As B.C.’s restart plan moves ahead, colleges and universities around the province are preparing for in-class learning in the fall.
Post-secondary institutions will spend time over the summer months getting health measures ready alongside planning campus services, such as dining, housing and classroom logistics.
“We’ll still have some safety measures on campus, it looks like masks will be optional, but we’ll still encourage people to stay home if they’re sick. We’ll have a lot of hand sanitizing stations around so we’ll still have awareness of safety,” said Paul Vogt, College of the Rockies President.
Even though most classes went online through the COVID-19 pandemic, Vogt said about 40% of the college’s programs remained in-person.
Students will be welcomed back to the college in time for the fall semester.
“We’ll have something called Jumpstart, which is an orientation. It’s also designed to be a celebration, we’ll have a barbecue and a lot of games,” explained Vogt. “We’re also getting our student housing ready. We’ve added 100 units and those will all be open for students in the fall.”
Vogt also said the Avalanche teams will make a comeback with the return of on-campus sports.
“It’s going to be great having the students back again, having the full college experience and having face-to-face learning,” said Vogt.
The plans will be made with the help of rules set out in the Provincial Government’s Return-to-Campus Guidelines, which will run parallel to the four-step restart plan.
More: B.C. government removes COVID-19 mandatory mask order (June 30, 2021)