Re: UBC keeping Mask Mandate, SFU is not, ( why?) and a petition now exists to change SFUs position

+1 to what Steve has said. For those who think a mask mandate is (only) about personal protection they miss the point. It’s about social behaviour and recognizing that while *I* might feel safe (and btw I don’t just yet) others may not and this may add to the very pronounced levels of anxiety we are seeing in our students and staff. So to all of us – think about others as opposed to only yourself. I have to say that I really am very disappointed in how the SFU administration has managed this brief. I think they have at the very least grossly mismanaged the communication, let alone the protocols. UBC has done this much better.

Lyn Bartram
Professor | School of Interactive Arts + Technology

Director | Vancouver Institute of Visual Analytics
Simon Fraser University | Surrey
250, 13450 102 Ave., Surrey, B.C. V3T 0A3
T: 778.782.7439 | M: 604.908.9954 | www.sfu.ca/~lyn

“Be kind, be calm and stay safe” -Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Provincial Health Officer

From: Steve DiPaola <sdipaola@sfu.ca>
Date: Saturday, March 12, 2022 at 1:05 PM
To: Eirikur Palsson <epalsson@sfu.ca>, James Fleming <james_fleming@sfu.ca>
Cc: "academic-discussion@sfu.ca" <academic-discussion@sfu.ca>
Subject: Re: UBC keeping Mask Mandate, SFU is not, ( why?) and a petition now exists to change SFUs position

While there are many reasons

- faculty, staff and students with young children at home

- faculty, staff and students, themselves or care givers of vulnerable persons

...

I see the main reason for this mandate about the mental health of the SFU population

- faculty / TAs overworked where stability of the semester routine/plans are important

- staff /students overworked where stability of the semester routine/plans are important

as those of us teaching see the huge strain on everyone, especially students not fully coping with course material that many of us have given many times before but now are seeing students struggling with. Our graduate students have it particularly bad as they have both their classes and TAships where that strain is on both sides. So just to maintain a system that folks are working through without unneedy changes / extra strain during the crucial last month of classes.

Best to not change anything during a semester and in its last month -- especially things that I would assume for many would be considered more stressful in an over the top super stressful time. Doing things like this at semester breaks, so to maintain the integrity of what a semester is ( and the planning / assumptions that went into it) - seems prudent to me, as it does to UBC.

- Steve DiPaola, PhD - -
- Prof: Sch of Interactive Arts & Technology (SIAT);

- Fellow: Royal Society of Canada (College)

- - Simon Fraser University - -

research site: ivizlab.sfu.ca

art work site: www.dipaola.org/art

- -

At Simon Fraser University, we live and work on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), ( SFU Surrey:) Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm), Qayqayt, Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Tsawassen, and numerous Stó:lō Nations.

From: Eirikur Palsson
Sent: March 12, 2022 12:23 PM
To: James Fleming
Cc: Steve DiPaola; academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: Re: UBC keeping Mask Mandate, SFU is not, ( why?) and a petition now exists to change SFUs position

For instance, to protect the vulnerable people on campus that vaccines don’t work for. Sometimes things are done to help/protects people such as installing wheelchair ramps on campus.

Eirikur

On Mar 12, 2022, at 12:07 PM, James Fleming <james_fleming@sfu.ca> wrote:

It seems to me the antecedent question is: why "keep" mask mandates, at this point?

JD Fleming

From: Steve DiPaola <sdipaola@sfu.ca>
Sent: March 12, 2022 11:57 AM
To: academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: UBC keeping Mask Mandate, SFU is not, ( why?) and a petition now exists to change SFUs position

The recent  "Message from the Provost: Update to face coverings order" email appears to state that SFU has decided to only "encourage mask use on our campuses at this time, and particularly in spaces where we are in close proximity. " rather than keep a mandate till semester end.

This is very different than what UBC is doing after the same BC announcement: "individual organizations can choose to continue to require mask wearing on their premises. As such, UBC will continue with the current approach, requiring masks to be worn in public indoor spaces on both campuses, until … April 30, 2022. "

https://broadcastemail.ubc.ca/2022/03/10/covid-19-update-maintaining-masks-in-ubc-public-indoor-spaces/

If you are concerned about removing the mask mandate at SFU ( in classes, meetings ,events, defences, ...) during this semester and not waiting as UBC is to the end of the semester,  please feel free to discuss here

OR

as many of your students and collogues have done, feel free to sign this change.org petition, or other action you see fit.

Keep the indoor Mask requirement on SFU campuses for Spring 2022

https://www.change.org/p/joy-johnson-keep-the-indoor-mask-requirement-on-sfu-campuses-for-spring-2022

- Steve DiPaola, PhD - -
- Prof: Sch of Interactive Arts & Technology (SIAT);

- Fellow: Royal Society of Canada (College)

- - Simon Fraser University - -

research site:   ivizlab.sfu.ca

art work site:   www.dipaola.org/art

- -

At Simon Fraser University, we live and work on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), ( SFU Surrey:) Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm), Qayqayt, Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Tsawassen, and numerous Stó:lō Nations.