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Professor Kerstin Mey, President of the University of Limerick, has taken to the streets with local Gardaí in off-campus housing estates to remind students to follow public health guidelines.
As students return to learning this week, members of UL’s senior leadership have engaged in evening walking tours of local residential properties along with An Garda Síochána.
University management said it is being done to interact with students, educate them on public health guidelines, and emphasize a cooperative approach to protecting the community surrounding the campus in light of the COVID-19 situation.
A coordinated engagement and education plan has been tailored to ensure that UL and Gardaí staff work together to reach as many students living on campus and off campus as possible.
UL has also allocated more resources to An Garda Síochána to increase its capacity to undertake community engagement activities over the next few weeks.
FYI: The party at @studentpresULThe hook is off 🙅♂️
Yesterday marked the launch of @UL_StudentCOVID19 awareness campaign in collaboration with @MaryiSU, @LSADatLIT Y @LIT_SU.
“COVID19 is still with us and we young people can be the solution.” pic.twitter.com/QiIGC1vuX7
– University of Limerick (@UL) September 28, 2020
“Our presence is to show a shared responsibility for the welfare of the community through direct visibility with the Gardaí who are in the normal course of their work,” explained Professor Kerstin Mey, President of UL.
“We hope that our presence helps with the message that for students, behavior in the wider community is directly related to their status as a UL student.
“UL takes its civic responsibilities very seriously and has worked with Gardaí, community representatives and the University’s representative body, UL Student Life, to try to reinforce the message that everyone should take responsibility for their actions.
“The safety of staff and students has always been a priority and it is vital that students take responsibility for their actions, follow public health guidelines, limit their social contacts and stay safe.
“We are fully aware that this situation is difficult for students in what should have been one of the most exciting weeks of their lives, but they must follow the advice and heed the warnings, or they risk putting people who they already love the community in general at risk for their actions, ”he added.
“Above all else, UL is a community made up of many stakeholders who work, learn and live together in many different ways. As a community, UL views its relationship with its neighbors as a key component of how it maintains its community responsibilities, ”added Professor Mey.
Limerick Garda Division Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said: “UL’s assistance to help us engage, educate and encourage the community is welcome. In supporting the COVID-19 public health guidelines, we need everyone to redouble the tremendous efforts they have made here in Limerick.
“We need everyone to limit the contact they have with each other. While you may feel safe at home and think it’s okay to invite friends or have a party, you are putting your health, theirs, and everyone you come in contact with afterward at risk. It is vital that you continue to play your role by limiting contact with others, this will save lives, ”added Chief Superintendent Roche.
Representatives from the student unions are working on a parallel education and counseling operation during the day to help with student inquiries and to meet students living in local accommodation.
UL Student Life and the Union of Graduate Students participated in a major handout and greetings exercise last Sunday with the message of ‘Protect the Pack,’ a reference to the union’s mascot and the need to take personal responsibility for individual and public health.
Following the government’s request on Friday that all higher education institutions adopt the enhanced public health protection measures recently applied to Dublin-based HEIs, UL has made changes to its campus hours.
The vast majority of the academic delivery has been done online, with the exception of labs and workshops and some essential tutorials that will take place on campus as scheduled.
UL students are advised not to travel to Limerick if their full program will be delivered online for the next two weeks and all club and social activities on campus have been suspended until further notice.
A COVID-19 Student Charter has been developed between UL, LIT, and MIC to protect students and staff at each of the institutions and to make clear to students their personal responsibility in this global pandemic environment. UL students are bound by a Code of Conduct.
Action can be taken against students through the code of conduct that, by violating public health guidelines, can be considered to have engaged in conduct that is harmful to others. There is no established sanction within the code of conduct for any offense, but the sanctions allowed within the code of conduct include monetary, academic, suspension, and expulsion.
Students have a responsibility to their community at large to follow governmental and institutional guidelines.
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