All employees are expected to follow all pertinent health and safety protocols and should remain home if they are too ill to work or may be contagious.

Public health officials are encouraging anyone who has cold or flu-like symptoms, such as a cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, weakness or headache, to self-isolate for 14 days. Anyone with these symptoms is eligible for COVID-19 testing. You do not need a referral.

• Follow the latest public health measures and travel restrictions outlined by the Province of Manitoba and Health Canada
• Call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 or visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/locations.html for more information about testing
• Access the online COVID-19 screening tool at www.manitoba.ca/covid19
• Notify RRC Health Services at 204-632-2238

We are instructing everyone who has returned from international travel to self-isolate/monitor for 14 days. Please refer to Health Canada and the Province of Manitoba for the most-up-to-date information regarding self-isolation.

Please contact RRC’s Health Centre at 204-632-2238. If you are experiencing symptoms, please also contact Health Links/Info Santé at 1-888-315-9257.

If you are self-isolating and are able to work, the following options would apply:

1. Work from home where appropriate. Working from home guidelines have been developed to support managers and employees.
2. Use of vacation, Voluntary Reduced Work Week (VRWW), and/or overtime.
3. Use of sick leave or other forms of approved leave.

A sick note is not required.

Please contact the Health Centre at 204-632-2238.

If your family member has returned from international travel and is self-isolating, you should self-monitor yourself for symptoms, and you can continue to attend work if applicable. If your family member develops symptoms you should then self-isolate as you would be considered having ‘close contact’. If your family member tests negative for the virus, you may continue as normal (self-monitor).

The Government of Canada recommends cleaning high-touch surfaces frequently in order to reduce the risk of spreading disease and infection. Use a lint-free cloth lightly moistened with warm soapy water to clean the surface of your phone. Ensure moisture doesn’t enter any openings. Cleaning products and disinfectants may scratch your cellphone and can diminish the screen’s protective coating.

Please check with your phone’s manufacturer for specific instructions on how to clean your particular phone model.

During this time of uncertainty it’s natural that our stress response will kick in. Click here for a full listing of Mental Health and Counselling Resources at Red River College as well as some immediate actions that can be helpful at this time.

Be sure to subscribe to the Wellness newsletter to receive a variety of resources to support you through this difficult time.

Our Safety Health Services teams have completed an occupancy analysis of our classrooms and labs and common spaces. This analysis serves as an important guide to our re-entry planning.Post-secondary institutions are mass gatherings by design, and while we have the ability to increase occupancy in each phase, we will continue to maintain important physical distancing guidelines at all times.

The occupancy figures we developed to guide our phased re-entry are based on campus-wide population. Actual numbers for allowable occupancy for academic and non-academic spaces will vary depending on the size of a room, office, classroom or lab in order to accommodate physical distancing guidelines and other health and safety measures set forth by public health authorities.

While each phase has a global campus occupancy guideline, it is not a target, but a number that will provide the College with the flexibility needed to allow for increased campus activity if and when it is safe to do so. Throughout the early phases of re-entry our focus remains on the health and safety of our students and for this academic year the majority of services and programs will continue to remain online and delivered virtually.

Effective June 21, the Province is easing public health restrictions by removing the maximum capacity of 300 people at any site, provided the gathering can be physically divided into sub-groups of 50 or fewer indoors, or 100 or fewer outdoors, to a maximum 30 per cent of usual capacity.

Post-secondary institutions such as Red River College may provide learning in settings where learning and/or research requires hands-on experience. Examples may include, but are not limited to, laboratories, studios, trades instructions and practicums.

Facilities may plan to fully open by the fall with different strategies such as more video-based learning to reduce class sizes to ensure they are able to maintain physical distancing. Institutions are allowed to make decisions on the actual level of in-person, on-campus activity based on their unique layout and plans.

Find out more on the Government of Manitoba website ›

We’ve already anticipated many of the circumstances outlined in the province’s plan, and have begun preparing to allow for some programs and services to resume on campus in a very limited, phased approach.

Our first priority is to serve those students who are closest to graduation and need to catch up to complete program and industry training requirements.

Although our support and administrative services will remain off campus for now, we are also considering their staged re-entry.

To be clear, we will continue planning for online delivery for the fall term wherever it is possible to do so. This will help us meet the space needs of those prioritized catch-up and hands-on learning activities that cannot take place through alternate delivery.

The health and safety of our staff and students remains our top priority. The gradual approach of our re-entry is designed to follow the regulations outlined in the Province of Manitoba’s Restoring Safe Services Plan.

Because the situation surrounding COVID-19 is ever-changing and extremely fluid, we need to take a conservative and measured approach as we plan how to gradually re-open our campuses to programs and services. When determining what to offer on campuses, we’ll be prioritizing hands-on, experiential learning and classes that were delayed, and in serving students who are close to graduation.

