Douglas College responds to questions all students are asking
By Jessica Berget, Editor-in-Chief
With Douglas College making the decision to cancel all in-person classes and services in light of the coronavirus epidemic, many students worry about what this means for their education, their tuition, their grades, and their futures.
The Other Press reached out to the college president and CEO Dr. Kathy Denton about all these questions that may be on students’ minds. How will this affect students whose GPA might drop because of the class cancellations? How will this affect the summer semester and final exams? How will this affect students’ tuition, or student loans/debt? Sarah Dench, Associate Vice President Academic and Student Affairs, responded to our inquiries.
“Together with the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, Douglas College’s main focus is supporting students through this transition to complete the Winter term. We recognize this comes with challenges, so all student services are still available online to support students in being successful during the remainder of the term,” she said.
For the dreaded final exams, students will have to ask their professors about the course of action, as exams on campuses are not permitted at this time to enforce social distancing and minimize people leaving their houses.
“Regarding assessment, exams will not take place in-person. Final assessments for classes will be determined by individual instructors,” she said.
As far as the summer semester goes, Douglas College reports that it’s still happening. The semester is planned to begin in early May but may also be turned into online courses should the coronavirus continue to be prevalent.
“The Summer semester will start May 4, as planned. At this time, we are preparing to offer courses online. If the situation changes and we are able to return to in-person instruction, students will be notified, and an update will be posted on the college website,” said Dench.
Though some questions regarding tuition, GPAs, or student
loans were left unanswered, Dench says the college is still discussing the
situation and will provide updates when they can.
“This
is an unprecedented time for all post-secondary institutions, including Douglas
College. There are many processes and procedures that are being reviewed and
adapted in light of the current situation, including payment deadlines,
add/drop dates and others,” she said. “As new information becomes available it
will be shared with the College community via the College’s website.”
