School’s in for pandemic-delayed students
Province limits return to post-secondary students in essential, front-line and high-demand areas
A rare sight will soon return to the campuses of Mohawk College and McMaster University: students.
A select number who were kept from wrapping-up studies in the spring due to the COVID-19 shutdown will be back starting in July.
The province’s education minister announced Wednesday that in-person classes and training at post-secondary institutions will be permitted, but only for those students completing programs in “essential, front line, and high labour market demand areas, such as nursing, personal support workers, engineering, and other critical professions.” Students who were on the cusp of graduation in areas that are not part of this “first phase” will need to return in the fall, when classes will be held virtually, in-person or a hybrid format, depending on the institution.
The unusual summer school callback policy will have a much greater impact on Mohawk than McMaster.
At Mohawk, about 1,100 students in 22 program areas could qualify to return. Those who return in July and August will complete studies at either the Stoney Creek or Fennell Avenue campuses, with numbers staggered to limit the students on campus at any one time.
Mohawk spokesperson Bill Steinburg told The Spectator it’s unknown how many of these students will be positioned to take advantage of the opportunity; some may be working or have other commitments that will delay their return.
Mohawk announced last month that more than 70 per cent of its fall courses would be delivered remotely and through a virtual module due to COVID-19.
In a memorandum to faculty and staff, Alison Horton, vicepresident academic, said the school has consulted with public health officials to establish protocols to ensure distancing and access to personal protective equipment on campus this summer.
She added that Mohawk employees not required to be on campus will continue to work from home, and access for workers and students who are not part of the first phase will only be granted upon request. Mohawk president Ron McKerlie called it a “promising step forward in the gradual reopening of our campuses. We are happy to welcome students back, in a safe and responsible manner, to help them complete their courses and prepare for bright careers.”
About 170 students are affected at McMaster: 100 students in the “School of Rehabilitation Science” (programs include speech language pathology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy), and 70 students in the “Bachelor of Science, Nursing” accelerated program.
The nursing program typically runs through the summer and includes placements in hospitals, and these can now proceed to allow those students to graduate on time.
The rehabilitation science students will be invited on campus for a clinical skills boot camp in July, to learn hands-on skills that cannot be taught virtually.
McMaster spokesperson Wade Hemsworth told The Spectator that the university’s priority is “ensuring the health and well-being of students, faculty and staff.
“Protocols will be in place to meet all public health requirements and create the safest teaching and learning environments possible.” McMaster recently announced that all of its classes for the fall semester would be moved online, with limited exceptions including some firstyear health sciences classes and research labs.