Winter term in-person instruction: important updates for students

At-a-Glance Updates

• Wilfrid Laurier University will begin to resume in-person instruction in a four-phased approach between Jan. 31 and Feb. 28 based on class size and activity, as supported by public health guidance. Check the list of courses in each phase.
• The university’s mandatory vaccination policy and face-covering policy remain in effect, as well as enhanced measures to support health and safety as we return to in-person activity.
• Laurier will host Winter Term Town Halls Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. (undergraduate students) and 1:30 p.m. (graduate students) to share more details and answer questions. Submit your questions in advance using our undergraduate questions form or graduate questions form.

Message from the President and Vice-President: Academic

Dear Laurier students,

Before the holiday break, we announced short-term emergency modifications to the start of our winter term given the rise and spread of the Omicron variant. Thank you for continuing your learning remotely as we continue to assess the impact of the pandemic and make important decisions about winter term. We appreciate how extremely difficult this phase of the pandemic has been for everyone in all aspects of their lives, and we are making every effort to bring our students back to our campuses to enjoy their university experience in person.

As always, our decisions are based on holding the health and safety of the Laurier community as our top priority while meeting academic and student life needs. Based on these principles, and with support from Waterloo Region Public Health and the Brant County Health Unit, our return to in-person activity for the winter term will be as follows:

Academic Delivery

• Our return to in-person instruction will take place in four phases as supported by public health guidance. Details about the parameters of each phase are outlined below.
• We encourage students to consult the course list to confirm the date that each of your courses, labs and experiential learning activities return to in-person instruction. Note that many students will have a mix of in-person and remote learning throughout the phases.

Phase 1: Jan. 31

• First-year undergraduate courses: All 100-level undergraduate course sections with enrolment of up to 100 students will resume in-person instruction on our campuses; some larger sections of approximately 100-250 students to return. 
• Labs and experiential learning (all years, all levels): Labs, studios, clinics, performance-based courses and other high-priority hands-on experiential learning and assessment activities in all years, where permitted by public health, will resume in person. If your lab or experiential learning activity doesn’t appear on the website, you will receive direct communication from your instructor.
• Graduate courses: Select graduate course sections begin to resume in-person instruction on our campuses during this phase. 

Phase 2: Feb. 7

• First-year undergraduate courses: Remaining 100-level undergraduate course sections with enrolment of 100-250 students will resume in-person instruction on our campuses.
• Upper-year undergraduate courses: All sections of 200/300/400-level undergraduate course sections with enrolment of 100 students or less will resume in-person instruction on our campuses during this phase; some larger sections of approximately 100-250 to return.
• Graduate courses: All remaining graduate in-person course sections will resume in-person instruction on our campuses during this phase. 

Phase 3: Feb. 14

• Upper year undergraduate courses: All remaining course sections with enrolment of approximately 100-250 people will resume in-person instruction on our campuses.

Phase 4: Feb. 28

• All remaining course sections with enrolment of approximately 250 students or more will resume in-person instruction on our campuses.

Vaccination Mandate and Health and Safety Protocols

Laurier’s existing mandatory vaccination policy, as well as our face-covering policy, COVID-19 ventilation strategy and other health and safety measures, remain in effect.

Booster Vaccinations

Laurier encourages students to book their booster vaccinations for as soon as they are eligible (84 days after second dose), which the Government of Ontario has opened to those 18 and over. At this time, proof of booster vaccinations is not required under Laurier’s vaccination policy to be deemed fully vaccinated. The university will continue to monitor government and public health direction and will align our vaccination policy requirements accordingly.

Research

For current information about research activities for students, visit the student research webpage.

Student Activities

We will share information about return to in-person delivery of student services and activities as we make adjustments to follow new direction as it comes from public health. In the meantime, please visit the students.wlu.ca recovery hub for the most current information, and specific sites such as student wellness, athletics, food services and the library for information about key services.

More Information

We know that students will have questions about the information above and how it applies to you. For more information, please visit the list of courses to see when your courses will return to in-person delivery and know that your instructors will be in contact for academic activities not listed on the site. We also encourage you to visit the FAQs for ongoing updates as we answer your questions, and we encourage you to connect directly with your instructors and academic advisors.

We are also pleased to share that we will be hosting student Winter Term Town Halls on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students and 1:30 p.m. for graduate students to share more details and answer questions. Submit your questions in advance using our undergraduate questions form or graduate questions form.

Again, we appreciate your patience as we make the best choices for the health and safety of our community. We continue to take great comfort in the strength of the Laurier community as we move forward together in these ever-changing circumstances.

Deb MacLatchy, President and Vice-Chancellor
Tony Vannelli, Provost and Vice-President: Academic