School Notifications

November 27, 2020
June 26, 2020
April 7, 2020
March 24, 2020
March 16, 2020
March 13, 2020

November 27, 2020

As per the November 24th Order in Council and Ministerial Order, masks are required when visiting any indoor public places at VST. Masks are not required when in a private office space where physical distancing can be maintained.

In addition, the following decisions have been made regarding the Spring 2021 term:

  • All VST courses will remain online for the January Inter-term 2021 and Spring 2021 term. This includes all community worship events held during this period.
  • Up to 70% bursary assistance for students with demonstrated need will continue into the Spring 2021 semester (January-April).
  • International students who do not yet have a visa to travel will continue to study from their home country until travel restrictions are relaxed. Since VST is not holding in person classes, we are unable to make the case that students need to be in Canada for their theological studies at this stage. International students already at VST should be cautious about travel outside of Canada since re-entry could be problematic. 
  • A decision as to whether the May convocation will take place in-person or online will be made in the new year.
  • Summer School 2021 is still an open question. A decision will be made before April.

June 26, 2020

To help ensure the safety of VST’s students, visitors, faculty, and staff, the following decisions have been made regarding the Fall 2020 term:

  • All Fall 2020 courses, including intensives, will take place exclusively online. There will be no courses offered on-site at VST.
  • Regular and one-off events, such as weekly worship, speaking engagements, and workshops held during the Fall 2020 term will take place exclusively online.
  • Virtual orientation for new students will be held over two days, on September 9th and 10th. More information will become available closer to these dates.
  • Convocation 2020 has been delayed until May 2021. This event will also mark the 50th anniversary of VST.
  • The Chancellor’s Dinner will not take place in September. A virtual annual update for our generous donors will be held in its stead.

Please refer to this News Release for more information.

April 7, 2020

  • VST Campus remains closed indefinitely, including the library, with all classes taking place online.
  • VST Summer School Online: Almost all courses will continue as planned, with several re-scheduled into the 2021 Summer School program. In light of global solidarity efforts to eliminate the threat of Covid-19, all courses will be taught in virtual classrooms using Zoom, which allows for easy face-to-face interactions with teachers and classmates.
    Vancouver School of Theology has been using Zoom with great success with it’s growing number of distance students, and is pleased to extend this opportunity to its summer school participants. VST has been doing online education for 4 years now so our online delivery of courses is a quality learning experience.

March 24, 2020

  • The VST Library will be closed until further notice as of today, Tuesday, March 24th at 5pm.
  • VST Academy 2020 courses are in the process of being rescheduled. Updated dates and times will be posted to this site at a later date.

March 16, 2020

  • All classes are taking place completely online.
  • As of March 17, most of our staff will be working from home following UBC’s lead (https://www.ubc.ca/campus-notifications/).
  • In person worship services on Tuesdays and Thursdays are cancelled together with the lunch afterwards. However, we will be having abbreviated Thursday online services that will consist of prayers, a sermon and a benediction. We will also use these virtual services, via Zoom, to make announcements that update you about relevant matters. Zoom link: https://vst.zoom.us/j/604766158
  • VST library services around online resources  are available by email – circ@vst.edu or phone 604.822.9382 .

March 13, 2020

In response to the spread and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are transiting to online classes effective Monday March 16, 2020.  We are following the lead of UBC. The VST campus will remain open and all school operations will continue as normal, as we transition. Faculty have been informed and will be ready to deliver material online with the continued assistance of CTAs. Please find the link to Zoom for your class on the Canvas site for your course.

We will communicate further updates and decisions as they become available, especially regarding courses in which there are exams and also about graduation and summer school. At this point our plan is to go ahead with convocation and summer school. However the situation is dynamic and we will keep you informed.

You should know that as of March 13, UBC has also cancelled all on-campus and off-campus events with more than 250 people (including sporting events), whether indoors or outdoors, that are organized by students, faculty and staff.  Events at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts are also cancelled for the time being.

UBC has made clear that they are not aware of any presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty or staff. However they understand the need to be prepared as a university and act accordingly – aligned with guidance from the Provincial Health Officer and working with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.

We are very grateful for your understanding and cooperation in this unprecedented situation. This is a challenging time. Your support and encouragement much appreciated.

For further information, please visit https://www.ubc.ca/campus-notifications/.