Spring Courses: Register Here
APR 7, 2020 - 5:00 PM
As the situation related to COVID-19 develops, we will update this page with the most recent and relevant information. We will continue to provide FAQs, links to additional resources (including an online self-assessment tool) and a form for TWU community members to submit questions below.
April 7, 2020
Our TWU employee with COVID-19 has recovered. We have received word that the TWU employee who tested positive for COVID-19 has fully recovered, and has been officially recognized by public health as such. We give thanks to God for this, and wish to convey a thank you on behalf of this employee for all your prayers.
ACTS and TWU Summer courses are being provided online. Further information about specific courses is available through individual program areas.
A huge THANK YOU to the entire TWU community for the amazing ways you have come together over the past few weeks to ensure students, faculty, and staff and members of the wider community are safe and cared for, while also ensuring that students are finishing the semester well.
Dear Trinity Western University Community
For the last number of weeks, TWU leadership has been planning for a variety of contingencies related to COVID-19. We have been prayerfully guided in our decisions and in close collaboration with local and provincial health authorities, with the goal of ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of every member of the TWU community.
Acts of kindness and compassion that are characteristic of our community have been multiplied over recent weeks, as we traced the impact of our students and alumnae in China, Europe, Washington State, and now BC. The flood of positive responses from parents and students has reiterated for us the value of a Christian university, which takes seriously our call to be invested in the service of others. This is a historic event and an uncertain time. And it shall pass. When we all stand on the other side of this pandemic, we believe that the stories from TWU will make our province and nation proud as well.
In light of the fast-evolving situation surrounding COVID-19, and in response developments jointly announced by the BC Minister of Health and Provincial Health Officer, classes moved online for the duration of the Spring semester, as well as for the Summer semester.
TWU had one employee test positive for COVID-19 as announced on March 24, 2020. This person has now fully recovered and has been officially recognized by public health as such. We give thanks to God for this, and wish to convey a thank you on behalf of this employee for all of your prayers. TWU worked closely with local public health to assist with contact-tracing and related protocols. No additional measures are required, and there is no additional risk to the TWU community.
Most of our 1100+ on-campus students have now moved home. Remaining students are primarily international students who are unable to travel home for various reasons. TWU has put various plans into place to ensure that remaining students are well-supported. We are grateful to Student Life, Community Life, the Wellness Centre, and donors for coming up with innovative ways to ensure essential needs are met, and to support physical distancing and social connectedness.
The following measures have been taken and will remain in place until announced otherwise:
Traditional face-to-face classes are suspended.
All classes are provided online.
Chapel services are provided online. TWU Chapel Podcasts are also available.
Students who must remain on campus will continue to be supported. This includes students from countries with travel restrictions or with other circumstances limiting travel home. These students will continue with room and board and will continue to be supported and cared for through on-campus and remote services.
TWU operations are continuing. TWU-Langley campus remains open, with essential services on-site. TWU-Bellingham and TWU-Richmond physical sites are closed. At all campuses, all services that can be provided virtually have moved online. Staff and faculty continue to work, mostly remotely from home. Human Resources will continue to communicate directly with staff with any additional information.
Library and Registration Office services are now offered virtually.
Faculty and staff will continue to work from home unless otherwise designated.
Spring 2020 graduation ceremony has been rescheduled. It will take place in combination with Fall 2020 graduation on Saturday, November 7.
Travel studies have been cancelled. This includes all travel studies through the end of August.
Summer courses will continue. We are offering Summer courses online.
We have received an outpouring of positive responses to these decisions, and are grateful to TWU faculty, staff, and students for helping to navigate the changes so seamlessly.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is encouraging preparedness in the likelihood that we will see further COVID-19 spread. Because provincial health authorities are anticipating the possibility of an increased number of COVID-19 cases in the community, and because testing will be increasingly reserved for those who are most at risk, TWU has prepared for the possibility that some students might require self-isolation in the dorms. The number of students remaining on campus is low. We have rooms set aside for this purpose.
The university is committed to continued vigilance related to COVID-19. Symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever, sore throat, achy muscles and difficulty breathing. Most individuals who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms that can be managed at home. Those who are most at risk of becoming more seriously ill are the elderly and those with other medical conditions.
Health authorities are asking that individuals and groups take preventive health measures to keep themselves and others from getting COVID-19. These include:
Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (if soap and water are not available)
Not sharing food or utensils with others
Using proper coughing or sneezing etiquette (cough/sneeze into elbow or tissue, not hand)
Isolating yourself when sick (even with a mild cold)
Social distancing: Avoiding large groups; staying 2 metres apart from others when sharing a closed space; avoiding handshakes or other greetings involving touch.
Spend time outdoors
The BC Ministry of Health has developed an online self-assessment tool that will help determine whether you may need further assessment or testing for COVID-19. You can complete this assessment for yourself or on behalf of someone else if they are unable to. Please follow this link to access the tool.
For students living in residence on the Langley campus who are choosing to self-isolate. Please use the following link to complete a Report of Self-Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
TWU community members with additional questions or concerns relating to such topics as illness prevention, physical or mental health, class absences, and online learning options are encouraged to submit questions using the link below to direct them to the appropriate area.
For all other inquiries, please contact us by email or phone (888) 468-6898.
For additional information from local and federal health authorities, please visit the following websites:
BC COVID-19 Local Information (CBC News)
BC Centre for Disease Control
BC Ministry of Health
Health Canada
Healthlinkbc.ca