Return to campus information for the Faculty of Community Services
Dear FCS community:
On Wednesday last week, President Lachemi announced that the university will return to in-person teaching and learning activities during the month of February, with a full return to campus completed by February 28, 2022. This announcement confirms the university’s plans for a full return to campus during the Winter 2022 semester announced in June 2021 with supporting communications throughout the fall semester. The Faculty of Community Services has had in-person teaching and learning activity unfold on campus throughout the pandemic, primarily in our Nursing, Midwifery, and Food and Nutrition science and simulation labs and practice seminars. Many students across all our schools have returned to in-person field education and placements in the community for several months, and of course, quite a large number of our first-year students have been living on campus in residence throughout this academic year.
Much like leaving campus at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 presented many challenges to students, staff, and faculty, returning to campus will undoubtedly do so as well. We recognize that in addition to the logistical challenges, many members of our community are anxious and worried. At the same time, many members of our community are excited to finally return to the richness of campus life, in-person learning, and the invaluable connections that form in gatherings of students, faculty, and staff in classrooms and across campus spaces. Unfortunately, there is no pathway to a return to campus that will meet everyone’s expectations.
As a Faculty, we are committed to doing everything we can to respond meaningfully to exceptional circumstances as these present themselves. And, as much as we may wish to do so, we cannot solve every challenge encountered by individual students, staff, or faculty alone. The responsibility to problem solve, to make decisions about our individual circumstances, and to develop constructive approaches that meet the current context for individuals rests with everyone, it is a shared responsibility. There may be circumstances where individuals have to accept solutions that are different than what was originally hoped for.
Return to Campus Schedule
| Week of January 31 | Continue in-person activities in labs and practice seminars while preparing for increasing in-person activity the following week. |
| Week of February 7 | Graduate courses and fourth year or final year courses that were scheduled for in-person delivery before the holidays will return to in-person delivery on campus. |
| Week of February 14 | All courses that were scheduled for in-person delivery before the holidays with a student enrollment of 60 or fewer will return to in-person delivery on campus. |
| Week of February 20 | Reading Week (Winter Break). |
| Week of February 28 | All courses that were scheduled for in-person delivery before the holidays will return to in-person delivery on campus. |
Many of our students take courses that are offered by other Faculties at the university. These courses may return to in-person delivery at different times, and students are strongly advised to check with their instructors in these courses for updates on when the course returns to in-person delivery.
As we return to campus over the next few weeks, please note that the university’s policies, informed by government and public health agencies, continue to mitigate – but not eliminate – risks:
- The vaccination policy remains and requires everyone on campus to be fully vaccinated (two vaccine doses with the second dose at least 14 days ago)
- The masking policy remains in place
- Air ventilation has been upgraded across campus
- Social distancing outside of classrooms continues to be required
The university’s plan for a full return to campus is consistent with the plans already announced or about to be announced by other post-secondary institutions across Ontario. Elementary and High Schools are returning to in-person delivery this week. Across Ontario and especially in the GTA, the frontline workers in hospitals, long-term care facilities, early childhood centers, schools, group homes and elsewhere are our graduates working to support everyone’s wellbeing. We are the Faculty of Community Services – community service does not take a break for pandemics; to the contrary, this is when we are called upon to become more present.
- Kiaras Gharabaghi, Dean, Faculty of Community Services
