Student Wellness Services continues offering support online and in person.
Student Wellness Services have reduced their clinic hours in Mitchell Hall to 10 am-3 pm Monday to Friday, offering appointments with physicians, counsellors, and accessibility advisors. Students are asked to book an appointment by calling 613-533-2506. (University Communications)
Students seeking health and wellness support are still able to access Student Wellness Service’s (SWS) many resources.
SWS – a division within Student Affairs – is working hard to ensure that they are meeting the medical, mental health and wellness needs of Queen’s students.
“Keeping SWS functioning was extremely important to us,” says Cynthia Gibney, Executive Director of SWS. “We want to reassure students that they can rely on the clinic, and other services, during these uncertain times.”
Continuing to meet the needs of students
While SWS have reduced their clinic hours in Mitchell Hall to 10 am-3 pm Monday to Friday, they are still offering appointments with physicians, counsellors, and accessibility advisors. Students are asked to book an appointment by calling 613-533-2506. Most appointments will be on the phone or via secured video conference, but on occasion, a student will be asked to come to the clinic in person.
“We are here to care for our students remotely through these challenging times,” says Dr. Rina Gupta, Director of Counselling Services. “We will continue to be flexible and creative in meeting the needs of our population as circumstances require.”
Accessibility Services and academic accommodations
Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) will be easing their documentation requirements for students seeking academic accommodations. They will accept any documentation students currently have – and work with those who cannot obtain documentation – depending on individual needs and circumstances.
Students seeking academic accommodation and support for reasons of a disability or health condition can contact the QSAS Intake Coordinator at qsas.intake@queensu.ca. For general QSAS inquiries, email accessibility.services@queensu.ca.
Virtual healthy lifestyle appointments are also available for students who want help changing or starting healthy habits. To book an appointment, use the online booking form or email bewell@queensu.ca.
Staying up to date with wellness services
To stay up to date with all services, visit the SWS website.
The SWS website also includes links to other phone and online mental health services available to students – such as the text support offered by Good2Talk, Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), self-directed help, and 24/7 crisis support options.
Students can get daily wellness strategies and learn about other resources by following Queen’s University Be Well on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Regional Assessment and Resource Centre continues to help students with invisible disabilities or mental health challenges prepare for postsecondary education.
Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus the Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC) moved its introductory workshop for two of its programs online. (Unsplash / Annie Spratt)
For the past 15 years the Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC) at Queen’s University has been helping high school students with invisible disabilities such as specific learning disabilities or mental health challenges prepare for the transition to postsecondary education. As with practically everything else, COVID-19 has forced a change of plans with how the program is delivered.
The two programs involved – On-Line to Success (OLTS) and Successful Transition Online and Mentoring Program (STOMP) – are both primarily provided online over a six-week period. However, one of the key ingredients for both has been a two-day introductory workshop that is conducted in-person and allows the participants to meet with RARC staff as well as their peers in the program.
Under the current circumstances this was no longer possible, so the staff and clinicians at RARC pivoted quickly and, with the support of IT Services at Queen’s, moved the introductory workshop online.
With this being a first there were some concerns on being able to replicate the vibrancy and engagement of the in-person experience.
Thanks to the team effort, the results have been very positive.
“Because we were not able to have our face-to-face workshops this year, we’ve added new video content to the website, including recording our presentations, adding video introductions for all moderators, conducting one-on-one phone and video calls to students and starting a weekly interactive riddle contest with prizes,” says Marie McCarron, Clinical Services Manager. “We are also starting some group conversations over Zoom to facilitate more student-student interaction.”
Safe transition
PROGRAMS
OLTS and STOMP are designed specifically to target and address areas that research has shown are problematic for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, ASD and/or mental health disorders as they make the transition to postsecondary education. There are several modules in OLTS and STOMP that cover different topics such:
• Understanding yourself
• Differences between high school and postsecondary education
• Researching your school/Finding your way around/resources
• Study Strategies
• Time Management/Scheduling/Work-Life Balance
• Accommodations at postsecondary
• Self-Advocacy
For this group of students, having a safe place to talk with peers and to feel less alone is important, McCarron adds. The programs have proven very successful, with participants enjoying a much higher overall success rate in post-secondary than their disabled peers who did not participate in such a transition program.
One of the strengths of the program is its online flexibility; it allows participants to manage their own schedules, become accustomed to online learning environments, and complete the course at their own pace over a six-week period.
“The online format works quite well, as it allows students to take this course on top of their schoolwork, without having to do it during the summer or on weekends. They are able to choose when it fits in their schedule, whether it’s during a spare or in the evenings, or on weekends if they want,” says Alison Parker, Transitions Coordinator at RARC. “It also allows students to go at their own pace, which is especially useful for students with disabilities that effect their reading, writing and attention. For some of our students, there is also some comfort in being able to type out answers – to review them before they share, and to offer a little less spotlight and attention then if they were speaking in front of a group. Many of our students also realize that completing online courses is an incredibly useful skill as they approach post-secondary school, and they’re happy to take this opportunity to test it out.”
Learning opportunities
The program also receives support from teacher candidates from the Queen’s Faculty of Education who moderate the course as part of an alternative practicum placement provided by RARC. The placement also provides the teacher candidates with valuable experience in the areas of online teaching and learning, and training in how to support students with learning disabilities, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and mental health disorders who are participating in an online learning environment.
“To me, this course offers a win-win to both teacher candidates and students with disabilities” says RARC clinical director, Allyson G. Harrison, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. “The teacher candidates receive direct instruction and practice in learning how to deliver content online and to assist students with disabilities as they navigate this platform, and the high school students need to learn the skills of how to interact and participate in an online environment.”
University 101
Dr. Harrison says that the beauty of the online programs that RARC has developed is that the content could easily be used to assist all students making the transition to university.
“Almost all of the content of this transition course is like the University 101 courses offered in many institutions in the U.S., and would make transition to a university environment easier for most students. The fact that we’ve modified and improved this course with student input over the past 15 years means that it is extremely engaging, dynamic, and easy to do,” she adds. “We’d be happy to share this course with any department or program on campus, and given the current COVID-19 crisis this might be an ideal time to expand what the university offers to all incoming students”.
Over and above the two transition programs, the RARC team also developed an online transition resource guide to help all students in Ontario with disabilities make the transition from high school to college or university.
RARC operates as part of the Queen’s Division of Students Affairs.
On Wednesday, April 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $9 billion in support measures for post-secondary students during the COVID-19 crisis.
The measures, some of which are subject to legislative approval, continue to be finalized, but include the following:
Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)
CESB to provide support to students and new graduates who are not eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. This benefit would provide $1,250 per month for eligible students or $1,750 per month for eligible students with dependents or disabilities.
The benefit would be available from May to August 2020
Recipients must be Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents
Students entering postsecondary education in September 2020 are also eligible
Up to $1,000 per month earnings permitted while receiving benefits
Canada Student Service Grant
Will help students gain valuable work experience and skills while they help their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic
For students who choose to do national service and serve their communities, the new Canada Student Service Grant will provide up to $5,000 for their education in the fall
Expanding employment and skills development opportunities
In addition to the recent changes to expand the Canada Summer Jobs program, the government will:
Support the creation of 76,000 work placements to help students develop valuable skills.
Focus on sectors in need of assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic
Extend expiring federal graduate research scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships, and supplement existing federal research grants, to support students and post-doctoral fellows, by providing $291.6 million to the federal granting councils, and enhance work opportunities for grad students
Student Financial Assistance
To support students entering/returning to postsecondary institutions in the fall, the federal government will:
Double the Canada Student Grants for eligible full-time students to up to $6,000 and up to $3,600 for part-time students in 2020-21
Broaden the eligibility for financial assistance by removing the expected student’s and spouse’s contributions in 2020-21
Raise the maximum weekly student loan amount in 2020-21 from $210 to $350 – representing a per-student loan cap of $11,000
Increase existing distinctions-based support for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation students pursuing post-secondary education by providing an additional $75.2 million in 2020-21
On March 30, 2020, the Government of Canada placed a six-month interest-free moratorium on the repayment of Canada Student Loans for all individuals currently in the process of repaying
As we approach the end of April, Queen’s students who remained in Kingston are due to move out of their rental units. Other students who left earlier may also be returning to remove belongings left behind as their rental agreements come to an end.
In recognition of this, Queen’s University, in partnership with Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health and the City of Kingston, would like to remind students continue to take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Moving can be stressful at the best of times, the more so during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Dr. David Walker, Special Advisor to the Principal on COVID-19. “It is vitally important that we continue to take steps to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. All of us in the Queen’s community have a role to play in protecting others, healthcare workers and the most vulnerable, by limiting our own exposure.”
Recommendations for a safe move include:
Limit the number of people involved with the move.
Coordinate your move with your landlord or property supervisor to reduce crowding, including around entrances, stairwells, or elevators.
Arrange with roommates to move out at separate times, especially if you have a helper involved with the move.
Wear non-medical masks to protect anyone outside your household who is helping you.
If using a moving company, only one member of the household needs to be present.
Everyone should practice physical distancing, keeping 2 metres (6 feet) between themselves and others, whenever possible.
Limit the number of people in an elevator to one (unless elevator is large enough to accommodate the physical distancing recommendation).
Physical distancing must be practiced in stairwells, hallways, entryways, laundry rooms, garbage rooms and other common areas.
Avoid touching your face, eyes and nose, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizers frequently during and after the move.
If you, a roommate, or any family member who is helping with the move is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, postpone your moving plans.
If you are moving in to a new location be sure to clean up before you move in, including frequently touched areas such as toilets, bedside tables, light switches, and door handles to physically remove dirt and disinfect with water and regular household cleaning products.
Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health recommends that property owners and managers ensure proper infection prevention and control procedures are followed when cleaning rental properties for incoming and outgoing tenants. This includes increased cleaning of common areas that may be frequently touched by individuals while moving their belongings such as door handles, stairway railings, elevator buttons, reception desks, push plates, mail rooms, and laundry room equipment.
Close your Utilities Kingston account. A minimum of five business days are necessary to ensure the account is closed on the date requested. You can do this online at http://utilitieskingston.com/Accounts/CloseAccount or by phone at 613-546-0000. (Hydro One electricity customers can call 1-800-434-1235. Union Gas customers can call 1-888-774-3111).
Dispose of any unwanted items properly. Use the City’s Waste Lookup tool. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Kingston is allowing you to put out up to four untagged garbage bags a week for curbside collection.
Drop them off at paid disposal sites. These locations charge a fee for waste disposal. Items brought to them end up in landfill.
Waste Connections of Canada, 1266 McAdoo’s Lane, 613-548-4428. Open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Waste Management, 62 St. Remy Pl., 613-549-7401 ext. 252. Open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (as of April 20, 2020).
Be a good neighbor. Be mindful of the property standards and solid waste bylaws and leave your property clean. The Yard and Streets and Property Standards bylaws require yards to be free of any garbage or debris. There will be bylaw officers enforcing these laws so do the smart thing and plan ahead.
Prison lawyers in Canada are scrambling to fill the gap left by federal inaction on inmate populations who are vulnerable to COVID-19.
Prisons around the worlds have started to reduce their population in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Unsplash / Matthew Ansley)
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare several unsettling truths about Canada’s prison system. Our institutions of state punishment are filled with medically vulnerable people, affected by lifelong difficulties accessing care along with unhealthy prison conditions.
Another truth rarely acknowledged is that the collective interests of staff and inmates are often intertwined. Highly infectious disease makes no distinctions as it spreads through a congregate living facility.
Ontario moved quickly to reduce its jail population: from March 16 to April 9, numbers fell from 8,344 to 6,025. About 70 per cent of Ontario inmates were awaiting trial, so large reductions could be achieved simply by processing bail applications. Prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges have largely co-operated in establishing procedures and making decisions in response to the pandemic.
It is always the case that the interests of incarcerated people are closely tied to those of us living free in the community. The pandemic has altered much about normal life, including the ability to deny those ties.
The Queen’s Prison Law Clinic quickly pivoted its work to press for a more robust federal response. One of only two dedicated prison clinics in Canada, the small staff at this legal aid office in Kingston, delivers hands-on education to Queen’s University law students while providing front-line legal services to federal prisoners in eastern Ontario.
