Covid regulations have been taken too far by draconian universities
By highlighting the draconian policies universities across the United Kingdom have imposed on their students, I hope it will open the eyes of many to the scandal happening right under our very noses.
I recall watching an episode of Spitting Image, one that I found funny unlike many of the others, where Boris Johnson in his puppet form was crafting proposed adjustments to university life during the pandemic. Dominic Rabb observed in the sketch “wouldn’t that make the universities a bit prison-y” and at the time I thought nothing of it. That was until satire became reality.
It began with the University of Manchester constructing a fence to keep students inside their accommodation during the lockdown. It happened with no warning whatsoever and would have gone ahead without, much needed, scrutiny. I think the public discourse surrounding the pandemic has opened up an unneeded generational divide, with most blaming young people for Covid-19 waves and stipulating that they’ve not had it as bad as the older generations. This frustrates me because the government, local and central, is to blame for much of the ruinous impacts of lockdowns yet people prefer to point the finger at each other. By highlighting the draconian policies universities across the United Kingdom have imposed on their students, I hope it will open the eyes of many to the scandal happening right under our very noses.
With no oversight, universities have been given a worrying amount of freedom to stop the spread amongst a group that is A) away from their families and B) not even (largely) clinically vulnerable. At Birmingham, security guards patrol the halls of residences like a scene out of occupied France – looking for someone to question to determine if they are in line with the mounting regulations on their every day lives. Threats of being kicked off the course were sent to students, students who are paying an ungodly amount to enrol in what I call ‘Zoom University’; all-online teaching with the unions kicking off if universities dare to offer any in-person teaching too early. Fines imposed on students who are gathering often in quite small crowds, contrary to exaggerated media claims, are quite taxing especially when they have little money and usually no income.
At Edinburgh and elsewhere, trapped students put post-it notes on their windows in a bizarre dystopian-like scene. Places that have suspected Covid-cases are marked clearly like the days of the Bubonic Plague. The mental health of students has deteriorated as a result of this, with some instances veering on a violation of human rights and humane treatment.
I am currently at home to stay with family, but my university, Cardiff University, has taken things too far. In Cardiff Confessions, where students post anonymous statements online, a grim picture was painted. I quote, “there are security at the gates, not allowing anyone in without ID. Residences will burst in every morning checking our kitchen and trying to catch us out for fines.” The student goes on to say that they are tracked and have to sign in and sign out, with questions about where they are going being very frequent. “Worst of all” they continue, “I’ve now been told that only 4 people are allowed in the kitchen at a time.” This is in shared accommodations, many perhaps with more than four people, that should count as one household unit.
Luckily, there is a fight back. A petition has been organised and emails sent out with the hope of getting the attention of the university staff, and the media too. We all must continue to press these problems and make mental health, along with general freedoms, a priority again, or Covid regulations will continue to be taken too far in the United Kingdom’s prison-like universities.
