UBC student union pushing for mask and vaccination mandates

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — As the University of British Columbia prepares to welcome students back to in-person learning, the vice-president of the UBC student union says students still feel uneasy about the return in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Eshana Bhangu, the vice-president of the Alma Mater Society, says according to a survey the society organized, most students are concerned about the return to campus.

“They left comments about being so uncomfortable with the lack of measures that they’re [students] deciding to maybe take a semester off,” Bhangu says. “So, we do have anecdotes like that from students that are pointing towards a need to do more on behalf of UBC.”

A letter from the Alma Mater Society to @UBC on the return to campus. Does the university simply not care about what students are saying? Or is UBC just incapable of showing the kind of exemplary leadership that they’ve shown in the past & is needed now? pic.twitter.com/V9sCYshN6c

— Eshana (@eshanabhangu) July 23, 2021

The survey found 60 per cent of students are concerned they will be exposed to the virus, so Bhangu says the AMS is asking the university to make protocol changes.

“We are asking for a mask mandate in lecture halls. Students just don’t want to be sitting in packed lecture halls, and we’re also asking that the university require vaccinations to live in student residences.”

The student union says the university needs to go beyond the bare minimum.

“UBC needs to do more,” Bhangu says.

In a letter to the UBC board of governors and executives on July 22, the AMS says 82 per cent of the students it surveyed would be “in support of a policy to mandate vaccinations in student residences.”

“It is disappointing to see UBC fall behind as other Canadian institutions take the lead in this arena and implement extra measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their respective communities,” the letter reads.

AMS says the university has shown “leadership” by previously mandating masks before the Provincial Health Officer mandate in 2020, and it is now “difficult to understand why” the university is now not acting.

“The reverberant message of the students we represent can no longer be ignored or dismissed by the university as it has been so far,” it reads.

In a letter responding to the concerns, the UBC Vice President of Students, Ainsley Carry, says UBC recognizes and appreciates that there are students who have concerns about returning to in-person classes in the fall.

“After 16 months of significant operational impacts to address the evolving health guidelines associated with COVID-19, we understand there is a natural level of apprehension in our community,” it says.

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Carry says the health and safety of the UBC community is first and foremost in it’s planning processes, which have been informed by and in consultation with the PHO, Vancouver Coastal Health and in accordance with the B.C. government’s Re-Start Plan.

The UBC community is following all guidelines, Carry says, and along with the COVID-19 Return-to-Campus Guidelines, post-secondary institutions “should not introduce COVID-19 prevention measures into their work and learning areas that are different from those supported by public health professionals.”

“The last year and a half have shown us how important it is to follow guidance from our province’s public health professionals, and this is even more crucial as we transition to the next stage of returning to campus,” the letter says.

Carry goes on to say the university has taken steps to analyze classrooms spaces and airflow, whilst also engaging with the UBC community through town halls, campus wide communications and through faculties.

“UBC is committed to the health and wellbeing of our community and we will continue to work closely with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, provincial health authorities and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training as we continue our gradual transition approach to return to campus for Winter Term 1,” the letter says.