University of Windsor Students feel impact of anti-mandate protests

With the access to the Ambassador Bridge right next door to the University of Windsor, studentsare feeling the impact of the ongoing protest against public health measures.

"I've heard about it in the news for so long and I just can't believe that it's right here," student Natasha Fishman said on Thursday.

The university and much of its student housing are located at Huron Church Road and Wyandotte street West, one location protesters have been congregating at.

Last month, classes returned to in-person learningafter a long stretch of online learning due to COVID-19 but because of the protest, professor Lisa Porter has moved her classes back online.

"We don't want students having to drive with not able to get to the parking lots and just to battle the traffic, there's no sense in putting ourstudents in danger or stuck in traffic and miss their classes," Porter said.

"The easiest thing was to say let's go back online."

Learning opportunity

In an email to CBC News,a spokesperson for the university saidthere's been no disruption of services. The statementdid, however, say thattraffic congestion may cause delays getting to campus. It also said that campus police are in regular communication with Windsor police and OPPand are patrolling on foot to ensure safety.

"Every day that it goes on I'm just being like'alright, more things are getting blocked off? Let's just find a different way to get home'," third-year student Daniel Cabraja said.

Political science professor Jamey Essex said he'susing the protest as a learning opportunity for students.

"It's a bit strange to talk about it in the classroom when its 150 metres away and it's like twodifferent worlds," Essexsaid. "It is a bit strange, particularly in my classes I teach about things that are quite distance at a global scale."