The following message is an update from Mount Allison President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau around the University’s COVID-19 response. It was sent to Mount Allison students, faculty, and staff members via University e-mail on March 30, 2020.

Dear students, faculty and staff:

It is with great pride and appreciation that I write to the Mount Allison community as we work together to meet the challenges brought to us by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past short weeks, the majority of students have moved out of their residences and apartments to return to their families, where possible. We continue to support a number of students on campus in Windsor and Thornton residences. All students are working hard at staying focused on completing the academic term despite the challenges of isolation, different time zones, and unique workspaces. Faculty and librarians are working purposefully to deliver courses and supports remotely with the flexibility and consideration needed to meet the varying needs of students.

Buildings on campus are closed with the exception of those facilities needed to house students in residence and deliver essential services. For the most part, faculty and staff are working from home. While this presents unique challenges for each of us, I also recognize those staff members whose work on campus is critical in helping maintain a safe and functioning environment.

Mount Allison has made and enacted decisions large and small in response to COVID-19. These decisions have been taken with the collaboration and cooperation of numerous groups, including the Mount Allison Senate, the Board of Regents, faculty and employee associations, the management team, and the Mount Allison Student Union. My heartfelt thanks to these organizations and the individuals who comprise them for the professionalism and grace you have demonstrated under tight timelines and rapidly changing conditions.

Many of the decisions taken have been in response to the imperative for social distancing. While I caution you all to practice two-meter distancing, I would urge you to find alternate means to keep your social networks intact. While we must keep a physical distance to minimize the spread of COVID-19, we need also to find ways to reach out and keep in touch with each other.

If you need supports beyond your immediate networks, there are a wide range of resources available to you through Mount Allison. You can find these at www.mta.ca/healthalerts/

While there will be challenges yet to overcome, I have such confidence in Mount Allison’s ability to meet these and find the way to continue to move forward to successfully complete the winter term. Our collective resilience has served the University well over the past weeks and it will serve us well when the COVID-19 pandemic has abated. As it most surely will.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Jean-Paul Boudreau, President and Vice-Chancellor