Preparing for a more “normal” winter term

On September 20 the following email was shared with graduate students

To: University of Waterloo community

From: Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor
James W. E. Rush, Vice-President, Academic and Provost

Date: September 20, 2021

Subject: Preparing for a more “normal” winter term

• Winter term 2022 will return to pre-pandemic levels of in person instruction

We’re writing today to let you know about plans for winter term 2022. As vaccination levels continue to rise, we are confident that we can prepare for a winter term that will allow for a return to in-person academic experiences.

Though none of us can predict exactly how the pandemic will change over the months to January, we know that vaccination is the key to getting to a post-pandemic experience of teaching and learning.

In Ontario, almost 80 per cent of people aged over 12 are fully vaccinated. On our campuses, more than 95 per cent of more than 30,000 people who have disclosed their vaccine status are fully vaccinated. A significant portion of the remainder have told us they have already had one dose and will be fully vaccinated by our October 17 deadline.

These trends are extremely positive and give us confidence to continue expanding in-person experiences.

This term we have expanded in-person experiences and have put measures in place to protect and promote safety. Looking ahead, as we plan to deliver a more normal level of winter term classes in person, we will continue to work with our local public health team to make sure our plans protect your physical and mental health. This means we will largely return to our pre-pandemic approaches to academic life at Waterloo. You can find more information on approaches by faculty on the COVID-19 information website later this week.

In the coming days we will open our undergraduate course selection for the winter term and all students can start to plan for a term of learning in person that has not been possible since early 2020. Graduate student course selection is available in December.

To make this happen, we must remain vigilant as the fourth wave of the pandemic unfolds and play our part in limiting the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to follow mask-wearing, physical distancing and other public health instructions throughout this fall term.

We recognise that some international students may continue to face barriers in getting to Canada. We are committed to working with these students and our government partners to address these problems before the winter term begins. If you need help, please contact our  immigration consulting team.

As always, our plans will remain flexible in case public health conditions change and we need to scale back in person experiences. If we need to make changes, we will share information with you as soon as possible.

If you have not already done so, please provide your proof of vaccination as soon as possible – even if you don’t plan on being on campus until January. You can submit your proof of vaccination or start the process for accommodation today by visiting Campus Check-In.