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All Campus News COVID-19 News

Most Rye faculties to offer remote-only learning for fall semester

By Alexandra Holyk

Almost all of Ryerson’s faculties will offer remote-only learning for the fall semester, according to an article from Ryerson Today.

Courses and programs offered by the faculties of Art, Science, Community Services, Engineering and Architectural Science and the Ted Rogers School of Management, as well as the Chang School of Continuing Education, will be facilitated online.

Certain programs within the Faculty of Communication and Design will offer students a mix of remote learning and limited on-campus activities. This may include “access to equipment, studios, and/or intensive workshops and labs,” according to a previous update from Ryerson.

“These select experiences will depend strictly on the program, and will be subject to the safety and health parameters at the time,” the Ryerson Today article reads. “Those who are unable to participate will be provided a strong virtual alternative, so living in Toronto or coming to campus will not be a requirement for the fall semester.”

The article did not disclose which courses will offer the hybrid option.

Ryerson’s Faculty of Law is still expected to launch in September, offering its inaugural class a mix of in-person and online learning. However, the faculty is prepared to facilitate remote-only learning if public health guidelines advise against in-person activities.

“The new law school has built a robust institutional structure that offers an innovative curriculum with plenty of extracurricular activities to support it, and seeks to provide safe opportunities for students to join them in person to help build their community,” the article reads.

Faculties and instructors within the Yeates School of Graduate Studies will communicate directly with students regarding plans for the fall semester.

Despite the majority of faculties going online-only for the fall, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi previously mentioned that fall tuition fees will remain the same.

“While we will be learning and teaching in a different way for the fall semester…academic curriculum and outcomes will remain the same,” Lachemi said during a livestream on May 27. “Ryerson must always put long-term economic health as a priority. We will not be reducing tuition for the fall.”

Before Lachemi’s announcement, a petition was started by a Ryerson student asking for tuition to be reduced. It has since received more than 4,000 signatures.

“[The university is] failing to recognize that this is not a 1:1 substitute for in-class learning, tutoring, and various other on-campus services they offer normally,” the petition’s description reads. “Ryerson is saving a large deal of money by only offering a fraction of what they normally do when they are fully operational.”

The article did not mention potential tuition fee adjustments for the upcoming semester. It did, however, encourage students to check its COVID-19 student information page for additional resources.

In the meantime, students do not have access to campus buildings unless required for specific research labs and are asked to contact Ryerson security to determine if access will be granted. Staff members with OneCard access to buildings or spaces are asked to refrain from coming to campus unless absolutely necessary.

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