University of Manitoba planning full return to campus for winter term

The University of Manitoba is hoping for a full house this winter.

The province’s largest post-secondary institution is planning on resuming full in-person operations for the winter term.

University of Manitoba president Michael Benarroch says the fall term will be a mix of in-person and remote learning, but most faculty and staff will return throughout the fall.

“What we’re going to do from September to December, is to bring them back in a phased-in approach and by November and December, all staff and faculty will be able to come back on campus,” Benarroch said.

READ MORE: U of M plans for limited return to in-person learning this fall

Only classes of 20 students or fewer will be able to take place at the university, along with labs of 25 or fewer people. Benarroch estimates there will be approximately 800 classes/labs on campus during the fall.

All large classes will remain remote.

The university is also not requiring people on campus to be vaccinated.

“We believe we can still find ways to be safe when we return to campus,” Bennaroch said. “We feel we have a plan in place to keep our students, staff and faculty safe.”

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The president says despite other universities around the countries opening more fully in the fall, he wasn’t ready to do that here thanks to Manitoba’s third wave declining later than other provinces.

“It is prudent to gradually move toward this level of activity, instead of going back to 100 per cent all at once,” Benarroch said.

“When we bring all students, staff and faculty back, we are mixing people from across the province and globe together, and then having them go back out into the community.