Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
2020 year in review part 1: Waterloo in the time of COVID-19
By Anne Galang.
To say it has been another eventful year at the University of Waterloo would be a tremendous understatement. It certainly has not been a typical year for the University—or the world—as we navigate a global pandemic, and many of us will be happy to see 2020 well behind us. We at the Daily Bulletin thought that is all the more reason to look back on this tumultuous year and find the bright spots. As it turns out, there are many.
The University’s COVID-19 response
The 2020 winter term began as most winter terms have any other January, with the University reopening campus as students, faculty and staff returned from the holidays. Meanwhile, over 10,000 km away, in Wuhan, China, health authorities were treating dozens of cases of an unusual pneumonia. The cause of the illnesses was soon identified as a new virus belonging to the coronavirus family, which the world presently knows all too well as COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 situation rapidly unfolded in the early months of the year, the University moved quickly to adjust operations to keep its students, faculty and staff safe. On March 13, the University of Waterloo suspended all course activity for one week, and resumed the winter 2020 term with all academic activity online. Days later, most campus operations also went virtual, where feasible.
A tremendous amount of work goes into making such a massive pivot so quickly. Faculty and instructors had to drastically change their course plans, and support groups, including more than 300 co-op students, helped move these courses online. Researchers needed to find ways to keep their important work going, and non-academic units made the adjustment to new ways of working. And through it all, essential workers continued to report to work in person to keep the physical campus and essential research running.
Supporting our students and communities
Throughout the transition, the University has made student wellbeing a top priority. To help address the financial strain, the University and WUSA created the Student Support Fund. During this time of heightened uncertainty, the University hired additional counsellors to address the increased need for mental health services, and rolled out remote services and virtual programs to support students with academics, wellbeing and connecting with peers.
Groups across the University found new ways for working in this “new normal” to support students, and quickly adapted to support co-op students, and celebrated spring and fall convocations online with virtual experiences for our graduands.
The University also mobilized to support local communities. A Community Response Team was formed to help the University support front-line healthcare workers and vulnerable members of the community in various ways, including a PPE drive, donations to the Food Bank, and the use of University 3D printers to produce medical equipment such as components for face shields.
A safe and gradual return to campus
As Waterloo delivered the largest remote spring term in Canada over the summer months, teams across campus were also busy working to restart the University’s research enterprise, safely and gradually bring employees back to campus, and prepare for a safe re-opening of some academic, service and residence buildings and to welcome students to campus for the fall.
By the time the fall term began in September, we had many safety measures in place on campus, including modified physical spaces to help maintain physical distancing, increased cleaning and sanitation, caps on the number of students in classrooms and labs, mandatory face masks inside common areas of university buildings, and a campus check-in tool.
The University also opened its own on-campus COVID-19 testing centre to help with quickly responding to any positive cases of COVID-19, and launched a COVID-19 hotline to help the campus community quickly access accurate health information and support.
Global impact
Looking more broadly beyond our campus, Waterloo continues to make an impact on the global efforts to fight the pandemic. Faculty are offering expert commentary to the media on topics ranging from restarting the economy to COVID-19 testing in pharmacies to unpacking how the recently announced vaccines will work. The University has and continues to contribute important research related to the pandemic, including using artificial intelligence to improve COVID-19 screening, developing a method that can identify future COVID-19-like viruses within minutes, and developing a cutting-edge DNA-based vaccine to protect against COVID-19.
Over the course of 2020, the University community has and continues to exemplify its ability to adapt in turbulent times, its capacity for compassion, and its spirit of innovation. It has been a challenging year, but there is much to be proud of.
There are, of course, many other 2020 highlights not related to the pandemic, which you can read about in part two of this series. Stay tuned.
Waterloo competitors do well in AGE-WELL video competition
Two members of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences captured two of the top three spots in the AGE-WELL Network's video competition.
Hector Perez, a postdoctoral fellow with the School of Public Health and Health Systems, won first prize in AGE-WELL's Trainee Video Competition with his submission, Dementia - The risk of going missing.
"The evaluation of this competition is about the researcher's ability to explain in an easy-to-understand manner their research projects, how they will address their research problem and the potential impact of the research," writes Perez.
AGE-WELL is Canada’s technology and aging network, dedicated to the creation of technologies and services that benefit older adults and caregivers.
Link of the day
A 'Winter Star' on the Solstice
When and Where to get support
Students can visit the Student Success Office online for supports including academic development, international student resources, leadership development, exchange and study abroad, and opportunities to get involved.
