COVID-19 Information for Land and Food Systems

This page contains information for faculty and staff, and some student resources below; it will be updated regularly following advice from UBC and the provincial and federal health agencies.

If you would like to add a resource to this page, please email karen.lee98@ubc.ca.

2021 Summer Session – Term 1 and Term 2 updates

The 2021 Summer Session will be online in both Term 1 (May – June 2021) and Term 2 (July – August 2021), meaning all classes taught in the Faculty of Land & Food Systems will be hosted online and students will not have to be in Vancouver.

2021 Winter Session – Term 1 and Term 2 updates

UBC is planning for a return to on-campus activities in Term 1 (Sept. – Dec. 2021) and Term 2 (Jan. – April 2022). UBC is working under the guidance of the Provincial Health Officer and the health authorities in planning, and all parties are committed to remaining flexible as we monitor the situation over the coming months. Fall course planning is taking place with the safety of students, faculty and staff as a top priority. For the latest updates, visit https://covid19.ubc.ca/.

Reoccupancy Information as UBC Returns to Research

The LFS Research Resumption and Planning Committee has been spearheading the reoccupancy plans to support research activities, using guidelines from UBC, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, and health authorities. If you are returning to campus as part of the research phase-in, please ensure you review the mandatory training, the check-in/check-out and other procedures. All information can be found here: https://my.landfood.ubc.ca/operations/lfs-covid-19-reoccupancy-information/

Building Access: FNH and MCML by card only

The MacMillan and Food, Nutrition and Health buildings are accessible only by card access and they are open from 7am-6pm. They remain closed to the public. Arrangements will be made to ensure courier and other critical services are maintained. Any concerns or special arrangements can be made through: LFS-MCM-OPS@LISTS.UBC.CA
• At FNH, the only entrance door by FOB is the main entrance on East Mall.
• At MCML, the entrance doors by FOB are the main entrance on Main Mall, and the entrance by loading bay.

Faculty and Staff – Resources for remote teaching and working

Workplace Preferences Survey:
Thank you to the LFS faculty and staff who filled out the Workplace Preferences Survey by March 3. This survey gave you an opportunity to share feedback on your experiences in the workplace during COVID-19 – whether you are working remotely or on-site – as well as your perspectives on what you’d like your workplace to look like in the future. UBC HR will be providing more guidelines based on the preferences survey by mid-June.

Zoom video conferencing:
UBC has a campus-wide license for Zoom as a platform for delivering courses online and to hold larger meetings. Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that offers a wide range of features:
• Visit UBC IT to set up access for teaching or meetings.

Information on remote teaching:
• Learning Centre’s Remote Teaching Resources
• keepteaching.ubc.ca/

Information for remote working:
• lc.landfood.ubc.ca/checklist-for-working-remotely/
• www.hr.ubc.ca/faculty-staff-resources/telecommuting/
• it.ubc.ca/ubc-it-guide-working-campus

For UBC Farm employees — Connecting to the VPN and UBC Farm Server:
For employees who need to access the UBC Farm Server remotely from a home computer or work laptop, you should always connect via the VPN to ensure a secure connection. Then, you can access the Farm server as well as your personal “H” drive.
• View instructions for connecting to VPN
• View instructions on how to connect to the Farm server

UBC support and resources for all faculty and staff:
• covid19.ubc.ca (FAQs & Resources from UBC, government, World Health Organization)
• www.hr.ubc.ca/covid-19/ (for managers and supervisors)

Please contact the Learning Centre (it@landfood.ubc.ca) if you need additional technical support.

Useful Links

• Information on COVID-19 from Vancouver Coastal Health

• Information on COVID-19 from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Resources for students

Undergraduate students – LFS Student Services is providing online support for undergraduate students during this time. To reach the appropriate advisor, visit the Student Services webpage at www.landfood.ubc.ca/student-services/ or send a general inquiry to students@landfood.ubc.ca. Visit this page for updates.

Graduate students – the Graduate Program office staff is also currently providing remote support for graduate students, and is available via email for inquiries and advice. To reach the LFS Graduate Program staff, you can email Lia-Maria Dragan (lia.maria@ubc.ca) or Sean Smukler (sean.smukler@ubc.ca).

UBC is constantly updating information for students about COVID-19, so please visit these sites for more information:
• covid19.ubc.ca/information-for-students/
• Health and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak
• www.grad.ubc.ca/covid-19

LFS Today – daily, internal newsletter

LFS Today will be used to communicate important information directly to your inbox. If you are not already subscribed, please email lfs.today@ubc.ca.