As the federal and provincial governments consider easing the emergency restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, colleges and universities across the country are developing plans for their operations in the fall. The options being considered raise logistical questions about how far campuses can re-open and how courses will be delivered; health and safety considerations about how best to protect all members of the campus community; and academic concerns about how to ensure our institutions can continue to fulfil their core mission of teaching and research under the circumstances.
It is crucial that academic staff associations and academic governance bodies be actively involved in all discussions about planning for the 2020-21 academic year. To assist member associations in these planning discussions, CAUT has prepared guidelines on re-opening universities and colleges. As with all of CAUT's advice and resources related to COVID-19, these guidelines will be updated as necessary as more information becomes available.