Ministers have come under pressure this week to guarantee university students will not be forced to stay on campuses over the winter break.

Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, told Sky News: “I very much want students to be able to go home at Christmas, and if we all pull together and observe these new rules […] then we will be able to get to a point where that should be possible.” 

Dowden’s comments come as thousands of students in the UK are self-isolating, following a rise of cases in universities. The University of Leeds has revealed so far six of its students have received positive test results. However, the real figure is expected to be higher as not all cases are likely to have been reported to the university.

Labour has urged the government to promise students can return home. The shadow education secretary Kate Green wrote to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson calling on him to “ensure that every student has access to testing to allow a safe journey home”.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=TheGryphonLeeds&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1310188140456443904&lang=en-gb&origin=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.thegryphon.co.uk%2F2020%2F10%2F03%2Fstudents-will-go-home-for-christmas-says-education-secretary%2F&sessionId=2b6bf200edf2723461d87c36baec5fc36927e288&siteScreenName=TheGryphonLeeds&theme=light&widgetsVersion=0a8eea3%3A1643743420422&width=550px

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, hopes the government won’t have to tell students to stay on campus over Christmas. Even so, he said he couldn’t rule it out. “The important thing is in the short-term, students, once they’ve gone to university, should stay at university so as not to spread the disease.”

In Scotland, specific guidance for students has been released stating “if you are able to you should remain in your student accommodation and not visit family at home. As you have formed a new household within your student accommodation, this means that you cannot stay overnight at another household.” Though it acknowledges, “there will be circumstances where it may not be possible for you to remain in student accommodation.” 

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that the rules will be reviewed every three weeks. She stated that it will be an “absolute priority”for her government to get a position where the rules can be relaxed over the winter break. So far, specific guidance for students has not been published in the rest of the UK. Though it is expected that the advice will be similar.

The prospect of having to stay on campus over the winter break may come as less of a blow to international students, who are often unable to go back home over the holidays even in normal circumstances. 

The University of Leeds offers support for those staying on campus called ‘Christmas in Leeds‘. It gives students and postgraduate researchers in Leeds, “the chance to meet others, experience Christmas traditions and find out about help and support.” 

A message on the website says: “Please note, because of the ongoing situation surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19), the activities we offer may be different to usual.”

Some students are already preparing for the possibility of having to celebrate Christmas on campus. 

Olivia Davies, an International Relations and Arabic student, said the policy would have a “terrible impact” on the mental health of students. She says that with the stresses of exams and seasonal depression, going home for the holidays “is a period of relief for many students”. 

Kyle Blythe, 18, a French and German student, says he understands why it might be necessary for the government to tell students to stay on campus but says his “family are completely against me staying”. “If it comes down to it then we would all have to accept it and try and make this year as magical as it normally is”. 

Kate Schneider, 21, an Asia Pacific Studies and Japanese student, says she “wouldn’t be opposed to the idea as my family isn’t always together and we don’t do a large celebration. I’m sure [Christmas] would be bigger with my flatmates.” “We get along well so we would probably cook a big meal together, get a tree and watch Christmas movies.”

Photo credit: University of Leeds

It has long been expected that the first week of this semester would be different, but the ‘rule of six’, a 10pm curfew for pubs, as well as the continued closure of nightclubs, meant that freshers’ week was virtually unrecognisable, with nearly all events taking place online. The Gryphon asked freshers what the week was like and how they are feeling as the term begins.

Leeds University Union hosted a series of events throughout the week, with interactive cooking classes, a virtual escape room and an online freshers’ fair among the events on offer. There were also a limited number of events on campus, including an outdoor cinema run in collaboration with Hyde Park Picture House, though the focus of the week was online.

Daniel Marchegiani, a Computer Science and Maths student, however, said that there is little enthusiasm among freshers for these events. “On the [Facebook event page] it says one person is going and it’s just the administrator who’s hosting the event”. And Rosaleen Sheehan, a Psychology student, said “I don’t think anyone’s thinking I want to go back into my room and go to an online party”.

Odette Dierkx, a Graphic Design student, was one of the few who did participate. She joined a meeting organised by the art society and although she would have found it “easier speaking in person”, Dierkx says she was grateful for the opportunity to meet people outside her flat.

Sheehan lives in a house on campus with 15 other students, though some of the rooms are still empty. The ‘rule of six’ had made going out as a group awkward. Her house was forced to split into smaller groups, and even then they struggled to get into pubs and bars in the city as many were at full capacity. 

A ban on students visiting other households, which was initially a university policy, but became the law following the tightening of restrictions locally, has made for a difficult conversation in some flats. Alexandra Giesbrecht, a Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Thought student, said that some of the people she lived with wanted to invite guests over but the flat “discussed it and decided against it”. Another student, who asked to remain anonymous, said he felt like he was living “in a prison” as one of his flatmates had said that they would report anyone in the house who breaks the rules to the university.

In an email sent to students last week, the University said: “whilst living in University accommodation you are required to comply with social or physical distancing and other guidance aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19”. “Please don’t invite visitors or overnight guests into your room or into the household that you share with flatmates because if you do, that will put others at risk of infection and we won’t be able to ignore your actions.” 

Fines of up to £100 are being imposed for every breach of the rules, with repeat offenders at risk of being evicted from their accommodation or expelled.

Ava Heeney, an English Literature student, said she was fined £50 for not practising social distancing outside her accommodation. “We weren’t expecting it. We didn’t get a warning […] they just surrounded us and said we are taking your details”.

After major outbreaks of Covid-19 were reported by universities in Scotland (where the academic year started earlier than English institutions) and following a statement by the University and College Union which expressed concerns about the safety of staff and students on campus , the university announced on the 25th September that planned face-to-face teaching for courses where students don’t have to be on campus would now take place online. The Vice-Chancellor said in an email to students that they will get more “online teaching than you might have expected even a few weeks ago”.

The prospect of indefinite online teaching worries Sheehan. “I really don’t do well online. I learn best being in the same room and talking with my teacher. It’s not my cup of tea”. Marchegiani was also concerned about whether he would cope with an entirely online schedule but thought that the quality of teaching would still be high. Jasper Rowell, 18, a Robotics and Electronics student said he preferred online teaching. “It’s easier […] I can stay at home and eat whatever I want”.

LUU has advised students who may be worried about the change to speak with their school or academic personal tutor if they need support with their studies, or to use the union’s help and support service (https://www.luu.org.uk/help-support/) if they are struggling with other aspects of university life. The university also offers free, professional and confidential counselling sessions.

All of the students we spoke to said that although they thought freshers’ week was necessary, they didn’t think the lack of a proper experience would affect them. Dierkx was confident that “there’s going to be more time to meet people and form friendships later”. 

Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty