On Aug. 12, Queen’s University mandated the COVID-19 vaccination for students, staff, and faculty on campus. The Public Service Alliance Of Canada Local 901 (PSAC 901), the union for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at the University, and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA) each responded.
PSAC 901’s statement, signed by President Astrid Hobill, simultaneously applauded the mandate and implored the University to develop “a wider and more comprehensive plan.”
“As the Delta variant progresses and we face a 4th wave we know that a return to campus will require university wide protocols on masking, gathering sizes (including class sizes), rapid testing, and quick and efficient contact tracing capabilities,” PSAC 901 wrote.
In its statement, the union called for proper ventilation in all campus buildings, barrier-free access to vaccinations on campus for those who require it, employer-paid personal protective equipment for all employees, clear protocols for international members of the Queen’s community without access to vaccines recognized by Health Canada, and accommodations for those who cannot be vaccinated.
“With significant anxiety around a safe return to work in the fall from our membership, mandatory vaccination cannot take the place of comprehensive protocols, which Queen’s must still produce in order to ensure a safe return to campus,” PSAC 901 wrote.
The union further called on the University to ensure the availability of rapid COVID-19 testing, public access to specific safety protocols, remote opportunities with “duly compensated monies” for those unable to be vaccinated, and the prioritization of employees’ mental health upon returning to campus.
According to the union’s statement, PSAC 901 Unit 1 is currently negotiating with the University, aiming to secure a renewed Letter of Understanding surrounding COVID-19 protocols as campus activity returns.
“Despite the union’s insistence since May on getting an updated agreement in place, Queen’s University has failed to respond,” PSAC 901 wrote. “We have been waiting for a comprehensive return to campus plan since the University announced that classes would resume on campus this past April.”
“The safety of our members and our communities is paramount, and we are disappointed with the lethargy of the Queen’s administration in addressing our concerns. We continue to wait, though less patiently.”
Similarly, QUFA endorsed the University’s vaccination mandate while expressing frustrations surrounding delayed communication.
“The university has not communicated any information to QUFA or the broader university community about the implementation of their vaccination requirement policy beyond the announcement of the requirement on 12 August,” QUFA wrote.
“This delay is rather frustrating, especially given that classes resume in just over two weeks whereas the recommended interval between receiving a first and a second dose of the vaccine is longer than this.”
QUFA further called for transparency regarding ventilation in campus classrooms and buildings.
While the University has published ventilation management measures on its website, “details about how the reported values were arrived at is absent as is information about ventilation in many of the larger campus classrooms such as Chernoff Auditorium and Stirling Auditorium as well as common spaces such as the libraries,” QUFA wrote.