COVID-19 UFV Community FAQs › UFV Urgent News

Answers to questions concerning UFV’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are a student with further questions, including those about assignments or other program/course specific issues, please contact your instructor through regular communications channels such as email.

STUDENT FAQs | FACULTY & STAFF FAQs | GENERAL FAQs

Q: I work remotely now. How do I get necessary office supplies?

If you are a UFV employee and require office supplies to perform your work remotely, Financial Services now provides three options to obtain office supplies. You can find details, including purchasing requirements, ordering and delivery instructions, and forms on the Financial Services site.

Q: Can I pick up books at UFV bookstores?

Book and merchandise orders can be picked up in person at the UFV Bookstore in Abbotsford. Social distancing measures will be in place.

Bookstore hours and pick-up details are available here.

The Bookstores remain open online with course material and general merchandise items (school supplies and UFV clothing) available through the Bookstore website. The website is now live for summer semester orders.

Q: How do I access UFV computer labs remotely?

UFV’s computer labs can now be accessed remotely through a new online tool. This program allows students to access lab resources, including specialized software, from home.

The remote access tool can be accessed through the ITS website.

Implemented in response to physical distancing protocols following the outbreak of COVID-19, the UFV Remote Access Tool dashboard displays a list of available computers and provides an easy and secure way to remotely log in. This tool can be used by students who rely on campus computer lab software to complete work.

Please note: this tool is not to be used to conduct synchronous classroom sessions on lab computers. Instead, it is designed to provide periodic, intermittent access to lab computers and associated software.

Reminder: UFV has several wifi hotspots in parking lots on the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses.

Q: Will there be a convocation ceremony this June?

Unfortunately, we must postpone our June 2020 Convocation ceremonies.

UFV is actively working on plans for future ceremonies that will give students and their supporters the rich and real experience they have earned and deserve.

Q: What’s happening with my winter grades?

In response to feedback from students and in consultation with the Student Union Society, UFV will extend the opportunity for students with ANY PASSING GRADE to petition for a Credit (CR) instead of an earned grade.

This process will be facilitated through the Registrar’s Office and further details on how to petition for a CR in place of a letter grade will be released shortly.

Students will now have the option of accepting their final grades, petitioning for a CR for any passing grade, or requesting a Withdrawal (W) without academic penalty up to May 8, 2020. Students will be strongly encouraged to discuss their final grades with an academic advisor prior to making any final decisions.

Q: What is ZoomBombing?

Reliance on online group collaborative chat tools like Zoom and Blue Jeans has led to an invasive practice called ZoomBombing. More details and how to prevent it here.

Q: How can I learn more about remote teaching?

Teaching and Learning is preparing a series of workshops to assist faculty teaching remotely for the spring and summer semesters. Sessions begin Tuesday, April 7. Further information is available on the Teaching and Learning site.

Q: Now that I’m working remotely, what do I need to know about BC’s FIPPA (Freedom and Information and Protection of Privacy Act)?

Working remotely means continuing to uphold the University’s obligation under BC’s Freedom and Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Tips and information for managing records and protecting privacy in a remote work environment are available on the Secretariat webpage.

Q: I missed the deadline to submit expense and allowance claims for the fiscal year. What can I do?

The Health Spending Account and Training/Development Allowance deadlines have been extended.

The deadline to submit your Health Spending Account and Training and Development Allowance claims is now April 30, 2020. You will be able to submit your expenses incurred in the 2019/2020 fiscal year (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020) until April 30, 2020. More details here.

Q: Will the summer semester continue?

Classes for the summer semester will continue in an online or remote format only.
There will be no face-to-face courses in any of the summer semester full, early, or late sessions.
Summer registration is open as of April 6 at 9 am.
All registration deposits are refundable if a student registers, but withdraws by April 20.
Some courses have been cancelled, so be sure to go to myUFV and look at your timetable.
While all courses will be delivered remotely, some have maintained class times. Where there is a requirement for set class times to meet virtually you will see these in your class schedule.
If you wish to adjust your schedule (add, drop or change courses) you can login to view the revised schedule of classes on the timetable page or the course finder page and plan for any changes you may want.
Students with questions about withdrawal and the summer session can contact the Registrar’s office at reginfo@ufv.ca.

*Note that as all classes will be taught remotely you should have access to a computer and access to the internet to meet the requirements of this kind of instruction.

Q: What if I need to withdraw from a winter course?

