Supporting our return to campus

Following the UBC Broadcast on June 8, I would like to share more detailed information about the support and resources available to facilitate a return to campus. 

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far. Whether you took part in one of the recent listening sessions and town halls, or provided comments through another channel, I want to offer my gratitude for your engagement in this process.

On June 15, the provincial government announced that Step 2 of BC’s Restart plan is in effect, with further restrictions expected to be relaxed on July 1 at the earliest. You can learn more, including a summary of current permitted activities, at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restart.

As the provincial government continues its plan for restarting activities, we continue our own planning for increased in-person instruction, research and other UBC activities. In recent weeks, support resources have been developed to assist you and your teams as you plan this transitioned return to campus. 

Return to campus — support resources

Support resources have been developed to help guide unit heads and managers through the transition process for returning to campus — ensuring we continue our commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of the UBC community. They include information on UBC’s safety protocols, campus return expectations, employee supports, operational supports and campus services. You can access them at:

• UBC Vancouver: https://academic.ubc.ca/campus-return-planning-guide; https://covid19.ubc.ca
• UBC Okanagan: https://ok.ubc.ca/covid19/

Human Resources (HR) support

A resource planning spreadsheet and process guide are available through Senior HR Leaders. You can learn more about UBC’s remote work approach athttps://hr.ubc.ca/remote-work-ubc. Should you need further guidance please contact your Senior HR Leader:

• UBC Vancouver: https://hr.ubc.ca/contact/contact-advisory-services
• UBC Okanagan: https://hr.ok.ubc.ca/contact/

COVID-19 safety planning

UBC will implement its new, streamlined safety planning process in alignment with Step 3 of BC’s Restart plan. Seven institutional safety plans will be made available, to be applied to UBC learning, research and/or administrative spaces, until we shift to a more general communicable disease plan, as advised by Dr. Bonnie Henry (Ministry of Health and (gov.bc.ca)). This plan will apply basic risk reduction principles that will reduce the risk of not only COVID-19 transmission, but of all communicable diseases that affect the workplace. 

By taking a standardized, institutional approach, individual Faculties and administrative units will not need to create new safety plans for their area, and will only need to follow the measures outlined in applicable institutional safety plan(s). This will ensure a consistent approach across the university, encompassing our campuses and other learning sites. 

Sector specific plans for services such as day care, restaurants and events will still be required. If you need assistance in developing these plans please email ready.ubc@ubc.ca at UBC Vancouver or ready.ok@ubc.ca at UBC Okanagan. 

The new plans are now available on the Safety & Risk Services website at UBC Vancouver (https://srs.ubc.ca/) and the UBC Okanagan COVID-19 website (https://ok.ubc.ca/covid19/resumption-planning/), with accompanying support resources. 

I would like to once again reiterate the vital importance of getting fully vaccinated as we move towards a safe return to in-person teaching, learning, and research activity this fall. It is encouraging to see that the number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing, and that the provincial government is continuing to ease restrictions under BC’s Restart plan. But success depends on us all supporting the provincial immunization program. If you haven’t yet done so, we encourage you to register and book your vaccine. You can learn more at https://immunizebc.ca. 

Looking ahead to September, I would like to thank you once again for the crucial roles you all play at UBC — both in terms of facilitating our return to campus and also in your contributions to the university. Thank you for your continued commitment to UBC and its academic mission.

Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor