Flood Update: UFV classes remote for week of Nov. 29

All UFV educational activities will be remote for Monday, November 29 through to (and including) Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, as floodwaters move once again into Abbotsford and other areas in the Fraser Valley and as conditions along Highway 1 and other roadways worsen. There will be no in person classes this week.

Learning and classes.

With just two weeks left in the regular semester for most courses and programs, faculty may choose to complete their courses remotely. If courses require in-person learning, there may be an opportunity for these to proceed the week of December 6. Students, please continue to monitor Blackboard, UFV email, and other channels for updates and important information from your professors.

Exams:

At this time, no change has been made to the exam schedule.

UFV campuses are open:

All buildings in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission will be open. Libraries at both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses will resume operations according to this schedule. The Office of the Registrar will be open its usual hours on all three campuses. Beyond these, there will be limited in-person services. All student services and supports are available online.

Shuttle:

There will be no shuttle service for the week.

Events and Activities:

With a few exceptions, on-campus events and activities are also cancelled during this period. Event and activity organizers will inform participants if an on-campus activity has been approved to continue.

Support:

We are here to help. Please self-refer yourself through our PASS system to receive coordinated support. On the form, please list your name, email, and phone number in the “reporter” lines. Please use this form instead of other methods; we’re better able to manage and respond to needs if everyone is using the same system. Alternatively, you can make appointments directly with Advising or Counselling, reach out to Financial Aid to ask questions, arrange for tutoring with the ASC, and more.

Staff and academic support faculty:

Staff and Academic Support Faculty are asked to coordinate with their supervisor or manager where they will work:

1) on campus if safe to travel to campus

2) at a remote work location or

3) if they require a leave and are unable to work due to the state of emergency caused by flooding.

Special leave:

Please remember staff and faculty members impacted by the flood can use special paid leave. Please talk to your manager, supervisor, or Human Resources for more details.

Employee support:

UFV employees have access to Employee and Family Assistance Program. EFAP is a confidential service available to you at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Toll-free: 1-800-663-1142

International (call collect): 604-689-1717. You may also sign up/log in to your Homeweb account for advice, counselling or treatment.

Disaster relief fund:

If you would like to help people impacted by the flood, UFV and community partners have jointly established the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund. This fund will provide grants to local agencies who will provide relief on the ground to those impacted by the flood.

The Academic Continuity Committee will continue to meet on a regular basis next week to discuss contingency plans if transportation continues to be significantly disrupted. Further updates will be provided next week.

Please take care and stay safe as our community continues to battle the floods.

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8 thoughts on “Flood Update: UFV classes remote for week of Nov. 29”

  1. Thank you for this update Dave. Everything is super stressful for both students and professors, with only two weeks remaining you should consider making the classes all online for the remainder of the semester. It’s hard going back and forth between online learning and in person classes. Everything is so unpredictable and it’s making all student so anxious seeing all the updates switching between online and in person.

    • Hi Melissa,
      You know I don’t make these decisions, right :). One thing I DO know is that UFV understands it is a stressful time especially for those dealing first hand with floodwaters in their home, or being forced to evacuate. And you are right – it is unpredictable. As we have seen this week, the weather can look like it’s getting better only to switch and warm up causing the Nooksack river to rise dramatically today. Online was really the only call for today and likely for the week as waters keep rising and with another extreme weather event poised to hit Tuesday and Wednesday. Stay safe, keep calm, and study on!

  2. Hi Dave,

    Thanks so much for updating us consistently and frequently throughout these unprecedented times. The responses you have provided to each and every poster has been so kind & generous. Hope you are safe too!

    • Why thank you Becca… I am just the messenger. And so far my feet are dry – thinking of all those who are taking the brunt of this terrible disaster and fighting floodwaters in their homes, fields, streets and businesses.
      Take care!

  3. Will UFV consider switching to remote learning for the remainder of the semester? There will only be 1 week remaining and then exams after this. It would be a lot easier for students during these stressful times to not worry about whether classes will be online or in-class.

  4. with the gas restrcitions moving to dec 15 we should continue the remaining of the semester online. This is making it so stressful for everyone. Keep going back and forth between online and in-person. I dont feel comfortable driving either when the ditches on the highway are still going to be filled with water.

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