As Toronto joins the rest of Ontario in Phase 3 of reopening, the University of Toronto is planning its tentative reopening for the fall semester. Safety measures, such as increased sanitation and cleaning, as well as smaller in-person class sizes to allow for social distancing, have been implemented. A mandatory mask policy for indoor buildings has also been introduced on campus, complementing the similar bylaw passed by the city of Toronto.
For the upcoming semester, the University has planned to move from a solely online delivery method to a hybrid delivery system, where most courses will offer sections of both in-person and online classes (with a small number of courses offering only one of the two options). Year-long classes will follow the hybrid delivery system; while the mode of instruction for the winter semester has yet to be finalized, it will likely follow suit. As some students have already noted, course offerings for selection will be reduced as well.
At Victoria College, residences will be open for the fall semester, though capacity has been reduced to allow for social distancing. Restrictions on accessing buildings and physical resources, including EJ Pratt Library, will remain in place. College events, chief among which is Orientation Week freshman orientation, will primarily run online, though there may be in-person components for smaller groups. Changes to university operations can be found in emails and website updates from administration at both Vic and UofT.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak in March, the University saw an explosive, rapid series of changes to its operations. In-person courses were cancelled and moved online; buildings, including residences, were closed. During the process of these closures, the colleges, including Vic, were met with criticism for poor handling and communication. Students, particularly international students, decried the ambiguity and poor communication of the changes made to residence policies, which required students to vacate with little warning and in a short timeline. Though UofT set up an emergency grant to help students deal with unexpected financial difficulties regarding COVID-19, the situation created an undue financial burden for many in an already stressful situation.
As a new academic year begins, the University is once again the subject of controversy—subject to criticism of their handling of the reopening, especially in terms of tuition costs. Despite changes to university operations, including limited access to physical resources, tuition costs remain the same for domestic students and have increased for international students. Over 4,000 students have signed a circulating petition demanding for a reduction in tuition. The petition cites that, despite claims otherwise from the university administration, “remote learning and in person learning are fundamentally different and cannot provide the same quality of education for everyone”. A statement from the UTSU similarly calls for the reduction of tuition fees and further financial support for students. Another petition, with over 6,000 signatures, calls for the freezing or reduction of tuition for international students. Citing similar reasoning to that expressed in the first petition, this petition raises additional concerns regarding ancillary costs and barriers faced by international students, especially with regards to travel and visas.
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