Supplies and equipment are being collected and counted in a single room at Humber College's North Campus. It is the current headquarters of an institution-wide COVID-19 support effort.
Read the full story on Humber Today.
Yesterday, Ontario’s Minister of Finance released a Fiscal Update instead of a full Budget, due to the economic and policy changes being drastically impacted by COVID-19. The Update was focused nearly entirely on measures to combat COVID-19. The biggest headline was that the government is committing an additional $17bn in funding for healthcare as well as direct supports to individuals and businesses. A full list of those supports can be found here.
One of the biggest support measures announced for students was that the government is temporarily deferring loan payments and interest accrual for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to ease the financial burden on students during the COVID‐19 outbreak. This will come into effect on March 30, 2020 and will last for six months. This complements the commitment by the federal government, so students and those repaying students loans will have temporary relief from the federal and provincial portions of those loans.
We will keep you posted as the government announces more relevant news in the coming days and weeks.
Photo: The Government Relations, Marketing & Communications had a pet-friendly team video conference call.
As we adjust to working and learning at home, it’s important to stay connected to our colleagues and our community. To help keep us all connected, we are launching the #HumberAtHome series. We want to know about how you are taking care of your well-being right now, how your teams are adding a bit of fun into your interactions, and which resources are helping you.
Here are some examples of what members of the Humber community are doing to bring their community together:
Staying healthy and active at home
Humber Athletics is sharing a variety of instructional clips on working out and staying fit at home each day that the athletic facilities are closed.
Check out their social media channels to follow along.
Lakeshore Campus Atheltics
North Campus Athletics
Personal trainers are continuing to connect with their clients to offer virtual personal training sessions.
Faculty of Media & Creative Arts alumni interactions
Avery Raquel, a first-year Bachelor of Music student, is livestreaming a concert on Facebook and Instagram this Saturday, March 28 at 4 p.m. The link to the event is here.
Humber Boutique
Humber Boutique will be hosting their knitting night at 4:30 p.m. today, March 26 on Zoom. Anyone can join here. If you can’t make it tonight, you can catch one next Thursday too.
Please send us your #HumberAtHome photos, video clips and stories to bethany.sharpe@humber.ca.
Regarding the Fiscal Year-End Time Management Process, for submission of hours on a time card for the week of March 30 to April 3 should be completed as the following:
If you have any questions, please contact the HR Support Centre as follows:
Humber is making equipment such as laptops available to students and employees who do not have access at home. Staff members within each Faculty and department have been designated to oversee this process. Students who require technology support for their remote or online learning should contact their program coordinator, and employees should speak to their managers.
These really are unprecedented times. COVID-19 has changed how we live, work and interact with each other.
I know there are ongoing challenges as we transition to working remotely and I want you to know that we are here to support you. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all adapt to doing things differently. I hope that you and your family members are staying safe, connected and healthy during this time.
My last all-employee note on March 18, highlighted some of the resources available to help you work remotely. We have put together a list of additional resources of physical, mental health and ergonomics and will be sharing that in Communique. Live webinars on related topics will begin next week.
Humber campuses remain closed until further notice. Only employees providing essential on-campus services will be working on campus for the remainder of the Winter semester. Given what is being said by government leaders and public health agencies, we can expect requirements for physical distancing to continue for a number of weeks. As the situation continues to evolve, we are unable to determine at this point when employees will return to campus. Depending on the COVID-19 situation, we should all be prepared that the return to campus date may be well into the spring or summer.
Effective as of the April 10, 2020 pay date, we will be stopping deductions for staff who have parking permits, until the College resumes regular on-campus business.
As we look ahead, we are assessing what impact the current situation will have on Humber’s Summer semester delivery and an update on that will come next week. Summer registration is being postponed while those decisions are being made.
All paid staff working remotely should be doing whatever they can to help their manager and their teams throughout this situation. Please continue to stay in contact with your team. If you have specific questions about workload or working remotely, please discuss them with your manager.
Due to these exceptional circumstances, all staff (full, partial load, part-time and student employees, including work study students) who would normally be scheduled to work during this period will receive pay consistent with their regular schedule. Humber is honouring all staffing commitments currently in place until further notice.
I also wanted to take a moment to say how proud I am of the work and commitment of everyone at Humber. Things are changing rapidly and we are working diligently to ensure student success, as well as support each other and the community.
Here are just a few examples of how we are stepping up:
As we continue to adjust to working and learning at home, it’s important to stay connected to our colleagues and our community. To help you with this, yesterday we launched the #HumberAtHome series. We want to know how you are taking care of your well-being right now, how your teams are adding a bit of fun into your interactions, and which resources are helping you. Please check your Communiqué daily for more information on this series.
In the meantime, I encourage you to check www.humber.ca/updates regularly for the latest information on Humber’s response to COVID-19. The Frequently Asked Questions section of the page has answers to some of the more common questions from staff right now. Please also check the Human Resources page often for additional supports and resources.
Stay safe, healthy and practice physical distancing. We wish the best to you, your families and friends during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Lori Diduch
Vice-President Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness
The Office of Sustainability has Funny Hat Friday on a team video conference call.
As we adjust to working and learning at home, it’s important to stay connected to our colleagues and our community. To help keep us all connected, we are launching the #HumberAtHome series. We want to know about how you are taking care of your well-being right now, how your teams are adding a bit of fun into your interactions, and which resources are helping you.
Here are some examples of what members of the Humber family are doing to bring their community together:
Humber Fitness North
@humberfitnessnorth explains how it is more important than ever to take a mindful break during your day to clear your headspace and re-center. Mindful breathing is one easy way to do this. Follow Rose through this guided breathing exercise.
Faculty of Media & Creative Arts alumni interactions
Musician and composer Laila Biali, a Humber Music grad and a 2019 JUNO Award winner, is hosting an album release party for her new record, Out of Dust, on Friday, March 27. There will be a welcome from Laila at 10 a.m. EDT and then a Q&A at 12 p.m. The link to the event is here.
Writer and producer Nathalie Younglai, a Television Writing & Producing alumna and the recipient of the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards' Humanitarian Award, is doing a live chat on Instagram at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27 here.
Bachelor of Music grad Emily Rockarts is performing as part of a virtual open mic night March 25 at 7 p.m. The open mic is being hosted by Arts Administration & Cultural Management grad Gillian Nicola, who is a musician in her own right. Find it here.
Please send us your #HumberAtHome photos, video clips and stories to bethany.sharpe@humber.ca.
Amid the changing COVID-19 situation, IGNITE funds student bursaries
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, Humber students have expressed additional financial need.
In response, IGNITE Student Union has provided funds to establish an Emergency Financial Relief Fund to provide Financial Need Bursaries which are open to domestic and international students with proven financial need. Humber College is combining this new funding with existing bursary funds to support students.
Bursaries are awarded on an individual basis upon consideration of expenses, income, family support, part-time employment opportunities, academic standing and personal circumstances.
Application Process:
Students who require emergency funding and wish to apply should email finaid@humber.ca and include a brief outline of their financial need.
Students will be asked to complete a budget sheet & short statement about how the COVID-19 situation is affecting their finances. Please note that students must be currently enrolled in a Diploma/Degree/Ontario Graduate Certificate/Ontario Certificate program in order to apply for funding.
Students will receive a response within 2 to 3 days for applications submitted online.
The award amount is based on individual assessed need.
For more information regarding the emergency Financial Need Bursaries, please visit humber.ca/updates/frequently-asked-questions or email finaid@humber.ca.
On March 23, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health sent some new directives on all post-secondary residences. As a result, effective March 24 at 4 p.m., the following measures will be in place in Humber Residence until further notice:
Guests will no longer be permitted in the residence. Residents who are approved to stay after today may continue to meet friends and family outside of the residence, and are encouraged to continue to maintain the recommended physical distance.
Residence lounges will be closed, with the exception of access for microwave/sink access in R&S Buildings at the North Campus. One resident at a time may enter the lounge to access the microwave/sink, and then take their food back to their room.
We continue to ask residents to maintain a safe social/physical distance and not gather in groups while in residence or on campus. The Medical Officer of Health has instructed us to monitor and enforce no group social gatherings on campus, including in residence.
We understand that this is a difficult time, and we will be reaching out to residents with approved extensions soon with ways to socialize safely. We also continue to clean common spaces and high touch surfaces in residence frequently throughout the day. The cafeteria will continue to be take-out only, and will be open from 10 a.m.to 1 p.m. daily for students to pick up all of their meals and snacks for the day. If you have run out of money on your meal plan, Humber will pay for your meals, however you must continue to present your residence card at the cafeteria each time. More information is available on the cafeteria posters located by the front desk and by the elevators on the first floor in each building.
If students require support while in residence, please call the front desk at x77201 for urgent matters, or email your RLC at northrlc@humber.ca.
Humber is aware that earlier today, in order to help fight the spread of COVID-19, the Ontario Government ordered the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective as of Tuesday, March 24th at 11:59 p.m. This closure will be in effect for 14 days with the possible extension of this order as the situation evolves. A full list of businesses that are permitted to stay open will be released on Tuesday.
Once we receive the list of businesses and any further information, we will review and update the Humber community accordingly.
Even though the college is closed, there are limited operations on campus to support students who are still living in residence and to support essential services that align with critical activities of the college. There is a daily review of what is considered essential work. Employees who may have any questions about their work assignments should discuss those directly with their manager.