By Sania Ali
As shared with the Ryerson community an overwhelming number of times in the past few months, the university has been closely monitoring the decisions other universities (UofT) are making in terms of modifying our plans to return to in-person classes.
As we continue closely monitoring the situation with open minds and open hearts, we’ve spent the majority of our time waiting on decisions to be made by our trusty Premier Doug Ford, who recently ordered a lockdown but decided to keep schools open. Just like Premier Ford, our top priority is to pursue a logical path towards lessening the spread of this new variant!
Health and safety
Our first priority is always the health and safety of our students and staff, which is why we’ve decided to begin the transition back to in-person learning on Jan. 31, two days after the student fees refund deadline! Sure, the news tells us that the COVID-19 situation is a bit rocky at the moment, but we have to stay strong and make use of our new free, sustainable, Canadian-made reusable masks, which will single-handedly keep us safe from Omicron whilst supporting small Canadian mask-making businesses. If you’re worried about the variant, just remind yourself that we’re in good hands. Premier Ford spent one whole day combating a ferocious snowstorm with a shovel that is inversely proportional to the reliability of his decision-making skills! I am inspired by the strong leadership our province has and am certain that we are clearly in great hands at our university as well.
We’re not like other universities. We’re built different.
Although other post-secondary institutions may be holding off on returning to campus, we’re not like other universities. We’re built different. Plus, we owe it to our commuting students to teach them to be resilient and power through inevitable TTC delays or the slippery winter weather—which will prepare them for the real world. When returning to campus, please ensure you are well equipped with proper gripping boots so you don’t slip and fall into a sea of maskless anti-vaxxers so as not to compromise our efforts to flatten the curve.
As for our students who are unsure on whether they should move to campus or not, you should just do you! Just make sure your winter semester payment has gone through, or you will be doing nothing once you arrive.
Thank you
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience. We know it can be frustrating when professors take up half the class trying to figure out breakout rooms, or you’re falling asleep while watching your fifth, 30-minute long pre-recorded lecture. We’re sympathetic that your only social interaction comes from your part-time job. But this will all end soon—or not! We’re just hoping for the best here. We know we’ve been online for the past two years and may or may not, most likely, most probably will continue this way but we appreciate your efforts and your commitment to financially supporting this school.
While awaiting our return to campus, please ensure your vaccine statuses are uploaded to ensure that you can safely communicate via Zoom.
Mohamed Lachemi
President and Vice-Chancellor
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