{"id":1521,"date":"2021-05-04T08:49:02","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T12:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/president\/?p=1521"},"modified":"2024-09-24T12:39:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T16:39:12","slug":"flexibile-plan-fall-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/president\/2021\/flexibile-plan-fall-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"A Flexible Plan for Fall 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n A Flexible Plan for Fall 2021\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Visit Carleton’s COVID-19 website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May 5, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good morning everyone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We made it to the end of the winter term and the 2020-21 academic year! It was certainly the most challenging year on record, but we got through it as a community. I want to start by extending both my thanks and congratulations to students, faculty and staff on this remarkable accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we head into the summer months, I hope we can all find some time to rest, recharge and recuperate. I am pleased to announce that in recognition of the exceptional efforts undertaken by everyone, Friday, July 2 will be an Appreciation Day Holiday.<\/strong> Summer courses scheduled on this day, as well as fall registration, will be proceeding as planned. Employees who need to work on this day to ensure our continued operations should discuss an alternative date off with their managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the summer is also an opportunity for students to advance their studies. With the pandemic, the summer term has become more popular and our five faculties have adapted to the demand with a broad array of exciting courses. Already, over 13,000 students have signed up for online summer courses. I wish everyone a successful summer term!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question on everyone’s mind is what will the fall look like? After several weeks of careful research, discussion and consultation, the Carleton University Scenario Planning (CUSP)<\/a> Working Group has delivered its final report for fall 2021<\/a> and put forth its recommendations, which were confirmed by the Carleton Senate at its meeting of April 30<\/a>. In summary, like other Canadian universities, we are preparing for a safe and gradual return to campus in fall 2021. A significant proportion of courses \u2013 in particular seminars, labs, experiential learning and smaller classes \u2013 are expected to be offered on campus in a safe way, but online options will also be available to provide flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fall 2021 CUSP report<\/a> is a fully public document, in line with our ongoing commitment to making decisions in real time and communicating them in a transparent way. Based on the careful analysis of multiple factors, CUSP concluded that the COVID landscape will look quite different in September 2021, compared to April 2021. The most likely scenario for fall 2021 is that increasing rates of vaccination will lead to much-reduced infection numbers. Public health restrictions \u2013 based on cases and health-care system capacity \u2013 should progressively be lifted as the number of cases decline. This would allow for a significant return to on-campus activity in fall 2021. By winter 2022, vaccination programs should be complete, and we can anticipate a return to essentially normal campus activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most students are eager for a return to face-to-face learning, courses will only be delivered on campus if public health authorities deem them to be safe. Further, international students may not be able to participate in on-campus activities due to delays in student visa processing. Consequently, enhanced online options will be needed to accommodate this group. The guidelines that CUSP recommends for academic program planning can be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n