To our U of T Engineering community
On Friday, the province of Ontario announced that Toronto and Peel Region would be in the Grey Zone (Lockdown) effective 12:01am on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. The Provost sent a memo on what this means for the University, and I want to outline how it will affect us here in U of T Engineering.
Under these new measures effective Monday, Nov. 23, 2020:
Facilities
- Library service continues with pick-up services, and access to IT services for those who need it.
- All indoor and outdoor sport and recreation facilities, including pools and arenas, will be closed. Virtual programming will continue.
- Residences will continue to operate with safety precautions in place.
- Food service is pick-up only.
- University buildings will only be accessible to members of the University community and essential visitors.
- Masks remain mandatory in all common-use areas, and visitors to campus must complete a self-assessment using the online UCheck tool or paper-based equivalent.
Courses
- Our remote access guarantee remains in place for all students, in both undergraduate and graduate courses. Courses will continue to be executed through remote delivery.
- Only essential on-campus work required to deliver virtual instruction and programming will continue.
Research
- For on-campus lab research: all researchers may continue with their approved on-campus research plans as long as they continue to follow the public health measures already in place and the processes currently in effect, such as scheduling of time and people in the lab.
- As before, if researchers can work remotely they should continue to do so, only coming to the campus as necessary. Anyone coming to campus must complete a COVID-19 Self-Assessment via the University’s UCheck tool.
- For in-person human participant research: all research involving face-to-face in-person interaction between researchers and research participants must stop effective 12:01 am Monday and until further notice. COVID-19 research that has been approved by the Research Ethics Board may continue. A further message concerning human participant research will be posted on the VPRI Ethics webpage.
We will continue to update our Undergraduate FAQ and Graduate Student FAQ, and the U of T Engineering Hub for staff and faculty with the latest information.
Chris
Christopher Yip
Dean
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
To our U of T Engineering community
As President Gertler shared in his latest message, to give everyone a bit more of a rest, the University is delaying the start of Winter Term classes by one week. The University will close on Dec. 23, 2020 and reopen on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, as planned. Residences, essential services and supports will be available as of Jan. 4, and research labs will be running. Most classes will begin a week later than originally planned, on Jan. 11, 2021.
For our U of T Engineering students, this means:
Undergraduate students
- The first day of classes for undergraduate courses will be Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
- Reading Week will still be five days as planned, from Feb. 15-19, 2021 inclusive.
- The last day of undergraduate classes will now be Friday, April 16, 2021.
- Monday, April 19, 2021 will be a Winter Term Study Day.
- Our final summative assessment period will begin on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, and will include the weekends as needed. The last day of the final summative assessment period will be April 30, 2021.
- Other key administrative deadlines and sessional dates will be extended by five days in accordance with the shift. The academic calendar is being updated now to reflect these changes.
- The registration period for PEY Co-op and ESIP will also be extended, running from Jan. 6-20, 2021.
We’ve managed to make this adjustment without reducing any instructional days — so students will still be able to move through the course material as originally planned. Please keep checking our U of T Engineering Undergraduate FAQs for the latest updates.
Graduate students
- Research labs will also be running as of Jan. 4, 2021.
- Research-stream graduate students should speak to their supervisors for the plans in their individual groups.
- The first day of classes for graduate-level engineering courses will be Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
- Key sessional dates for the School of Graduate Studies will remain unchanged.
Likewise, graduate students can refer to our Graduate Student FAQs for details and updates.
Managers across the Faculty will also be receiving a message about operations during the week of Jan. 4, 2021 and wellness days for staff members.
As President Gertler notes, this change recognizes the tremendous amount of stress that we have all been facing for many months during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective here is to take a longer period away from screens, assignments and deadlines, and spend that time restoring ourselves — whether for you that means time with your family, getting outdoors every day, trying a new video game, or catching up on your sleep.
I hope we will all return to the Winter Term feeling balanced and energized.
Chris
Christopher Yip
Dean
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
To our U of T Engineering community
There’s a lot going on right now, in our personal worlds and the wider world around us, and I know it can feel overwhelming or scary. Here in Toronto we’ve just turned the clocks back, and there are fewer daylight hours. Our students are in the midst of mid-terms, today is a heated presidential election in the U.S., and the global pandemic continues to deliver worry and uncertainty.
I wanted to drop a note to remind everyone — whether you’re a first-year undergraduate or tenured professor — that mental health and stress affects us all. Next week, November 9-13, is the first Fall Break for undergrad students, and this should be an opportunity to disconnect from work as much as you can, reconnect with friends and family, and get outside for a bit of fresh air. It’s a good time to check in with yourself and ask for help if you need it — and remember that at one time or another, we all do.
We each respond to pressure, grief, loneliness or stress in different ways. I want to remind you there is help available 24/7. Wherever you are in the world, please know that these resources and supports are available to you:
- U of T My SSP (available in multiple languages): 1-844-451-9700; or download the app: uoft.me/myssp
- Navi, an anonymous virtual agent that provides students with information to help navigate mental health resources and make decisions about seeking appropriate supports.
- Good2Talk student helpline: 1-866-925-5454, free 24/7 for those in Ontario or Nova Scotia
- For staff and faculty, Employee & Family Assistance Program: 1-800-663-1142
We are all human, and we are trying our best. Let’s support each other however we can, and continue to reach out.
Chris
Chris Yip
Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
University of Toronto