Students have until May 8, 2020 to voluntarily withdraw from courses for the winter term.
You can choose to withdraw from a course with no adverse academic effect.
For courses dropped during this new withdrawal period, a “W” will show on student’s permanent record, but will not count as a course attempt when calculating repeat rules.
Students with student loans should connect with Financial Aid (finaid@ufv.ca) and athletes should connect with Alicia.Hurley@ufv.ca prior to withdrawal.
Students are able to withdraw from a course through their MyUFV account.
No further approval is required.
Students with questions about withdrawal and the summer session can contact the Registrar’s office at reginfo@ufv.ca.

Q: Where are the parking lot wifi hotspots?

UFV is providing access to Wi-Fi hotspots for students, faculty, and staff in several of our parking lots on the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses. This means you can drive up, maintain social or physical distance in your car, and access Wi-Fi. See map for locations.

Q: Are computer labs open?

Revised building access as of April 14 can be found here. Please note: changes have been made to the hours for the Building G computer lab in Abbotsford, Building K in Abbotsford, and the Mission Campus based on usage and demand.
UFV is also providing access to Wi-Fi hotspots for students, faculty, and staff in several of our parking lots on the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses. This means you can drive up, maintain social or physical distance in your car, and access Wi-Fi. See map for locations.

Q: What Student Services are available?

UFV remains committed to supporting students through phone, virtual, and online services. Here is an updated and complete list.

Q: What should I do if I think I, or someone I know has been exposed to COVID-19?

If you require health information on how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including information on self-monitoring and self-isolation protocol for possible exposure, Health Canada has an excellent chart which details the specific actions required. The province of BC has created a phone service to provide non-medical information about COVID-19, including the latest information on travel recommendations and social distancing. Information is available in more than 110 languages, 7:30 am – 8 pm at 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319) or via text message at 1-888-268-4319. BC CDC is also an excellent source of information.

Q: Are SUS Shuttles running?

The Student Union Society Shuttle Bus suspended operations on Friday, March 20.

For up-to-date information, please follow SUS on Facebook and Twitter.

Q: Are classes cancelled?

Classes have resumed in a remote learning environment as of Monday, March 23.

Trades programs (within Applied and Technical Studies) resumed on Monday in remote learning formats only. Due to the nature of learning a trade and the differing complexities of integrating practical and theory, instructors will connect with students and advise of the plan for each trade. Welding is paused until we can resume face-to-face instruction. Please monitor UFV.ca and your student email for more information.

Health Studies students: as a precautionary measure UFV will continue to pause clinical teaching and practical experiences, with some exceptions, until at least April 20, 2020. This includes PN, HCA, CDA, and BSN semester 1 – 6. Until further notice, students in the BSN program in semester 8 will continue as indicated in their preceptorship schedule, where possible. Faculty advisors will be in contact with individual Semester 8 students. The School is currently seeking alternative learning experiences for BSN students in semester 7, but these students will not continue with their community placements.

UFV is working to ensure this disruption does not negatively impact any program requirements and graduation timelines.

Q: What’s happening with Continuing Education courses?

Classes have resumed in a remote learning environment as of March 23.

If you are currently registered in a course, all deadlines will be adjusted to accommodate the cancelled week.

Students access their online course through Blackboard. Log in by going to myclass.UFV.ca. If you do not know your UFV Student ID number, it is located on your registration receipt or it may have been emailed to your personal email account if you are a new student. Reset your password by clicking on the Forgot your Password link. A temporary password will be sent to your personal email account.

For technical help, see our tutorials on how to access Blackboard, MyUFV and student email.

Please contact your instructor for information specific to your course. Contact Continuing Education at continuingeducation@ufv.ca if you have any other questions.

Q: What’s open?

Q: Is UFV closed?

UFV is open. As the COVID-19 situation evolves, the University is adapting and providing education and services online wherever and whenever possible. So while the doors to some buildings and services may be closed, UFV remains open, active, and online.

Please check with individual services through regular communication channels if they are not listed in this information. Decisions are always changing in the dynamic COVID-19 situation.

Q: Will final exams proceed as planned?

All face-to-face final exams will not take place and faculty are asked to work in conjunction with their Faculty Deans to determine the most appropriate assessment method for providing students with a final grade.

Faculty members will be providing further information to students over the coming week on information specific to their individual courses.

Q: Are events cancelled?

