Thousands of Humber College students push back on planned return to in-person learning

Thousands of Humber College students are pushing back on the school's full return to in-person learning, which is set to begin March 7.

The students say the mid-semester change, which would be for seven weeks, would cause major disruptions for some people, including those now residing in other cities.

Gustavo Lopes has created a petition to have classes remain virtual, saying it's a matter of equity and student voices being heard.

"It's online right now, and as much as online is not perfect, it's manageable," Lopes told CBC News.

"And once the college starts demanding people to return in person, it creates a lot of issues for a lot of people."

'It's a complex issue,' student says

Lopes said some students still don't feel like they can quite commit to in-person, adding that "it's a complex issue."

He said while there are students looking forward to a return to in-person learning, there are also "people who have had to move out of the GTA for a number of reasons."

"I think it's become increasingly difficult. You know, before we had a commitment that, like a semester would either be all online or all in-person, and now we have this sort of on and off again situation that becomes really difficult," Lopes said.

"It just feels like a big ask too to ask students to return, especially for those of us in fourth year who are graduating very shortly. Like why do we have to be in-person? And the hybrid experience was pretty rough for, I think, students and faculty last semester," he added.

Lopes' petition has so far garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

It just feels like we're being looked at as just children whose time doesn't really matter.- Azi Afousi, Humber College student

Azi Afousi who led a similar petition last fall said she will now have to be in class five days a week once in-person learning resumes.

"As a more mature student, that takes away from my ability to work, that takes away from a lot of my family obligations," Afousi told CBC News.

"Right now we have to band together and we have to understand that our fellow classmates are suffering."

Afousi points to inefficient communication on the part of the college, adding that they also need to communicate in a more timely manner.

"We have people from very far away and it just makes no sense, and we haven't been provided with a lot of information as to what happens if you are tested positive," Afousi added.

Simlarly, Milo Vasi, acting presidentof Humber Faculty Union (OPSEU Local 562), said the faculty at Humber College is "very concerned" about the return toin-person learning.

Vasi said many are concerned about the lackof physical distancing in classrooms, ventilationand the college's refusalto provide staff and students with N95 masks.

'It's not been an overnight thing,' college official says

Derek Stockley, associate vice president of academic, said Humber College has been doing in-person learning since May 2020, and has been bringing back more and more students since the beginning of the pandemic.

He said there were 15,000 students on campus last term.

"It's not been an overnight thing, it's been a gradual thing and it's always been our goal, I think the intention for a full return for the winter semester began to be formulated last spring when we did a survey of students, about 11,000 of them last June and three out of four wanted some form of in-person on campus learning,"Stockley told CBC Toronto.

Stockley said Humber College communicated its intentions to have the fall semester be a transitory one.

"I believe we communicated the full return about mid-October and gave course specific information shortly thereafter," he said.

According to Stockley, the original return date for in-person learning was for early January, but a delay was announced on Dec. 16 due to the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"Every step along the way we've been taking direction from public health, from the chief medical officer, and of course, from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities," he said.

"Based on the feedback that we received at the time, we made a decision along with most post-secondary institutions to not have on-campus learning during January, to give an opportunity for students and staff to get booster shots and made a decision to return to lab learning on campus the third week of January and and a full return for all students for March the 7th."

Humberspokesperson Emily Milic said health and safety isalways top priorities at the college, and they continue to follow the direction of public health and government officials.

She saidHumberis providing medical masks as well as face shields and eye protection in learning environments in which physical distancing cannot be maintained, adding that this may include N95 and KN95 masksin potentially higher risk scenarios.

Additionally, she said the college "monitors and continuously tests the air quality of all buildings and spaces at all campuses."

Seneca's flexible learning approach

Meanwhile, Seneca College is offering a combination of online and in-person learning options for students for the winter 2022 term.

Associate director, external relations and public affairs Caroline Grech said in response to the increasing number of cases caused by the Omicron variant, all students started the winter 2022 term online on Jan. 10, with in-person classes and labs delayed by two weeks.

Grech said scheduled on-campus learning activities resumed on Jan. 24 and will increase gradually through the winter and spring as conditions allow.

"In fall 2021 Seneca began a flexible learning approach giving students more program delivery options," Grech wrote in an email to CBC News. "This will continue moving forward."

Seneca's learning options now include online, hybrid, in-person and flexible.

"Seneca is seeing record enrolment numbers and has found that providing various program delivery options has helped students balance their many obligations as they pursue their academic goals," Grech said.