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The Founding College of the University of Toronto

UC Staying Social with Engaging Online Content

Student Life
UC Daily

By Kirk Sibbald

When they’re not being chased by evil squirrels or having segments usurped by doppelganger imposters, Adrian Leckie and Kimiya Karbasy are working hard to keep University College connected.

In the months since campus was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Student Life employees have launched several videos that are published weekly on social media. Polished, informative, and engaging, the videos have gotten rave reviews and are helping UC maintain its close-knit community while remaining physically distant. 

“The main motivation for these segments is that we really want to remind students that we’re still here,” explained Karbasy, UC’s Residence Life Coordinator. “We can’t see each other face-to-face, but we are still available to support them.”

When the U of T shut down in mid-March, Karbasy and Leckie quickly joined forces and began working on plans to keep UC students connected to campus remotely. Their efforts have been particularly important for the approximately 70 international students who remain in residence at UC, as they have been unable to go home due to travel restrictions.  

The UC Daily, published on Mondays, blends comedy with college updates and interviews with others from the UC community. Episode 7, for example, started with Karbasy being chased by “Bob,” a nefarious squirrel in the UC quadrangle, before moving on to information about Hart House launching a virtual art museum. Another begins with Leckie humorously walking in on his doppelganger talking to Karbasy before providing updates on journaling workshops and the fall semester.

Wellness Wednesdays, produced by Leckie, focuses on topics such as healthy eating, exercising, and mental health. Cooking with Kimiya videos are published every Tuesday and feature Karbasy making easy and healthy meals or snacks. 

UC’s student council also hosts Student Central on Thursdays, and Make Fridays Matter is an online study hub, meaning UC has something for students to tune into every weekday. The videos are hosted on Instagram and Facebook, and Leckie and Karbasy have also made a foray into Tik Tok with comical videos about studying and other college-related initiatives.

“We really wanted to have a different segment every day to meet the diverse needs of students,” says Leckie, UC’s Student Life Coordinator. “Whether they are enrolled in classes or not right now, there are still many ways for them to stay informed, to learn about wellness, and to stay connected with others.”

After a few weeks of producing the videos on their own, Leckie and Karbasy wanted to get students more directly involved. They therefore developed a contest where students could submit their own Wellness Wednesdays or Cooking with Kimiya videos to win gift cards, which several students have already done.

Though the pandemic has completely changed the daily nature of their jobs, both Leckie and Karbasy have enjoyed the opportunity to try new things and dive more deeply into certain tasks that they did not have as much time for previously. 

“When this pandemic happened, it kind of gave us this opportunity to put time into exploring what we can really do through social media,” says Karbasy.  “We’ve also gotten really great feedback from students, and administration and staff as well, and that’s been really motivating for us.”

With remote learning likely to continue for many in the fall semester, Leckie said he is looking forward to fine tuning and potentially expanding UC’s virtual student programs. And despite the many challenges brought about by the pandemic, he is also appreciative of the many learning opportunities it has presented.  

“Come fall, things like orientation are going to be great learning experiences for lots of professionals,” he says. “And I think being able to continue finding those opportunities to keep students feeling connected is going to be really interesting and important.”