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Navigating through the pandemic

Perhaps no other area of the business plan is as subject to external factors as dealing with the pandemic, particularly the evolving, and sometimes reversing, public health guidance.

Throughout last year, Seneca managed the challenges of maintaining operations, and operational integrity, without serious incident. With the exception of an unexpected government rule change on class sizes, our approach to managing the safety of the Seneca community was consistent and did not require cancelling any approved activities.

Depending on the vaccine rollout, we expected the year to be divided into three phases:

  • Phase One: Maintaining the current restrictive on-campus activities, limited to required in-person learning in some programs and essential employees; rigorous screening, health protocols and cleaning procedures remain in effect
  • Phase Two: As more of the population is vaccinated, a loosening of on-campus restrictions to open student spaces such as the libraries, computing commons and study spaces while resuming limited food service; services would remain in virtual delivery mode and employees would largely continue to work remotely; this phase may start as early as sometime over the summer and continue through the fall
  • Phase Three: With appropriate public health guidance, a resumption of full on-campus activity without health and safety restrictions such as face coverings and physical distancing; the achievement of phase three depends on Ontario reaching a level of vaccination and herd immunity where there is sufficient societal acceptance of an end to the pandemic-era restrictions; we expected that phase no earlier than January 2022, and possibly later.

Year-end outcomes:

  • Seneca was the first postsecondary institution in Canada to mandate vaccinations as a condition of being on campus
  • Garnered significant media attention over the seven weeks until the next institution followed suit
  • Provided guidance to other institutions in developing their policies
  • Entered Phase Two of campus openings at the mid-point of the fall term once testing of partially vaccinated individuals ceased and only fully vaccinated individuals were allowed on campus
  • With each term, more in-person classes being delivered
  • Campuses partially reopened to allow students — including those with no in-person academic activities — access to study spaces, Wi-Fi, fitness centres, food services and bookstores
  • Varsity sports started with strict adherence to vaccination policy across all colleges
  • Residence opened common areas
  • Implemented comprehensive screening systems, including automated self-serve kiosks at campuses
  • No transmission of the virus has been recorded on a Seneca campus since the beginning of the pandemic and all cases brought on campus have been identified and categorized as low risk

Highlights of 2021-22

Putting the health and safety of our community first

Seneca was the first postsecondary institution in Canada to make being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 a condition of coming on campus for the Fall 2021 Term. President David Agnew had two op-eds published in the Toronto Star on Seneca’s vaccination policy: July 23 and Aug. 24. Seneca’s leadership received subsequent coverage throughout the summer in every outlet in the Greater Toronto Area and national networks through articles and interviews.

COVID-19 Student Relief Fund reaches $13.5 million

Seneca provided an additional $3.6 million in financial aid to students during the May and Fall 2021 terms through the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund. This fund was established in April 2020 to help students cover additional costs brought on by the pandemic. Since the pandemic began, $13.5 million has been distributed.

Seneca Student Federation continues to support students

From the start of the pandemic, the Seneca Student Federation (SSF) has donated $2.5 million to support Seneca students. This includes $1.5 million for the Seneca COVID-19 Student Relief Fund.

Premier Ford announces vaccine rollout plan at Seneca

Premier Doug Ford visited Newnham Campus in April to announce the government’s vaccination rollout plan. He was accompanied by Christine Elliott, Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General of Ontario, and Vincent Ke, MPP, Don Valley North.

Boosting vaccination numbers at Seneca and in the community

From mid-March to late July 2021, Seneca hosted a vaccination clinic at Newnham Campus in partnership with North York General Hospital. This included four Seneca days, when close to 6,000 students, employees and family members received doses. The clinic reopened for six weeks in early 2022 to provide booster shots in response to the Omicron variant. In total, more than 151,000 vaccines were given at Seneca’s clinic.

Journalism students pay tribute to COVID-19 victims in Maclean’s

Students in Seneca’s Journalism diploma program were part of a group of aspiring journalists across Canada who contributed to Maclean’s obituary project, They Were Loved. This initiative paid tribute to Canadians who died from COVID-19.

Newnham Campus arena doubles as food depot

During the pandemic, the Newnham Campus arena served as a depot for the North York Harvest Food Bank, with more than 350,000 kilograms of food passing through the facility for distribution to those in need.