Life has changed so much in one week; things are feeling a bit on the surreal side for all of us. Shelley took this photograph of the sun rising over the Surrey campus this morning. The courtyard was empty but there was birdsong in the air. As this week of moving online draws to a close, we would like to send you some additional updates as well as take this opportunity to wish you a restful weekend. Please try to enjoy the sun and the cherry blossoms that are beginning to bloom.

Big Blue Button Updates: We are still receiving reports from some faculty who are troubleshooting with this platform. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that “less is more” by organizing shorter sessions and less-bandwidth-intensive activities.

Course Withdrawl: Please remind your students that the new Withdraw deadline is April 9th.

Final Exams: All final exams must still take place and will be conducted online. These exams do not have to take place in real-time but rather could be a take-home format that is submitted online via Moodle. Please consult with Teaching and Learning if you require guidance on formatting.

Submission of Final Grades: The three-working-days deadline has been lifted for this semester. All final grades must be submitted by April 30th.

Counseling Services As you engage with students online in your courses, many of you will likely be sensing their anxiety and stress. If you sense one of your students is in need of assistance, please provide them with the relevant contact information below. • Students who are contacting Counselling for intake as new clients can do so by calling 604-599-2828; they will be contacted by an intake counselor and can leave a number for a call back if their call cannot be transferred immediately • Students should not call Counselling expecting an immediate response; if they are in need of immediate assistance they should contact https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/ • Please continue to direct students who appear to be in crisis to Crisis Centre BC https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/ Also, notwithstanding that we are in the middle of a pandemic, please DO NOT HESITATE to contact 911 should you think a student is in immediate danger or risk. If you are dealing with a distressed student and are unsure what to do and there DOES NOT appear to be an immediate danger you are welcome to call 2828 and consult with an intake counselor when they are available.

Library Facilities: We know many of you are worried about your students not being able to access computers. Facilities and Security are working with the Library to provide computer capacity while making sure that social distancing imperatives are adhered to and that no more than 50 students are in the library at one time.

Upcoming Communications: The next communicator message will provide updates on exams, learning centers, and assessment and testing services. These will be posted to the COVID 19 webpage.

In the Dean’s office, we have been so grateful to each and every one of you for meeting this unprecedented challenge.

Take care and stay healthy,  

Diane, Wade, Greg, and Shelley