Staff at the University of Limerick will be “out and about” in the community over the coming weeks to encourage returning students not to host parties while they are learning from home.
The university was preparing to welcome its first group of new students from Monday until the Government yesterday asked all third-level institution to move online for the coming weeks.
The Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said the number of people allowed on campus should be strictly limited for the coming weeks – only essential practical and lab work continuing in person.
Disappointment
On Newstalk Breakfast with Sean Defoe this morning, Professor Patrick Ryan, Associate Vice President of Student Engagement the University of Limerick said his heart goes out to the students who had just arrived back.
“I had to pop down to the shop yesterday and I noticed for the first time in six months that, at a couple of bus stops, there were young students out and about,” he said.
“Some of them carrying things were carrying bits of furniture back to the house they had just rented and there was a sense that our community was starting to build up again on a beautiful Friday afternoon.
“It is that sense of, ‘ah no these poor students.’ Yet again this is something else to have to deal with. Something that has popped out of the blue in their experience – that’s where all our hearts lie at the moment.”
Parties
He said the college will work with Gardaí and student unions to encourage people not have house parties while they are stuck at home.
“We want our students to be an active and vibrant part of the community and we understand that when they move into a new community, one of the ways that they socialise is they open their doors and they invite people in and have parties,” he said.
“That is part and parcel of the way any of us got socialised when we moved into new environments.
“So, our message to our students, our message to our staff, our message to ourselves is that you have got to protect your own health because that protects the health of other people.”
Public health
He said the strategy is all about engaging with people and encouraging them to do the right thing.
“Anywhere we get an opportunity, we will be saying to a student, ‘it looks like you are building up a bit of a party in there, there are few people around, will you be really careful about your own health so that when you return home for the weekend, the people you meet stay as healthy as they can be because of your actions.’”
"This is a wonderful achievement and you should be very proud of yourself" 👏👏
A message from Dr Patrick Ryan, Associate Vice President Student Engagement at University of Limerick, to all the students receiving their UL offers today. #WelcomeToUL pic.twitter.com/RSjSrWjWEG
— University Of Limerick (@UL) September 11, 2020
He said he understands the concern in the community and said there are mechanisms in place to respond to any parties that do happen.
“We have been actively planning for this and we have senior staff who will be out and about from Sunday for the next three weeks with the students’ unions and Gardaí and we will be taking any opportunity we have to promote public health guidelines,” he said.
“In the very few cases where there are problems, issues or complaints that come in, we have mechanisms in place and we can address and review those to make sure we can prevent as much of this as possible.”
