Kent Summer Fest and non-academic activities on campus cancelled

Elle Summers 4 July 2021

Image courtesy of The University of Kent

The University of Kent has made the decision to cancel all the non-academic activities happening on campus.

This decision has been made despite claims that all events would be COVID-safe by adhering to guidelines when the UK government decided not to lift these restrictions on the 21 June.

Although the initial alteration of these plans changed the events from what students were first expecting, such as having to sit in tables of six in Venue, at least some sense of a final celebration was to occur on campus.

The University has released the following announcement concerning these cancellations: ‘Following a fast-emerging rise in reported cases of Covid-19 among our students, we have taken the difficult decision to end all remaining non-essential student on-campus activity a week earlier than planned. While there is no evidence linking the rise to our on-campus events, we’ve had to take this precautionary measure to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our students, staff and visitors safe'.

‘The health and welfare of our community is our number one priority at all times. Our focus will now be on doing all we can to support our students on campus who were due to leave at the start of July to return home as soon as possible, once they have obtained a negative COVID-19 test result and it is safe to do so'.

While the student community appears understanding that the University are trying to make the best decisions to keep them safe, the feeling of disappointment amongst those still in Canterbury is palpable.

One student who wished to be kept anonymous stated that they were ‘extremely disappointed’ at the cancellation of events especially as this summer marks their final year at university.

With the pandemic spanning both their placement year and final year, they remarked that their ‘University student experience had been ruined’, and that these events were to be their, ‘one final time to party in Canterbury’.

Another student said: ‘it’s understandable that the university had to make this decision to keep us all safe, but the Summer Fest was the last time a lot of students were going to get to spend together, especially international students who may not be able to return for graduation due to travel rules and costs. It’s sad to see our friends go with no real way to celebrate.’

The University first notified students about this decision via an Instagram story on the 27 June, followed by an email from Richard Reece, the deputy Vice-Chancellor. Information about the closure of Venue can also be found on their social media pages.

This cancellation of the final summer events calls into question how the University will proceed next academic year. Whilst students know lectures will mainly be taking place online, with smaller group activities such as seminars happening in person, the other more social elements of student life remain up in the air.