Good afternoon A&S undergraduate students,
Thank you so very much to all of you who have reached out to my team and to me personally to share your appreciation for these daily communications. Some of your parents have even contacted me, which also means a lot – please pass my gratitude along to them as well.
Over the last day, we’ve received an increasing number of questions about both deferred exams and financial assistance. Let me address each of these briefly.
In response to the question: “What is happening with my deferred exam that I am writing in April?”
We have posted the following answer on our Student FAQs: “Deferred exams will be managed the same way as normal exams – they will be adjusted so that no student needs to come to write an exam in person. Because any one student’s deferred exams could be connected to different courses offered originally in different terms, they will receive direct information on how their exam(s) will be handled, and when.”
I understand that this answer does not provide a comprehensive solution for every student and every situation. Where and when needed, we are devising solutions that are workable for individual students and their instructors. Please contact your college registrar if you have specific concerns which your instructor was not able to address.
In response to questions related to financial assistance:
I encourage undergraduate domestic and international students who need immediate short-term financial relief because of unexpected expenses related to COVID-19 to submit requests for Emergency Assistance Grants. In addition, you can continue to seek assistance through your college registrar.
I hope that as you continue with your studies that you are also caring for your well-being. To support you in this regard, we've put together a resource that offers self-care strategies and also identifies professional supports that can be accessed 24 hours a day.
Stay tuned tomorrow for something a little different. I’m going to change-up our communication routine to make it a little more fun for a Friday.
As always, stay safe and take care.
With warmest regards,
Melanie A. Woodin
Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science
Professor, Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto