New COVID-19 Campus Protocols Effective Monday, November 23, 2020

Dear colleagues,

On Friday evening, as part of its COVID-19 Response Framework (external link) , the Province of Ontario announced new safety protocols for the region. Effective Monday, November 23, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., Toronto will enter the grey “Lockdown” phase (external link)  of this Framework for a minimum of 28 days to help halt or interrupt the transmission of COVID-19.

What this means for campus activities as of Monday, November 23, 2020

Classes

Any in-person course activities that can be moved to a virtual format should be. We understand that some courses are being taught on campus because they require in-person clinical instruction or access to on-campus physical resources for students to meet their requirements. If you are teaching one of these courses, please confirm with your dean that the course cannot be moved to a virtual format. In compliance with the provincial guidelines, exceptions can only be permitted if the work cannot be reproduced virtually. Further, please note that nursing and midwifery clinical labs are exempt, as they have already been approved to continue in their current forms. 

Where in-person instruction is required (and approval is obtained), some students may not feel safe coming to campus in light of the current circumstances giving rise to the lockdown in Toronto. In these instances, a plan to provide alternatives to meet course requirements will be necessary.

Office Access

All previous approvals to work on campus for teaching and/or administrative work are revoked. The dean's offices will go through this review process again following the provincial government’s new criteria and will grant approvals, as appropriate. As such, faculty members and instructors who are currently working and teaching from their offices on campus are asked to do so from home. We appreciate that, for some of you, this may not be the preference, however office access is only permitted if the tools and technology you require to teach and/or conduct SRC activities are not available offsite. Again, we are asking deans to evaluate these instances on a case-by-case basis and to be discerning in their decision making.

SRC Activities

Scholarly, research and creative activities have been deemed essential by the Provincial Government and are moving forward, as appropriate. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation will communicate further details about SRC activities separately, and ongoing updates can be found COVID-19: SRC-Related Updates. Please reference this site for new SRC developments.

Experiential Learning Activities

Students who are currently participating in any form of experiential learning (including, but not limited to, internships, placements, co-op, capstones and class assignments) should also move to remote working environments, where permissible, as per the province’s guidelines. If an employer or organization has made the decision to remain open against the government’s direction, the student should not feel obligated to put themself at risk to complete their hours, and should speak with their instructor or Department/School to discuss suitable alternatives to meet course requirements.

Student Study Spaces

Communal student study spaces in the Library, the SLC or other campus buildings will be restricted. No new bookings will be accepted and those students who have upcoming reservations will be contacted by the appropriate teams regarding alternative arrangements. Of course, we are aware that some students rely on the university’s resources (e.g. wi-fi, computer equipment and quiet study areas) to complete their work – particularly as we approach the end of the term – and building managers will consider these circumstances individually so that the appropriate arrangements can be made. The Library is also working to ensure wi-fi hotspots and laptops are available to those in need at this time.

Thank you for your ongoing work

I would like to thank all of you for your continued commitment to the health and safety of all Ryerson community members. Though we certainly did not wish to return to the early stages of the provincial COVID-19 protocols, it is our collective responsibility to follow these directives so that we can stay well and return to our regular programming as soon as possible.

I would also like to acknowledge all of the incredible work that you have done to date in preparation and response to the evolving COVID-19 guidelines. This year has undoubtedly had its challenges, however the effort you have been putting in since March is allowing us to change course as needed and to adapt quickly. I am grateful for your ongoing ingenuity and flexibility that are carrying us forward and that will allow us to see our collective academic ambitions through.

Finally, I encourage you to continue referencing Ryerson’s COVID-19 website for the latest university updates, particularly the page dedicated to faculty and instructors, and to attend the virtual Faculty Town Hall on Tuesday, November 24 from 2-3 p.m. for further information and discussion on the above.

As always, I welcome your feedback, and if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Saeed Zolfaghari
Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic