This petition has been created to urge BCIT to delay the return-to-campus and in-person classes. We, the Business Students of BCIT, feel extremely vulnerable and uncomfortable attending school in person on Monday, January 10th, 2022 at the BCIT Burnaby and Downtown Campuses. Due to the widespread Omicron variant, we feel as though our safety and well-being are in jeopardy should classes return to campus. We are confused and disheartened that BCIT has not followed similar precautions that other post-secondary schools in the province like UBC, SFU, and UVic have. Each of these institutions have committed to the health, safety, and security of their students and staff by delaying in-person classes by three weeks into January.

In regards to the COVID-19 Safety Plan at BCIT, these measures are outdated and do not take into account how contagious and easily transmittable the Omicron variant is. As of January 5th, there are 27,106 active cases of COVID-19 in the province of BC. We are increasingly concerned that BCIT cannot guarantee our safety with numbers so shockingly high. While teachers are protected by plexiglass and a 6-foot distance, students are crammed into small classrooms with no free seats. 

We ask that BCIT considers delaying the return to in-person classes until the third week of January or longer. As a group, we unequivocally agree that our mental and physical health would suffer more in-person with the risks of COVID-19 compared to learning at home, virtually. We have a responsibility to protect ourselves, friends, roommates, and family members from the increasing danger of returning to campus on Monday. 

Please note, we understand that the provincial government has not restricted BCIT from inviting students back to campus. We believe that BCIT can take the necessary precautions and prevent an outbreak on our campuses by going above and beyond the Province’s current guidelines.