Message to Students: A possible scenario for back to class

The following message from the Vice-President Academic and Research was sent to UPEI students and copied to employees via their UPEI email accounts on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Dear Students,

The UPEI administration acknowledges how stressful this strike is on you. We are receiving many questions from you and parents. Although we do not have definitive answers to all questions because much depends on when the strike will end, we are sharing with you a tentative proposal below.

Matters regarding course credits, completion of the semester, and graduation are decided by the University Senate, which consists of 50% faculty members (the remaining 50% includes students, alumni, Deans, and senior university administrators). Once we know when the strike will end, an emergency meeting of the University Senate will be called to review and approve a revised plan for the winter academic semester. In the meantime, below is a possible scenario for the Senate to consider.

If the strike ends by Friday, April 14, 2023, we could have classes resume on Monday, April 17, 2023, subject to Senate approval. The proposal to the Senate would include several components as follows.

• The exam period would be cancelled, and the rest of the time period (until April 28) would be used for in-person instruction and assessments as designed by faculty members.
• Beyond April 28, online components of coursework may be offered but only until May 5.
• Certain exceptions may be required for professional programs with in-person teaching.
• The course discontinuation deadline date (without academic penalty) would be extended from February 28 to the second day of return to classes post-labour disruption; in this scenario, that would mean Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
• Convocation would happen as scheduled.      

The University remains committed to crediting students with net savings that occur from not paying faculty salaries while they are on strike (faculty members receive strike pay from their union). The amount of net savings and credits to students cannot be calculated until the strike is over and the costs incurred during the strike period, including return-to-work protocols, are known.

We will continue to make best efforts to support you during this time and encourage you to reach out if you need assistance. If you have questions that are specific to your program, contact the Dean or Associate Dean of your faculty as they will help and guide you. To read previous updates or for more information, please visit the upei.ca/labour website. If your question is not answered, please reach out to communications@upei.ca. UPEI has a number of resources for students through UPEI Student Affairs, including personal counselling (studentserv@upei.ca), and the International Student Office (irostu@upei.ca).

Sincerely yours,

Greg F. Naterer, PhD, P.Eng.
Vice-President, Academic and Research