The semester has officially started, however, you won’t catch hall residents running to an 8am lecture in their PJs. And it’s not because they’re hungover, but because we’re living through a Black Mirror episode.
Residents of Grafton, O’Rorke, University Towers, and Waipārūrū, many of whom are first-year students, moved in on the 19th of February. But with a temporary ban on guests and alcohol due to COVID-19, they won’t be getting all the O-Week action they were hoping for.
Craccum spoke to residents and resident advisors about what it’s like living in a hall right now and if it’s worth it despite uni being online.
Jake*, Resident Advisor
What COVID rules are in place? How well are they being followed?
“During O-Week there’s an alcohol ban and a guest ban. We’ve already caught many students smuggling alcohol in sprite cans and water bottles and pretending it’s water. It’s pretty obvious but kind of funny.”
“In terms of the rest of the semester, communication to students and RA’s about what the rules and expectations are is not great. Management is kind of reacting as things happen and hoping for the best, which I don’t think is the best way of dealing with things. Students are definitely being negligent about mask use and social distancing, which we are trying to counteract.”
What has the first-year experience been like for residents so far?
“At the moment, spirits are pretty high, and they’re still trying to have a good time and celebrate O-Week as best they can even though there are all these restrictions in place. You feel a bit bad for them not being able to go clubbing or fully experience independence for the first time.”
“If I relate it to my own experience, I think [online learning] will make it more challenging for first-years to orient themselves with uni study and how it all works. But uni started online last year, and people adapted pretty quickly. As long as they have that comradery within the halls, they don’t feel that sorry for themselves. But If restrictions continue, that might change.”
Is living in halls worth it despite uni being online?
“Even though it’s limited, residents are still getting the uni experience they’re after. It surprised me how much they’re making the most of it and taking part in the events we can hold despite restrictions on numbers. I’d say it’s worth it for them because halls provide that first-year university community which they might otherwise be completely missing out on if they were isolated to their homes or could only come to uni to study while physically distancing.”
Georgia, Hall Resident
What COVID-19 rules are in place? How well are they being followed?
“It depends what RA you have. It’s different for each floor. Some RA’s are super strict about COVID and others are more chill. But the hall as a whole has good protocols. The communication to residents is good. We got an email today about whether we are a close contact or not, and luckily I’m not.”
How do you feel about living in a hall during COVID-19?
“I come from a small town where we only just got COVID there this past week. I haven’t lived with the same threat as there is in Auckland so I’m very alert about it. But COVID is here and there’s not much we can do. Maybe we won’t all get it but it’s probably gonna be in the halls. There’s two people on our floor isolating as close contacts. We just have to live with it I guess.”
Do you think you’re missing out on getting a real first-year experience?
“I was really looking forward to being in a lecture theatre and meeting new people, not just in my hall. Because then you can meet students with the same interests as you. I’m glad campus is still open, and we can go to the library for a change of scenery. We’ve met people from other floors but not through University run things.”
“I know events for O-Week got cancelled, but I’m not sure what they are, so I don’t know what we’re missing out on. We’re having a toga party, but it’s floor-based.”
Is living in halls worth it despite uni being online?
“I’m not from Auckland so unless I wanted to stay at my Auntie’s I had to stay in halls. It wasn’t something I chose to do, I had to if I wanted to come here. But we’re still getting amazing food, and they’re setting up events for us.”
Ella, Hall Resident
How do you feel about beginning your study online?
“To be honest, I loved online classes in high school. I think I did better because I could email my teacher whenever I had questions. Recorded classes might be harder, but halls are a good environment to study in because everyone is doing the same thing.”
Why did you choose to live in a hall despite lectures being online?
“I moved into a hall to meet new people and experience new things. I was sort of questioning it being in Red Light and only decided to go ahead with it the day before. So far I’m really enjoying it and think it was a good choice. I was umming and ahhing about it. But I feel like if I stayed home, I wouldn’t have made the same connections with people.”
How do you feel about living in a hall during COVID-19?
“It’s hard because you don’t want to be known as the ‘COVID person’ and have people worrying about being a close contact of you and messing up their week.”
“I think the University should be flexible, and if you wanna to isolate home or if you’re sent home, you shouldn’t have to pay accommodation fees.”
*Names have been changed to protect students’ identities.
