Dear St Anne’s Student,
I hope you have been able to enjoy the spring vacation, and that you are well and looking forward to the term ahead.
This message is intended specifically for all of you who do not have a confirmed date to be back in Oxford but are waiting to hear if you will be able to return to your St Anne’s provided accommodation for Trinity Term.
I expect, like us, you have been scanning the news and government websites to see what guidance has been issued about students on non-practical courses returning to Universities. We had been told that we should expect an announcement on 8thApril, but the latest update received by the University is that we may have no clarity until the end of next week. I gather you should hear confirmation of the anticipated timescales for government announcements, consequent local decisions, and about plans for a Trinity Term testing regime for asymptomatic students from the University in the coming days.
Please know that we are just as frustrated as you that there apparently isn’t going to be more clarity about returning for next term until approximately 21st April. We want to be able to take all the steps we can to make the College environment as hospitable and supportive as possible for those who are here and this uncertainty is unhelpful to the College as well as disappointing for you. We are still hoping that Government guidance and the University’s decisions will enable all students who want to return to do so but we can’t assume this will happen until announcements are made. Be assured that Universities and student bodies are making their views known to government, including through Universities UK (https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/universities-demand-answers-government-student-returns.aspx ).
Thank you for your patience and fortitude in the face of this uncertainty on top of everything else that has happened in the last year and the other pressures you are under. I know this is a really difficult time and that everyone is facing different challenges, including the disappointment of missing out on too many of the usual activities and opportunities of university life.
Please remember all the people ( https://www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk/current-students/welfare-access/ ) and resources ( https://www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk/covid-19-information/welfare-and-mental-health-resources/ ) you can turn to for support and advice, and please do check in with any of your friends and contemporaries who may be struggling at the moment.
I will, of course, update you as soon as we can with more news.
With best wishes,
Helen
Helen King QPM
Principal, St Anne’s College