Photo by: Isaac Quesada (via Unsplash)
One week after a delayed start to the fall semester on January 11th, MUN students returned to labs in-person starting on January 18, 2022, amid concerns regarding health and safety.
Students and lab instructors are required to wear three-ply masks at all times, which are provided at the entrance to the laboratories, leave the room to eat or drink and minimize contact. Despite these efforts, maintaining safe distances is difficult in labs with shared workspaces. Students have still expressed concerns about the university upholding public health regulations, with a petition for labs to be moved online due to inadequate safety measures reaching 751 signatures as of Wednesday, February 2. The petition also notes the lack of clarity about penalties should a student need to self-isolate and miss a lab session.
4th-year psychology student Hayley Whelan described the experience of returning to campus as positive, yet daunting. “At my lab on the 26th of January, my fellow students seemed to me to be a bit apprehensive – even with the increased accommodations due to remote classes. I was very anxious being on campus for the first time in over a month, especially with our current COVID situation. To be honest, my hands were trembling as I blotted various dyes and chemicals onto my biological samples.”
The first two weeks of labs proceeded at reduced capacity, which made physical distancing easier. However, as many courses are continuing with normal class sizes in labs starting January 31st, this is expected to become much more difficult. “We had severely reduced lab sizes, and I’m not sure that these conditions will continue now that we are back on campus. For my part, I would be nervous sitting at a bench directly next to another student and significantly more distressed if I were asked to participate in intimate group work. If labs were to continue with a decreased class size, I think I would adjust. However, I am exponentially more nervous about returning to sharing my personal space with other students in a lab,” Hayley stated.
While the return to campus at full capacity has been stressful for many, completing lab work remotely was not an effective substitute for hands-on experience. As a science student, Hayley noted the value of practical learning. “Even though I prefer to stay home as much as possible, I do see the value in completing labs in person. I get hands-on experience with using microscopes and creating slides instead of trying to learn through demonstration videos and photos, as I have in the past with online learning. For the first time, I got to experience having a lab in the new Core Science Building – another positive of being on campus.”
As of February 2, 2022, the provincial Department of Health has reported 248 new cases of COVID-19, with 20 people hospitalized and 9 in critical care.
