Wondering about that large, white tent on the front lawn of Lady Eaton College? Sponsored by Trent’s colleges and the School of Education, the tent is available to all students and will provide a safe, weather-ready space on campus where individual students, groups, or clubs can host events, activities can socialize safely outdoors this fall.

“It’s so important to us that students are able to experience everything that Trent has to offer,” said Dr. Christine Freeman-Roth, principal of Lady Eaton College at Trent University. “Heading into this year it was important for us to provide a safe space students could use regardless of weather.”

Weather can be a constant variable when planning outdoor activities. Abhishek Nigham, an Orientation Week facilitator with the college, found this out first hand during Orientation Week when events were hit with intermittent rain. Luckily, Student Affairs had anticipated that possibility and secured a tent just in case.

“Having a covered space allowed us to keep our Orientation Week programming consistent, and safe,” said Abhishek. “It also provided a great outdoor space for students to connect with each other and take part in programming.”

With indoor capacity limits still in effect for social gatherings and cooler fall weather on the horizon, Trent University colleges noted that a weather-ready space would be useful while continuing to provide traditional and new experiences for students on campus. After exploring options, the colleges secured the same 60-foot tent used during Orientation Week and made arrangements to keep it up until the end of October.

“Providing a weather-ready, outdoor space for students reinforces our commitment to providing a safe and dynamic environment for students to live, learn and have fun while protecting the campus and our local community,” said Dr. Freeman-Roth. “Many students have already decided to use the tent as a place to have lunch, connect with friends, or host activities.”

The tent be available to all students for use throughout the fall term and will also be used by the School of Education for a physical education class, and by the Colleges to host traditional College Weekends. All student clubs and groups are also welcome to book the space, and will need to complete Trent University’s Risk Assessment process to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols are being followed.