Labour Relations

Dear students,

While everyone at Acadia is happy with the resumption of classes, we fully understand it is challenging for many. We thank you for your patience as we work through the details of our return to normal operations. We hope the information below will relieve some of the pressure you may be feeling.

The final date to withdraw from courses, without academic penalty, has been moved to the last day of class

The University Senate approved delaying the last day you can withdraw from your courses, without academic penalty, from March 4 to the last day of class; April 13, 2022.

This means you have until the last day of class to withdraw from any of your courses and receive a “W” notation on your transcript. This will not affect your GPA in any way. A “W” only indicates that you have withdrawn from the course without penalty. We hope this will relieve some of the pressure some of you may be facing as you contemplate your workload throughout the remainder of the Winter Term.

For questions regarding course registration and withdrawals, please visit the Registrar’s Office.

The University will provide financial compensation to students

Some of you have asked if the University will compensate students for the negative experience they received over the last month.

The short answer is, yes.

It will take a few weeks for the University to analyze this situation, calculate the financial impact, and implement it. Our goal is to have this implemented before the end of the term, and we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.

Compassion, flexibility, and support for you

We understand 2021-2022 has been challenging for a myriad of reasons, whether it be multiple waves of the pandemic and the uncertainty it brought to campus and our personal lives, the strike in February, the protests in our capital city and across the country, and more recently the very disturbing invasion of Ukraine. These are not normal circumstances and we understand these can be very disruptive to your academic success.

At the risk of sounding cliché, all of us at Acadia truly value you as individuals who live individual circumstances, and we are committed to showing you compassion and understanding if things aren’t going as well as you would have liked this term.

The following resources are in place to support you; please utilize them. You have faculty members and administrative staff that work every day in the hopes of making a positive difference in your academic and personal life. Do not hesitate to call on us.

Support for your academic success

Here are a few areas of support that you might want to access this time of year.

• The Writing Centre to sign up for one-to-one writing tutorials, sit in on a presentation or participate in a workshop.
• The Math and Stats Help Centre (MASH) if you need math support.
• Your Program Advisor, or our general Academic Advising if you have concerns about your academic path.
• The team at the Library is a great academic resource and they are always happy to help you. You can find out more about their services here, including the Writing Centre mentioned above.
• The Accessible Learning Team is focused on providing supportive and inclusive resources.

Support for your health and wellness

If you want to speak to someone about health and wellness, such as counselling, mental health, or other areas, please visit our  Student Health Centre or visit our Counselling Centre website for more tools and support. And, don’t forget recreation! Visit our Athletics Complex website to find out more about your Fitness Centre, walking track, or swim appointments!

Support for course registration or withdrawals

If you want to discuss course or term registration or withdrawals, please see our Registrar’s Office to speak to someone about your situation. No two situations are alike and the Registrar team is there to support you.

If neither of these services address your concerns, please follow up with me directly and I will do my best to help.

We – your faculty, staff, and administration – wish you a very successful remainder of the term. Only two weeks to spring in the Valley! Let’s push through this last bit of winter and usher in what will hopefully be a beautiful spring and summer.

With warmest regards,

Scott Duguay (he/him/his) Vice-Provost Students, Recruitment and Enrolment Management