As the Covid-19 variant Omicron continues to take over Vancouver Island, many students are nervous and anxious about returning to school at VIU in person until the numbers level out or decrease. 

Other universities such as SFU, UBC, UVIC, have prioritized the safety of students and staff by extended online learning, supported with reassessment of the situation at the mid-end of January. Despite smaller case numbers of previous variants causing shutdowns and online learning, we are worried that VIU does not have our best interests at heart. While we respect that many people are vaccinated, and that Omicron is not as deadly as previous variants, there is still a genuine, acknowledged fear of becoming ill. We also respect the work that the PHO has done to support our BC Covid journey, and understand that they are doing all they can to support us during these unprecedented times. We further respect that VIU feels that following their orders is imperative; however, with smaller classroom spaces, shared classroom spaces between other classes, professors and cohorts, as well as many programs with a practicum component (such as Education and Nursing), we do not feel that this accurately represents the situation at hand. 

Student learning will be drastically impacted with potential for several weeks of classes missed. With the fast-spreading Omicron variant, students, like myself, are worried about passing it on to our families, loved ones, work environments, and even practicum placements. Online learning provides students the opportunity to engage with their learning, start their coursework, and if they do get exposed to Covid, limit those exposed and have less risk in our communities. At this point, we are all wondering not IF we will get Covid, but when. 

We are not asking for on-line learning all semester; we are simply hoping that our academic institution will do as many other universities are doing and provide an online outlet, with the ability to reassess in 2 weeks or more.