Students living in residence at Lethbridge College have had to make some new adjustments when they returned to classes this fall. 

As the new semester gets underway at the college, students staying in residence are getting accustomed to the new protocols. Capacity in residence is set at just over 50 per cent to allow students to distance themselves in their units. This meaning there are two students sharing a four-bedroom apartment to limit the number of people in one space. 

The residence life team has been planning, preparing and developing a safe plan for students staying on campus this semester. Laura Terry, manager of residence and student life says the reason these rules and protocols are in place is for the safety of the whole community. 

“This is the time where we can’t be selfish and need to think about others. For the most part I think that 99 per cent of our students are following the protocols and doing their part.”

The residence life team is cleaning and sanitizing stairwells, elevators, doorhandles and hallways daily. Casual staff have also been brought back to help with weekend cleaning. Shared spaces such as laundry rooms are being limited with a new booking system in place. No public is allowed in the residence buildings or shared spaces. 

A new feature that residence life has rolled out this year is the scanning of student ID cards when entering buildings. This is to limit the entry to only residence students and to help with contact tracing. In the event of a positive case of COVID-19, that student along with their roommate would self-isolate in their unit rather than moving to a separate one. That student would not be able to travel home to limit the possibility of spreading the virus. 

As for the two main hub centres located at 30 Ave and Cullen, those will remain closed for the time being. There is also a 24-hour quiet time in effect as students are completing their studies online, to also help limit social gatherings.

Second year student Rebecca Wiens who is completing her diploma in Therapeutic Recreation- Gerontology says, living on campus has been quite enjoyable so far. 

“They’ve really been intentional with making residence a learning environment, rather than just a living environment. Because they know that for a lot of students, their room on residence is their classroom.”

With the move to online classes, there were 120 students who deferred their application to stay in residence from the fall semester to the winter. Those students will be contacted first in October, after that time, students interested in staying on campus in January can fill out an application. 

Terry says the feedback from students regarding the new protocols and procedures has been mostly positive. 

“Understandably students are upset they can’t get the full college experience whether that is having parties, get togethers or meeting new people. But they also remember the protocols are in place is to keep everyone safe.”

Despite COVID-19, residence assistants are still continuing to plan community events and activates by using an online form.