Student support is the only way that universities can battle this crisis, says Professor Richard Davies
There were many sttudents who chose to stay at the universitaby abroad for many reasons: some didn't want to put a family member at risk, others were on placement as a key worker or they couldn't return home because airports were closed. This meant there was need to take extraordinary measures to keep staff and students safe.
We, at Newcastle University, started by putting together a package of virtual support and then, with a team of staff and willing volunteers, we undertook the task of reaching out to, and tracking down these students, in order to provide both practical and emotional support.
We are still working with the Students' Union (NUSU) to provide the support required. This includes the 181 international students who indicated they had not returned home and received support from out student health and wellbeing team. Any student with academic concerns also received follow-up calls.
These teams are continuing to deliver support remotely via phone and video service including counselling and study skills sessions. The move from face-to-face to online counselling means that the students are able to be given more support with longer hours.
The team of volunteers have taken part in a calling campaign within university managed and partner/private halls of residence to be able to ascertain where students were and what support they needed, including over 360 international students in university accommodation and 575 international students in partner and privately managed halls.
The university has agreed to waive all third term rent payments for students who have left their university-owned accommodation, to assist the students financially. We have been working closely with the large private student accommodation providers and the City Council to agree support and approaches for students.
The writer is Pro-VC, Global, Newcastle University