UBC student union calls for stricter COVID-19 measures ahead of September return
The UBC Alma Mater Society has urged the university to tighten up COVID-19 measures ahead of its return of in-person learning this fall.
As it currently stands, students living in on-campus residences will not be required to be vaccinated, and masks will not be mandatory in indoor spaces like lecture halls.
The leaders of the AMS, which represents the more than 56,000 students who are currently enrolled at UBC, have penned a letter to UBC executives and the board of directors, calling on them to step up.
In the letter, AMS president Cole Evans and vice president Eshana Bhangu urge the university’s leaders to go beyond the province’s basic COVID-19 guidance.
“There is no doubt that the university is aligned with the public health office,” the letter reads. “There is also no doubt that it is unacceptable for UBC, an institution that prides itself as a leader across the country, to only be doing the bare minimum in ensuring the safety and security of its students, staff and faculty.”
In 2020, UBC mandated masks on campus before B.C. health officials did, but now the university says it will be aligned with provincial guidance moving forward.
"There are no vaccines in Canada that are mandatory, and it's been recommended that post-secondary institutions don’t introduce prevention measures that are different from those recommended by the provincial health officer,” said Matthew Ramsey, UBC’s director of university affairs.
“We are very much recommending and encouraging members of our community to get the vaccine,” Ramsey added. “That includes students, faculty and staff, but we are not making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.”
In an interview with CTV News Vancouver, Bhanghu said it’s discouraging that the school, which was once the leader on COVID-19 mandates, has now taken a back seat.
"It's disappointing that we're falling behind, and students just aren't feeling comfortable," Bhanghu said.
She said a survey of AMS members found that 82 per cent of the students living in residence would like to see vaccinations be mandatory, a policy other large Canadian schools – including the University of Toronto and Ryerson University – have put in place.
Bhangu added that it’s not just students who are concerned.
"It's disappointing to see that they continuously fall back on their current plans as they exist now instead of seriously engaging with the community,” she said. “Community members, students and faculty have shown this is something they deeply care about, and are united on.”
The University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University have also declined to make vaccinations mandatory.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'