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'It's empty here': International students left in LU's rez after their Canadian peers depart

Staff working to meet the needs of the students who remain on campus amid the pandemic

Life is pretty quiet for third-year Laurentian University mining engineering student Shengle Luo right now. 

Normally Laurentian University's campus is home to about 1,600 students populating residence buildings run by both Laurentian and its federated universities.

Most moved home after classes went entirely online earlier this month because of COVID-19. 

But Luo, an international student from the southeast Chinese province of Jiangi, is still living in his residence room.

According to Laurentian, roughly 80 per cent of those left in rez are international students.

Laurentian said it has about 150 students it expects will stay in the residences it runs for the long-term. 

There are also about 30 or 40 students left in the residences run by the three federated universities — Huntington University, Thorneloe University and the University of Sudbury.

“It's empty here,” said Luo, who admits to being a bit lonely and bored right now as he sticks around his rez room. 

“I can't see my friends and people as usual, maybe just watch some videos from YouTube and some shows,” he said. “Sometimes I want to study.”

He said he's not scared with news of the pandemic hitting Canada. The student does wonder, however, why Canadians don't wear masks out in public as a matter of course like people in Asia commonly do.

“Canadians don't use that,” Luo said. “I don't know why. It seems very strange in the market.”

While Wuhan, China is the epicentre of COVID-19, reports say life is returning to normal there now. Luo said where he comes from, COVID-19 is now “controlled.” 

The student said it would be impossible for him to get home right now. He was hoping to travel back to China in about a month, when school is done, but is now not sure what he's going to do.

While Laurentian's classes have been moved online, traditional sit-down exams cancelled for this semester and food services shuttered, rez has been kept open for students who don't have anywhere else to live.

Ben Demianiuk, Laurentian's director of business development, said university officials have been in constant communication with the students still living in rez to make sure they're doing OK.

Some are being moved from dormitories to apartment-style residences so they're not living at close quarters with others. Cleaning of high-touch areas has been stepped up to protect students' safety.

While there are no food services, most students have been cooking their own meals from food purchased at the grocery store. 

Frozen meals are available and gift cards to grocery stores are available for these students in a pinch, and a residence food bank has been set up.

The residence life team has also been setting up social activities such as virtual yoga and a virtual scavenger hunt.

A plan has been put in place “to make sure we're engaging students not just for the physical needs, but also their emotional and intellectual needs as well,” Demianiuk said.

Laurentian's international student department has also been working with individual students who may be in need of assistance in trying to get home.

“Really, if there's something a student needs, they just need to reach out to us, and we'll be able to help them out,” Demianiuk said.

It's much the same situation over at Cambrian College.

While the campus is closed, including food services, about 75 to 80 students are still living in rez. About 40 of those students are international students. Normally there are 500 students living in rez at Cambrian.

Most students went home after classes went online, but some students don't have that option. Cambrian residence staff are checking in on the students who remain and making sure they have what they need, including food.

“International students, where are they going to go?” said Cambrian spokesperson Dan Lessard.

“There may be some of our domestic students, same thing. They do not have a viable option to leave. 

“We said to them 'If you want to stay on residence, if you feel this is your best option, absolutely, we are not going to close it on you, we're not going to leave you homeless.'”

Lessard adds many of Cambrian's staff are still working, albeit from home, and are available over the phone to help students.

Parthraj Singh is an international student at Cambrian College, but he actually lives with a group of friends in a house near the college's campus.

The student from Mumbai, India arrived in Canada in September, and is taking a graduate certification in international business management.

He said he's staying in Canada amid the pandemic — Singh is still finishing his studies, and he has a job at Home Depot (the store is still open because it's considered an essential service).

There is also an outbreak of COVID-19 in Mumbai. His family is doing well, although it's an adjustment dealing with measures including social distancing.

“Many times we feel that in a crisis situation maybe it's better to go home,” Singh said.

“But with that said, I will be putting more people at risk just because of me travelling there. Anything that I can do to keep the risks low for me as well as other people, that's what I'm going to do.”


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