UBC beginning spring semester with limited in-person classes amid Omicron concerns

The University of British Columbia will begin its spring semester with most classes taking place online, UBC president and vice-chancellor Santa J. Ono announced in a statement Wednesday.

Ono said the change will last for "a brief, interim period" until Jan. 24.

"This decision will provide certainty for our students and allow time for faculty and staff to prepare course materials and student supports and services to ensure that excellent teaching and learning activities are maintained in all delivery modalities," his statement reads.

The decision comes after the university faced significant criticism from students over its decision not to cancel in-person exams amid the surge in COVID-19 cases currently being driven by the Omicron variant in B.C. 

On Vancouver Island, the University of Victoria moved all exams online as an Omicron-fuelled outbreak swept through the campus community.

UBC declined to do similarly, saying in a statement over the weekend that UVic's decision had been made "in a different public health context" and that high vaccination rates and safety plans in place on campus were keeping the UBC community safe.

The university also moved to allow students who didn't feel comfortable taking in-person exams to request that their exams be delayed.

Notably, UBC's decision to delay the return to in-person instruction is - at least partially - at odds with guidance provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provided to university presidents on Tuesday.

In a letter to leaders of post-secondary institutions, Henry wrote that B.C. health officials "strongly recommend" the continuation of on-campus, in-person classes. 

The letter argued that structured educational settings are not associated with an increase in transmission, and that variants of concern - including Omicron - are mostly transmitted in informal and social settings.

"Since structured educational settings do not amplify transmission, a move to online instruction is not an effective means of reducing COVID-19 among students, faculty, and staff, or in the wider community," Henry wrote.

Ono acknowledged Henry's letter in his statement, characterizing it as "recommending that on-campus instruction continue for the next term." The plan he announced would mean the return of in-person classes for most of the semester, but not all of it. 

After winter break, classes will begin on Jan. 4 or 10 - depending on the program - as scheduled, but the majority of the instruction will happen online, Ono said Wednesday.

"During this period, some courses, including those with clinical or other experiential, performance or studio components will continue in-person with appropriate safety protocols in place," he said.

UBC's campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan will remain open, Ono said, adding that student housing, student services and libraries will all be operating as they have been this school year.

The university's intention is to return to fully in-person learning on Jan. 24, but Ono said administrators are monitoring the COVID-19 situation "closely" and will provide another update in the first week of the new year.