At the SU it's our priority is to keep you safe. This is why we will be working remotely for the time being and we'll be updating you over the next coming months via this news section of our website and social media. Remember you can also keep up to date with the latest from the college via the Intranet. For now, here's a message from Estates and Campus Operations.
Like all universities in the UK, the RCA is having to adapt to the challenges of operating in a Covid-19 world, and to put in place all the necessary safety measures to become "Covid-Secure" in line with UK government guidelines and to follow relevant public health advice. This means that the RCA new students join - or continuing students return to - in September will be very different. Changes have been made over the summer to ensure that staff and students will be safe, and that the College has done everything it can to put measures in place to limit the possible spread of the coronavirus on campus.
Perhaps the most obvious change is that the RCA will be replanning all its internal spaces to implement social distancing. This means the layouts of our teaching spaces, studios and communal facilities will be changed to maintain the recommended 2 metre social distancing wherever possible, and that additional safety measures, such as perspex screens, will be put in place in any situations where it is not possible to maintain 2 metre distancing. This means that the College has had to make some big changes to how we use our space, and it will no longer be possible for all students from all four Schools to be on campus, or in studios, at the same time while social distancing is still in place.
Also, each campus, and every building will have a clear, signposted one-way system, and there will be signage to mark out a similar one-way traffic route on every floor. The College will also be providing hand sanitiser stations across the campuses, and encouraging all staff and students to wear face coverings. Staff will be on campus at all times during opening hours to ensure that these new safety measures are observed by everyone.
The need to limit the possible spread of infection will also mean that all activities on campus will need to be booked or timetabled, so that the RCA can trace any contacts in the event of a confirmed Covid-19 case on campus, and to inform students and staff as soon as possible. This will be another big change for everyone, especially in an art and design university, and something we will all need to adapt to.
Angela Mitten, Director of E&CO