Students move back in
No hugs and hand sanitiser at every meal. Those are just some rules university students have to follow as they flock back to their halls of residence after lockdown.
Victoria University closed its halls of residence when the country moved into alert level 4, with students who could not return home moved into Weir House.
Now the doors are open again. Noncatered halls allowed students back on May 14, and catered halls on May 18.
Capital Hall resident Azaria Howell, who led a rent strike against the university when it tried to impose a $150 holding fee on students, said it was good to be back.
‘‘It’s good to get my mind more into study. I found it was hard to do that just at my house.’’
She wished the halls had opened over the weekend, to allow students to move on a day when they did not have class commitments.
‘‘The halls should definitely have been open the weekend before this.’’
First-year law and commerce student Benjamin Ziegler said it had been a big transition moving to university, and being pulled out of the halls a month in had been difficult, but he was excited to be back.
He said there had been good communication from the halls about strict physical distancing rules.
‘‘You can’t hug your mates when you get back.’’
While fees are back in place for students who have returned to the halls, those who were not returning until trimester 2 still do not have to pay, Student and Campus Living director Rainsforth Dix said.
‘‘Around one-third of first-year hall students have returned to university accommodation, another third are expected to return this weekend, and remaining students will gradually return over the coming weeks in the lead-up to trimester 2 beginning on July 13.’’
Students were being provided with health and safety information, including the processes for physical distancing.