Some UBC students are calling on the school’s administration to reinstate overnight staffing at the university’s residences.
As of Aug. 1, UBC ended 24-7 staffing at student residences in favour of new “mobile overnight teams.” The school’s Residence and Life administration said the change was necessary due to staffing issues.
A group of students has now penned an open letter opposing the change, which they say reduces safety, while also ending overnight access to residence gyms, study areas and common rooms.
“In the cases of medical emergencies or unsafe situations, the Front Desk Staff have been an essential point of contact for residents,” the letter states.
“If something were to occur overnight, students will not only need to have access to a phone in order to get assistance, but they will also need to wait for the (overnight mobile team) to arrive … this change could have dire consequences in emergency situations.”
Kamil Kanji, the UBC Alma Mater Society’s vice-president of academic and university affairs, said the student union shares the open letter’s concerns.
He said the new mobile teams are untested and there is no evidence they will be just as good as having in-person staff.
And he said the change will leave students waiting longer for access to safety services, while losing the personal touch that might be necessary in a sensitive situation.
“A face-to-face resource is really more beneficial than to have to wait and make a phone call and have campus security or other members of the overnight team first find their way to you, and then try to address the issue, when normally it’s much easier to just talk directly and have a friendly face who you know and you’ve seen coming in and out of your building,” he said.
“And if there’s emergencies happening at several residence buildings across campus, the AMS is really worried there might not be adequate service at all the residence buildings.”
Students that Global News spoke with at UBC’s Point Grey campus Friday had mixed reactions to the change.
“A phone call — it’s like you can’t see their face, so the emotions don’t go through,” said Kelly Lee. “The person who picks up might not understand.”
Adam Lee said he understood the university’s position about the challenge of filling overnight shifts, and that he has always felt safe enough on campus.
“I understand why it’s not essential so much anymore. After COVID we all kind of just got used to not having that face-to-face interaction,” he said. “It doesn’t affect me that much but I can definitely understand why other people would not feel as safe.”
In a statement, UBC associate vice-president of student housing and community services, Andrew Parr, said the change was necessary to “improve continuity and sustainability” of services.
“Increasingly Residence Life and Administration has faced challenges staffing front desks, especially at night, leading to last minute closures and consequent reduction in service to students,” Parr said. “By creating dedicated teams of overnight mobile staff, we are able to improve service levels for students both during the day and at night.”
Parr said students can still access services overnight by calling a central number from their phone or by using any blue phone on campus
UBC has 15 residences at its Point Grey campus, housing more than 13,000 students.
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