University assessing online instruction; classes cancelled effective March 13

Dear members of the Ontario Tech University community,

The situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve rapidly and raises many valid questions and concerns among our campus community. These are uncharted waters, and we are all feeling the strain.

The well-being and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors is our top priority. The university’s Senior Leadership Team, along with its Risk Management, Emergency Management Response and Health-Care Teams, continue to closely monitor the situation. There are currently no known COVID-19 cases in the Ontario Tech University community.

The medical situation is evolving rapidly in the GTA and the university is prepared to make decisions in this ever-changing environment, and with all available information and advice from public health authorities.

As a result, we are assessing the potential for online instruction for the remainder of the current term. Ontario Tech is cancelling classes effective Friday, March 13 as we ask our faculty to transition toward online forms of delivery. Further communication will be provided on Monday, March 16 at the latest. This cancellation only affects face-to-face activities on campus; existing online classes and clinical placements will continue as scheduled. Midterms scheduled for Saturday have been postponed, more information will be provided by professors. The university remains open to support this transition and maintain its operations. Exam contingency plans are also under review and any changes, if needed, will be communicated. Changing to online formats is not easy, so please be patient. The collective health of our campus community, the Durham Region, the GTA and Canada must guide our efforts.

The university will postpone its upcoming large in-person events including March Break Campus Tours and Spring Open House (an alternate virtual Open House is in development). If you have a university-hosted event planned on or before Friday, April 3, please contact Risk Management immediately and an assessment will be made to determine next steps. Events must not proceed without approval from Risk Management.

We encourage you to continue to receive your information at our COVID-19 website, which has various resources and the latest university updates. You are reminded not to trust messages about COVID-19 originating from social media chatter. Rely only on official messages from the university.

I hope this provides you confidence in the actions we are taking to maintain the continuity of university operations in a measured and thoughtful way. Our commitment is to keep you informed with the latest information and decisions as they unfold.

Sincerely,

Steven

Dr. Steven Murphy

President and Vice-Chancellor