While being attentive to our unique situation and making the right choices for our programs, students, industry partners, and college community, we will work to respond with other post-secondary institutions, synchronizing our approaches and aligning with government.

In general, if a component of a course can be delivered in online form, it will be delivered in online form in Fall 2020.

In-person delivery of programs or parts of programs will be defined as essential where:

1. The physical use of tools or equipment is required and alternatives are not possible;
2. Learning outcomes cannot be delivered in alternative forms, and the learning outcome is required for graduation, is a critical piece of the program, or required for accreditation;
3. Barriers to education exist that can only be addressed through in-person delivery.

In order to support our students learning outcomes, and the needs of Manitoba’s economy priority for the delivery of on-campus programming and training activities will resume as follows:

1. Courses/programs where students are close to graduation, with consideration for the closeness to graduation.
2. Suspended programs
3. Programs that require essential/hands on in the first term in order to run

This FAQ will be updated regularly, so check back often. If you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact us.

You’ll find updates on our COVID-19 news blog, and we’ll be posting updates on Staff and Student News, as well as video messages from senior leadership and scenario planning team members.

No. The occupancy figures we developed to guide our phased re-entry are based on campus-wide population. Actual numbers for academic and non-academic spaces will vary depending on the size of a room, office, classroom or lab in order to accommodate physical distancing guidelines and other health and safety measures set forth by public health authorities. Ultimately, if services can continue to be effectively delivered remotely, we will maintain that approach for as long as possible in order to ensure we can maximize essential learning and training opportunities for our students.

Individual plans are being developed with each department to ensure that, if/when it is appropriate to resume limited operations on-campus, proper physical distancing guidelines can be met in every space. Health and safety of everyone at the College is our first priority and while we are gradually increasing overall occupancy at all campuses, this is in place to give us the flexibility to support increased training activity first, along with adding additional services for staff and students that cannot be effectively delivered remotely in the long-term.

Given the challenges of returning to campus, you can assume that classes that can be offered online, should be planned to be offered online for Fall 2020. This will free up physical space on our campuses for catch-up and hands-on work, and help support international students who may not be able to attend campus or may be delayed in their arrival in Canada.
In our planning we also need to consider the possibility of needing to close campuses again due to another wave of the virus, or the impact of a positive test result on campus.

The College is currently finalizing their academic re-entry plan which will guide all ongoing training, catch-up, and program delivery for the rest of the academic year. The priority will continue to focus on online delivery where we can, while maintaining and expanding essential hands-on training activities to maximize learning for our students. This plan will continue to guide our re-entry and academic delivery for the 2020/2021 academic year. More will be shared online once final reviews are complete by the Academic Re-Entry Team.

Online program delivery will become a normal facet of most, if not all, Red River College programs and courses even after the pandemic ends.

This will require a high quality and consistent Red River College approach to the design and delivery of online courses, so that students receive a consistent and meaningful learning experience from each course across the College. See the following FAQ for details.

The Academic area and the Centre for Learning and Program Excellence have produced a series of resources to guide instructors through the development of fully online courses for Fall of 2020 and beyond. These resources form the starting point in developing the RRC brand of online delivery (including web enhanced, blended and online delivery methods).

These resources:

• Provide clear guidance about the minimum requirements for an online course at RRC, along with a roadmap to guide ongoing enhancements to courses
• Support instructors with pedagogical guidance, focusing initially on instructors who are completely new to online or blended delivery
• Include both the “why” and the “how“ for instructors so that they are clear on what they need to do and why they are doing it

Visit the Flexible Online Delivery website.

No. It’s too soon to say what operational functions and areas, apart from essential services, could resume working on campus. Right now, our focus to maintain remote work wherever we can and to only re-introduce essential services and supports that are required to enable hands-on training and academic activities on-campus – this will also be done on a limited and incremental basis as we continue to address the needs of our employees and our students, The safety and security of our staff, faculty, and students is our first priority.

Some institutional transformation initiatives that were paused for the pandemic have been reactivated, as they will play a key role in Red River College’s success in positioning itself to prepare graduates ready to contribute to Manitoba’s economic recovery. Consequently, course based registration will be continuing and the Phase III launch has already occurred. Your individual and team role in projects such as the Academic Transformation functional area reviews and Course-based Registration will need to be factored into your area’s scenario planning as well.

Please contact your Chair or Program Manager for details.

Please contact Michelle Tabaka at mtabaka@rrc.ca.

Safety and Health Services (SHS) completed over 700 occupancy assessments to determine the maximum safe occupancy limits of offices, workshops, labs, and classrooms. SHS used a two-meter measuring tool in accordance with public health guidelines that stipulate 2 meters of space between people.

Contact your Chair or Program Manager.

Please contact your immediate supervisor or Human Resource Services.

If your supervisor approves your request to work on campus, they will then submit a request to safety@rrc.ca to determine a space you can work from.

As with all workplace accommodations, each request will be assessed and evaluated on its own merits to determine if and what kind of an accommodation is appropriate. This assessment process may include a request to the employee for more information.

Who do I contact if I need to return to campus for some other reason, ie. prepping a course?

Please visit https://www.rrc.ca/coronavirus/staff/#working-on-campus and follow the steps to request campus access.

Safety and Health Services (SHS) is putting together a guide with this information. Our goal is to have this ready for Phase 2 (July 15). In the meantime, please send any questions to safety@rrc.ca.

RRC provides workplace accommodations for employees recovering from who need help while returning to work. These accommodations may include temporarily modifying duties or assigning alternate duties during the recovery period.

To request an accommodation, please contact your supervisor, manager, or Human Resource Services.

As with all workplace accommodations, each request will be assessed and evaluated on its own merits to determine if and what kind of an accommodation is appropriate. This assessment process may include a request to the employee for more information.

The College has undertaken significant measures to meet all health and safety regulations and remains committed to taking every reasonable precaution to ensure the wellness of staff.

Even so, returning to the workplace after several months of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic may cause an increase in concern or fear if coworkers exhibit signs of illness.

It is important to remember that every employee is entitled to work in an environment that is respectful and free of all forms of harassment.

A respectful workplace requires the cooperation and commitment of each employee to avoid disrespectful behaviour, including behaviour that would reasonably offend, intimidate, embarrass or humiliate others, whether deliberately or unintentionally.

Employees who experience or witness behaviour in violation of a respectful workplace environment are encouraged to address it with their manager, Human Resource Services and/or by reporting through the College’s Ethics Program (see: https://www.rrc.ca/legal/ethics/).

Some employees may be hesitant to return to work due to either family obligations or a medical condition that may make the employee or a close family member more susceptible to an adverse outcome if they contract COVID-19.

To request an accommodation, please contact your supervisor, manager, or Human Resource Services.

As with all workplace accommodations, each request will be assessed and evaluated on its own merits to determine if and what kind of an accommodation is appropriate. This assessment process may include a request to the employee for more information.

The Academic Re-Entry Team serves as a clearing house where information can be gathered and decisions made about academic matters and issues arising from our campus re-entry planning. The Academic Re-Entry Team will liaise with the Incident Management Team, provide expertise to quickly identify and resolve problems, and provide strategic direction to help future-proof the College.

Timetabling is underway now. The schedule submission deadline is June 29 for catch-up programming, and July 3 at 4 p.m. for fall programming.

Process for catch-up timetabling:

Once the schedules for catch-up courses and programs are submitted from departments, they are forwarded to Jodi Pluchinski, Director, Health and Safety Services, for approval. Approved schedules are then entered into Infosilem and timetables are imported to Colleague.

Process for fall timetabling:

For programs offering only online delivery, scheduling has already begun and drafts have been released to most departments. Once the schedules have been approved by Chairs, they will be loaded into Colleague.

For programs offering blended delivery, the on-campus portion must be approved by Safety and Health Services. Once this has been done, the online portion will be scheduled to coordinate with on-campus delivery. Drafts will then be provided to departments for review and approval by the appropriate Chair.

Our current target is mid-July, but the timeline will ultimately depend on how quickly Safety and Health Services is able to approve on-campus portions of the timetables.

Our current target is mid-July, but the timeline will ultimately depend on how quickly Safety and Health Services is able to approve on-campus portions of the timetables.

All schedules that have been approved by Chairs will be provided to students when they register. The registration process is the point at which timetables become visible to students on HUB. We expect this to happen between mid-July and mid-August, depending on when students are registered into their courses by Enrolment Services.

Red River College will deliver all possible programs and services through online delivery for the full term in fall 2020.

This decision allows appropriate planning to take place to ensure the delivery of quality online programming, and to ensure that students know what to expect for the coming fall term.

We are currently also preparing to reopen specific campus spaces on a limited basis for some hands-on learning. Our first priority would be to serve those students who are closest to graduation and who need to catch up to complete program requirements.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely to determine what our plans will be for the Winter 2020 term. Our ultimate goal is to slowly re-integrate our staff and students to campus, but to do so in a manner that is consistent with advice from public health officials.

Priority will be given to hands-on training that was delayed, and restricted to those students who are nearing graduation but have one or two outstanding courses. Programs scheduled to be offered online in the summer and fall terms will remain online. Students whose learning was interrupted during the winter term will be provided an opportunity to complete hands-on training during Phase 2. For programming that has essential hands-on training in the fall a blended approach will be offered. More information on program delivery will be posted online as soon as its finalized.

