Laurier shares approach for fall 2020

Dear Laurier students –

Today, May 15, finds us five days into our spring term and nine weeks since the global pandemic was declared. I know these past few weeks have been exceptionally difficult for many students as you adjusted to new living and learning environments and navigated financial and personal hardships as well as family health and wellness issues.

As I reflect on how far we’ve come together, I am struck, as always, by your resiliency, leadership and spirit in the face of these challenges. I know that these are the same qualities that will carry us forward as we look to our fall term.

Over the past few weeks, the university has been engaged in collaborative discussions to consider how we will deliver your fall term in a way that meets government and public health guidelines and maintains your safety. Just as important, we considered how to deliver your fall term in a way that gives you the same quality of academic experience and support while making sure that you all continue to feel the unique sense of Laurier community that you know and love.

To that end, we have made the following decisions for the fall 2020 term.

Course Delivery

• We will continue to offer most of your courses online and virtually this fall. We continue to work together to identify aspects of programs and activities we can deliver in person, as aligned with public health requirements. There are many details to be confirmed, and we will keep you well-informed as soon as we have determined the specifics about undergraduate and graduate courses.
• We all moved quickly to online learning at the end of the winter term and since then, we’ve been working to enhance your learning experience. You have my commitment that your fall-term courses will maintain our high standards of academic excellence.
• Our co-op team will continue to guide undergraduate and graduate students through the process of applying for co-op jobs and preparing for work terms, in addition to engaging with employers to generate opportunities.
• Experiential learning in academic courses continues to be a high priority and we are facilitating connections with our employer and community partners to explore virtual experiential learning opportunities.

Student Support

• We know that students need our support now more than ever and your needs remain our top priority. We will help you to build strong health and wellness habits through supports from our Wellness Education workshops; access virtual and in-person medical and personal care through the Student Wellness Centres; and engage in yearlong mental health promotion activities, events and supports.
• We will continue to provide the supportive academic learning environment that you have come to know. We will use all avenues of remote delivery to ensure that you get the high-quality academic support you need to learn strategies for success. Opportunities include appointments, workshops and resources to support select and traditionally challenging first- and second-year undergraduate courses offered fully online and virtual Academic Skills (ASk) workshops throughout the year for students in all years of study. We will also continue remote delivery of existing supports such as math and writing support, academic advising and accessible learning.

Student Experience

• Our students bring the Laurier spirit to life and we don’t want your Laurier experience to be diminished by social distancing. We are actively planning creative experiences and events to make sure you feel the Golden Hawk spirit and continue to feel connected to campus and to each other. Among other initiatives, we’re planning inclusive and engaging ways for you to make new friends through programs and student groups offered by the Students’ Union and Graduate Students’ Association volunteer and social programming; Laurier Off Campus University Students (LOCUS); Laurier International; the Indigenous Student Centre; and the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

All of the decisions we’ve made have been guided by Laurier’s core values of academic excellence and thriving community. Ultimately, we believe these decisions provide academic continuity, certainty for our students, safety for those at higher risk, and access for students who are unable to travel.

Answering Your Questions

We know that you will have many questions. We have questions too as we make decisions in an ever-changing, uncertain environment. What we can promise you is that we will answer your questions to the best of our ability based on the information we have available, and that we will share new information as soon as we have it.

• We are planning a Student Town Hall in the near future to give you more in-depth information and to answer your questions. Please monitor your email for date and registration information.
• We have compiled a list of FAQs and information on our student website as well as FAQs for graduate students. This information will be continually updated as decisions are finalized, and we will keep sharing information on our Laurier social media channels.

More detailed information about the fall term specific to graduate and postdoctoral students will be forthcoming from the associate vice-president and dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

September is always a new beginning for a university community. But this September will be unlike any we have ever experienced. Although we may not all be physically together this fall, I know that our students will rise to the occasion and demonstrate the fundamental strengths of our Golden Hawk community.

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to more conversations,

Deborah MacLatchy, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor