Return to Campus Fall 2021

Based on UBC's COVID-19 Return to Campus Guidelines for Stage 3 of the province's Restart Plan, the following is what students can expect for the fall term:

• Daily health self-assessments: All students must assess themselves daily for COVID-19 symptoms prior to engaging in in-person UBC activities on UBC Premises. Stay home if you are sick and/or have cold/flu symptoms.
   
• Stay home if you are sick: If you are ill or believe you have COVID-19 symptoms or been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, stay home. Use the Thrive Health self-assessment tool for guidance or through the BC COVID-19 Support App and follow the instructions provided. Follow the advice from Public Health.
   
• Non-Medical Masks: According to the terms of the recent Public Health Order, you must wear a non-medical mask in all indoor public spaces, including classrooms, hallways, faculty and staff offices and washrooms. Masks are available at Reception if you forget yours.
   
  A small number of people are unable to wear a mask for medical or disability-related reasons.  UBC is developing a process to verify these exemptions with the Centre for Accessibility.  In the meantime, if this applies to you, please contact studentservices@allard.ubc.ca with your full name and student number and we will advise your professors of this.​​​​​​
   
• Masks and eating & drinking: Masks should be removed during class only to take sips of a beverage, and should be immediately replaced. Outside of classes, masks can be removed in order to eat and drink in designated eating areas only, and only when seated. Current designated eating areas within Allard Hall include any seating area with a table in any of the common areas throughout the building. 

  Please replace your mask unless you are actively eating or drinking.  

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• Vaccination: While proof of vaccination is not currently required to access Allard Hall, public health restrictions may change. The BC Government has introduced a proof of vaccination requirement for access to some events, services and businesses, including post-secondary on-campus student housing. Students should be aware that many on-campus services and activities will be subject to the new requirement. More information is available in the UBC President’s announcement. We strongly encourage all students to obtain their vaccines before the return to campus in the fall. COVID-19 vaccinations are free for all UBC students, including international students. If you currently reside in BC, visit the British Columbia government website to register for your vaccine.
   
  In addition, UBC has announced that they are in the process of working out a plan for vaccination self-disclosure and rapid testing. When details about how this plan will be applied and the timelines for implementation are made available, we will update our community.
   
• Respiratory Etiquette and Hand Hygiene: Students are expected to practice respiratory etiquette by coughing/sneezing into their mask, a tissue or into the sleeve of their shirt. Students are also expected to regularly wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or make use of hand sanitizer stations. Hand sanitizer stations managed by Building Operations are available in the main building entrance/foyer. Everyone is encouraged to carry their own hand sanitizer.
   
• Signage: Students must follow relevant signage when moving around UBC.
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• Limiting Close Interactions: Students are encouraged to limit the number of close sustained contacts with others, which includes avoiding situations where individuals congregate in shared areas. Students are expected to not linger in spaces that are intended for travel and should promptly exit the classroom upon the completion of their class. Students waiting for their class to commence should ensure the room has been fully vacated by the previous class before entering the room.
   
• Seating: Students are encouraged to return to the same seating area during classes to support Public Health contact tracing efforts.
   
• Allard Hall in-person events: All JD- and LLM-hosted in-person events and meetings must be approved by the Associate Dean Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean Graduate Studies, respectively. Visit the Community Updates page (under Allard Hall in-person events) for more information.
   
• Cleaning and Building Ventilation: Students may visit the UBC Facilities website for more information on the cleaning protocols for common spaces and classrooms at UBC and building ventilation and safety measures. Based on the Teaching Spaces Evaluation Summary, all classrooms in Allard Hall have been categorized as mechanical ventilated spaces an can be used at pre-pandemic capacity.

The health and wellbeing of our students remain our first priority. We will continue to stay agile and flexible to address the evolving situation, and this page will be updated based on the most up-to-date guidance from the BC government and the University. 

Please refer to the following webpages for additional information and the latest UBC updates:

• Allard Law COVID-19 Community Updates;
• COVID-19 Student FAQs.

If you have any concerns regarding the implementation of the COVID-19 rules or safety protocols, you may bring concerns to the Dean by emailing info@allard.ubc.ca, which is monitored by the Dean’s Office.

• Allard Hall Hours of Operation: Allard Hall is open 7:30 am – 9 pm (Monday to Thursday), 7:30 am - 8 pm (Friday), and 7:30 am – 6 pm (Saturday). Allard Hall is closed on Sundays. Outside of these hours, students will be able to access the building using their UBC student cards until 11 pm when the building will be closed.
   
• Library: Students should refer to the Law Library website for hours of operation. 
   
• Microwaves:  Microwaves will be available for student use in the Hong Kong Lounge.​​​​​​​​​​​
   
• Showers: Showers are available to students and are located in the basement of Allard Hall.
   
