Support Seneca

Grand and Toy

July 21, 2020

Students in Seneca’s Academic Upgrading and Youth to Postsecondary (Y2P) programs will be receiving additional support for online learning this fall.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic when access to a laptop is essential for online learning, Grand & Toy made a generous donation of 25 refreshed laptops to those two programs.

“We are so incredibly happy to help Seneca students during this difficult time,” said Zameer Hussain, Managing Director and Head of Technology, Sales, Services and Strategy at Grand & Toy. “Having the proper technology to access classes, submit assignments and connect with classmates shouldn’t be something that a student has to worry about — ever.”

Currently, Seneca maintains a Laptop Loaner Program for students who are continuing their studies remotely during campus closures. A partnership with Dell Canada on a purchasing program also enables students to receive discounts up to 25 per cent on select laptop models.

However, some students are still without a personal laptop and don’t have the funds to afford one. According to a poll by CIBC, 35 per cent of postsecondary students no longer have a job placement or summer job due to the pandemic and 33 per cent have lost income due to fewer work hours.

These numbers are grim for more than 80 per cent of Seneca students who depend on part-time work to fund their education. Many of these students live with family and are sharing laptops among members of the household.

“This makes online learning challenging and creates yet another barrier for our students,” said Camille Soucie, Dean, Faculty of Arts at Seneca. “This gift of technology [from Grand & Toy] will help our most vulnerable students be better students.”

Keeping the health and safety of students, faculty and staff as a priority, Seneca will continue to deliver the majority of classes online for the fall term. For programs that have significant in-person components, some on-campus activities may resume but will be subject to government and public health authority directives.


To learn more about how you can support students at Seneca, contact advancement@senecapolytechnic.ca.