Dear Staff and Faculty:

With the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and in support of both federal and provincial initiatives to help mitigate the spread of the virus, the University of Windsor continues to do its part in this regard, with the health and safety of our community at the forefront.

We have made the decision that, effective Wednesday, March 18, the University of Windsor will transition to an essential services only model, and will be asking those employees who are able to work remotely from home, to do so.

The following have been identified as some essential services areas:

• Campus Community Police
• Central Animal Care Facility
• Energy Conversion Centre
• Enrollment Management
• Executive Leadership Team
• Facility Services
• Food Services
• Financial Services
• Human Resources
• Information Technology Services
• Residence Services
• Student Health Services

Managers and supervisors with responsibilities for essential services areas will be identifying individuals and positions within those areas who will be required to continue to report to work and will work with those employees on scheduling and discuss any other matters that may arise.

Where managers deem it appropriate for employees to work remotely, they will work with those employees on the transition and logistics of this.

We know that everyone is doing the best they can under some very extraordinary circumstances and we greatly appreciate all of your ongoing efforts. We don’t know the duration of these new measures and we will continue to provide updates regularly.

I want to again thank everyone for your patience and support for our institution during this difficult period.

Thanks.

—Robert Gordon
    President & Vice-Chancellor
    University of Windsor

To the campus community:

The University of Windsor continues to move forward to protect the health and safety of our campus community and support the work of public health agencies in the face of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The University of Windsor Senate unanimously approved an Emergency Academic Plan late Friday afternoon. It is an extremely important measure and will provide a great deal of support and flexibility in the University’s efforts to effectively deal with COVID-19.

The Emergency Academic Plan will have an immediate impact on academic programs and includes:

• All classes will be cancelled on Monday, March 16; Tuesday, March 17; and Wednesday, March 18.
• This will provide time for faculty — after consultation with deans, associate deans and department heads — to alter the delivery of classes away from face to face to other forms of delivery including online.
• Beginning on Thursday, March 19, all courses will resume in their new form of delivery.
• Moving forward, an alternative delivery of examinations will also be considered.

The University is asking a great deal of everyone at this time, and these measures will require an enormous effort on the part of faculty and staff across the institution. The University greatly appreciates the commitment and effort of everyone who will be involved in this unprecedented process.

As well, the understanding of students and parents at this time is also appreciated so that the academic year can be completed in an environment that will minimize risk to everyone.

The transition will require the patience of our entire institution, as there are still many questions to answer. But we are confident the commitment and dedication of our campus community will ensure success.

The University will remain open but there are other related issues we would like to announce:

• Residences will continue to operate until further notice.
• Library services, food services, student health services, and other student services will continue to be available.
• Until further notice, we will be cancelling or postponing all non-essential University events both on and off campus.

Over the past few days, we have heard many concerns from both students and parents. We feel the focus on moving to alternative modes of delivery coupled with cancelling or postponing all non-essential University events is the right thing to do given the growing concerns over COVID-19, and our ongoing commitment to keep members of the campus community healthy and safe.

We will continue to provide additional information on a regular basis and encourage the campus community to continue to visit our COVID-19 website.

—Robert Gordon, President

Among the events cancelled in light of current health protocols are these originally scheduled for this week in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences:

• a March 17 screening of history professor Steven Palmer’s film Ghost Artist;
• the March 18 entry in the By the River reading series that was to feature Karl Jirgens, Mark Laliberte, and Jade Wallace.

In addition, the Windsor Military Studies Conference has been moved from this weekend at the Major F.A. Tilston VC Armoury to Sept. 18 and 19 in the SoCA Armouries, 37 University Ave. E.

This is only a partial list of changes. Before attending any event, check with organizers to ensure it is proceeding.

The national 2020 Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) competition is now open for submissions. It challenges university students across Canada to use their creativity to develop innovative, cost-effective, and practical solutions to accessibility barriers for people with disabilities.

For more information, visit the Canada Universities website: https://www.univcan.ca/programs-and-scholarships/innovative-designs-accessibility-competition/

• You, or your team, could win up to $5,000 for your idea.
• Contest deadline is April 30.
• Previous entry to IDeA UWindsor is not required.

Students must be nominated by the University to enter. If interested in being nominated, contact Cherie Gagnon, accessibility manager in the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility at cgagnon@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000, ext. 2046.

The University of Windsor Research Ethics Board will continue to be available to researchers and study participants by email through the REB mailbox — ethics@uwindsor.ca — and by voicemail at the Office of Research Ethics 519-253-3000, ext. 3948.

Both the REB email and REB voicemail will be monitored daily, even if Office of Research Ethics is closed. The REB will continue to respond to requests to revise for active projects and review of unanticipated and adverse events submitted by e-mail.

The REB encourages researchers to suspend or delay research projects that include in-person recruitment or data collection until the WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern is over (https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus).

In some research settings in-person participation can be replaced with telephone or online communication. Considerations include the nature of the protocol, the type of participants engaged in the research, and any additional risk that may arise by switching from in-person to virtual communication. Revised participant consents or consent addendums may be required (e.g., to update privacy considerations with use of different communication channels). Requests to revise can be submitted to the REB through ethics@uwindsor.ca.

The REB also advises researchers to limit personal contacts, laboratory visits, or trips to clinics and hospitals for research purposes.

The REB reminds researchers with protocols that involve physical assessments and use of equipment that, even after the current concern is over, disinfection according to manufacturer’s standards is of paramount importance and single use accessories is advised. In the absence of manufacturers standards, thorough cleaning between participants is required and has always been a condition of REB clearance.

Where research staff are feeling unwell, care should be taken to stay home to prevent transmission of any illness. For further information from the University of Windsor, see: http://www.uwindsor.ca/coronavirus/303/coronavirus-faq.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 from Health Canada, see: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html.

If an immediate response is required, contact the REB chair at 519-253-3000, ext. 3709, or her cell phone: 226-346-1425.

In response to concerns over the spread of the Novel Coronavirus-19, organizers of a programming competition scheduled for March 27 to 29 have turned it into a fully digital event.

WinHacks founder Noah Campbell, a UWindsor computer science student, said the change will allow competitors to participate remotely.

“Given the amount of work our team has done thus far and the number of hackers eagerly looking forward to the event, we think that becoming digital is the best possible option for us and for our attendees,” he said.

Campbell said organizers have created a fully interactive platform so that hackers can still have access to chat rooms, question and answer sessions, video and voice calls.

“Interactions will still be face-to-face but through a screen rather than in-person,” he said.

The event schedule will remain the same; all planned challenges will still take place. Prizes will be awarded virtually and participating institutions will receive swag and other handouts by parcel post.

The University of Windsor, WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, and WEtech Alliance are among the event’s major sponsors.

Read the full notice, “Windsor’s first major hackathon goes digital in wake of COVID-19,” on the WEtech Alliance website.

Mare Nostrum restaurant, adjacent to the Education Building, will continue to operate Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its lunch service will operate with normal tableside service. 

After 3 p.m., the restaurant will offer counter service, inviting patrons to order at the counter, collecting their food when their name or order number is called out. The dining room will remain open to the use of diners.