OCNews

With a return to more seasonal temperatures this week, I hope this finds you enjoying the summer days and finding rest and rejuvenation whenever you can. 

Monday, July 5, brought welcome news and a day we’ve long been looking forward to in our Return to Campus planning process, as the Province released the Return to Campus Guidelines. I encourage you to read the guidelines in full here. You may find the chart on Page 4 particularly helpful and of interest; it provides a succinct overview of the sector-specific guidance for the transition period of July 1-Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 onward. 

As you’ll note in the Guidelines, the Province’s goal for the summer and fall is to transition from highly prescriptive COVID-19 specific orders and protocols back to normal institutional policies, with occupational health and safety plans and operations that will much more closely resemble pre-pandemic conditions.  

As Dr. Henry has stated in town halls, and as the Guidelines reiterate, getting vaccinated is the most important tool supporting BC’s Restart Plan. If you have yet to be vaccinated and are eligible, I encourage you to click the link for information on how to register. The College is exploring with Interior Health the opportunity to host vaccination clinics on campus in late summer/early fall to support anyone who is not yet vaccinated; that said, there is strong guidance from public health officials for everyone to be vaccinated at their earliest opportunity. 

With the Guidelines now in hand, the College’s planning teams will be making final adjustments to our fall planning. We’ll continue to keep you frequently apprised of any changes. The College is also currently finalizing its new Communicable Disease Plan, following the PHO’s guidance in our sector to move away from the far more prescriptive COVID-19 health and safety plans. This plan will be shared publicly and posted on our website. 

With more employees beginning to return to campus throughout July and August, please note a few key changes to on campus health and safety processes already in effect or in progress: 

• Mask guidance: A reminder that, as of July 1, the provincial mask mandate has been lifted and masks are now recommended in indoor public spaces for all people 12 and older who are not yet fully vaccinated. All employees, students and visitors who are not fully vaccinated are encouraged to continue to mask up while in indoor public spaces at OC until further notice.
• Daily Health Checks: Once the College has transitioned to its new Communicable Disease Plan in the coming days, employees, students and visitors will be prompted by new signage at doors to complete a self-administered daily health check before entering OC facilities. Please continue to follow posted signage in the interim. 
• Directional signage: you’ll begin to note new signage for hallways, elevators, bathrooms and other public indoor spaces. Please continue to follow posted signage in the interim. 

As our departments, portfolios and units re-assemble, and especially during the transition period of July and August, we recognize there will be times when employees may feel anxious or need some additional support. Please continue to stay in touch and let your supervisor know if you need support. This week, you’ll begin to note new FAQs and resources published to the College’s COVID-19 / Return to Campus webpage to support employees and students with questions about the Return to Campus. 

The past 15 months have provided some key learnings about remote work and you may have questions about what work-from-home arrangements could look like in the future at OC. The College is currently working on principles for a Work From Home (WFH) pilot that is expected to commence in October and run until next spring. More communication on this will follow.  

In the meantime, I want to extend a sincere thank you for your continued efforts as we work to bring the OC community back together and normalize our on-campus operations to ensure we can provide service that meets our students’ needs as they, too, adjust to the resumption of on-campus learning, services and supports. As you’ll read in the Guidelines: “It is up to each one of us to do our part, but it is our collective efforts that will make the difference.” 

Sincerely, 

Neil Fassina 
President, Okanagan College