Hundreds of MUN students call for labs to move online amid COVID-19 wave

Hundreds of Memorial University students have signed a petition asking the school to move in-person labs online, as thecurrent wave of COVID-19 pushes on in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The university returned to mostly online learning forJanuaryasthe Omicron wave spread across the province, but did allow a few key exceptions to that policy includinglabs for courses in the faculty of science that are set to take place in person for the winter semester.

"I'm concerned about in-person labs. I don't entirely feel that they're safe," biology student Kira Whittaker told CBCNewson Wednesday.

While those labs aren't scheduled to start until next week, students like Whittaker who co-organized the petition, which had 670 signatures as of Thursday morning are still worried.

"Myself and other students were emailing MUN faculty looking for answers about the upcoming labs in person, and no one really seemed to be getting any answers," Whittaker said."So we decided to organize and address the faculty as one voice."

Whittakersaid MUN's faculty told students there's a point where the campus community is going to have to live with COVID-19, and there are prevention measures in paceto prevent an outbreak.

Butshe said some students disagree.

"There doesn't seem to be a plan for handling an outbreak should it occur, and there's no plan for academic protection for students required to self-isolate as a result of exposure to COVID-19," Whittaker said.

In-person labs going ahead

Florentine Strzelczyk, MUN's academic vice-presidentacademic, saidthe university's plan is to move ahead with in-person labs wherepossibleandphysical distancing allows.

Students and staff will be provided masks to wear in campus buildings.

"We feel confident that we can give hands-on experiences to students in those labs," she said.

"Many of the techniques and pieces you learn in a lab can't just be replicated online. Biochemistry, for example it just cannot be efficiently completed online."

Strzelczyk said there are also accreditation requirements, meaningthere are a certain number of hours of hands-on experience required for students to graduate certain programs.

Listen to the full interview withKira Whittaker:

Strzelczyksaid other programsthat cannot maintain physical distancingmay look at other options for their labs, with the possibility of pushing the lab experience to later in the program.

"It's our job to do everything we can to get students ready for the world of work and make sure they graduate on time,"Strzelczyksaid.

"I think Memorial is very much in line with other universities where those lab experiences will take place in person."

Students who miss time because of contracting COVID-19 being in isolation because of contact with a positive case will work with their instructors and program directors to figure out a plan,Strzelczyk said

Strzelczyksaid there are "broad supports" in placethrough the student life unit and student health and wellness unitfor students who fall ill.

"It's a duty to accommodatethat we always follow when a student cannot make it to class and is ill," she said.

For those students who are immunocompromisedand are worried about their education,Strzelczyksaid there's a processto accommodate students with medical issues.

"We work with students to find alternative [courses], or switch courses around," she said.

"We work with individual students because, to be honest, every single student's schedule and trajectory is a little bit different and they get that personalized help."

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