factor. Read

💻 Digital marketing news

Google acknowledges that YouTube Shorts is a bad idea by showing TikTok and Instagram videos in SERP carousels. Read

YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) started creating Minecraft videos in 2012. Now he gets 30 million views for putting Christmas lights on a house and is set to be the first YouTube billionaire. Look

In what was thought to be a joke, KFC has confirmed that its new video game console (that keeps your chicken warm) is actually a thing. PR, meet marketing. Look

🏫 What unis are doing

The University of York nailed it with their food deliveries to students staying in halls over Christmas. Ordering Morrisons’ own “The Best” label won’t have been cheap, but it’s worth the recognition from the uni’s campus community. Look

"No one clicks on the homepage slider."
"... But what if we had TWO homepage sliders?"
"Then twice as many people wouldn't click on it."
"Do it."
"Okay..." Look

The Open University kicks off its 50 years celebrations with some archive footage of its launch on BBC Two. The analogue imperfections make it - you can actually see where someone taped over something at 0:27. Look

🧑‍🎓 What students are saying

“I wanted to find an outlet to try to raise that I wasn’t very happy. The rent strike felt like the perfect opportunity for me to be like: ‘This isn’t really very fair – we are getting a very different experience but being charged the same’.” Students on why they are joining the university rent strike movement. Read

👾 Culture shock

The IMF suggests using your internet search history to determine your credit rating (😂). Read

The standard of family life portrayed in the Simpsons is now out of reach for most people. Read