Western University welcomes back first year students

The last time First year students Katelyn and Brooke were on campus was before Christmas, they have been excited to get back to in class learning at the university.

“I guess being with people and doing work, you feel more actually immersed into what you're studying,” says Katelyn. “And so it feels less like work and more like you're actually being a part of whatever you're studying. And so I don't know I just think it makes it a lot more interesting.”

Hundreds of students moved back into residences on campus over the weekend, hoping this is the last time they will have switch gears this year.

“Obviously in university like school is super important, but also it's like making those memories and like experiencing life like kind of away from just being at home... Like that's what we are like, excited for as well,” says Brooke.

A school spokesperson says staff are excited for all students to be back on campus, but there still will be some measures in place to prevent outbreaks in congregate living situations.

“You know, there'll be measures that they'll see such as capacity limits on rooms, that masking obviously is a, you know, sort of mandatory requirement. And you know, sort of other sort of measures that we get advice from our health experts in that will follow,” says Chris Alleyne, associate vice president, student experience at Western.

One student CTV News told you about in January, Layla Adrianovska, was petitioning the university to allow her to continue learning online after developing a severe medical issue during COVID that makes attending class painful.

She recently learned her petition was accepted.

“So now being able to stay online is, it's just like a breath of fresh air like it's so nice to be able to have the accommodations I need to learn in a comfortable environment.” says Adrianovska

Western says it will continue to work with the health unit and medical experts to determine the best course forward.