Omicron leads Mohawk College in Hamilton to modify classes, campus life
Published December 16, 2021 at 7:54 pm
Mohawk College will limit in-person learning in January and is also cancelling activities and events as it tries to limit campus exposure to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The Hamilton post-secondary institution has announced details of what are being called “temporary modifications” for the first month of 2022. Mohawk plans to continue with the academic format it used this fall. Students were to be contacted directly by their programs about plans.
“All required in-person learning will continue in January, but all other learning that was to be done in-person will be delivered using virtual and remote delivery for January,” said a statement from Mohawk CEO and president Ron McKerlie. “Courses that were previously identified as being entirely online for the Winter semester will remain online for the duration of the semester.”
The college is also cancelling all in-person events until the end of January, and has asked that any in-person holiday events or celebrations be held virtually or cancelled. Mohawk’s student resident and athletics & recreation complex will remain open.
Other protocols include barring vistoris and externals guests in January “unless it supports academic programing,” McKerlie stated. Anyone coming to a Mohawk campus must have had their proof of vaccination verified or have approved exemption from the college. They are also required to wear a college-supplied mask.
Mohawk has three main campuses: the Fennell campus on Hamilton Mountain, the Stoney Creek campus, and the Mohawk-McMaster Institute for Applied Health Sciences in West Hamilton.
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McKerlie’s message included an acknowledgement of the strain that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on students’ mental health.
“We know the timing of this announcement and the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant heightens the sense of anxiety everyone is feeling right now,” he said. “The college is here to support you. If you need help, please ask and if you know someone who needs help, please reach out and offer it.”
Mohawk’s counselling services are available from Monday to Friday. Students can email [email protected] or call 905-575-2211.
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