Here’s a look at some of the updates to Brock University’s COVID-19 response for Monday, March 23:

Brock updating and assessing plans after Province tightens closures

Based on the Province of Ontario’s announcement Monday afternoon ordering a mandatory closure of all non-essential businesses, Brock will share more details on Tuesday about its plan to further reduce services available on campus and limit the access points to the University.

The province plans to provide more information on the new regulations before they go into effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night.

Brock’s updates will be shared with the community tomorrow

Ontario enhancing COVID-19 screening

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ontario has launched an enhanced and interactive self-assessment tool. In a matter of seconds, the online tool guides the public through a series of questions and provides guidance on where to seek care based on their needs, if required.

Based on their responses, users are provided clear direction on what action to take. These next steps could include:

• Continue to practise physical distancing
• Self-isolate
• Call a primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario
• Or, in the case of symptoms such as severe difficulty breathing or severe chest pain, call 911 or go to the emergency department

To help co-ordinate Ontario’s ongoing response, the tool also provides the province with real-time data on the number and geography of users who are told to seek care, self-isolate or to monitor for symptoms.

COVID-19 Phishing scam warning

Brock is warning students, faculty and staff about a COVID-19 phishing scam currently circulating.

Please exercise caution opening, answering or clicking on links outside of the brocku.ca domain related to the COVID-19 virus.

If you receive an email related to COVID-19 you’re suspicious of, please phone the Help Desk at x4357 and forward the email to itsecurity@brocku.ca

IT Help Desk access

The Computer Commons (Fish Bowl) and IT Help Desk located in it are open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed on weekends. Remote support will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday for faculty, staff and students.

Questions can be directed to ithelp@brocku.ca

Brock Sports to celebrate Awards Gala on Instagram Live Wednesday

The Brock Badgers Awards Gala is usually one of the biggest events of the calendar for student-athletes. But with the cancellation of all events, Brock Sports has had to get creative in the way it announces this year’s major award winners.

This year’s Awards Gala is being delivered live online through the Brock Badgers Instagram account Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. and will celebrate the outstanding individual and team accomplishments of the 2019-20 Badgers season.

The event will highlight the major award winners of the year including female athlete of the year, male athlete of the year and team of the year. In the days following the Instagram Live event, the Brock Badgers account will feature the individual team award winners, most-improved and most valuable player, along with photos and highlights.

Information for researchers

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, funding agencies are continually evaluating and updating their policies and procedures with respect to application deadlines, accounting requirements, etc. The Office of Research Services has created a webpage, titled COVID-19: Information for researchers on awards and grants,

Where researchers can go to find the latest updates from Brock’s major research funding agencies such as SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR and CFI, among others.

What you need to know about the continuation of classes

While the Winter Term resumed on Monday, there will be no face-to-face classes, seminars, labs, tests or exams. The academic term is not at risk and the term itself ends on April 3, with an online-only exam period running from April 8 to 23.

Spring/Summer Term begins on May 4 and will also be run in an online-only format with no face-to-face classes, seminars or exams.

Library moves services online

The James A. Gibson Library is now closed, but online services will continue to be provided with the vast majority of Library resources available electronically.

To access the Library’s electronic resources (journals, ebooks, data sets, etc.) sign in with your Campus ID and password. Find out what is available by searching the new academic search tool Omni, or by browsing the list of specialized databases. Print collections are currently unavailable. For all inquiries related to collections, contact libhelp@brocku.ca

Additional Services:

• Course Reserves — while the physical course reserve materials are not currently available, many courses have electronic course reserves for use
• Books currently on loan — Due dates on all borrowed materials will be extended. Any fines that would normally accrue will be waived.
• If you have questions or need research help, you have many options to choose from including email, virtual chat, online consultations, or self-serve guides and tutorials.

For instructors:

We are available to assist with electronic reserve material (book chapters, articles, media, and other materials). While the print reserve collection is not available, we can help you get as much course material in digital format. If you need assistance identifying appropriate electronic content to support your course (including alternatives to print textbooks) please contact your Liaison Librarian.

For more details on these and other services, please check the Library website.

Mental health supports available for students and employees

As Brock University transitions to online learning for students and many employees work from home, mental health support resources for members of the University community remain available.

Students can access mental health support over the telephone by calling Student Health Services at 905-688-5550 x3243, Community Addictions Services of Niagara at 905-684-1183, Good 2 Talk at 866-925-5454 or Morneau Shepell at 833-276-2533.

All employees can also access immediate support for mental health and other challenges through the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which has been made available to all current Brock employees as part of the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.