Throughout the fall/winter semester of 2021 at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), students have had a severe readjustment with the return to school and in-person learning. While this has been an exciting time seeing familiar faces, having in-person delivery, and tutorials, it has also been an anxious time. Anxiousness comes from a time filled with uncertainty, and a period which has proposed many health risks on campus.

While other universities have remained online during exam periods and assessments, Western University has persevered and have tried to accommodate the student body during these unprecedented times. Going into the final examination period, the current 7-day average cases have risen from 362 to 1,184 from October 31, 2021 to December 5, 2021. Writing in-person finals does not seem ideal or safe for the student body.

On top of this statistic, there have been recent outbreaks in residence. With the recent news of the Omicron variant, the thought of writing exams on campus is daunting. With exposure to large volumes of people just before the Christmas break, not only is the health of our student body at risk, but also the health of our loved ones. For the past three semesters at UWO, students have written online final exams, a task that over time, became first nature. With a seemingly consistent rise in cases and current health concerns students have with continuing the semester in-person, an online examination option is being proposed to each respective faculty. During these stressful times, it is important that the integrity of not only the student body's health but also each faculty members' is kept.