A 53-year-old prisoner at Bath Institution was granted an unescorted temporary absence on medical grounds. (Unsplash / Larry Farr)
Families of inmates are worried
By late March, the clinic was receiving desperate calls from inmates and their families, all worried about the pre-existing conditions that suggested contracting this illness would be a death sentence. The case of Derrick Snow, a 53-year-old man with a long but non-violent criminal record, moved quickly to the top of the pile.
Snow’s record revolved around drug use, and he has cancer, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He also had a fast-approaching statutory release date of July 2020 for his most recent theft-related offence. Snow’s sister was willing to help him self-isolate in her basement apartment.
Through early April, Paul Quick, a lawyer at the Queen’s Prison Law Clinic, engaged in near-daily correspondence with Bath Institution, working to identify viable legal avenues to facilitate a potentially life-saving adjustment to Snow’s July release date.
The few official responses focused on technical issues that failed to take into account the radically altered pandemic landscape. The warden declined to make a decision by the requested date of April 10.
Lawyers who work in legal aid settings don’t rush to court on a whim. Resources are scarce and the risk of losing — and setting a bad precedent with lasting impact on others — must be carefully weighed. These lawyers also rarely work alone. Prison lawyers across the country offered ideas and resources, and the clinic partnered with outside counsel Paul Champ, a leading human rights lawyer with a longstanding commitment to civil liberties.
Prisoner released on eve of hearing
An emergency hearing was scheduled for April 17. Champ sought a mandatory injunction ordering the warden to grant Snow an unescorted temporary absence on medical grounds. Though he had only days to act — and was working from home like the rest of us — Champ filed a record that exceeded 400 pages. It included detailed expert medical evidence, pandemic policy responses in other jurisdictions and extensive correspondence showing Quick’s attempts to convince the institution to act without a lawsuit.
The strongest cases often don’t get to hearing. Filing persuasive written materials often convinces the other side of the struggles they will face in front of a judge. Sure enough, the night before the hearing was scheduled to be held, the warden of Bath Institution granted Snow a medical release.
Paul Quick is a lawyer at the Queen’s Prison Law Clinic. (Supplied photo)
The warden’s decision acknowledges that, in normal circumstances, medical unescorted temporary absences are used to authorize moving a prisoner to a medical treatment facility. With prisoners who have serious medical conditions, unescorted temporary absences can now be granted when they have an “increased ability to self-isolate as per the public state of emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Maximizing impact
The Queen’s clinic is now working to capitalize on this precedent. Quick has shared materials with counsel across Canada. The clinic is reaching out to assist other vulnerable prisoners.
But this should not be a story of individual lawyers pushing individual cases. The federal government must establish an expert task force to identify prisoners for release. It should follow the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which issued a joint document on March 27 calling on public authorities to prioritize the release of prisoners with underlying health conditions, low-risk profiles or those with imminent release dates.
Inmates should also have a safe place to go where they will be able to self-isolate. For many, these conditions will be sadly difficult to meet — all the more reason for systematic and quick action in the cases where release makes sense, to ease the burden on all who must remain inside a prison during a pandemic.
Queen’s expert Chris Simpson is helping to guide Ontario’s medical response to the pandemic.
Dr. Chris Simpson is the clinical science lead for Ontario Health's COVID-19 Health System Response Oversight Table.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario has been gathering medical experts to advise on how the province’s healthcare system can best meet the challenges created by this global pandemic. Chris Simpson, Vice-Dean (Clinical) in the Queen’s School of Medicine and Professor in the Department of Medicine and School of Policy Studies, has been selected as one of these experts. Currently, Dr. Simpson is serving as the clinical science lead on Ontario Health’s COVID-19 Health System Response Oversight Table. As part of his work at this table, he also serves as the chair of committees addressing personal protective equipment (PPE) and surgical and procedural work in the COVID-19 era.
The Gazette connected with Dr. Simpson to learn more about his work for the province and to hear his insights on the health care system’s response so far and what may be next for medicine and physical distancing as Ontario continues to deal with the pandemic.
What is the function of the Ontario Health COVID-19 Health System Response Oversight Table? And how would you describe your role as the clinical science lead?
