As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, several key decisions were communicated across the Humber community. Below you will find a recap of the latest news and resources available to support us throughout this time. 

Important Winter 2020 Completion Update

Here is an excerpt from a full message that was sent to all students on March 19, 2020. Students will all receive their academic completion by end of day on March 20, 2020. 

When academic delivery resumes on Monday, March 23, all Humber classes will be offered remotely/online until the end of the Winter 2020 semester on Friday, April, 17. Students will not need to return to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester. 

We know that this isn’t the way that any of us expected the semester to end. As your safety and academic success are of paramount importance, we believe completing the Winter 2020 semester in this manner is the best option.

Residence

Here is an excerpt from a full message that was sent to all students living in Humber Residence. 

Humber has closed its campuses and Faculties/programs are arranging for course completion to occur remotely/online. Students will not need to return to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester.

This means that there is no longer an academic need for students to remain in residence. As a result, we now expect residents to permanently move out of residence by Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at 12 p.m.

We understand that some students have legitimate extenuating circumstances making it difficult for them to vacate immediately. Residents with no access to other accommodation options must complete the Residence Extension Request form on the residence portal at https://myresidence.humber.ca/starrezportalx by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Remote Teaching and Learning Supports 

• Student Learning Kit: We have created a Student Learning Kit to provide help with Blackboard, other online tools and tips for online learning. There is also information on how you can connect with Open Learning Centre staff for support by email or phone. The Kit can be found here. 
• Learning Continuity Kit: A Learning Continuity Kit has been developed to assist in this transition. Online resources and training can be found here. Faculty members who have questions, can connect with someone for help. Contact information can be found here. 

All-Employee Communication from Human Resources

An all-employee notice was shared with staff on Sunday, March 15 outlining details about how to work remotely moving forward while the campus is closed. You can read the full message here.

**NEW** Spring Open House 

Humber has decided to cancel the physical Spring Open House, which was scheduled for April 18, 2020.  

We understand that visiting Humber's campuses, exploring the learning spaces and speaking with the faculty and students helps to inform post-secondary decisions. We look forward to providing those opportunities again as soon as possible. 

Employees from the Marketing team and the Registrar’s Office will be working with the academic division to explore other ways to connect with applicants and those that have accepted their offer of admission.

Student Services Update

A comprehensive list of student services and how they can currently be accessed is now posted here.

Emergency Service Interruption  

Following a power outage earlier this week, there is a need for an ITS service shutdown from Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. to Sunday, March 22 at 8 a.m. During this period of time, Office365, HRMS and Blackboard will still be accessible. 

As always, the most up-to-date information as well as previously message about COVID-19 can be found on humber.ca/updates.

As you know, the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve rapidly. Humber has closed its campuses and Faculties/programs are arranging for course completion to occur remotely/online. Students will not need to return to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester.

This means that there is no longer an academic need for students to remain in residence. As a result, we now expect residents to permanently move out of residence by Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at 12 p.m.

We understand that some students have legitimate extenuating circumstances making it difficult for them to vacate immediately. Residents with no access to other accommodation options must complete the Residence Extension Request form on the residence portal at https://myresidence.humber.ca/starrezportalx by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Students who are approved for an extension should be aware that Humber may need to relocate residents to different rooms or different campuses. As we may be required to close the residences at both Lakeshore and North Campus prior to April 18, we recommend any student granted an extension to find an alternative housing arrangement as soon as possible. 

As previously communicated, residents who move out permanently by 12 p.m. on March 24, 2020 will receive a prorated refund of $827 for single rooms and $1,045 for suite rooms, as well as the unused balance of their meal plan. Please ensure that when you move out, you take all your belongings with you, as once you check out at the front desk, you will no longer have access to residence for the remainder of the academic year.

As a reminder, many residence services have already been reduced, and we expect to further reduce services after March 24. Take-out meals will be offered on a reduced schedule from the residence cafeteria. We are no longer permitting overnight guests and we are restricting daytime guest visits to those that are necessary.

We know that this isn’t the way that any of us expected the semester to end, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Please direct any questions to resmail@humber.ca

Please be advised that the North Campus Mailroom is still in operation and we continue to receive and deliver mail and packages. The hours of operation have been adjusted to Monday to Friday from 8 a.m to 12 p.m.

Any lettermail or packages addressed to any person at the North Campus will be delivered, within 1-2 business days.

Should you have any questions or requests, please feel free to contact me directly at roman.fuzak@humber.ca.

Dear Humber College employees,

The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve rapidly both globally and locally. The College is monitoring the changes closely as the health, well-being and safety of our campus community is always our top priority.

Earlier this week, we announced that all Humber campuses are closed until further notice. Students should not be on campus and academic completion plans for all programs will be communicated to students by Friday. We are also providing students with further information today on how to access student services online and by phone.

The only employees who should be on campus are those who have been identified as providing an essential service that cannot be done remotely. We are also putting in a number of measures to support the health and safety of any staff required to be on campus and are following Toronto Public Health guidelines related to any work on campus.

With the exception of those employees, all staff should plan to work remotely until further notice. This decision supports public health efforts to decrease the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus across our overall community.

Each day, the college’s leadership team is carefully assessing our on-campus essential services and the requirement to have a limited number of staff working in these areas on campus. These include for example: public safety; residence staff, cleaning services, and supports to ongoing construction projects.  These areas have managers onsite and employees having any concerns about their work assignments should discuss those directly with their manager.

Any staff required to come to campus who are unable to do so, please inform your manager. You should also contact Hiren Patel, Sr. Abilities and Accommodation Specialist at hiren.patel@humber.ca in Humber’s Occupational Health and Safety Services to determine appropriate next steps.

Deadline to Access Campus

Any employee who must pick up materials from their office in order to be able to perform their work will need to do so by Friday, March 20^th at 5:00 p.m. You will first require permission from your manager to be able to come to campus.

These are the required steps for any employees that must come to campus to pick up required items:

• Get approval from your manager
• Arrange the date and time of being on campus with your manager
• Your manager must contact Public Safety at publicsafety@humber.ca to provide them with your name, expected time on campus and where on campus you will be going.
• You will receive direction on which entrance to access and you should be prepared to be asked some initial screening questions by security and to provide picture identification. Please bring both your Humber ID card and another piece of picture ID with you.

Remote Work Expectations and Payment

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. No one will suffer a loss of pay of their regular earnings as a result of limiting on-site work during this time period.

We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. We know it’s a challenging time, and we are all working together to ensure the health and well-being of the Humber and broader community. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Humber updates page at humber.ca/updates regularly to find the answers to your most pressing questions. We all look forward to the day when we can resume our regular college activities.

Take care, stay healthy and follow the direction of the Public Health Authorities.

Sincerely,

Lori Diduch
VP, Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness

 

COVID-19 Updates Page – Human Resources:

Humber College is regularly providing information on a central Updates page to keep you informed of the latest developments and to provide you with a repository of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Employees are also receiving a daily Communique newsletter focused on COVID-19 updates.

Remote Work Guidelines for Employees

Remote Work Guidelines for Supervisors

Get support for your general HR and HRMS related matters:

• Call us at x 5001, or dial 416.675.5001
• Chat with us at humber.ca/hrchat
• Submit an e-form at humber.ca/hrinquiry
• Access the HRMS Knowledge Base at hrs.humber.ca