On December 3rd, 2021, St. Francis Xavier held the X-Ring ceremony where 1000+ students gathered to receive their X-Rings. Parents from everywhere in North America also came to Antigonish to celebrate the event. Events such as the “Parent’s Night” and “X-Ring Supersub” took place on campus, where students and parents gathered to celebrate. Following these events, many students took rapid Covid-19 tests and received positive results. However, since no PCR test results were obtained, StFX did not comment or take measures following these. At 11 AM on December 7th, classes were cancelled as a safety precaution after two cases were confirmed. As of 7 PM on December 7th, 12 cases have now been confirmed on campus. Many more will be announced as more students are only starting to get tested, and students who tested positive were present at the X-Ring events. Yet, NSHealth has not declared these events as exposure sites. These events served drinks; thus, attendees were permitted to remove their masks to drink while gathered. The ‘Supersub’ event had a section with live music where many gathered in close proximity to watch the stage, all while drinking and not wearing masks. These events were sanctioned and supervised by the University. We do not know how many students present had Covid-19 or have it due to attending these events. Testing sites are becoming busier and busier, and it can take up to 2-3 days to receive PCR test results. Meaning there is a high probability students will be on campus to take their exams while unknowingly having Covid-19.

The in-person examination period is set to begin on December 9th. Students will gather in classrooms and gymnasiums to take their exams, even if we cannot be sure how many students currently have Covid-19. Students are worried, we are putting ourselves at risk by attending our exams, yet we have no choice if we want to pass our classes. We ask that St. Francis Xavier University reconsiders their decision to mandate in-person examinations as they are putting their students at risk, a risk they have no choice but to take for their academic success. We are still in a global pandemic. Students will soon be going home for the winter break, where they will be gathering with their families and loved ones. While most young vaccinated students will likely recover if they catch the virus, their loved ones may not. The Omicron variant is present in Canada and could be on campus. We do not know, we also do not know how many cases are among us, but we do know one thing: there is a rationale to interrupt the examination period— we are worried, and we are asking you to take action. StFX can take precautions and can minimize additional risks. Therefore, we ask you to please listen to your students and take these precautions— we kindly ask that you do not go forward with in-person examinations.