Several faculty at the University of Guelph are calling on administrators to implement a vaccine mandate ahead of the fall semester.
Students are echoing the sentiment with a petition started by student Nava Brimlbe calling for required vaccinations for students, staff and faculty.
The petition states: "Without mandatory vaccinations, we not only risk going back to fully online classes, but the health of our community. Many members of the U of G community have young children unable to get vaccinated, let’s not make them chose between their job/education and their family’s safety. "
Launched on Sunday, the petition reached 672 signatures by 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Faculty said they have received "very little in way of communication" from the administration.
“I am 100 per cent sure the university administration is aware of the problems, but we don’t know what they are thinking,” said Shoshana Jacobs, associate professor in the department of integrative biology and an adjunct associate professor in the department of management. “There has been very little in the way of communication, and certainly I wouldn't expect to get a phone call to me directly, but within the normal lines of communication, within the normal channels, we are seeing particular silence. It’s like this rash of silence, and it is worrisome.”
The University of Guelph Faculty Association and University of Guelph media services department were unavailable to comment.
The call for vaccine mandates comes as the Delta variant spreads and Ontario’s daily COVID-19 numbers tick upwards.
No formal declaration has been made by the university administration regarding an encompassing vaccine protocol or mandate.
And while some vaccine mandates have been put in place, including those living in residence and for varsity athletes, faculty are concerned those mandates are too loose and allow for prolonged interaction between students who are not fully vaccinated.
According to the University of Guelph, students who arrive at the Guelph campus residences and are not vaccinated must receive their first dose within seven days of arrival and make arrangements to receive a second dose within 30 days of their move-in date, and students who arrive on campus after having received only one dose must arrange for a second dose as soon as possible after their arrival.
When it comes to varsity athletes, non-vaccinated varsity athletes without an approved exemption will not be allowed to compete. Those with exemptions will be required to be tested regularly.
Varsity athletes will have until Sept. 30 to become fully vaccinated.
With over 5,000 students in single and family residences, U of G has one of the largest university housing systems in Canada.
Daniel Gillis, associate professor and statistician for the school of computer science, said we are putting students and staff at risk without a proper vaccine mandate on campus.
“We’ve got experts on campus that all agree vaccinations are the right way to go and we should be doing this, and for some reason, we are not being heard,” said Gillis. “What concerns me is that, when I think about the residence situation, we are asking 4,500 students to come into residence with a vaccine mandate but with a 30-day window.”
Jacob’s echoed Gillis, saying the 30-day window could prove to be a health crisis with such a large number of students in one place with a month-long window to leave students unprotected.
"When you take a look at what happened the last time the university allowed students to come into residence, I think it was, I could be wrong, but I think it was 300 students they allowed to come in in January and there was an outbreak within a matter of weeks.”
As a tenured professor, Gillis said he has the responsibility to speak up when he sees something he doesn't think is the right course of action.
"There are a lot of people on campus, staff and faculty alike, who can't speak up who are afraid to go to campus, they are nervous to go to campus, because they are worried that even if they are fully vaccinated they might bring it home to their children or loved ones," said Gillis.
When it comes to the mental health of students, both faculty members agreed the students’ have already been mentally tested over the last 18-months, and a premature opening of the campus without a proper vaccine mandate could spell disaster if an outbreak were to occur.
“We know that students need to be together in social groups, we know that they need to be on campus, I don't doubt that for a second. But, they don’t need to be together in a classroom,” said Jacobs.
Gillis surveyed students to better understand how they are feeling going into the fall semester, with results showing a majority of the respondents identified as feeling exhausted.
“What I can tell you right now based on the survey I conducted of students registered for one of the courses I will be teaching in the fall, the majority identified that they are already exhausted or not in the best space to learn, they are anxious, frightened,” said Gillis. “My guess is if we have to go into lockdown again it is going to take a toll on everybody.”
A joint statement was issued Friday from Colleges Ontario Calling for a provincewide vaccine policy and safe pass.
The statement reads: “Given growing concerns related to the Delta variant and other variants of concern, both locally and around the world, Colleges Ontario and the Council of Ontario Universities call on the government to provide a provincewide policy that would require the vaccination of post-secondary students, staff and faculty, to help ensure optimal public health protection for all.”
On Monday, the University of Waterloo announced they will require anyone who comes to campus to self-declare their vaccine status.
On Tuesday, the University of Ottawa announced vaccinations will be mandatory for all students, faculty, staff and anyone returning to or visiting campus as of Sept. 7.
