Three Alberta universities in Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge announced a set a joint COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, including rapid testing on campus for those who aren’t vaccinated, mandatory masking in certain situations, and the requirement to stay home when sick.
To learn more about the full measures, click here, or to read about Lethbridge College’s COVID-19 return plan, click here.
Mike Mahon, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Lethbridge, acknowledged these steps are beyond what is required from the general population.
“We did speak to the province, as well as Alberta Health, to make sure that they were on board with this approach, and they certainly are,” he explained.
“We’re pleased that we’re able to try and ensure maximum health and safety for our community.”
When it comes to enforcing rapid testing at the U of L, Mahon said the school won’t be asking for proof of vaccination to be exempt, but trusts that anyone coming onto campus is adhering to its policy.
The school currently has around 40,000 kits on hand and is working on details surrounding how to administer the tests.
“We’re not going to be overly heavy-handed in terms of policing this,” Mahon said. “We’re going to set out those guidelines and anticipate that individuals will respect those guidelines.”
“As with masking, we will try to follow a practice whereby individuals will monitor their own behaviours.”
While some universities in Canada have mandated the COVID-19 vaccine, the U of L, U of C and U of A have chosen not to.
“Having an approach that ensures health and safety through either vaccination or rapid testing (respects) choice, and respects individual freedoms,” Mahon said.
Holly Kletke, the president of the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union (ULSU) and a fourth-year student, was relieved to hear these measures put in place.
“I’m really glad to see all three institutions take this measure because I think that it’s well-tailored to the situation that we are in,” she said.
“I’ll have a lot more peace of mind and I’m overall really excited now to get back to class and see all my friends that I haven’t seen and keep on learning.”
Following more than a year of remote learning and roadblocks to traditional education, Kletke said the ULSU is making it a priority to ensure students have barrier-free access to their education this year.
“We’ve mostly heard from students about concerns around academic success and making sure that they are still going to get the same academic quality of learning when they do return to campus,” Kletke explained.
While Mahon said it’s too premature to give enrollment numbers for the fall semester, he confirmed enrollment is on track to be up from last year, with about 90 per cent of students set to learn on campus.
“One thing that the students’ union is really working on (is) if you do have to stay home when you’re sick, making sure that you’re not missing any material,” Kletke said, “and that material will be provided to you if you do have to stay home. That’s very important.”
The Worth a Shot contests have so far seen 5,605 students and 890 staff/faculty enter to win a variety of prizes for receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
What about Lethbridge College?
While the University of Lethbridge has outlined its plans, Lethbridge College has yet to confirm what measures will be in place for the start of the semester.
According to the college’s website, there are currently no restrictions on access to campus; masks or face coverings are voluntary; and COVID-19 vaccinations are encouraged for all members of the college, but not mandatory.
However, a spokesperson with Lethbridge College told Global News those measures could change before the start of the semester on Sept. 7.
A survey was rolled out Tuesday to staff and students to anonymously gauge vaccination levels within campus.
In turn, the college will use this data to help dictate what measures may be changed and when the appropriate messaging will be released.
Niculina Jesen, vice president of operations and finance with the Lethbridge College Students’ Association, believes whatever the institution chooses to do will be in the best interest of the community.
“They did a wonderful job last year, keeping us updated with COVID and notifying us when there was cases of COVID,” Jensen said. “We look forward to the same support and having that same understanding as we did last year.”
Enrollment at the college is up approximately 22 per cent over last year, and 10 per cent over the 2019-20 school year.
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