Coronavirus updates

This page has been set up to provide information for anyone at the University with questions or concerns about coronavirus (Covid-19). It will be updated on a regular basis.

Key links:

Teaching and learning from September - update 2nd June 2020

A statement from the Vice-Chancellor to students:

I want to confirm that we are planning to return to campus to start teaching at the usual time in September. We’ll naturally have to teach in a different way, and we’re planning for a mix of face-to-face teaching and online teaching. We are excited by the opportunities this brings us, in terms of innovating the way we teach and learn. How this works will vary by course, and we’ll share more details as we finalise them.

We pride ourselves on small group work, and on the broader support we offer to each student. We see each of you as an individual, and we have always responded to your individual strengths and needs. None of this will change. Our expectation is that we will continue teaching in small groups, and of course our lecturers and wider student support teams will still be there to support you personally. Our academic teams are working really hard to ensure that we will maintain our amazing reputation for teaching excellence.

I am really looking forward to welcoming all students to Marjon and seeing the campus full of life again. Life will be different, but we are committed to offering you a fantastic student experience, both academically and socially. We’re also committed to your experience being both safe and fun, and we will work closely with the Student Union to create a rich and varied social life for our students, making the most of our fabulous campus.

In the meantime, please stay safe and well, and I very much look forward to seeing you in September.

Professor Rob Warner

Update 21st May 2020

Today the Department for Education released a statement saying it is now OK for students to travel to collect belongings, but only if you adhere to university guidelines and booking procedures to enable you to do this in a “safe and managed way”. We are working on a system for you to book a time to collect belongings.

You must not travel to campus unannounced to collect belongings. Campus is mainly locked down and that means for your own safety you would not be admitted.

Please do not travel to campus until we have launched our scheme to enable you to be on campus safely. This will include full briefings in terms of being present on the campus.

The questions below are recently agreed or recently asked:

How will end of year assessments work?

In the present exceptional circumstances, and in addition to the assessment initiatives implemented by programme teams already, the university is introducing an Assessment ‘Safety-Net’ Policy. This means that as long as your remaining assessments are completed appropriately, your final mark for the academic year can only go up, not down. Please go to our assessments page for the full safety net statement.

Can I get a refund on my car parking?

We have agreed that students who have paid for parking in advance will receive a refund on their car parking for the third term. This will be processed through Finance and may take a little while so please bear with us.

Do I need to pay my tuition fees?

Tuition fees still need to be paid. Student Loans company are still paying loans to students, and our staff are still working (and still need paying). Your teaching, assessment and end of year results are continuing, and we are continuing to work with students, just from different locations. Your tuition fees pay for the running of the whole university and whilst we appreciate that from home it’s harder to see or feel what’s happening, the whole university is still working incredibly hard over this period to ensure your studies can continue.

What will happen to my Dining in Card?

For first and second years, money left on Dining in Cards will be carried over so you can spend it next year. For first years who would have had been about to pay the final instalment of their dining in card, you won’t be charged this, just as you won’t be charged rent. For those in their final year who have money remaining, we will refund this as we appreciate you have no chance to spend it now.

The Prime Minister’s statement of 23 March changes previously issued advice. Please familiarise yourself with this. The changes are detailed below.

  • Non-essential travel is not allowed. This means you must not return to campus to pick up your things. Almost everyone should have travelled home by now. If you have not, we do not yet know if travelling home counts as essential travel.
  • The Library is now closed, including the ground floor. You can find out more information on this here.
  • We know that some people need to remain living on campus.

What is the latest government advice?

Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

All the information can be found from this page: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus. This page updates frequently and so information is not pasted below.

How can I look after myself?

We understand this is a really stressful time for everyone and it’s extra hard to maintain your mental and physical well-being, especially if you have to self-isolate.

Below are some ideas, tips and links to helpful resources to read, take part in and share. If you’re a student, we are still here to talk to and you can book in for a chat / well-being appointment through Student Support – studentsupport@marjon.ac.uk or our Chaplains are still keen to share a cuppa with students and staff online – mparkman@marjon.ac.uk and cmcilroy@marjon.ac.uk

Please see our Wellbeing pages in the Student Handbook for more resources and mindfulness techniques - https://sites.marjon.ac.uk/handbook/health-well-being/ 

Student Minds has a wealth of information, tips and resources - https://www.studentminds.org.uk/findsupport.html

Student blogger Sophie shares her tips on taking care of your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak:

  • Don’t be afraid to take time away from social media 
  • Try to keep your mind occupied when in isolation
  • Keep in touch with friends and family
  • Wash your hands but challenge the obsession
  • Try to work with what’s available to you
  • Contact a helpline if you need to talk

One such helpline is www.kooth.com​ - free, safe and anonymous support for young people and a wealth of resources, including distraction techniques and coping mechanisms.

The Mind website is not specific to students but has some good practical advice https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

In addition, you may want to look at some of these:

Specifically for disabled students: The grass-roots Disabled Students' group "Change for Disabled Students" has a general guide for disabled  - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ffu6XUEO900wNJVD-WxPjn_m51R2DCAmKkRX6Hx93UE/edit

This is a Google doc which they are updating as they go. The top section is about stress, anxiety and mental health.

Keeping physically healthy whilst studying or working from home can also help your mental well-being:

Be Active At Home

This is not an exhaustive list and there is plenty more out there – if you have a top tip or resource to share, please e-mail it to studentsupport@marjon.ac.uk Please also see our Wellbeing pages in the Student Handbook for more resources and mindfulness techniques - https://sites.marjon.ac.uk/handbook/health-well-being/ 

Events

Events up to July are being cancelled or moved to later in the year.