As the term draws to an end, students can expect to encounter new challenges unlike those they faced at the end of the fall term. As we navigate new situations precedent by the COVID-19 pandemic your student may be feeling fatigued, stressed and behind where they would like to be.

In this newsletter, we outline a number of academic support resources, mental health support services and other resources available to help your student finish the term strong.

• Tuesday, April 7: Last day for academic withdrawal from fall/winter and winter term courses
• Tuesday, April 7: Winter term ends. Last day of fall/winter and winter term classes.
• Friday, April 10: Statutory holiday.
• Monday, April 13 to Saturday, April 25: Final examinations in winter term and fall/winter courses are held
• Thursday, April 16: Carleton Central opens at 8:30 a.m. for summer registration for Carleton University degree students (graduate and undergraduate).

To further ensure that your student is not unduly disadvantaged by the unprecedented situation we are facing, on an exceptional basis and without prejudice, an additional grading mode is added for the winter 2020 term only that allows students the choice to convert their grades to SAT/UNS. This ensures that changes in performance due to the current disruption do not affect your student’s permanent record as SAT/UNS grades are not used in the calculation of CGPA.

If your student would like to pursue this new grading option, they may make this request beginning Monday, April 13, 2020, and no later than Friday, May 29, 2020, and once the change is made it cannot be reversed.

As the current public health crisis continues to evolve, the COVID-19 Steering Committee has determined, after broad consultation with the Operations and Academic Continuity Committees, to postpone or cancel all Carleton in person events until Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The Department of Recreation and Athletics has also cancelled all rentals and programs until Tuesday, June 30, 2020 and its facilities will remain closed until this time.

We especially regret that our June Convocation, a highlight of the year and such an important event to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates, will have to be postponed to a later time.

The Academic Continuity Committee has carefully considered how to best move forward with the summer semester in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. For this reason, all summer 2020 courses at Carleton will be offered through online and other methods of distance learning (e.g. rebroadcasts, BigBlueButton, Kaltura and Zoom).

Summer course registration has been delayed to Thursday, April 16, 2020. Your student will be able to view the full schedule of courses offered on Carleton Central on Monday, April 6, 2020.

If your student would like to know more information, please encourage them to visit the Current Students website.

The Centre for Student Academic Support (CSAS) has transitioned to providing services remotely during their regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

In order to ensure that your student will have all the necessary academic support to successfully complete their winter semester, Learning Support Workshops, Peer Assisted Study Sessions and Writing Services have all been updated to fit the current circumstances.

In order to promote the health and safety of our Carleton community, the Carleton Health and Counselling Services remains open virtually. If your student does not have a phone, their provider will contact them via email to set up a video appointment.

If your student would like to find out more information, please encourage them to visit the Current Students website.

As we navigate through these difficult times, Carleton University wants our students to know that we are here to support them. In order to help your student find the support and resources they need, we’ve prepared a page which lists the hours of operation and alternative methods of service delivery for each of our student support services and resources. Please encourage your student to visit the new Student Service Information page.

As we venture into unexplored territory and Carleton courses are delivered online and by other alternative modes of delivery, compassion and self-compassion will see us through.

Carleton University wants you to know that we are here to support your student. No matter where your student calls home across Canada or around the world, there are many support services and resources available to support your student’s mental health.

Under the Essential Services Order issued by the Province of Ontario in effect since March 24, organizations, unless their operations are deemed essential, are only permitted to continue to operate remotely. In order to comply with this government regulation and to keep our community safe in a new campus environment where most people are working from home, we have put in place a new building access protocol.

Most notably, as of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2020, Carleton will be limiting access to university buildings to authorized individuals only, as approved by their Chair/supervisor, and public access will be restricted.

The Carleton University Bookstore is here to help your student during this difficult time with free shipping programs. Your student can receive free shipping on all online orders through The Carleton Bookstore website. This includes various formats of course materials, supplies, apparel, technology and more. Your student can also receive a deadline extension on their rental returns. The Bookstore is extending the return period for rented textbooks to give students more time to send returns by mail.

If your student would like to know more information, please encourage them to visit the Current Students website.

In order to accommodate the COVID-19 disruptions, President Benoit-Antoine Bacon and the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC) are pleased to extend the call for membership in the EIC Advisory Group. If your student is interested in the strategic enhancement of the work of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at Carleton, they are encouraged to respond to this community invitation.