COVID-19 Update from March 16, 2020

Posted: March 16, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving rapidly as are the recommendations from government and public health officials. The University recommendations are also being updated – often on a daily basis.

More specific guidance will be coming from FGPS in the near future. Until then I wanted to remind you of a few simple guidelines.

Stay informed: The speed at which this virus can spread has only become clear in the last 6 weeks. Over the last few days, governments and organizations across Canada are starting to implement change. And these plans are changing, often on a daily basis. So staying informed every day is incredibly important.

Good Sources of Information: There are two types of information that you should be monitoring.

1. Information about the epidemic and current recommendations from Federal and Provincial authorities.
2. Information from Laurier about how these recommendations are being implemented for our faculty, staff and students. Both types of information are available on the Laurier coronavirus webpage.

Specific Information for Graduate Students: FGPS is working on providing more detailed information that is of particular interest to graduate students. That includes information on changes to research policies, new flexibility for comprehensive exams and defences, information for TAs on how this impacts their responsibilities, and more general information about digital filing of forms at FGPS.

Stay healthy and be positive,
Douglas Deutschman, AVP and Dean, FGPS