Simpson: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Health set up this table to oversee the work being done across the agency to address the situation. Several tables report up to the Oversight Table, including human resources, supply chain, data and analytics, communications, primary care, and emergency care. And then there is a clinical science table that is designed to rapidly respond to new and emerging evidence to help inform Ontario Health’s recommendations to the system. I am the lead of that table. And in that role, I assemble experts to rapidly evaluate new evidence to advise on issues such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and how we can continue to do surgical and procedural work at a time when we need to create tremendous capacity to deal with COVID surges.
What is the current state of PPE in the Province? And what recommendations has the committee put forward?
Simpson: PPE is in limited supply almost everywhere in the world right now. And so, there has been a lot of very important work done by supply chain experts on securing the kind of PPE needed by the health care sector and other frontline workers in our society.
The picture for PPE seems to be gradually improving. The security of the supply chain seems to be on its way to stabilizing. But there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. Our Ontario Health committee on PPE has taken an evidence-based approach to the use of PPE. We want to conserve PPE whenever possible and be good stewards of the resource. In times like this, fear can play a large factor in how people might consume PPE. And we find that when we look closely at the evidence, it’s quite clear what kinds of PPE are required for various sets of circumstances. And so, by laying that out very clearly, the committee has encouraged people to use PPE in a way that keeps them very safe without overusing it or using it inappropriately. Those conservation strategies can make a huge difference. Simple things like extending your mask use between patients can help turn an eight or ten-mask shift into a two-mask shift – all the while remaining safe.
We have looked at the possibility of reprocessing or sterilizing masks so that they can be used again, which is something many people around the world have been investigating. We agreed that this would be a step we would take only if all the conventional supplies were exhausted. It’s a matter of preparing for the worse, and hoping for the best. It’s always better to plan for worst-case scenarios. If people say, in hindsight, that we over-prepared, I’m ok with that.
You also chair a committee to help determine when elective surgical and procedural work can start being performed again. What have been the effects of these procedures being put on hold due to COVID-19? And how is the committee going about finding ways to resume these activities?
Simpson: At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a recognition that we needed to create capacity in the healthcare system. We knew we needed to free up patient beds and ventilators and other resources to ensure that there would be enough PPE and ICU and ward bed capacity in the hospitals in the event that we got a huge influx of COVID patients. Part of the strategy to create capacity was to delay so-called elective procedures and surgeries and other types of care that could be temporarily put on hold.
That plan works well if the time period is three or four weeks, but if we’re looking at months, that kind of delay creates a tremendous backlog of surgeries and procedures that may be less urgent, but are no less important. For all these procedures, there is a period of time beyond which it is no longer reasonable to wait, or even safe to wait. Today’s bowel polyp snaring is tomorrow’s bowel resection. Today’s stable angina is tomorrow’s emergency bypass surgery. Today’s breast lumpectomy is tomorrow’s mastectomy. We can’t be lulled into a sense that “elective” care can be delayed for very long.
As we’re starting to think we may be seeing the peak of the first wave in Ontario, this committee is exploring options for resuming normal healthcare activity as much as is reasonable. We are very aware, though, that we must make sure that we are prepared for a second wave of COVID-19 in Ontario. That means ensuring that we have enough PPE, ventilators, and other supplies to address another outbreak. We would also need to consider the other support that’s required for surgeries and procedures, including rehabilitation therapy, imaging, and home care. There would have to be capacity in these areas. Ramping up surgical and procedural work will require a system-wide approach. And that’s what the committee is preparing for.
Our goal is to make sure that the healthcare system is looking after all patients: those with COVID-19 and those who need all the usual medical care. But we need to do so in a thoughtful way that doesn’t create unintended consequences in other parts of the system.
What do you think the future of the pandemic will look like in the province? What should people in Ontario expect in the next few months?
Simpson: We’re learning more about how the virus behaves every day. And what has become abundantly clear is that the public health measures that have been put in place are working highly effectively, particularly physical distancing. At the same time, we have to recognize that low rates of infection keep us vulnerable. As we start to plan for a gradual re-opening of society, we can’t fall into a sense of complacency. This is far from over.
When we get past this first wave, there will need to be some reopening of society, but it’s going to have to be done in a very staged way. It can’t be a complete return to normal, with large crowds gathering at concerts and sporting events. We will have to continue physical distancing to the maximum extent that we can, while finding ways to get the economy going again and enabling people to return to work. How we go about opening society again will determine what the next waves of COVID-19 will look like in Ontario. We need to keep the waves manageable so that the health care system is not overwhelmed the way it was in Italy or New York.
In the next few weeks, I think people can expect there to be discussions around opening things back up in a very measured and gradual way. When society first opens back up, it won’t look like it did before the pandemic, but it will look less restrictive than it does right now.
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To learn more about how Queen's experts are helping guide Ontario's response to COVID-19, read the Gazette Q&A with Troy Day, who serves on the Provincial COVID-19 Modelling Table.
Principal’s COVID-19 Response Steering Committee unveils guiding principles to ensure Queen’s seizes opportunities and emerges strongly from this crisis.
As the winter term wraps up with students busy writing their final exams, the university itself is fully focused on preparing for the future as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold.
As announced on April 13, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane has launched a Principal’s COVID-19 Response Steering committee and seven sub-groups to take the lead on the planning process. Together they are charged with finding innovative ways for the university to quickly adapt and thrive in this challenging and rapidly changing environment.
“We must prepare for what may lie ahead to ensure that as a community, we are ready to face future challenges but also seize upon opportunities that may present themselves because of this unique situation,” says Principal Deane. “Our future will depend on how well we are able to make changes, how innovative we are and how quickly we can adapt to a new mode of human interaction, constantly being rethought due to public health concerns.”
The seven working groups are meeting throughout April and into early May to craft strategic recommendations for the university’s Senior Leadership Team and Principal to review in early May, in areas ranging from academic regulations to research impacts, and from enrolment to remote delivery, as well as finances, budgeting, and faculty and staff supports.
Guiding principles
These small, agile sub-groups will have representation from administrators, including Deans, staff and faculty from across the campus and most also include representation from students. They will always be mindful of equity, diversity, inclusion and indigeneity (EDII) considerations in their work. They will also be closely guided by a final set of overarching principles developed to ensure the university is able to emerge from this crisis intact and ready for the future:
The academic mandate of the institution must be central to all work done in response to COVID-19. Queen’s University must continue to operate as an institution of higher learning, dedicated to providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs and supporting cutting-edge research.
Wherever possible, our decision-making should be steered by longer-term considerations, the intention being to put the University in the best possible situation for progress and evolution beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
It has never been more important for the different parts of the University to work together, actively seeking cooperation with other units and being always mindful that a decision made in one part of the institution will have consequences elsewhere. Systemic thought and action are the institutional correlative of empathy and cooperation in our human interactions, and just as vital for our long-term success as a community.
It should be understood that the costs of the crisis will be borne by the whole institution, the correlative of which understanding is that units less impacted by the crisis will contribute to the support of units more so.
Wherever possible, the university must remain whole to ensure that when the crisis is over, it can emerge fully operational and ready to resume its work in the physical as well as the virtual environment.
People are a priority for the institution and maintaining staff, faculty and student connections is of paramount concern.
The institution should be driven to look beyond its borders for partnerships, supports and collaborations. Community engagement on a local, national and global front are invaluable to future success.
Bearing in mind all of the above, we must think and act with courage, dedication and high ambition on behalf of Queen’s University.
“I am confident that through working together in a collaborative fashion on our strategic planning for the future, we will emerge from this crisis a stronger institution. Now, more than ever, is a time to be bold and innovative and think about how Queen’s can continue to offer its students a quality educational experience distinguished by our community that supports students through exceptional teaching and research,” says Principal Deane
The Principal and Provost are also in contact with student leaders and continue to work closely with them to apprise them of current issues, hear concerns and consider those concerns as decisions are being made.
“We know people are waiting to hear from us, but we also want to make sure we get this right. There is a lot at stake,” says Principal Deane. “I, along with my team, will make decisions based on the careful and detailed work of the Steering Committee and their sub-groups’ recommendations. In some cases, we may also engage other governance bodies where necessary, such as Senate and the Board of Trustees to determine next steps and determine what is needed to ensure the best future for the institution.”
The Terms of Reference for the steering committee and its sub-groups is now available on the Office of the Principal's website.
By Kayla Dettinger, Research Promotion Coordinator
Queen’s researcher Brendon Gurd has developed an exercise protocol that requires no equipment, can be completed anywhere, and helps improve muscle endurance in under five minutes a day.
