Exeter College launches Student Covid Charter for student and community safety
Exeter College has today announced the launch of a new Student Covid Charter, created in collaboration with students, to ensure the continued safety of students, staff and the wider community.
The Student Covid Charter provides an eight-point plan, which has been created and agreed with students from across the College, that lays out clearly the expectations of learners when conducting themselves at College and when interacting with the wider community.
The Charter builds on the College’s stringent COVID safety measures it has had in place since the start of the pandemic and provides another layer of security for any learners concerned about the implications of the current wider national lockdown.
Students will sign the new Student Covid Charter as part of their Personal Development Programme, ensuring that all students are aware of the College’s ongoing expectations of them in adherence to the Charter and to the wider Covid rules in place around the College.
Exeter College Director of Academic Studies Dee Rowett said, “We believe the Student Covid Charter is another important step towards ensuring we continue to place the safety and wellbeing of our learners, staff and the wider community at the centre of our work. Not only this, but the development of a Charter written in collaboration with our learners ensures it is a document for students, created by students, helping them to think about the role they can play in helping to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.
“The Student Covid Charter is therefore another way we're continuing to make sure everyone has all the information and support they need to keep Exeter College a safe community for everyone.”
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, Exeter College has gone above and beyond the official guidance, implementing the use of face masks in all communal areas since the resumption of on site learning and creating new undercover spaces for students to have lunch in a socially-distanced environment. On top of this, the College has installed over 100 new hand sanitising stations, created one-way systems across the College’s sites and adapted classroom seating plans to meet the Covid guidance.
The Charter lays out eight key expectations of learners and ties into the wider College rules regarding Coronavirus.
Exeter College student Guglielmo Valastro, who helped create the Charter, said, “We have now come to a crucial time to tackle the spread of the virus and reducing the risk is our priority. I believe that the new Student Covid Charter, made by students for students, is key in ensuring a safe environment at college. It is fundamental that we take this academic year to completion without any further disruption and the Student Covid Charter will remind everyone of the essential guidelines needed to guarantee the safety of us and people around us.”
