As the fall semester begins, we are excited to welcome more of our Durham College (DC) community to campus. For those accessing a DC building this semester, the below information will help make your visit seamless.
We also encourage you to explore our COVID-19 webpage at www.devcourses.durhamcollege.ca/COVID for additional information, frequently asked questions and resources.
Coming to Campus Safely video
Employees and students are required to watch the Coming to Campus Safely video before accessing campus. The video can be accessed online for students, or through MyCampus for employees by signing in with your network password and ID.
Vaccination and pre-screening
Anyone visiting DC campuses and locations including employees, students and visitors, must complete the COVID-19 screening questionnaire.
The questionnaire asks all those coming to campus, college-operated property or college-sanctioned events to self-declare and upload proof of their vaccination status to gain entry. Between September 13 and October 17, partially-vaccinated individuals, or those with an approved exemption will also be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid test. Those with approved exemptions may continue to access the campus after October 17 with proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid test result. More details regarding on-site COVID-19 rapid testing will be provided in the coming days.
You will only need to upload proof of vaccination into the app one time but will still be required to complete the screening questionnaire each day before coming to campus until further notice.
More information about this process can be found in our most recent vaccination policy update.
Entering buildings
You should leave ample time when coming to campus as you may experience delays entering buildings. Access to DC buildings is only available through specific entrances to allow for COVID-19 screening. Security personnel will manage capacity at these locations to ensure health and safety guidelines are followed. Please be patient and treat one another with respect.
Be sure to check designated building entrances for the Oshawa and Whitby campuses before coming to campus. They can be found on the COVID-19 webpage or www.devcourses.durhamcollege.ca/map.
Face masks and coverings
All individuals are required to wear a face mask or covering while on campus.
Face masks/coverings may only be removed in designated eating areas while eating and must be worn once eating is complete. Eating is not permitted outside of designated spaces, such as lounges and hallways.
Students and employees who cannot wear a face mask or covering must complete a risk assessment by emailing susan.smikle@devcourses.durhamcollege.ca. Those who cannot wear a mask and who come to campus without completing a risk assessment will be asked to leave.
For more information on face mask/covering guidelines, please visit the COVID-19 webpage.
Parking
Oshawa campus: If you require a fall semester or annual parking pass you must register and pay for your passes online or purchase daily rate tickets on-site. More information is available at www.devcourses.durhamcollege.ca/parking.
Whitby campus: Parking permits are not available for the Whitby campus until further notice. While limited parking is offered at the Whitby campus, you are encouraged to utilize the off-site parking lot located at 75 Consumers Drive, adjacent to the Hockey Life store. There are 100 free spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis along the east and northeast quadrant of the lot – signage will indicate where to park.
A free shuttle bus service between this lot and the Whitby campus will run every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, except for one 15-minute break between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. daily. Shuttle seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
U-PASS
The U-PASS program provides students with unlimited travel each semester on Durham Region Transit (DRT) and is paid for through ancillary fees for all eligible, full-time students. The U-PASS is offered in a digital format only via the PRESTO E-Tickets mobile app. For more information about registering for U-PASS, please visit www.devcourses.durhamcollege.ca/upass.
How we will communicate with you
DC is committed to communicating with its campus community in an open and transparent manner. Here is how we will inform you about positive COVID-19 cases at DC:
For on-campus cases (an individual who has been on campus in the past 14 days), our COVID-19 Reporting dashboard will be updated and a contact tracing email will be sent to students and employees who may have been in contact with the positive case.
For an on-campus outbreak (two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection on campus), DC will send a message to all students and employees via email, the DC Mobile app, and post an update to the COVID-19 webpage. The COVID-19 Reporting dashboard will also be updated and a contact tracing email will be sent to students and employees who may have been in contact with the positive case.
For more information about how we will communicate with you throughout the year, as well as our COVID-19 response plan, please visit the COVID-19 webpage.
COVID-19 webpage
The COVID-19 webpage is DC’s official source for information about the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes updates, a DC COVID case dashboard, campus health and safety protocols, the college’s COVID-19 response plan, vaccination details, program delivery information, remote learning resources and frequently asked questions.
Please continue to check the COVID-19 webpage and your DC email regularly for the latest updates. You can also follow DC’s official social media feeds and download the DC mobile app.
When to stay home
To protect the health and safety of our campus community, stay home if you:
- Are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.
- Have COVID-19 symptoms.
- Have travelled outside of Canada within the last 14 days.
- Have been exposed to someone who is, or may be, infected with COVID-19.
If you are feeling unwell, please report your illness immediately to:
Wishing you a healthy, enjoyable fall semester!
