Moving to Phase 3 for return to campus Feb. 28

Sent on behalf of Tim Rahilly, Mount Royal University President and Vice-Chancellor

Friday, February 18 at 1:30 p.m.

Faculty and Staff,

Thank you to everyone who followed the health protocols to ensure the success of our phased return to campus. I am pleased to share that we are proceeding to our last phase and will have all courses originally scheduled for in-person instruction back on campus Feb. 28 after Reading Week.

As we have been preparing to return to campus, we also heard from the Government of Alberta earlier this month about the Province’s plan to lift current public health measures. Following this announcement, the Departments of Advanced Education and Health provided additional guidance to post-secondary institutions.

We will be monitoring the situation closely and will keep you updated on any further changes via email and on the MRU website.

Vaccination verification update

Given the high rate of vaccination within the university community, we know we can safely return to campus as of Feb. 28. The vaccination directive served its purpose. As a result, MRU will suspend its Directive on March 1.

Vaccination verification will not be required to enroll in courses for future semesters. This also means visitors to campus no longer need to provide vaccine verification to participate in on-campus services and activities.

No changes to masking requirements

After discussion at the President's Executive Committee, and following consultations with the Students' Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU), the Mount Royal Faculty Association (MRFA) and the Mount Royal Staff Association (MRSA), MRU will continue to require masks for all University indoor shared learning and common spaces until the end of the Winter Term (April 30). Every student and faculty member on campus for in-person instruction has been verified as vaccinated. We will continue to monitor provincial, municipal and public health expert updates as their planned steps move ahead.

Non-academic staff return to campus 

If the Province’s work-from-home order is lifted on March 1, we look forward to welcoming back to campus those staff members who are currently working from home. Managers have been encouraged to be flexible, as we fully recognize staff may need some time to make arrangements and adjust routines in preparation for returning to campus. As of April 4, we expect all employees to be fully back at work on campus.  If you are currently working remotely, please talk to your supervisor about your plan for return.

We continue to work on the components of a remote work program and expect it to be piloted on a limited basis starting in May. All staff will be expected to return to campus prior to the pilot commencing. The pilot will be designed to test the effectiveness of a remote work program before being finalized and made more broadly available. Additional information will be available in the coming weeks from Human Resources.

Stay home when unwell

Please take care of your health and that of your family and friends. Those who test positive for COVID-19 or are sick with a core symptom (fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat or runny nose) are required to isolate and should stay home to keep our community healthy.

Your well-being

We recognize the uncertainty of the pandemic may have added stress in your personal and work  life. If you are struggling, we encourage you to access resources from Staff Wellness as needed.

To support your transition to campus, masks, rapid tests and voluntary rapid testing are available for employees at G100 (the old Library) until the end of the term.

As a reminder, there will be mobile vaccination clinics on campus Feb. 22 and March 1. More information can be found on the City of Calgary website.

Please continue to look out for each other and respect different comfort levels as we fully transition back to campus. If you notice someone struggling, please be patient and respectful. Mount Royal is known for being a community that supports each other and let’s hold on to and foster that culture of mutual respect.

Enjoy your long weekend.