Dear members of the UBC community.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that I am speaking to you from the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
As you know, the Fall term begins in just a couple of months and like many of you, I’m looking forward to getting back to campus. However, it’s natural that some members of our community may feel anxious about returning to campus, and may be concerned about their health and wellbeing
Given UBC’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of the community, including our mental health, we are approaching our return to campus as a gradual transition, rather than an event.
I recognize that you may have questions and concerns about the return to campus; questions about vaccinations, about social activities, about classrooms, about international students, about remote work, and more.
You can find the answers to many of these questions, as well as the latest information about UBC’s Return to Campus plan online at covid19.ubc.ca and ok.ubc.ca/covid19.
If you’re a student, I encourage you to register for the Return to Campus webinar, which will take place on Monday, June 28 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time. You can learn about our return-to-campus plan for September, how UBC is planning for the health and safety of our community, what you can expect from your student experience, the in-person learning approach for 2021 Winter Term 1 and student supports and services.
You can register for the webinar here. If you’re not able to attend the live webinar, you can always watch the video of the session later.
Rest assured, your health and safety are our first priority. Again, I urge you to go to covid19.ubc.ca and ok.ubc.ca/covid19 for the most up to date information.
My unsung hero shout-out this week goes to UBC Okanagan Aboriginal Student Advisor Kelly Fosbery.
Kelly goes above and beyond to ensure Indigenous students at UBC Okanagan are supported holistically. During the pandemic, she also set up regular ‘Tea and Bannock’ gatherings so her fellow staff members would still feel connected to UBC and to one another. Kelly, thank you for helping Indigenous students and your colleagues.
As we are heading into summer, I will be doing these updates less frequently. The next one will be in mid-July when I’ll give you further information about our plans for the fall.
Stay safe and best wishes for a good summer.
Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor