By: Mina Amer
During a virtual town hall held on Wednesday, June 10th, the president of the University of Windsor, Robert Gordon, announced that the University’s fall 2020 courses will still be offered online, despite the announcement made by the government of Ontario to restore in-person education in July.
Many members of the University of Windsor community submitted their questions, one of which was with respect to the tuition fees. According to Gordon, since the courses are serving the same purpose for the students, which is graduation, the tuition fees remain the same irrespective of the mode of instruction. Other students were concerned about the lab experience. The decision was made that labs will be offered online. Moreover, some labs will be deferred until the winter semester during which students can gain their lab credits at that time.
Some students are expressing their concerns and dissatisfaction with the virtual town hall, accusing the president of vetting and censoring many questions related to COVID-19 as well as the recent racism occurrences. However, Gordon did apologize about the initial University of Windsor statement against racism, stating that it “didn’t go far enough and failed to fully recognize the significance of the moment and explicitly condemn anti-Black racism.”
When asked about the restoration of in-person education and the full return to campus, Gordon replied that he “cannot provide a timeline for that.” Many anticipate returning during the winter 2021 semester, although no official decision has been made yet.
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