Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Supporting international students through the pandemic

Hayley Bernice McDonald, International Student Experience Assistant in the SSO, is working from home to keep the International Peer Community active on their Facebook group.

A message from the Student Success Office.

Supporting our international students is a top priority as our Waterloo community adjusts to the new reality and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many international students are far away from their families and unable to travel home because of international travel restrictions. This article from the CBC outlines many of the common concerns international students are facing like finding suitable housing on short notice, financial stability, and concern for the health of loved ones. On top of that, they’re learning to adjust to online learning. Staff, faculty, and students across many teams at the University are working to ensure that international students, both here in Waterloo and abroad, have a support system. Here are a few of those initiatives:

• International Student Connection Discussion – On Thursday, April 2 the International Student Experience team in the Student Success Office (SSO) is hosting a live discussion via Webex for current international undergraduate and graduate students to answer question about: maintaining community, resources to support health and wellness, and immigration.
• International student FAQs on the University’s Coronavirus website – A primary resource, this is the main source for up-to-date information about COVID-19, Waterloo’s service changes, and specific information for international students about the supports available and the impact on immigration documents and processes.
• Virtual immigration consulting appointments – Waterloo’s registered Immigration consultants are answering student questions via email and students can book a phone or video Immigration consulting appointment through Portal.
• Community-building with International Peer Community (IPC) – We know that a strong community and support system is key during times of crisis. Although no in-person activities are happening, the IPC Facebook group is active and students and leaders are finding unique ways to encourage physical distancing while building a supportive social community for international and domestic students.
• Financial support options for international students in need – There are emergency loan programs available to both international and domestic undergraduate students through Student Awards and Financial Aid. International undergraduate students in need of financial support can apply for assistance through the International Emergency Bursary. Eligible international graduate students may apply for the Contingency Bursary program or an Emergency Loan through Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
• Part-time work at the University – Although there will be a limited number of work-at-home jobs available for Spring 2020, the international work-study program provides part-time work experience for full-time international undergraduate students with financial need.
• Housing Support - Waterloo Residences remains open for international students. While the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the main focus is making residence as safe as possible. To encourage social distancing, some residence services have been modified. The most recent details can be found on the Waterloo Residence website. If students are unable to return home, arrangements will be made for students still in residence on a winter term contract to continue to stay in residence. A process is being developed and all current residents will be notified with details.

Did you know? The Student Success Office has a small but mighty team dedicated to creating unique and effective ways to continue supporting the International Student Experience. If you’re not sure where to direct international students for support, please email us at ise@uwaterloo.ca. For specific questions about COVID-19 please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca

Q and A with the experts: physical distancing

The University of Waterloo has a number of faculty prepared to offer expert commentary on various aspects of COVID-19.

Public health officials are asking Canadians to practice physical (social) distancing as a key tool in the containment of COVID-19. Why is this and what are the implications? 
 
Professor Shannon Majowicz of the School of Public Health and Health Systems explains why and how this method is effective.
 
What happens if we don’t practice physical distancing?

Things will get very bad – very, very quickly. COVID-19 is a serious issue – one of the most serious diseases we’ve faced in our lifetimes, and it demands our attention and action. 

Everyone is vulnerable. If we don’t all do our part, and work together to enact the recommended public health measures now and fully, COVID-19 will continue to grow in Canada, at an exponential rate, meaning that we could go from where we are now (just starting to see its impacts) to where places like Italy are (an overwhelmed and collapsing health system) in a distressingly short amount of time. 
 
What is the science behind physical distancing?

This virus is spread by people, and a main driver of how it has -- and will -- spread is our actions and behaviours. The virus requires contact between people to spread. Physical distancing, if we all do it and do it well, removes that contact by creating a gap between people that the virus can’t jump.

This distancing isn’t just for people who are sick! People who are well can still be a jumping point for the virus to move from one of us to another. This is why all of us, regardless of how we’re feeling, need to practice physical distancing.

How long will we be required to practice physical distancing?

This is hard to know, in part because this is a new virus that we are still racing to understand.  But it is reasonable to expect we will be asked to practice physical distancing in some form until our health-care system and testing capacities can be appropriately scaled up and until we start to have effective treatments. 

Places like China, where case numbers are now starting to drop, have been at this for months. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Professor Majowicz is an infectious disease epidemiologist in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, who worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada prior to joining Waterloo. 

Central Stores operations reminder and other notes

Effective March 24, Central Stores will be operating from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., providing the following services:

• Receiving - all vendors, couriers and inbound mail. For questions email Receiving
• Shipping - only critical shipments*. For questions email Trevor Beatson
• Outbound mail - as arranged.  For questions email Rob McMurren
• Delivery - only critical supplies (primarily health/wellness and materials for active working labs). For questions email Joel Norris

All other items received will be held at Central Stores and delivered when full operations resume.

*Central Stores Shipping will only pickup "critical" shipments on an email basis.  All shipments must have the Agile Shipping form attached, or otherwise a completed waybill and commercial invoices for outside companies paying for the return shipping.  All dry ice/dangerous good "critical" shipments will still have the regular 11:30 am cut off time.*

What's on this week at the Centre for Career Action?

• All Centre for Career Action appointments and drop-ins will be offered virtually. Appointment and drop-in times are available through WaterlooWorks. For updated information on appointment procedures, see the Centre for Career Action website.

Still more Good Buddies of the University

And the photos just keep coming!

This is Wellington, "who seeks to "help" any time the fridge is opened," writes History Professor Jane Nicholas.

"My dog Farley is trying to adjust to me working at home," writes Nathan Honsberger, project officer at the  Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA). "It looks like he has started using the strategy of, ‘if you can’t fight them, join them’ as he tries to see why staring at a computer screen is better than playing, exploring, or just sleeping."  

"I am sure everyone has experienced, at one time or another, the manager who constantly watches over your work," writes Alison Walker, a member of the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs admissions team. "While working remotely, I have discovered I have two very diligent furry micro-managers, Tundra the Malamute and Fenton the Tuxedo Cat."

"Barnacle just joined our work from home team on March 19, and he’s already been promoted to supervisor!" writes Adriann Kennedy, digital communications officer in the Faculty of Mathematics. "He likes to chime in during meetings, but his ideas mostly focus on treats and pats."

"I thought I would share a picture of my puppy who seems to be very interested in the first-year experience timeline I’m working on," writes Savannah Richardson, orientation administrative coordinator at WUSA. "He is a very curious coworker, that’s for sure!"

"Meet Murphy, the world's best procrastination coach," writes Sarah Gallagher, PhD candidate and instructor in English Language and Literature.

If you have a good buddy at home helping you while you work remotely, send a photo to bulletin@uwaterloo.ca and we'll feature them in the Daily Bulletin.