STUDENTS CALL ON LANGARA COLLEGE TO OFFER REMOTE LEARNING OPTIONS TO KEEP STUDENTS SAFE

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC - The Alliance of BC Students is calling on Langara College to offer remote learning options to its students in the face of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19. 

“Due to record COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations, many Langara students don’t feel safe attending class in-person,” said ABCS Chairperson Aryanna Chartrand. “The Alliance is calling on Langara College to offer remote learning options to students like they did in the first three waves of the pandemic to empower students to make their own choice about attending classes in-person.”

With 819 people hospitalized with COVID-19, testing capacity at its limit, and restrictions on large groups in all other indoor settings, student safety cannot be guaranteed in classrooms. Return to campus plans pose a significant risk to all students, and an even greater risk to students who are immunocompromised, have immunocompromised family members, or are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. 

“Over 1,275 students have signed an online petition asking Langara to delay the return in-person classes," said Manpreet Kaur, Vice-President External of the Langara Students' Union. "They don’t feel safe returning to campus right now, and they shouldn’t be made to do so when online learning options exist and have been used successfully during this pandemic. Langara College needs to listen to its students about their safety and empower them with the choice to attend class from home.”

For more information please contact: chairperson@bcstudents.ca.

STUDENTS CALL ON PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER TO CHANGE GUIDANCE TO POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC - The Alliance of BC Students is calling on BC’s Public Health Officer (PHO) to change the guidance issued to post-secondary institution presidents on December 21, 2021 that “strongly recommend(s) a continuation of on-campus instruction for post-secondary institutions in January 2022.”

“In light of the extraordinarily fast spread of the Omicron variant, on-campus instruction is even less safe than it was just a month ago,” said ABCS Chairperson Aryanna Chartrand. “The Alliance is calling on the PHO to change the guidance recently issued to post-secondary institution presidents and instead recommend a case-by-case approach that takes into account local public health conditions and the advice of each institution’s student union, and maximizes the number of available hybrid learning options for students.”

“The blanket guidance that the PHO has issued to post-secondary institution presidents encourages post-secondary institutions to opt for an approach that does not accommodate immunocompromised students, who have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, or students who live with people who are immunocompromised, “ said Chartrand. “The PHO should encourage post-secondary institutions to provide all students with the agency to choose whether or not to take the risk of attending class in-person, or stay safe by attending class online.”

For more information please contact:

Aryanna Chartrand
Chairperson
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
e: chairperson@bcstudents.ca
www.bcstudents.ca

Joshua Millard
Executive Director
Pronouns: He/Him/His
c: (604) 600-6732
|e: jmillard@bcstudents.ca

Hassan Merali
Director, Communications
Pronouns: He/Him/His
c: (778) 580-7967
e: hmerali@bcstudents.ca

Students Welcome Announcement of Additional Supports

VANCOUVER, BC -  The Alliance of BC Students (ABCS) was excited to see today’s announcement of new and continued support from the province for post-secondary students to address the impact the public health crisis has had on the BC post-secondary community. 

“We know that right now, it is absolutely critical that students have access to additional supports that will allow them to continue their studies in the Fall,” said Grace Dupasquier, Chairperson of the Alliance. “with unemployment so high in younger age brackets, whatever can be done to help students return to their studies is greatly appreciated.”

Applications are now open for the BC Access Grant, a non-repayable needs-based grant for low- and middle-income students. The Ministry has also announced $2.175 million in dedicated funding to create institutional supports for students with cognitive, mental health or physical disabilities. In addition to this, $275,000 has been provided to BCCampus to develop online resources for the post-secondary community as they address new mental health and wellbeing concerns that the pandemic has exacerbated, as well as an investment of $400,000 to support BCCampus in developing open educational resources (OERs).

“Research has consistently shown that expanding access to education greatly contributes to economic advancement and stability” continued Dupasquier, “As BC looks to chart a path forward after the public health emergency, we applaud approaches which seek to strengthen BC’s post-secondary sector,"

The Alliance looks forward to continuing to work with government to ensure students are supported in these uncertain times.