Return to McMaster proposal sheds light on fall term
Due to COVID-19, McMaster’s oversight committee makes recommendations on the fall and winter semesters Elisa Do News Editor
March 2020, McMaster University has Srisingince halted regular in-person classes due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now,
more than a year later, as the Ontario government rolls out vaccinations across the province, the school has also begun plans to resume on-campus activities. In February, McMaster announced the formation of the Return to McMaster group. The group is composed of multiple committees, each tackling a separate focus for a potential return to campus in the fall semester. This includes the oversight committee, which has been tasked with guiding the other committees through development of strategic plans and principles. Three months later, the oversight committee released a final report with recommendations on how a possible return to campus in the fall may look like. The report states that in communicating with Hamilton Public Health, the university has been advised to keep safety measures in place. This includes protocols such as mandatory masking indoors and social distancing of at least two meters between people. “Though we know that some Public Health measures will likely remain into the fall, we are planning with steadily increasing optimism that we will be able to come together for safe, high-impact and exciting experiences on our beautiful campus,” wrote Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Susan Tighe.
“Though we know that some Public Health measures will likely remain into the fall, we are planning with steadily increasing optimism that we will be able to come together for safe, high-impact and exciting experiences on our beautiful campus.” Susan Tighe
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) On June 17, the university held a student town hall meeting to answer questions submitted by students. University leaders addressed topics such as the COVID-19 safety measures that will be in place, what class would look like in the fall, student services availability and
PHOTO C/O Bobby Hristova, CBC News
potential plans for the winter semester. The university stated that they aim to have as many safe in-person classes as possible. However, virtual options are not being made readily available for students who do not want to attend in-person components. “If you are not able to attend any in-person components, it is recommended that you register in another course that is offered virtually or online. If the in-person course is a degree requirement where you have no other course options, please contact your Associate Dean’s/ Program Office where you may request consideration based upon extenuating circumstances,” the university wrote in their announcement. Majority of student services such as athletics and recreation, hospitality and residence will be open for the fall. However, residences are to be open with limited eligibility to first-year undergraduate students only. Most rooms will be double occupancy rooms and various public health guidelines will be required. This includes wearing masks in all public residence spaces, social distancing and limits on group gathering size. While residence protocols and public health guidance will be implemented, one of the most important factors is the level of vaccinations for students within the residence system and we strongly encourage that at a minimum student receive their first COVID-19 vaccination at least 14 days before moving in,” said Kevin Beatty, director of housing and conference services. Although vaccinations are being en-
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couraged, the university has decided to not mandate vaccinations. Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Sean Van Koughnett, told Global News that the university believes mandatory vaccinations are not necessary. Instead, to require vaccinations would cause a heavy burden on administration throughout the process of trying to track who’s vaccinated. “If you’re not mandating it and have 75 to potentially 80 per cent, who knows, of the student population vaccinated, you’re not going to have large outbreaks. You may have the odd illness,” said Van Koughnet. This decision was made unlike those of other universities in Ontario, including University of Toronto and Western University. Both universities have settled on requiring students in residence to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Current plans for the winter semester at McMaster are to bring back in-person classes at the same capacity as before the pandemic, but plans will continue to shift while following public health guidelines. As of publication, all Ontarians aged 18 and over who have received their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible to book their second dose appointment. Incoming international students can also receive the vaccine for free under their University Health Insurance Plan coverage.
