After a summer of research, teaching, learning, work and hopefully even a little time off, we’re in the final stretches of preparing for the start of the Fall semester. Whether you are a new or returning student, faculty member or staff, we’re excited to see you and we thank you for being a part of our community.

Fall reminders

• Conduct your health check each day
• Preparing our campuses for September
• Masks are recommended
• Get vaccinated

Conduct your health check each day

One of the most important things we can do as a community is to ensure we are well before coming to campus. Remember to conduct a personal health check each day before coming to campus or your work site. Ask yourself if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: fever, fatigue, new or worsening cough, body aches, sore throat or painful swallowing, stuffy or runny nose, loss of appetite, chills, difficulty breathing, headache, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell, nausea or vomiting. We are entering influenza season so if you are sick, please stay home, rest and recover.

Be sure to maintain your hand hygiene while on campus as well; wash your hands often and make use of the extra free-standing and wall-mounted hand sanitization units we have added.

Students who feel ill should check in with their instructors and ensure they keep up to date on readings, assignments and other work.

If we all take appropriate precautions when we feel unwell, we protect our colleagues, classmates, friends and loved ones.

Preparing our campuses for September

Our campuses are abuzz with activity, from Prince George and Quesnel to Terrace and Fort St. John. You’ll notice a lot of construction on the Prince George campus when you return,from new accessible pathways and washroom renovations to concrete revitalization and the new café space in the Winter Garden. Yet we’ve done more to support your health and well-being as well. We have updated our health and safety plans. We have health and safety staff visiting our regional campuses to conduct fit-testing with nursing students, touch base with students, faculty and staff, refresh signage, and more. In Prince George, we have installed MERV 14 filtration to our air handling within campus air handling systems that exceed both WorkSafeBC and American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) guidelines and have increased the external air intake to our buildings. And we continue to use enhanced cleaning and sanitization, particularly in high touch point areas of public space. We’re also investigating working with faculty experts and students to conduct CO2 monitoring to evaluate airflow in various spaces around campus to determine whether adjustments need to be made.

All of this is done to ensure we offer not only a welcoming environment but a safe one as well.

Masks are recommended

As we have throughout the pandemic, we rely on the expertise and direction we receive from the Provincial Health Officer and various government ministries. We continue to strongly recommend that you wear masks in all indoor public areas, including classrooms, laboratories, lobbies, hallways, stairwells and elevators. We encourage you to be thoughtful and respectful of others’ choices in this regard.

Get vaccinated

Vaccines are important tools in the fight against infectious diseases. Be it COVID-19, influenza or others, vaccines provide critical protection. We recommend that all UNBC community members get vaccinated for COVID-19 and if eligible get a booster dose. We’ll be working to bring vaccination clinics to our campuses when appropriate. Vaccines are available for incoming international students, too, so visit the ImmunizeBC website to learn more.

In closing

We continue to monitor not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but the emergence of other communicable diseases as well; your safety, health and well-being remain our top priority.

We have moved information regarding COVID-19 into the Safety and Risk Management section of our website. This page has been revamped to include information about COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, our various plans and procedures, and more. We’ll keep that site updated with the latest information. You can also visit the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website for the latest information.

Thank you again for being a part of this exceptional community. I’m looking forward to this academic year and the excitement that comes with being at UNBC!

Thank you,

Geoff Payne
President and Vice-Chancellor