Acsenda will be returning to regular scheduled classes on campus beginning next Monday, January 31^st.

If you are registered for a class that was scheduled to be on campus you will see a room number assigned beside the course on your schedule. If the course indicates “ON” that means that the course is delivered synchronously (Live at a specific time) online and you do not need to come to the campus. If the course indicates “ASY” it means that the course is fully online and delivered asynchronously (not live and no specific meeting time scheduled).

All students will be expected to attend on campus for each scheduled session. All on campus classes also have the capability for students to join remotely. However, if a student has special circumstances related to health, location or extenuating personal situations, please apply for accommodations on the request section of your My SIS page (see accommodations below).

Safety and Studying on Campus

We are working closely with our partners in public health and met with representatives of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) last week. We have been advised that we should now return to classes in person on campus. Data provided by the Public Health Officer indicates that restricting educational delivery to online learning will not have a meaningful impact on reducing the transmission of Covid. It is likely that most people in BC have already been exposed to the Omicron virus. People who are vaccinated are unlikely to only experience mild affects.

The advice from VCH is:

• If you have not been vaccinated, get vaccinated now. – it is the most effective way for you to reduce contracting Covid or having a severe case that would lead to hospitalization.
• If you have had your first two doses, – get your booster shot.
• Daily self monitoring – If you are not feeling well, stay home until you feel better. See Accommodation options below if you cannot attend class on campus

We are closely following the health guidelines set by the BC Provincial Health Officer and WorkSafeBC, to prepare for the return. In addition to high standards provided in our building which include MERV 13 air filtration system (a standard similar to general hospital settings), a mandatory mask policy in the building and elevators, additional cleaning of public areas and limitations on elevator capacity, Acsenda will be implementing protective measures to keep the community safe in our return this fall, prioritizing the safety of our students, staff and faculty. Some of these measures will include:

• Requiring that non-medical masks be worn indoors.
• Providing additional cleaning on campus throughout the day.
• Providing hand sanitation stations throughout the campus
• Maintaining a mandatory self health check prior to entering the campus
• Implementing ongoing core public health measures of the PHO to prevent the spread of all communicable diseases.
• Encouraging people to limit the number of sustained close contacts and to respect personal space.
• Requiring those experiencing symptoms of illness to not come to campus.
• Continuing to provide options for students to join classes virtually.

 

Instructions for entering and leaving the campus.

Please see the Procedures for Arriving on Campus Video for information on entering the campus. Masks must be worn at all times. Elevator capacity is not restricted, but please be courteous and not overcrowd the elevators.

For exiting the campus, we ask that all students please use the designated stairs beside the main entrance to the campus to exit the building to avoid additional use of the elevators.

Vaccinations

I am pleased to report that based on surveys of our students and students attending post secondary institutions in the provide, the vaccination rate is very high (95%). All persons coming into Canada must have two doses of an approved vaccine.

If you are vaccinated, even if you contract Covid you will only experience mild symptoms.

If you are not vaccinated you continue to place yourself at risk.

Class Delivery & Special Accommodations

For students who are registered in an on-campus class, courses will be offered as they were prior to Covid. All students will be expected to attend on campus for each scheduled session. However, if a student has special circumstances related to health, location or extenuating personal situations, please apply for accommodations on the request section of your My SIS page.

We want to reassure you that we have been preparing for this moment for a long time and we are very comfortable with the procedures we have put in place, following all the recommendations of our public health professionals. We are not planning to change the capacity or delivery of our sections for next term, so therefore if you are waiting to register, you are encouraged to choose a section that is available.

If you have any questions or concerns about this process, I will be holding my regular Chat with The President session on Wednesday, February 2^nd at 6:00PM.  Please join if you want to discuss further. Here is the link to join the meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87075039643

As well, I want to remind all of you that we continue to offer a mental health counselling service through Student Services known as Keep.meSAFE and I encourage students to take advantage of this program.

I look forward to seeing you all soon,

Neil Mort

President