COVID‑19 information and updates

Campus services

With safety as our paramount concern, Dalhousie has undertaken a gradual, phased approach to returning to campus operations for a portion of its community. While many of the university’s services and supports continue to be offered primarily online, others have gradually returned to in-person operations over the past few months with new preventative measures in place to ensure the continued health and safety of the community. Note, many campus buildings and offices are still restricting access, except for faculty/staff with electronic access control cards.

When does the university expect to reopen?

In alignment with broader public health protocols in our province, some university operations continue to be restricted. These include on-campus facilities and services that are currently closed or operating remotely and in-person university events.

The first phase of our return to campus consists only of individuals required to work on campus and who can do so safely, to ensure continued operations of their units. The majority of faculty and staff will continue to work remotely.

The fall term for students will be predominantly online, with limited exceptions based on those programs where extensive experiential learning forms part of the curriculum and these can be provided safely in adherence to health protocols. Full in-person, on-campus courses will not resume before January 2021.

What if I require access to a building that has been locked due to COVID-19 security protocols?

While Dalhousie remains operational, we have moved to a virtual operational environment. Consequently, campus buildings, offices and services have suspended in-person operations, and are restricting access except for faculty/staff with electronic access control cards.

General services

Athletics & Recreation

Athletic facilities at Dalhousie have started reopening in phases, with a number of very strict protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of members and staff. Dalplex, Langille Athletic Centre and Wickwire Field are all open in some capacity. Sexton Gym will continue to remain closed, but its members will be able to use Dalplex until it reopens.

Dalplex has reopened with modifications. Services available include the fitness hall (cardio and strength & conditioning equipment), fitness studios, the fieldhouse (basketball, badminton, table tennis and indoor track), the pool and squash and racquetball courts..

Facility access is for members and Dalhousie students only. Day passes, multi-use passes or walk-ins will not be accepted at this time.

Note: Athletics and recreation fees are being waived for the fall term. All Dalhousie students still have access to athletics facilities despite not paying fees.

For more details on our athletic facilities, please visit Athletics and Recreation.

What is the status of Tigers and Rams sports for fall 2020?

Tigers

The varsity Tigers compete in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference as members of U SPORTS Canada. The fall 2020 U SPORTS championships have been cancelled and competition in the AUS has been suspended until January 2021.

For more information:

Rams

The Rams compete as members of the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) within the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The ACAA has cancelled its first semester sports schedule. The CCAA has yet to make an announcement regarding fall championships.

For more information:

What is the status of membership fees?

Athletics and recreation fees for all students will be waived for the fall term ($110 in Halifax, $75.29 in Truro), as will fees related to the Dalplex Fitness Centre ($90).

Bookstore

The Dalhousie Bookstore is closed for in-person shopping, but has online order pickup available to customers. Please visit the Bookstore website for more information.

Food Services

Dalhousie Food Services locations (other than approved dining halls) have suspended in-person services at this time. We are working on a return to campus plan for select food services locations for the fall.

Dining halls that will be open for fall 2020 include:

Shirreff Hall – for residents of Shirreff Hall only
Howe Hall – for residents of all other Halifax properties, including Risley Hall, LeMarchant Place, Glengary Apartments, and Grad House.
In Truro, Jenkins Hall will be open to serve residents. More details on their operation will be coming soon.

Risley Dining Hall and O’Brien Hall will be closed for Fall 2020.

Please see the Food & Dining page for more details.

DalCard & UPass

DalCard

The DalCard Office is closed at this time, but will soon be offering in-person services through the window of their office. This information will be communicated to students when it becomes available.

The DalCard team has established a process to issue temporary cards. If you require a temporary card, email dalcard@dal.ca and a member of the DalCard team will respond as soon as they are able. If you require a temporary card for access to a student residence, please visit your residence’s front desk.

UPass

Halifax Transit has resumed collection of fares for the month of August. They will be accepting 2019/20 UPass stickers for the duration of the month.

