The following updates are provided by the Return-to-Campuses steering committee.

What to expect next week

Following provincial guidelines and advice from public health, on June 29 the University will begin the next step in its gradual return to campus for faculty, staff and students. The primary goals of this next step in our return are to support:

• The University’s research enterprise with an increase of research activities; and
• Instructors in their preparations for remote delivery of courses this fall

Physical distancing continues to be a priority and access to campus remains limited to those approved to be on campus. For now, staff, faculty and graduate students able to work from home will continue to do so. Please do not come to campus unless you are conducting approved work or research.

Guidance resources from Environmental Health and Safety and Physical Resources will be available soon. It is highly recommended that all those approved to return to campus to undertake research or for work from June 29 onward complete the COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Awareness training through CourseLink – log in and go to the “Self-Registration” tab.

Phase-in of research

As of June 29, the Research Phase-In Framework from the Office of Research will be used by colleges, academic units, and researchers to develop and approve the plans necessary to start increasing research activities beyond what is currently approved.

Research phase-in will require completion and approval of a Research Management Plan. The Research Management Plan includes assessment of research spaces and common spaces used by faculty, students, and research staff, which will be supported by local joint health and safety committee members. Researchers, including graduate students, should only conduct research once their academic unit or college has notified the Office of Research of their approved Research Management Plan and the notification has been confirmed.

Graduate students whose research was curtailed since the declaration of the pandemic state of emergency should work with their advisors to determine if and when they may resume their research activities. Consistent with the provincial government’s recently announced pilot plan to support students in fulfilling final degree requirements, extra efforts will be made to accommodate graduate students with research facility needs.

The process of preparing University-operated facilities for a safe reopening is a significant undertaking. We appreciate your patience as the Physical Resources team supports the preparation of research-intensive spaces for greater occupancy.

Instructor preparations for fall 2020

Courses in the fall 2020 semester will be delivered through a hybrid model – most courses will be delivered remotely and a small number with specific on-campus requirements will be delivered face-to-face.

Many instructors intend to use on-campus resources to begin recording lectures for remote delivery in the fall. With a significant number of course hours to record, plans are in development to help prepare facilities and schedule resources to support instructors in this capacity. More information will be available soon.

Instructors should not come to campus to record lectures until plans to facilitate access have been communicated.

Please note that there are many ways to record a lecture other than coming to campus. There is a resource on the OpenEd website that describes the various ways it can be done.

We appreciate your patience as we prepare for a safe and gradual return to campus. We will be developing a new dedicated website in the next two weeks on this phased return to campus and will share details once available.

The University’s COVID-19 website is your best source of information on U of G’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.