New students at the St. Lawrence College (SLC) Kingston campus began moving into residence Saturday in preparation for the beginning of the semester that starts next week.
“We’re getting excited to start the fall semester,” says St. Lawrence College President and CEO Glenn Vollebregt.
Parents, friends and family helped unpack cars as students headed into their new home for the upcoming school year.
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“It’s not the same as it was pre-COVID but it’s completely different than what it was last year,” says Vollebregt.
The campus will have a mix of virtual and in-class courses beginning next week.
“We’re going to see probably anywhere between 50 to 60 per cent of our normal student capacity on campus at any given point in time,” Vollebregt says. “If we normally have 6,000 students at the Kingston campus, there will be anywhere between 2,500 to 3,500 on campus at any one time. So, you know, it will look, smell, feel like a college and I’m very confident that our students will have a genuine college experience this year.”
Current students and Resident Advisors were present to help with moving in and say that they are excited to welcome the newest additions to the SLC community.
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“It feels nice to see a bunch of new faces,” says current student Nicholas Lyons. “Just with all of the COVID stuff going on, it’s really nice to see some new faces around the campus and hopefully get to know some more people.”
Rachel Lord was a new resident at the campus two years ago, and is now in her third year and is a Resident Advisor for incoming students.
“I really hope to build a sense of community again. I know everyone has been fairly isolated for the past year and a bit, so I’m going to be planning lots of events,” says Lord. “Mainly when the weather’s nice, we’re going to do lots of stuff outside.”
The same COVID-19 safety rules on campus will be applied for those living in an on-campus residence.
This includes masking in public and shared spaces and adhering to the mandatory vaccination policy that will go into effect next week.
Move-in at St. Lawrence College’s Kingston residence is being spread over the Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend and will see 600 new students start their college experiences.