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toronto's universities revert to remote learning

one york student said she feels "stabbed in the back" after being de-enrolled for not being vaccinated

in-person classes are out. remote learning is back. and it has left one student bewildered.
universities in toronto announced a return to virtual classes until late january, all due to the surging wave of omicron.
“from the start of term until jan. 23, all classes will be delivered in a remote format unless it is essential that they be delivered in-person,” york university president and vice-chancellor rhonda lenton told the school’s 55,000 students in an update. “while the rapid spread of omicron is daunting, further information is expected over the next couple of weeks about this variant in regards to its likely trajectory.”
student regan lackner feels “stabbed in the back.”
the first-year kinesiology student has been learning remotely and has never been on campus.
under york’s vaccination mandate, students like her who did not provide proof of vaccination by dec. 1 have been de-enrolled from courses with in-person components.
but, with classes reverting to remote learning, she feels she was de-enrolled for nothing.
 universities in toronto, including ryerson university, announced a return to virtual classes until late january, all due to the surging wave of omicron. istock/getty images
universities in toronto, including ryerson university, announced a return to virtual classes until late january, all due to the surging wave of omicron. istock/getty images istock / getty images
“i think that this has been honestly pretty heartbreaking,” said lackner, who said she has a medical exemption. “i will literally have to re-do an entire year of these courses.”
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the university of toronto said it will not be holding in-person exams effective thursday.
in-person learning is on hold until jan. 31.
“the decision to cancel or defer in-person exams and delay in-person learning was not made lightly, but it is a necessary step to safeguard the health of our students and all members of the u of t community,” said trevor young, the university’s acting vice-president and provost.
“we know how important in-person teaching and learning is for community members, and we look forward to welcoming them back on campus in the new year,” said u of t president meric gertler, who also stressed the move was made “out of an abundance of caution.”
ryerson has gone the same route.
“we have made the decision to hold classes virtually until jan. 30,” said president and vice-chancellor mohamed lachemi.
“i know that this continued uncertainty and change is challenging for many of us to navigate,” lachemi added. “we know the immediate weeks ahead will be critical in managing the spread of the omicron variant.”
but for students like lackner, the sudden return to remote lectures feels like a lost opportunity to remain engaged.
“they proved that they’re able to continue doing it. but they simply did not want to accommodate students who either could not get vaccinated or weren’t willing to,” she said.
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