Vancouver Island University announced it is delaying the start of the new semester by a week and plans to resume classes Jan. 10. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
Campus will open Jan. 4 but classes won’t resume until Jan. 10
The unpredictability of COVID-19’s Omicron variant will delay back-to-school for university students, too.
Vancouver Island University’s senior management provided notice today, Dec. 30, that it has decided to postpone the start of the winter-spring semester until Jan. 10. VIU indicated it is following the lead of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, who ordered the delay of a return to school in the K-12 system.
“We are delaying the start of classes to give our health and safety team time to reinforce our current safety protocols and implement any additional measures if needed,” the notice from VIU senior management reads. “Our priority is to keep our staff, faculty, and students safe.”
The notice mentioned that members of VIU’s senior management team have been closely monitoring the “ever-changing pandemic situation” throughout the holiday break and have consulted with public health officials, provincial government partners and post-secondary colleagues.
“The increase and sudden surge of the Omicron variant is dynamic and fluid,” the notice reads.
VIU says its safety protocols have “effectively limited the spread of COVID-19” since the start of the pandemic and assures that “our campus is safe.”
The university noted that a delayed start to the semester may not be possible for students enrolled in compressed courses and programs such as clinical nursing, apprenticeships or faculty of management graduate programs. Impacted students will be contacted.
Campus will re-open as planned on Jan. 4.
The full statement is available at http://news.viu.ca/viu-delay-start-classes-january-10-2022.
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