(3) Development of Campus Environments for Greater Amenity and Enrichment of Learning and Student Life

1) Facilities and campus infrastructure

Securing facilities and class venues is a major precondition for supporting student life, advancing new educational initiatives, and realizing curricula and class schedules that enhance students’ learning. Campus development plans were pursued under R2020, including the opening of OIC in AY 2015, with a view to providing the basic infrastructure and conditions for education, research, and student life. This perspective informed the development and utilization of a full range of learning commons during the R2020 period. These commons are pleasant places for students to spend time on campus, providing opportunities for peer learning in diverse forms beyond the learning that takes place in classrooms, during class time, and within the formal curriculum. These commons include the Piara spaces within libraries on each campus, the commons that capitalize on the characteristics of college facilities and other specific facilities at KIC, and the Sports and Health Commons and Outdoor Commons at BKC, while at OIC we have developed a variety of commons under the concept of making the entire campus a place of learning.

Since AY 2015 we have also commenced operation of new graduate school facilities in the Kyuronkan at KIC and the graduate school area in Building A at OIC, with a view to developing environments responsive to the diverse needs of graduate students, including enhanced research labs, commons, and meeting rooms.

Other improvements in campus environments have been pursued from the standpoint of promoting diversity and inclusion, including the installation of escalators and sloped pathways on campus, and the opening of daycare facilities.

2) Foundational support for safety, security, and comfort in campus life

Medical Service Centers have been established on each campus in order to support the foundations of safe, secure campus life for students. Initiatives centered on these Medical Service Centers include Travel Clinics established in AY 2015, the peer supporter-operated +R Study Abroad Health Supporters system launched in AY 2019, the medical expense subsidy system provided by the Parents Association of Student Education Assistance since AY 2017, and the Healthy Campus Ritsumeikan Declaration and Health Promotion Plan formulated in AY 2018. Moreover, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have included the establishment of fever clinics (AY 2020), the introduction of PCR testing devices (AY 2021), and on-campus vaccination programs (since AY 2021).

In addition, we have been pursuing initiatives for smoke-free campuses, including the AY 2009 establishment of the Smoke-Free Campus Promotion Committee, and no-smoking education and patrol campaigns.

Another essential part of making campus life more pleasant is the enhancement of dining environments. We have established Lunch Streets at BKC (since AY 2011) and OIC (since AY 2015). Furthermore, we renovated and expanded the seating in the Zonshinkan cafeteria at KIC in AY 2017, and opened Forest Dining nadeshico at BKC in AY 2021. A Lunch Street was also opened at KIC in AY 2021 as another one of the range of initiatives designed to enhance dining environments on campus.