In order help promote social distancing, all internal and all external UFV face-to-face events scheduled to occur between today and April 30 are now cancelled or postponed.
All external room bookings at UFV should also be cancelled.
All program information sessions, graduation showcases, and other events are cancelled or postponed.
UFV is not taking any new requests for campus space from external groups, until further notice. All external groups who have reserved space will be contacted and informed the campus is no longer available for their event.
UFV PD Day (April 30) will not be held this year.
Graduation photo sessions will occur with appropriate measures in place for social distancing.
UFV Convocation is still scheduled to occur in early June and this will be re-evaluated in mid-April.
Assessment services are also cancelled.
The in-camera UFV Board of Governors meeting (April 2) will proceed with the option for members to attend via video conference. The public portion of the meeting will not occur.

Q: What is the status of athletic facilities/events?

All UFV gymnasiums and fitness facilities (Building E on the Abbotsford campus, Building Q on the Chilliwack campus) are closed until further notice.

The University of the Fraser Valley department of athletics and campus recreation has an up-to-date list about varsity, campus recreation and youth camp & club event cancellations.

Q: How does this affect my research?

UFV’s research guidelines have been updated in response to the COVID-19 situation, for all people involved in research work at UFV. These guidelines will be updated as the situation develops and new information is received.

Student Research Day will go digital on March 31 so students can display their research posters safely and remotely. Please contact Danielle Mijo-Burch with any questions.

The UFV Research Office has extended the deadline to apply for the NSERC Undergraduate Research Excellence Awards to March 30. Please contact Kelly Tracey with any questions.

Other questions regarding current and planned research and scholarly activities should be addressed to the Office of Research, Engagement and Graduate Studies regs@ufv.ca.

Q: Are the UFV Libraries open?

UFV Libraries (Chilliwack and Abbotsford) are closed until further notice. For complete details on our services and collection access, please visit the Library’s COVID-19 blog post.

Q: Do I continue with my off-campus placement (internship, co-op, practicum, etc)?

Students currently participating in off-campus clinical placements, internships, co-ops, and practicums may continue with the permission of their partner agencies. Certified Dental Assistant clinical placements are paused and students should contact their program coordinator and faculty for more information.

Pause in Clinical – BSN (Semester 1-7), PN, HCA Programs:

As a precautionary measure UFV will continue to pause clinical teaching and practical experiences, with some exceptions, until at least April 20, 2020. This includes PN, HCA, CDA, and BSN semester 1 – 6. Until further notice, students in the BSN program in semester 8 will continue as indicated in their preceptorship schedule, where possible. Faculty advisors will be in contact with individual Semester 8 students. The School is currently seeking alternative learning experiences for BSN students in semester 7, but these students will not continue with their community placements.

Instructors will be in contact to inform you how programs will continue.

Q: Are staff and administration still coming to campus?

In order to help protect the health of UFV faculty, staff, students, and the broader UFV community, and comply with the Provincial Health Officers advice, UFV is implementing a phased approach to working remotely for employees.

Support for faculty and staff is available through the UFV Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, Homewood Health. Homewood provides immediate, confidential help and may be contacted, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll free at 1-800-663-1142.

UFV appreciates your patience while we adapt to this new environment.

Q: How do students learn more about assignments and other course and/or program specific issues?

Q: What is UFV doing to ensure safety of the UFV community?

Classes have resumed in a remote learning environment as of Monday, March 23.

Cleaning:

The Janitorial Services department at UFV is taking extra precautions during daily cleaning routines to help ensure a healthy and clean environment for staff, students, and faculty and other members of the university community.

Janitorial Services is:

Increasing the frequency of cleaning in high touch surfaces (ie. high traffic doors, handrails, etc.). These are now being cleaned twice a day, rather than once a day.
Additional cleaning crews have been hired and deployed.
Cleaning door hardware in in less commonly used areas daily rather than weekly.
Increasing monitoring of hand sanitizing dispensers, including a daily audit to ensure dispensers are full of soap and in good working order.
Increased purchase of consumables including paper towels, toilet paper, hand soap and hand sanitizer fluid to ensure stock levels are appropriate.

Planning:

In mid-February UFV convened a group of stakeholders to monitor, plan, and coordinate actions as new information emerges. This group is in communication with Fraser Health and other relevant health authorities as required.

Q: I need ITS help. Where do I go?

Information Technology Services is available to assist you remotely during UFV’s COVID-19 response.

Here is a list of IT support services and resources.

