A message from your Student Union President as you start at LJMU

Hello and welcome to all new and returning students at LJMU. I know you’ll be as excited about coming to LJMU as I was when I began my course here four years ago.

You'll probably be little nervous, maybe even anxious, about leaving home and starting back at uni during this pandemic so, I know you'll understand why I make an appeal to you.

As President of your Student Union, I would normally be saying: ‘Be Safe, Have Fun and Get Involved’ but unfortunately now we're returning to campus with a deadly virus around, so this time all I ask is that you be safe and be responsible. We've seen young people scapegoated already by our government and students haven't even arrived yet; so let’s not give them a reason to blame us. 

Whilst we're in this pandemic we can still have a good time, but we all have a responsibility, not just ourselves safe but to everyone else too -  our coursemates, our housemates, our lecturers and the wider community, that means the people of Liverpool. 

As a student in this city, I have nothing but good things to say about Liverpudlians. Everything you hear about Scousers being warm, friendly and welcoming is true. They are always making me laugh and they really care, even when you live next door to them and you make too much noise, they knock on the door to see if you’re alright. They look after us and we look after them, that’s how it works in this city.

So let’s not be irresponsible with COVID. The UK is now seeing four times as many cases on average as it was in mid-July. Many people are already looking to blame young people – including students - so we have a job to do not least to protect our own reputation. We must respect others, adhere to social distancing and be strict as we can about personal hygiene.

As a student leader, I've worked closely and seen how over the summer this university has worked around the clock to ensure a safe environment. Our campus has been adapted to ensure that we control the flow of people around our buildings and we have measures to deal with the large numbers of people that make our university so friendly and lively, as well as offering specific support and help to anyone who may feel particularly vulnerable or concerned.

For more detail on these measures, how they will work for you, FAQs and resources, you can visit our Moving Forward microsite.

If you want to get in touch with us at the student union, please email us studentsunion@ljmu.ac.uk or find us on social media (@johnmooressu).

I look forward to meeting you all!