Monday 02-11-2020 - 13:30

The government's decision to allow universities to continue all on-campus teaching during a national lockdown is indicative of their lack of clear leadership during this pandemic.

It seems wrong on both an educational and public health level to continue on-campus teaching during a lockdown.

We therefore call on the University to show the leadership themselves and move all non-essential in-person teaching online for the rest of TB1.

With in-person teaching moving online, the university should also:   

• Lobby the Government through UUK to allow students who have completed 2 weeks of isolation to return home before Christmas. The two weeks of isolation is necessary to mitigate the government's concerns of students returning home, but students should not be kept on campuses if they can do their learning online and wish to do so.
• Allow students in halls no-penalty contract releases from their accommodation so that they can choose to move home.
• Continue to support students in halls with free food boxes, regular mental health check-ins, and other essentials.
• Give students who choose to stay in halls a 30% rent reduction for TB1.
• Keep libraries and study spaces open for students who remain in Bristol. Libraries offer safe and secure spaces for students who may otherwise struggle to access their studies online so should be prioritised.
• Publicise the financial hardship funds students can apply to due to the financial difficulties of entering another lockdown.

This position is informed by weeks of consultation with students and staff in which it became increasingly clear that in some areas, in-person teaching has not met the high expectations set by seminars under normal circumstances. Plans that we were working with the university on before the lockdown was announced, such as giving autonomy to lecturers to move their teaching online, will not be enough in response to a national lockdown, and more decisive action is now needed.

We also recognise that TB1 has not turned out the way it was sold to students over summer, and the SU will be lobbying for tuition fee reductions on a local and national level, especially for international students.

Your Bristol SU officers will continue to work hard to hear your concerns and work with the university to deliver important support and changes during and beyond this lockdown. If you would like to offer feedback, request help or speak to someone about what this means for you, please get in touch at bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.

In solidarity,

The Bristol SU Officer Team

 

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More information

Keep up to date on everything Bristol SU is doing to support you during the COVID-19 pandemic here.