I am writing to provide an update on return-to-campus plans and the delivery of Winter term classes.

The majority (85 per cent) of Winter term classes are hybrid, as they were in Fall term, meaning they are still a combination of online and in-person learning. Because of the current COVID situation, we are delaying much of our in-person delivery during January and February. This means that the university has decided to continue to deliver the majority of classes online until February 22, 2022.

Instructional activities that can best be delivered in person will continue unchanged and some additional in-person modules will be added after January 21, following discussions between instructional faculty, chairs and deans. Measures will be in place to ensure these are safely delivered. Students will receive specific instructions from their instructor or dean’s office if there are changes to their course delivery.

We are extending the timeline to do our part in slowing the transmission of the Omicron variant. The extension will allow more time for our university community and the communities we interact with to get vaccines and boosters, and will help minimize impacts caused by potential absenteeism among students, faculty and staff.

Whether you are working from home or on campus, your work arrangements can remain unchanged until we re-evaluate the situation in February. However, I know that many of you are eager to return to your pre-pandemic routines and would like to return to work on campus sooner – I encourage you to discuss this option with your manager or dean.

You can expect to hear from me before February 22 about our plans for the remainder of the term. We hope that at that time we will be able to return to our plan to bring all of us safely back to campus. We will continue to monitor and respond to the changing situation: please continue to check your email and the university website for updates.

Dr. Annette Trimbee

President and Vice-Chancellor

Originally distributed via GlobalMail on January 13, 2022