Students' concerns heard, UBC says, but in-person exams will continue
The University of British Columbia says assurances from public health officials have influenced its decision to continue with in-person exams, despite concerns from students about the spread of COVID-19.
Kurt Heinrich, the university's senior director of media relations, says deans will allow students who are worried about their health - such as those who live with family members or others who are part of a high-risk group - to ask for their exams to be deferred.
“We’re hearing though, many, many students just want to proceed,” he said.
Heinrich added that the university is in constant contact with public health, as well as abiding by orders and recommendations set out by the provincial health officer.
UBC’s response comes after students and their representatives called for the cancellation of in-person exams over concerns about the lack of distancing in exam areas that hold hundreds of students, as well as symptomatic students attending these exams.
Eshana Bhangu is the vice president for academic and university affairs for the Alma Mater Society, the UBC students' union. On Sunday, she told CTV News Vancouver the union is still pushing for the university to move all in-person exams online.
"It's just a lot of students in jam-packed halls," Bhangu said of the exam process so far.
"We've had people, you know, even sitting on the floor in some cases. It's just - it's astounding that the university is not taking action to keep students safe."
She said in light of the new restrictions that provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry introduced on Friday because of the threat of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, UBC should be taking a university-wide approach to exam cancellations, rather than leaving it to individual faculty and students to decide how to proceed.
"Yes, I understand (the new restrictions) don't explicitly apply to post-secondary institutions, but again, UBC needs to go above and beyond these (public health officer) guidelines and recommendations and keep students safe," Bhangu said. "It shouldn't be that some students are still at risk while others are not."
For his part, Heinrich said UBC feels it has "gone above and beyond" provincial recommendations in its on-campus safety protocols this year. He told CTV News the university communicates regularly with public health officials.
"They have made it very clear to us, throughout this process - including very recently relating to exams - that the learning environments that we are providing are safe for our students," Heinrich said.
He said the University of Victoria's decision to cancel in-person exams was made in a different public health context.
In that case, officials said two off-campus parties led to outbreaks of both the Delta and Omicron variants among students.
“Public Health has confirmed that cases among staff, students and faculty at UBC have been lower than in surrounding communities, and when cases do occur, the vast majority of acquisition is in homes and social settings,” Heinrich said in his statement.
However, Dr. Brian Conway with the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre called it “very unfair” to put the onus on students to make decisions to defer their exams.
“Guidelines are changing on a daily basis in the era of Omicron,” Conway said.
“Would they think of reducing capacity (during exams)?” Conway suggested. “Would they think of keeping the groups much smaller (or) changing the locale?”
B.C.'s new restrictions came into effect on Monday.
They include a 50-per-cent capacity limit on venues that hold more than 1,000 people, a ban on youth and adult sports tournaments over the winter holiday period, and the cancellation of all New Year's Eve parties.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for ‘oafish’ comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.