Campus Life

We will be following the current UK Government guidelines as a minimum and in some instances putting further measures in place to look after our whole community and provide extra peace of mind.

There will be a number of changes to the way we move around campuses, use buildings and attend classes and seminars mainly as a result of ensuring we follow social-distancing guidelines. Our campuses and their facilities will be operating as normally as possible. Although, the situation is rapidly changing these are some of the things you can expect to find:

• Social distancing
• Face-coverings
• Increased cleaning
• Temperature testing
• Access to hand washing facilities
• Hand-sanitizer dispensers and extensive daily cleaning

You can find further information on the safety measures on our webpage here .

Following the social distancing rules is extremely important for your safety. We ask all our staff and students to follow the government advice on social distancing, as well as following any additional safety measures set out by the University. This includes:

• Self-isolating if symptomatic
• Informing the University accordingly
• Wearing a face covering

The University takes these rules very seriously. The Regulations governing Non-academic Misconduct and the Regulations governing Halls of Residence outline what happens if these rules are broken. This policy will be shared with you when you start in September.

We are aiming to have as many facilities open as we can, operating as normal, where possible. This includes our sports facilities, the libraries and our catering outlets.

The Students’ Union shop is currently open. Remember to wear a face covering when entering the shop.

None of our physical libraries are currently open for students to browse books or use the study spaces. However, they are currenltly operating a click & collect service for books.

Digitised items

You can request a digitised book chapter or extract from items in Hartley Library stock to support your study, teaching or research. A small team of Library staff will be in the building to process the requests but there will be no entry to the building for other staff or students. You can request digitised items via the Requests & Document Supply option in WebCat .

Click & collect

We are operating a click & collect service, allowing you to reserve books available in the Hartley Library, Winchester School of Art and the Health Services Library and collect them. You can place requests using the Place a Hold option in WebCat . We will let you know by email when your book(s) are ready and you can collect them (contact free) at the times set by the Library. Please note that you may have to queue and we ask you to respect physical distancing

Resources

To access our library resources digitally, please visit our website where you will be able to:

• Use our extensive e-resources, including ebooks and ejournals.
• Use our online study support resources.
• Get help and support online via Library Enquiries or talk to us online via Library Chat.

We will be following the current UK Government guidelines as a minimum and in some instances putting further measures in place to look after our whole community.

Currently, no large group events are allowed to take place. Unfortunately, this means it will be very difficult for us to hold large events during Welcome Week such as the Freshers’ Fair.

We will consider events on a case by case basis, but it is unlikely that we will be able to hold large scale events on campus for a while.

Our services are still here to offer you dedicated support right now, you just need to access them online.

The teams are busy updating what they can offer in September, and if guidelines allow, are looking forward to physically opening so you can visit them when you return.

For now, find out how you can access these services over the summer:

• The Student Services Centre are here for you via email and the via the online chat service . You can contact them Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 17:00.
• Enabling Services have shared how they are offering support online to help students with their mental health and wellbeing, disabilities and Specific Learning Difficulties. Email: enable@southampton.ac.uk
• Careers Advisors are available online to offer you careers advice, help with your C.V and much more. The Fairs Team is busy planning a virtual version of the October Careers Fair so watch this space. Email careers@southampton.ac.uk

Once emailed, the above teams will contact you to arrange an appointment via Microsoft Teams video or audio call.

• The Students’ Union Advice Centre is working remotely to provide independent and confidential advice to all students. Visit the website to find out more and to access a number of guides that include practical advice. Email: advice@susu.org
• The Student Life Team is here to support you online 24/7 and can be contacted by emailing: studentlife@soton.ac.uk
• The Sport and Wellbeing Team have been keeping us fit in lockdown with their #DoesYouGood campaign . Take part in a range of free fitness classes by logging into Facebook , or YouTube . Sports facilities will open from Monday 7 September including the Jubilee Sports Centre, Wide Lane and the Mayflower Gym. Outdoor facilities for tennis, netball and basketball are available to use now at Wide Lane and Avenue Campus. Find out more on the Sport and Wellbeing webpage.

View a complete list of all support services on the Student Services website.

We will allocate rooms following our usual process. You will be asked to complete our online application where you will be asked to fill in your preferences. We will allocate and match accommodation as closely as possible to your preference. Please note, this cannot always be guaranteed.

If you are an International student, this may vary due to any quarantine periods set by the government.

If you have any underlying health conditions, or specific requirements, you will need to include this in your application so we can take this into consideration.

You can find further information about student accommodation on our webpage .

By applying for halls, you are not committing yourself to a contract or financial obligation. You will not commit to anything until the day you move into your room. You can withdraw at any time up to this point with no cost. We understand this is an uncertain time and we will provide as much flexibility as possible when moving into your accommodation.

Your safety is our top priority, and we are aware students in halls of residence will be coming from all over the UK and the World.

When moving into halls it is expected that:

• All students who have been in the UK prior to moving into halls will need to spend their first 7 days in halls and form their new ‘household’.
• Some International students/students who have been overseas will need to spend their first 14 days quarantined in halls

Specific arrival periods and details are currently being worked through and information will be shared with halls of residence applicants in due course.

We will continue to be governed in our decision making in this area by focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff and students.

The following measures will be taken:

• Students will have access to their own private wash basin and numbers will be restricted in shared flats – max 4 students per bathroom and 8 per shared kitchen.
• Face coverings to be worn in all communal areas
• Face to face interactions e.g. at halls receptions will be kept to a minimum
• Cleaners will not move between multiple ‘households.’ They will not access flats or communal areas in flats e.g. kitchens
• Increased cleaning in all communal areas including hand sanitizer at all entrances
• All residents will need to look after each other – please respect the rules and your fellow residents

Any breach of safety measures will be taken very seriously.

As per government advice, when you move into halls of residence, you will become a ‘household’. If anyone in your ‘household’ has symptoms of COVID-19, you will all be expected to follow UK government advice, which currently is, a household will need to isolate for 14 days .

Wi-fi is available in all halls. However, for all academic activity it is highly recommended that you connect your devices using an Ethernet cable to our network to maximize reliability especially when viewing video content. We will share instructions on how to do this soon.

If you have any further questions please email accommodation@soton.ac.uk