The IT Service Desk hours are from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday for remote help by phone and remote desktop control (4610 or 604-864-4610) and 8am to 8pm Monday through Friday through email and our ticketing system itservicedesk.ufv.ca or through our website.

Q: Should students, staff or faculty with flu-like symptoms be excluded from class/work?

Students, staff and faculty with flu-like symptoms should stay home. Students should continue to report illness as they usually do. Contact your instructor to make them aware of your health situation.

The BC government has a COVID-19 symptom self-assessment tool online to help determine whether you may need further assessment or testing.

UFV faculty and staff, please report absences to your supervisor in accordance with your normal sick leave protocol to ensure sick leave benefits as applicable. No one should be excluded or banned from attending classes or work. Working from home may be an option if it is deemed medically necessary by your physician.

If any UFV employee has been advised by a medical professional to remain at home on self-isolation because they are sick (or is in hospital for treatment), they are eligible for paid sick leave as per UFV’s sick leave process.

If the individual is an auxiliary or temporary employee, please contact Human Resources and we will ensure that the individual is paid during the self-isolation period.

A UFV employee must not attend work when they have been medically advised to stay at home due to COVID-19.

Q: Does a student need to get a doctor’s note if they are missing class for illness/if they are contagious?

As recommended by the Provincial Health Officer, the requirement of obtaining a doctor’s note to document a short term illness is suspended for students, faculty, and staff. Requiring these notes puts undue stress on the medical system

Q: What do I do if I need to self-isolate because of possible exposure to COVID-19?

Make sure you know the differences between self-monitoring, self-isolation and isolation and what to do in each case.

The following advice is for people who are self-isolating based on travel or contact with someone who has COVID-19. Students, faculty, or staff who have been recommended to self-isolate should call 8-1-1 for additional advice. While self-isolating:

Tell a family member or supporter about your self isolation. Stay in a well-ventilated room, with a window that opens, if possible. Do not have other people come in the room.
Do not attend classes. Limit going in shared spaces. Try to keep a two-meter distance between yourself and others whenever possible.
Practice good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene as described above.
If possible, have supplies dropped off outside your door to help avoid direct contact, and limit the number of people helping to take care of you.
Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Regular household cleaning products are effective against most viruses, and you can also use one part bleach to nine parts water as an effective disinfectant.
Use dedicated linen and utensils, which can be washed with soap and water and re-used, and do not need to be disposed of.
Dispose of any tissues, wipes, masks, or gloves in a waste container lined with a plastic bag before disposing with other household waste.
Wash your clothes in hot water (between 60-90 °C), and then thoroughly dry them.

If you are sick and depend on post-secondary housing, food, laundry, hygiene, or other critical services, please let your institution know that you are self-isolating so that they can help support you, including in your current studies.

Staying in isolation can be difficult and lonely. If you are isolated, keep contact with friends and family through phone or computer.

Q: I am concerned about my family and friends currently in affected regions. Where can I go for support?

As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, you may be worried about the health and safety of yourself or your family and friends. This is a challenging and uncertain time. It is not uncommon to experience higher levels of stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. If this is your experience, please seek help and support.

Counselling and other supports are available to members of our campus community.

UFV Counselling Services:

Abbotsford, Room B214
604-854-4528

Chilliwack, CEP A Building, Room A1318
604-795-2808

After-Hours Support:

24 hour crisis line for BC (1-800-784-2433)

Please also visit our Safe Student Community website for further information and resources for students.

For faculty and staff:

Support for faculty and staff is available through the UFV Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, Homewood Health. Homewood provides immediate, confidential help and may be contacted, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll free at 1-800-663-1142.

Q: Where can I find out more information about UFV Alert?

UFV will continue to provide updates regarding the COVID-19 health situation. Please check UFV.ca for updates.

In an emergency, UFV faculty, students, and staff can receive important instructions through a number of channels including UFV Alert which delivers information to your phone via text, email or voice messaging. You must be registered with UFV Alert to receive messages.

Q: If an employee has been medically advised to stay home as they are sick with a communicable disease (COVID-19) are they eligible for sick leave with pay?

Yes. If any UFV employee has been advised by a medical professional to remain at home on self-isolation because they are sick (or is in hospital for treatment), they are eligible for paid sick leave as per UFV’s sick leave process.

If the individual is an auxiliary or temporary employee (scheduled to work), please contact Human Resources and we will ensure that the individual is paid during the self-isolation period.