If you are a manager of staff whose work is not computer-based, please print this email and display it in a common work area for them to review.
 
COVID-19 — Update on Winter Session, Term 2

To all our students, faculty and staff, we hope you had a restful holiday and a happy New Year.

As we enter 2022, we know the Omicron variant is a concern for many in our community. The UBC Broadcast, dated December 22, indicated that the university would delay the majority of in-person teaching and learning until January 24, with in-person learning continuing for some programs.

We understand that students, faculty and staff require timely information for planning, particularly those who may be travelling internationally. Today we are confirming that UBC has made the decision to continue to deliver the majority of programs online until February 7.

This decision was made in consultation with the Deans on both campuses, academic heads and directors, student leadership, union groups and associations. Faculties and academic units will provide further details on specific programs and courses. We will continue to assess the situation from the perspective of our students, faculty and staff, and during the week of 24 January we will provide a further update regarding our full return to in-person teaching and learning.

We recommend that all students plan to be on campus early in February, so they can be ready for the start of in-person teaching and learning. We are also in the process of continuity planning for the potential impact of the Omicron variant on our employees, and any associated demands on the university’s testing capacity.

As a reminder, both UBC campuses remain open including student housing, student services, and all libraries. Student services continue to be offered, both in-person and online, to support our students on campus as well as those who are learning remotely. Research and scholarship activities on UBC campuses also continue under current safety plans. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to be flexible and allow remote work, where academic or operational requirements permit. However, where in-person work remains necessary, remote work arrangements may not be possible.

If you are studying or working on campus, thank you for supporting the protocols and measures in place to safeguard yourself and others. For more information on UBC’s response to COVID-19, please visit https://covid19.ubc.ca/ or https://ok.ubc.ca/covid19/.

We remain committed to the full return to in-person teaching and learning, and will provide further updates as soon as we can. In the meantime, we would like to thank all our students, faculty and staff for responding quickly to facilitate this shift in educational delivery, in order to support UBC’s academic mission.

Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor


Lesley Cormack
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan
 
This message was sent to faculty, staff and students in Vancouver and the Okanagan.


UBC Broadcast is used to communicate time sensitive, organization-wide information to faculty, staff and students. Learn more
 
The University of British Columbia