Brendon Gurd’s research has identified a set of whole-body interval training with wide application that can help solve the problems for people with limited time, space, and no access to equipment. (Image courtesy of Unsplash/Jonathan Borba)
With gyms closed and fitness classes cancelled, many of us are experiencing the challenge of exercising within cramped spaces. In fact, for some, it is not unlike the situation for someone stationed on a submarine for weeks at a time.
Queen’s researcher Brendon Gurd (School of Kinesiology and Health Studies), an expert in how exercise improves mitochondrial functions related to health and disease, was originally inspired to discover an exercise protocol that could be performed successfully even in the most confined of spaces, like on a submarine. As Principal Investigator of the Queen's Muscle Physiology Lab (QMPL), Dr. Gurd’s research has come to identify a set of whole-body interval training with wide application that can help solve the problems facing many, particularly now, of limited time, space, and no access to equipment.
Whole-body interval training incorporates exercises such as jumping jacks and burpees to engage major muscle groups for short periods at high-energy bursts. Most commonly affiliated with routines such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Tabata, or short-duration interval training, the appeal of this form of exercise is that it can be accomplished in as little as five minutes, requires no equipment, and can be completed in an average-sized room.
“Among the most commonly cited barriers to being physically active in most populations are time and access to equipment,” says Dr. Gurd. “Our research studies demonstrate that whole-body interval training improves aerobic fitness similar to traditional endurance training (such as running on a treadmill for 30 minutes), but provides the additional benefit of improving some strength and muscle endurance outcomes.”
Several of these exercises may be familiar and can be an activity for the entire family. In fact, Dr. Gurd has also been using this training protocol with his family, including his children, to stay physically active and cope with stress during this time.
“Physical fitness is an important determinant of health and disease risk,” explains Dr. Gurd. “Remaining active and fit are two things that we can control. Maintaining some control in our lives through regular exercise, in addition to the direct benefits of exercise on our mental and physical health, may help us to cope with the stress associated with the current environment.”
For those interested in incorporating Dr. Gurd’s whole-body interval training into their health routine for their individual fitness levels, please see the following sample exercises or follow along with Dr. Gurd and his children in the video above.
A complete set includes eight exercise intervals, a combination of burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts, for 20 seconds each followed by a rest period of 10 seconds. A total workout can be completed in under five minutes. When completed four days a week for four weeks, the added benefit of improved muscle endurance has been found.
For more articles on maintaining health and wellness, see the Queen’s Gazette “Confronting COVID-19” series.
Queen’s professor Troy Day is helping Ontario develop models to predict the future of the virus in the province.
As Ontario works to contain the spread of COVID-19, the provincial government is drawing on the expertise of researchers from its universities. Troy Day, Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen’s, has been chosen to serve on the Provincial COVID-19 Modelling Consensus Table.
On Monday, Ontario released new models projecting the future spread of the virus in the province. The Gazette connected with Dr. Day to learn about his role at the table that generates these models and also to hear his thoughts about the state of the pandemic in Ontario.
Describe the Provincial COVID-19 Modelling Consensus Table and how it is contributing to the province’s efforts to contain this coronavirus crisis.
Day: The Table is composed of people with expertise in a variety of areas including public health, epidemiology, infectious disease biology, data sciences, and mathematics and statistics. One of its main goals is to use mathematical models to rapidly address questions about the likely consequences of different public health interventions in the control of COVID-19. The Table is chaired by Dr. Adalsteinn Brown of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (who you have likely heard in Monday’s media conference giving updates and projections on the status of COVID-19 in Ontario) and by Dr. Kumar Murty of the Field’s Institute.
What is your role at this table and what types of insight do you bring as an applied mathematician who focuses on mathematical biology?
Day: Much of the research that my group does centres on developing mathematical theory for the epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of infectious diseases. I am one of several people on the Table that conducts this type of research and together our goal is to draw on several mathematical results and models (both from our own work and that of others) to form a consensus opinion about the likely future dynamics of COVID-19.
The Province just released updated models of the spread of the virus. What do you think the most significant findings in these models are? Are there any surprises in the data?