The UPass program is available to our full-time students for the 2020/21 academic year. The UPass program automatically applies the bus pass fee to the student accounts for all full-time Halifax students.

However, given that most Dalhousie courses are being delivered online this fall due to COVID-19, we have revised our opt-out process to make it easier for students who do not require the bus pass.

Opting out is easy: fill out the UPass Waiver Request Form by Sept. 18. Once your request is processed, this fee will be removed from your student account for the entire 2020/21 academic year by Sept. 23.

For more information on opting out of UPass, visit our Opt Out page.

NOTE: If you are opting out of the program for the Fall but will be returning to Halifax in January 2021 as a full-time student and require a UPass, you will need to notify the UPass office to obtain your Winter UPass. More information on how to obtain your UPass for the winter semester will come soon.

If you have any questions regarding UPass, please contact upass@dal.ca.

Event & Gatherings

To ensure continued safety as we enter Phase II of our Return to Campus planning, we are not permitting indoor meetings/events/gatherings on campus until at least October 15. A decision to allow indoor events after October 15 will be contingent on COVID-19 cases remaining low.

Outdoor events this fall will be considered provided a safety plan is completed, approved and followed and space is available. Requests for outdoor events can be submitted through the Campus Bookings process.

Please note that requests for events (indoor or outdoor) to be held after October 15 will not be considered before October 1.

As part of ensuring a safe environment, all Dalhousie campuses will remain alcohol free until at least October 15. This decision will be re-evaluated later this fall.

Human Resources

For employee information and questions related to employment, please log in to your MyDal page, or visit the employee Remote Working site.

International Centre

In-person services have been temporarily suspended, but the Centre is still available remotely. To get in touch with the International Centre, please call 902-494-1566 or visit the International Centre website.

The International Centre is working on plans and programming for the fall semester. More details can be found on their website.

Libraries

Book a study room or computer at one of the Dalhousie Libraries.

Curbside pickup of circulating materials is available for Dalhousie and King’s faculty, staff, and students, as well as alumni and off-campus borrowers.

Information about many more services, including LiveHelp, extended laptop loans for students, and recording lectures on campus are available on the libraries website.

Physiotherapy Clinic

The Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic is open for in-person appointments. Appointments are bookable by email, or by calling 902-494-1502.

For more information and details about and appointment protocols, please visit the Physio Clinic website.

Registrar's Office

In-person services are temporarily suspended, but the office remains open to serve students remotely by phone (1-866-729-4400 or 902-494-2450) and email registrar@dal.ca.

For graduate student information, please contact graduate.studies@dal.ca.

Research

For more information on research at Dalhousie, the status of labs, or resources for researchers, please consult the Research website.

Student Health & Wellness

The Student Health & Wellness Centre in Halifax is open. In-person and telephone appointments with counsellors, physicians, nurses and the social worker are available for students and community patients. Book your appointment online or call 902-494-2171 to speak with a healthcare professional.

Health Services in Truro is open, and appointments are available for students. Please consult the website for more information. To make an appointment, please contact kristine.carr@dal.ca or carolyn.bartlett@dal.ca.

Many online and mobile resources are also available to support students from home. For more information please visit the Student Health & Wellness website.

Student services

Career Services

In-person career services and advising have been temporarily suspended at the Bissett Student Success Centre (Halifax) and Student Success Centre (Truro). If you would like your resume/cover letter reviewed, please send them to career.services@dal.ca. For career advising, please call 902-494-3077 or email career.services@dal.ca.

Student Accessibility Centre

In-person services at the Student Accessibility Centre have been temporarily suspended. If you would like to contact an advisor remotely, please call 902-494-2836 or email access@dal.ca (Halifax) or ssdalac@dal.ca (Truro).

Student Accounts

In-person services are temporarily suspended, but representatives are available by phone Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Atlantic), 1-902-494-3998 or email student.accounts@dal.ca

Writing Centre

In-person services have been temporarily suspended. If you would like to contact an advisor and submit a paper for review remotely, please email writingc@dal.ca (Halifax) or acwrite@dal.ca(Truro).

Dalhousie University