Vac to school at Cape Breton University
Return to Campus plan criticized by faculty association president
SYDNEY — Cape Breton University students, faculty and staff are now required to be fully vaccinated to be on campus.
Unless exempt under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act for medical or other reasons, proof of full vaccination must be shown by Oct. 15 to be on campus. This means students, staff and faculty will have to have their second jab by Oct. 1.
Librarian Jasmine Hooper is happy with the announcement.
“It brings us in line with other universities across Canada who are putting the health and safety of their students, faculty and staff as a priority. I think the mask mandate included in the announcement is just as important to try and reduce spread and I hope it continues in places like the library where I work,” she said.
“It’s easy to look around at what is happening in the USA with full ICUs (intensive care units), or Alberta where health-care workers are forced to work mandatory overtime, and decide to be proactive.”
Hooper’s brother is a doctor in Oregon, a state being hit hard by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s putting a lot of stress on the health-care system and health-care workers. The more fully vaccinated people out there, the less will be heading to the hospital with Covid.”
Currently in level four of their Return to Campus plan, CBU is requiring mask wearing until the end of September in all public spaces for everyone.
People exempt from getting the vaccine will be required to wear face masks and be tested for COVID-19 twice a week.
CBU president David Dingwall said the decision was made to ensure the health and safety of everyone at CBU.
“We have a responsibility at CBU to adhere to the health and safety of students, of faculty and staff and as a result, we have been following the orders from (Nova Scotia chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang) in terms of public health,” he said during a phone interview.
“In addition, I think we have a broader responsibility to assure the community we are doing everything we can to adhere to the best practices for the health and safety of all of us here at CBU.”
NOT IMPRESSED
Cape Breton University Faculty Association president Calvin Howley has many issues with the plan announced publicly on Thursday.
Through employee and administration representatives at meetings, Howley has addressed the issue of mandatory vaccines but was not brought into a Return to Campus committee meeting.
Howley was told of the mandatory vaccination requirements on Wednesday.
“The Return to Campus plan they announced (Thursday) was vague and lacks details,” said Howley, who is a faculty member in the chemistry department.
“I was very disappointed. Not surprised because it’s kind of what I’ve come to expect from the university. This is something I’m kind of used to with the university and I think it reflects when you have a lack of true consultation.”
Parts of the plan “defy logic” and “don’t make sense.”
“I wouldn’t even call it a mandate. It seems to be a suggestion trying to be a recommendation pretending to be a mandate,” he said.
“They’re calling for proof
of vaccination on Oct. 15 — that’s a full month after students return back to classes. By that time, COVID could have spread throughout the classes.”
Howley also questioned why there’s early proof of vaccination dates for some others.
“Any athletes and (students living in) residence are required to be vaccinated by Sept. 1. Why the difference? It makes no sense,” Howley said.
“And there’s no followup. What if students aren’t vaccinated even by Oct. 15? What happens then? So the lack of specifics to address these questions before the September start, I mean it’s surprising given that we all knew we were returning to campus in
September.”
SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT
Post-secondary institutions across Canada have started making vaccinations mandatory for people working or studying on campus.
Earlier this week, Nova Scotia Community College and Dalhousie University also announced their mandatory vaccine policies.
“There may be some people upset with mandatory vaccinations but we think vaccinations are the way to go in order to prevent the additional COVID type situation,” said Dingwall.
For weeks the Return to Campus committee debated mandatory vaccinations. The students’ union executives were told about the possibility of mandatory vaccinations at CBU about two weeks ago.
“When I was brought into it, I know there were no Atlantic Canada universities mandating vaccines yet. It was still the early stages of where is everyone going with this, is this the best possible decision for our students,” said Madlyn O’Brien, president of CBU Students’ Union.
“Of course we gave our feedback that we are totally in support of the vaccine mandate.”
Howley thinks the plan’s lack of detail, late release and lack of consultation are characteristic of a bigger problem at the university.
“There should be more faculty and student involvement in these things. Health and safety is not something that should be mandated by administration,” he said.
“What came out (Thursday) just reflects weak leadership at CBU.”