Bishop’s University endorses hybrid model for upcoming academic year

Michael Boriero, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Come fall semester, students will be allowed back on the Bishop’s University campus, albeit under strict rules, at a limited capacity, and barring any major setbacks regarding the COVID-19 pandemic over the summer.
After hosting several town hall meetings and conducting a survey for incoming and returning students, administration concluded that the university’s passionate community wanted to avoid remote delivery platforms as much as possible.
“They really do want to come back, they’re very connected to this university and they would like to do as much on our campus as safely as possible,” said Vice-Principal Academic Miles Turnbull in reference to the student survey that received nearly 2,000 responses.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Michael Goldbloom released a statement to the student body on the evening of May 28, citing the lack of COVID-19 cases in Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships as one of the reasons why reopening could work under specific guidelines.
The University of Sherbrooke recently announced a gradual return to campus with the intention of facilitating as many face-to-face activities for students in the fall. Champlain College is still fleshing out a plan but they are working closely with Bishop’s given their shared campus.
If everything goes according to plan in the upcoming months, Bishop’s will adopt a hybrid learning model — a balance between online and in-person classes. The plan outlined in the principal’s statement lists 11 points.

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