Loyalist’s office manager of Student Life Programming, Nancy Simpson (left), and the Shark Tank co-ordinator, Olivia Millard, are happy to see students back at the pub. Photo by Victoria Caminha, QNet News
By Victoria Caminha [1]
BELLEVILLE – The Shark Tank pub [2] at Loyalist College re-opened its doors on Sept. 6, the clearest sign yet that campus life is returning to normal after more than two years of COVID-19.
Raven Chartrand, an environmental technician student, said that not having the space took away a huge opportunity for the students to hang out and connect.
“It’s important that we have that time to decompress outside of the classroom and if we want to make life meaningful, connections with our classmates,” Chartrand said.
During COVID, people had to adapt to a “new normal.” Students haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the pub or events in a common area since March 2020.
Abbey Dafoe, an occupational therapist student, agreed with Chartand: “Coming out of COVID, it is something that has been amazing because we never had this experience last year and (it’s important) to be able to have a kind of outgoing place to go and have fun.”
Olivia Millard [3], the pub’s co-ordinator, told QNet News that one of the biggest impacts of COVID on campus was that the college couldn’t provide fun events for students at the Shark Tank. Those events were a big community builder, Millard said.
“Students need to have fun.”
The re-opening of the pub will have other positive impacts, she said.
“I think also students are at their best mental health when they have a strong support network around them.” The activities at the Shark Tank help students in “building strong relationships with people who maybe aren’t in their program,” Millard said.
“This can be their communal place where they come together.”
The pub is a huge employment opportunity for students – an opportunity that was lost during the past couple of years, she said.
“We lost almost 40 on-campus employment opportunities due to being closed.” Those jobs included bartenders, security, and event staff positions.
Now, with the doors open, staff estimate that almost 1,450 students came to the pub to participate in four events in the first week of classes. Forty-five students are now working as staff members.
“I’m enjoying the events a lot,” Alec Habraken, an electrical technician student, told QNet. “We’ve been out … two or three times to the Shark Tank, and we definitely have met some new faces and got to meet some people. So it’s been good for the students’ mental health for sure.”
The pub offers trivia nights, bingo, free pool games, live music, and a brand-new outdoor patio that the students can enjoy.
For more information and an events calendar, click here. [4]