Thursday 2 April 2020 7:59pm
Campus Watch is an integral service at the University of Otago. Its primary role is assisting students to adjust to their lives away from home, with the team providing safety advice, guidance and security, to minimise risks to students while ensuring their behaviour does not negatively impact on the wider community and University.
However, during the COVID-19 situation its role has changed – the teams are still operating 24 hours a day seven days a week but with the campus closed and students in lockdown their role has shifted to security.
Campus Watch Team Leader Shane Key shares his experiences with the Otago Bulletin Board.
There is an eerie feeling on campus. Usually it’s brimming with students and staff but since 11.59pm on 25 March it’s been mostly empty.
There is very little in the way of foot traffic in and around the surrounding streets of campus, which is usually a busy hive of activity as people travel to and from classes, and to and from their Colleges and flats onto campus.
Since the lockdown began Campus Watch’s primary role is to ensure University property and buildings are secure by providing external building checks, patrol and presence on Campus, as well as ensuring only essential staff are permitted in University buildings.
Property Services staff also assist to ensure that internal checks of buildings are conducted for leaks and faults three times a week.
It is very different to the usually social day-to-day of Campus Watch staff, who regularly interact with students, staff and visitors on and around campus.
Staff now need to keep their distance to ensure safety to themselves and others is maintained.
Normally at this time of year Campus Watch is ensuring the safety of our students at gatherings around campus. However, this has completely changed with the lockdown.
The streets of north Dunedin, usually brimming with happy and eager students, are quiet.
This is something I have never seen in my six years of being with Campus Watch.