Day: Perhaps the most important message from Monday’s briefing is that the physical distancing measures are working. Spread within the community at large is decreasing, although we are probably only now cresting the peak of the first wave of infections. So, these measures will need to be maintained for some time still. More surprising to me at least is the importance of long-term care homes and other congregate settings in disease spread. Roughly one half of the deaths in Ontario are people living in these settings and it is obviously difficult to enact physical distancing measures to control the spread in these places.
What do you think people in Ontario should prepare for as we look ahead? How long might we need to continue embracing physical distancing or other preventative measures?
Day: It is difficult at this stage to be very specific about how much longer physical distancing will need to be in place. However, since we are just now reaching the peak it will be important to maintain these measures so that we come down the other side of the wave. If we relax these measures too soon we risk losing all the ground that has been gained during the past month and having things get out of control.
For more information on the latest models from the province, see the Government of Ontario's website.
Queen’s University researchersworking to support people living with physical disabilities.
Exercise during isolation is important for people living with physical disabilities. (Supplied Photos)
Academic lead for the Canadian Disability Policy Alliance and Queen’s researcher Mary Ann McColl (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Public Health Sciences) says people with disabilities face unique challenges based on the current circumstances imposed by COVID-19.
These include:
Depending on a personal support worker to come every day to perform intimate care duties, such as toileting and personal hygiene
Needing expendable supplies such as surgical gloves, antiseptic wipes or catheters, to perform hygiene routines
Being afraid to leave the house at the best of times, never mind now when a life-threatening virus is afoot
“These are just a few of the scenarios that confront people with a variety of different types of disabilities in the current crisis,” says Dr. McColl. “Not only are people with disabilities particularly vulnerable during times of instability such as this, but difficult times can also substantially add to their challenges.”
Exercise at home
Something critical that could add to their independence and well-being at home is exercise. As part of the advice on how to properly self-isolate, public health authorities have also been prescribing people a round of daily fitness whenever possible. However, there is one segment of the population that is not being properly addressed, according to Queen’s University researchers Amy Latimer-Cheung and Jennifer Tomasone (Kinesiology and Health Studies)
The research duo, along with Kathleen Martin Ginis (University of British Columbia) have launched a free, evidence-informed, telephone-based physical activity coaching service for Canadians with a physical disability.
Run by the Canadian Disability Participation Project (CDPP), Get In Motion provides Canadians with a physical disability an opportunity to speak with a Physical Activity Coach (PAC) who provides support to start or maintain an at-home physical activity program. Physical disabilities supported by Get in Motion include spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, post-polio syndrome, or an amputation.
Support for staying healthy
“Canadians with a physical disability are high risk group for COVID-19,” says Dr. Tomasone (Kinesiology and Health Studies). “Self-isolation is critical to the well-being of individuals with a physical disability. With social distancing restrictions, being active is proving difficult for all Canadians, especially individuals with a physical disability.”
Dr. Tomasone, a leading researcher with CDPP, says the coaches will assess what their clients currently have available in their home and work with them to set goals and create a plan.
“A challenge for persons with a physical disability is often not knowing where to start or not realizing they have the tools right in their home to stay active,” she adds. “It’s also a great way to a create social connection among Canadians who are self-isolating.”
Strength and endurance
Building and maintaining strength and endurance helps with everything from getting into and out of bed, cooking, cleaning, preparing for work and maintaining good hygiene. Physical activity coaching may be especially helpful for coming up with creative solutions to stay active for people with a physical disability whose in-home care worker is unable to meet clients in their home.
“Twenty per cent of the population is living with a disability, many of whom do not have a partner, spouse, or children for support,” says Dr. Latimer-Cheung, leading researcher with CDPP. “This means they are home and completely on their own. We need to place an emphasis on the health of persons with a physical disability as they are a high-risk group for contracting COVID-19 and other chronic conditions.”
However, people with disabilities can teach us a great deal about adaptability, resourcefulness, ingenuity, and interdependence. People with disabilities often act as a bell-weather group, facing difficult circumstances before the general population does. As such, they can provide an opportunity to help policy makers and service providers to anticipate future needs.
While life expectancy for most Canadians is 79 for males and 83 for females, 
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![[Woman performing a crunch exercise]](/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/stories/2020/jonathan-borba-lrQPTQs7nQQ-unsplash_600x400.jpg)
