The University of Manitoba’s winter term will look much like its fall, with the majority of staff and students expected to continue studies at home on a virtual campus.
U of M president Michael Benarroch provided the public with an update about the upcoming term Monday.
“We made this decision as early as possible in order to enable you to plan the rest of your academic year accordingly,” Benarroch wrote in a post on the Winnipeg-based school’s website.
“Circumstances surrounding COVID-19 could potentially change, but today, with our priority your safety, health and well-being, continuing with primarily remote delivery is the most prudent course of action.”
The winter term will be held primarily via remote delivery, except for a small number of in-person courses, he added.
Few students and staff members have congregated on campus since March, when in-person classes were first suspended on both Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses.
This fall, orientations went virtual, student groups pivoted online and less than 10 per cent of course offerings at the university have an in-person instructional element.
The latest update came as an early surprise to Brianna Gifford, a first-year student, who had her fingers crossed the COVID-19 situation would improve before the new year. Unable to cross the border, Gifford started her university career from her home in Minnesota.
“I was really looking forward to my first semester on campus, as remote learning has been kind of difficult from home. It’s also kind of hard being so far away from campus trying to get study (resources), books, and of course, doing labs online,” she told the Free Press.
Jelynn Dela Cruz, president of the U of M students union, said Monday continuing remotely has its “tradeoffs.”
Dela Cruz said it’s a disappointment students will still be unable to socialize in and between classes, meet their instructors in person and attend school events, but they are playing an important role in prioritizing public health.
Everyone is always looking at a place to point the finger, Dela Cruz said, but in this case, “You can’t point the finger at the university, you’d have to point the finger at the coronavirus — the virus as a whole and individuals who aren’t necessarily playing their part in flattening the curve.”
She said the union urges students to be mindful of setting an example for others when it comes to following public health protocols.
“One hint of optimism will just be that the issues that we’re seeing now, moving into the winter term, operating remotely, are no longer unprecedented,” Dela Cruz added. “We’ve had months now in the making and identifying issues and points of improvement.”
Neither the University of Winnipeg nor Brandon University has announced plans for the winter term. Their respective spokespeople said Monday community members can expect updates in the coming weeks.
Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press
