I have set this petition up regarding college students not being allowed to learn on campus .We have been thrown into the deep end , trying to get a degree in an environment that we have never been in before .Most of us haven't stepped on campus or met a lecturer or classmate since we have started. I along with many other DCU students today received  an email today that said that the majority of ojr learning will stay online for the rest of year with only labs, practicals and skill based learning classes to go ahead and that the the teaching activities will be as they are for the rest of 20/21. The course I am doing means I will not step my foot on campus for the rest of the year  which means I will have no face to face interactions with my peers or my lecturers.

I, along with every other college student I know feels that it is completely unfair that being on campus to learn is classed as NON ESSENTIAL and yet primary and secondary schools somehow to be essential yet this our future .OUR DEGREE is  OUR FUTURE. No one seems to understand how the government feel that children aged  4-18 are capable of going to school regardless of a virus including thousands of them not wearing masks and yet adults over 18 years olds who understand that they need to wear a mask to prevent the spread of the virus are not allowed to attend college if it is not essential for them.

Mental health is essential. How do you expect thousands of college students to learn from home? How do you expect our mental health to stay intact staring at the same 4 walls everyday ? In 2019, The national report on Student Mental health in 3rd level education surveyed college students on aspects of their experiences with mental health in third level education. 38.4% of students are experiencing extremely severe levels of anxiety, 29.9% experiencing depression, 17.3% experiencing stress, 89.4% of students feeling lonely .Imagine how much them figures will rise in 2020/2021.

There are so many students who don't have an appropriate learning environment to study in. There are students who do not have access to the facilities that they need to complete their degree. We don't have on hand help from our lecturers when we need it. We can't focus in a non learning environment. It is not natural to have college over zoom calls. It is not fair. If students are allowed to attend primary and secondary schools then college students should be allowed to .We are only asking for at least 1 or 2 days of on campus learning a month in small groups .