SRUC moves to reassure students and promises halls flexibility

With the 300 students studying at Scotland’ s five agricultural colleges returning to t heir studies with a blend of on- line and campus learning next week on a staggered basis, the SRUC has moved to reassure farming families that their safety and wellbeing is its priority during the Covid- 19 pandemic.

Following reports of a number of positive cases at Scottish university halls of residence, SRUC and its students’ association reminded those returning to its campuses over the coming weeks of the steps it has taken to ensure they are able to study safely. These include the flexible accommodation policy of “pay what you need”, which removes the risk of having to take out an annual contract for halls of residence when this might not be necessary or there could be further lockdowns.

The college said it had also created a rota of programmes which saw students work in groups of 15 or fewer when on campus.

“This means t hey can plan their travel and accommodation in good time ,” said Professor Wayne Powell, principal and chief executive of SRUC. “We understand that this is a worrying time for students, but we want to reassure those returning to our campuses that their safety and wellbeing – and that of our staff – is our priority.”

He added that everyone–including students and staff – had a vital role to play to keep everyone safe and asked students to download the Protect Scotland app. He also asked them to observe the nationwide effort against coronavirus, not go to bars or hospitality venues and to hold off parties for the foreseeable future.