• Lockers: There are 442 small lockers in the basement of Allard Hall available for use by the Faculty’s ~600 JD students. Upper-Year JD students (and 1Ls who did not receive a locker at Orientation) interested in applying for a locker for the 2021-2022 academic year should review the Locker Allocation Procedures and then apply for a locker by completing the Online Application. Applications must be submitted by noon on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. First-Year students will be surveyed about their locker needs pre-Orientation in a separate survey and should not complete the above survey unless they did not receive a locker at Orientation.

  Graduate student lockers are available in the Graduate Lounge and graduate students should contact the Graduate Law Students' Society for more information.

Students are recommended to bring the following to Allard Hall:

• Headphones: If your instructor is ill, they may choose to lecture virtually. Headphones will allow you to watch the zoom lecture in your classroom without having to use your laptop speakers.
   
• Sanitizer: Although hand sanitizer stations will be available in the main building entrance and foyer, you are encouraged to bring your own hand sanitizer.
   
• Masks: Masks are required in all indoor public spaces, including lobbies, hallways, stairwells, elevators, classrooms and labs. If you forget your mask, extras will be available at Reception.

Students should stay home if they are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms. To ensure that students who must self-isolate for short periods of time are not significantly disadvantaged, Allard Law has adopted temporary procedures for health-related short-term absences.

Students should review the Short-Term Absence Procedures webpage for additional information on:

• What to do if you are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms
• Your options if you miss class due to a health-related short-term absence
• what to expect if your instructor is ill.

Academic Services at the Allard School of Law is committed to providing outstanding service to law students, faculty, and staff. Students can contact studentservices@allard.ubc.ca for support with course advising and wellbeing support, academic concessions & accommodations, registration assistance, exam administration, course evaluations, grades, course scheduling, sessional evaluations, Law Society & US bar graduation letters, and exchange program management.

To schedule a one-on-one advising appointment with the Assistant Dean, Students, or the Manager, Student Experience, students may book an appointment online. 

The Career Services Office supports and promotes the individual employment goals and professional development of Allard School of Law students via career coaching, training, resources, and a connection with the broader legal community. We know what's important to our students, and our lawyer-advisors work with them to secure articles, clerkships, summer positions, part-time work during law school, and permanent employment. Students may schedule a one-on-one career advising appointment through ACE or email careers@allard.ubc.ca to connect with the CSO team.

The Centre for Accessibility ("Centre") facilitates disability-related accommodations and programming initiatives designed to remove barriers for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions in all aspects of university life. Students can connect with the Centre to discuss disability-related or on-going medical considerations and to register for academic concessions or disability accommodations. To connect with the Centre, students may email  info.accessibility@ubc.ca. 

Allard Law students have a designated team of Enrolment Service Advisors available to assist with questions about tuition, resources such as scholarships and awards, and any other financial related questions. Contact an Allard Law Enrolment Service Advisor at es.lawsupport@ubc.ca.

Students may also visit the Allard Law Costs and Funding page or the UBC Student Finances webpage for additional information. 

The Graduate Program team is committed to supporting law students pursuing a graduate program at the Allard School of Law. Graduate students may schedule an appointment to speak with their program specific graduate program advisor as per the following:

LLMCL and LLM in Taxation Programs:

• Tania Astorino, Director, Professional Programs:  astorino@allard.ubc.ca
   
• Alan Grove, Coordinator, Professional Programs:  grove@allard.ubc.ca

Research-based LLM and PhD Programs:

• Joanne Chung, Graduate Advisor:  jchung@allard.ubc.ca

We are proud to have one of the highest enrollment numbers of Indigenous law students in Canada. With strong support from faculty members, staff and students associated with Indigenous Legal Studies, the Allard School of Law recruits and supports Indigenous law students, offers courses in Aboriginal and Indigenous law, conducts research often in partnership with Indigenous peoples and nations, provides legal assistance to Indigenous peoples through the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic in the Downtown Eastside, and generally fosters a greater understanding of the place of Indigenous peoples in Canadian society and abroad. For additional information, please visit the ILS webpage. 

There is a dedicated team of faculty, staff, and students who are available to answer student questions about the Indigenous Legal Studies (ILS) at Allard Law. To schedule an one-on-one appointment with Lee Schmidt, the Associate Director, Indigenous Legal Studies, students may book an appointment online. 

Please visit the UBC IT's top IT services for students page to learn more about the IT services available to you while studying at UBC.

Student Wellbeing at Allard Hall provides a robust array of wellbeing activities addressing physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral needs of the law students. The Wellbeing program includes counselling, psychoeducational workshops, outreach, and mental health promotion. Students may schedule an appointment to speak with the Student Wellbeing Counsellor by calling 604 822 4928 or by email at kline@allard.ubc.ca.​​​