The campus experience for the upcoming school year will certainly be different for students enrolled in post-secondary programs in London, Ont., and across the country due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Western University and Fanshawe College have both seen a shift in the way their residences will function, and how move-in days are staggered to ensure students can move in as safely as possible.
Chris Alleyne, the associate vice-president of Western University’s housing and ancillary services spoke with 980 CFPL’s Jess Brady on The Afternoon Show Friday.
He says the school has already begun welcoming international students back to campus.
“They’re going through the self-quarantine period prior to the start of the school year,” said Alleyne. “So we’ve had to be ready for a few weeks now to make sure we’re ready for their arrival.”
In less than two weeks, Alleyne says the school will begin to welcome back domestic students.
Western University has extended its move-in period from two to five days in hopes that staggering students’ move-ins will help with physical distancing.
“They’re booking dates and times ahead of time, so we’ll know when they’ll arrive,” said Alleyne.
“When they arrive on campus, before they even get out of the car, there are some self-screener questions.”
Western University is expecting 3,800 students to live on campus this year, “which is about 70 per cent of our typical capacity,” according to Alleyne.
In order to de-densify, the school has decided to put most students in single-occupancy rooms.
Those with a roommate must select to live with each other. Random roommates will not be assigned.
Fanshawe College is taking similar measures during the move-in time.
Carolyn Mitchell, the operations manager of the school’s residence and conference centre, says only 45 per cent of the college’s beds will be filled, “so we’re only bringing back 739 students compared to the 1,600 we typically would.”
The school has also implemented a staggered move-in period.
In previous years, move-in took place over Labour Day weekend, but it has been extended to two weeks for the upcoming school year.
The number of occupants allowed per room has also dropped.
Housekeeping has been swapped for a bi-weekly check-in, “because we want to avoid cross-contamination as our staff goes from room to room.”
Mitchell says it’s not a shock, but fewer students are choosing to live on campus this school year.
“We’ve had a lot of calls from families that have just said ‘we’re going to defer to next year,’ and some students have learned that their courses are all online,” said Mitchell.
“But there are also students who are coming to residence even though they’re enrolled in online programs because they want to make sure they have a stable internet connection.”
She adds other students who will move in are coming for the campus experience, “even if it looks different this year.”