Instructors can visit the Keep Learning website to get support on adapting their teaching and learning plans for an online environment.
Updated Course templates are now available within your course in LEARN to help you build and edit your content and assignment pages quickly. Support for Winter 2021 is available.
The following workshops, webinars, and events are offered by the KL team (CTE, CEL, ITMS, LIB):
Independent Remote Course Design Essentials. Self-directed, continuous self-enrollment course in LEARN.
Remote Teaching Support Drop-In, Monday, January 4, 2021, 8:30 a.m. to Friday, January 8, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
Integrating PebblePad Retreat (IPR) (CTE7531), Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Assessment Design Drop-In, Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Employees can access resources to help them work remotely, including managing University records and privacy of personal information. Here are some tips for staying healthy while working from home.
Stay informed about COVID cases on campus by consulting the COVID case tracker.
Whether you’re student or faculty, the Writing and Communication Centre has virtual services and programs to help you with your academic writing needs.
- Undergraduate students - come brainstorm, draft, revise and polish your assignments with us by meeting with one of our writing and multimodal communication specialists at a virtual appointment. Chat with our awesome peer tutors at our virtual drop-ins, PJ-friendly writing groups and Instagram Live Q&As. Or check out our online workshops at anytime, anywhere.
- Graduate students - meet with one of our advisors at any step of the process at our virtual appointments. Take an online workshop at anytime, or join a virtual writing session at our Virtual Writing Cafés and #WaterlooWrites groups.
- All UWaterloo instructors and faculty can request and access WCC workshops for use in your courses. You can also join a virtual writing group, or speak with a writing advisor about a writing project.
We understand that these circumstances can be troubling, and you may need to speak with someone for emotional support. Good2Talk is a post-secondary student helpline based in Ontario, Canada that is available to all students. If you feel overwhelmed or anxious and need to talk to somebody, please contact the University’s Campus Wellness services, either Health Services or Counselling Services. You can also contact the University's Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment.
The Library has published a resource guide on how to avoid information overload.
The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) continues to advocate for its members. Check out the FAUW blog for more information.
The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) continues to advocate for its members. Check out the UWSA blog for more information.
The Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre facilitates the sharing of Indigenous knowledge and provides culturally relevant information and support services for all members of the University of Waterloo community, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff, and faculty.
WUSA supports for students:
Food Support Service food hampers are currently available from the Turnkey Desk on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre. If you have any questions please email us at foodsupport@wusa.ca.
The Bike Centre – Now open by appointment for your bicycle repair and rental needs in the Student Life Centre.
Centre for Academic Policy Support - CAPS is here to assist Waterloo undergraduates throughout their experience in navigating academic policy in the instances of filing petitions, grievances and appeals. Please contact them at caps@wusa.ca. More information at https://wusa.ca/services/centre-academic-policy-support-caps.
WUSA Commissioners who can help in a variety of areas that students may be experiencing during this time:
- Equity – equity@wusa.ca
- Co-op and Experiential Affairs – coop.affairs@wusa.ca
WUSA Student Legal Protection Program- Seeking legal counsel can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time facing a legal issue. The legal assistance helpline provides quick access to legal advice in any area of law, including criminal. Just call 1-833-202-4571.
Empower Me is a confidential mental health and wellness service that connects students with qualified counsellors 24/7. They can be reached at 1-833-628-5589.
When and Where (but mostly when)
Healthy Warriors at Home. Free programming including Online Fitness, Health Webinars, Personalized Nutrition and more from Warriors Athletics and Rec. Open to students, staff, faculty and alumni. Register today.
Renison English Language Institute continues to offer virtual events and workshops to help students practice their English language skills.
Warriors vs. Laurier Blood Donation Battle. Join your fellow Warriors, donate blood and help us win the Blood Battle against Laurier for a second year in a row. Set up a profile or add the PFL code: UNIV960995 to your account if you have a blood.ca account already. Questions? Contact WarriorsInfo@uwaterloo.ca.
Take the UN75 survey. Waterloo International is asking the Waterloo community to fill out a survey to gather your perspectives about the state of global governance and where it should be headed. If you have questions, contact Aisha Shibli.
Co-operative Work Term ends, Wednesday, December 23.
Final examinations end, Wednesday, December 23.
University holiday closures, Thursday, December 24 to Sunday, January 3, 2021. Campus reopens Monday, January 4, 2021.