We know online learning may be new to you, and it may be a little scary. As we plan for Fall 2020 and beyond, we are working hard to ensure that your courses and programs provide opportunities to engage with your instructors/fellow students and build those all-important class connections. We’re designing courses with flexibility in mind, so they fit your own schedule as much as possible, and developing assignments that are appropriate and fair in the online environment. Another priority we’ve committed to is ensuring you have easy access to strong academic supports such as tutoring, and non-academic supports such as counselling, for any help you need.

Flexible, online program delivery will become a normal facet of most, if not all, Red River College programs and courses even after the pandemic ends.

That doesn’t mean in-person courses are going away. High-caliber hands-on, applied and experiential learning opportunities have always set Red River College apart. While this kind of learning poses unique challenges in the face of social distancing requirements, we’re exploring out nimble and innovative solutions to these challenges in an environment where public safety regulations may change at a moment’s notice.

We all miss campus life and the benefits of learning and collaborating together in person, but the reality is the workplace is changing fast and some of the impacts of the recent disruption are here to stay. So those training with us for careers will be well prepared to address this new reality that is affecting all industries and parts of our economy.

Online learning will also provide students with the tools they will need to succeed in industry and workplaces that are undergoing a digital transformation.

In many cases we’ve now been able to resume some practicum, clinical and co-op training as the economy begins to slowly re-open. We’re continuing to work with our partners to keep delivering these opportunities as much as possible.

If you have specific questions regarding your practicums or co-ops, I encourage you to reach out to your program for more information.

We’re planning for a number of scenarios right now to maintain your programs and ensure that you’re receiving the necessary training and education for you to be successful in your studies. That may mean some re-ordering of your program – for instance, with hands-on training possibly starting in January. As our plans for fall delivery are finalized, we will keep you informed so you’re prepared to resume classes this fall.

While the Province is allowing fitness facilities to re-open during Phase Two of its Restoring Safe Services pla, the College will continue to keep these facilities closed and only allow essential personnel on campus.

If you completed all your course components and cannot access your grades, please contact your program for details.

If your course was interrupted by COVID-19 and you weren’t able to complete all course components, your department may have assigned you a grade of INC (“Incomplete”) for that course, along with a future expiry date allowing you time to complete any missing components. Once you have completed those components, your grade will be updated.

You won’t have access to the LEARN shell and LEARN materials until the course end-date is extended to accommodate catch-up work for incomplete course components. Once catch-up course schedules have been timetabled, LEARN will again be made active for both faculty and students. If you have any questions, please contact LEARN Support.

Grades will be entered once you complete the missing components of a course and your instructor updates the grade.

The College is designating a number of spaces for students who are learning online but may need to be on campus to support their learning. We will have more information to share when these spaces are confirmed.

In the event employees are required to stay home to care for sick family members or to care for children whose school/daycare is shut down, it will be managed in the following order:

1. Continue to work from home where appropriate. Working from home guidelines have been developed to support managers and employees.
2. Flexibility in hours of work to allow families to share the child care responsibilities. This could include working evenings and weekends to account for the time.
3. Use Family Related Leave – can be used hourly up to a maximum of 5 days
4. Use of vacation, Voluntary Reduced Work Week (VRWW), and/or overtime
5. Use of sick leave or other forms of approved leave (Sick leave will only apply when all other leaves, and flexible options have been explored) 
6. If you are unable to work from home due to family commitments and the above leave selections are not options then you may apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

All policies, procedures, and provisions in the collective agreement apply.

Please work with your manager to consider the following options:

1. Use Family Related Leave (can be used hourly up to a maximum of 5 days)
2. Use of vacation, VRWW and/or overtime
3. Use of sick leave or other forms of approved leave
4. If you are unable to work from home due to family commitments and the above leave selections are not options then you may apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

For employees who have been inquiring about the Canada Emergency Response benefit, please click on the link below for the most up to date information:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/questions.html

Work with your manager to consider options that could include a temporary reassignment, online professional development, or project work as applicable.

Yes. We understand with the closure of public schools this will be challenging for many families in balancing their personal and work responsibilities. Please work with your manager on an appropriate schedule. In addition to working flexible hours, employees may also want to use a combination of vacation, VRWW, overtime and family related leave during this time. We do expect that employees share the family responsibilities as they make these plans.

Please work with your manager to discuss all available leave options. In rare situations that you have no paid leave options discuss the option of tracking your time and making up the time at a later date. If this situation is prolonged, we may need to re-evaluate this option.

Yes, the VRWW program is still available for non-instructional staff. Once a VRWW request has received approval, deductions will be spread over the remaining pay periods ending March 26, 2021. Should you wish to submit a request for VRWW days, please review the information and instructions available at https://www.rrc.ca/hr/information/voluntary-benefits/. Please note that the “Approximate Net Pay Reduction Chart” was developed to provide an estimate of the decrease in net pay that an employee may experience for each of the 26 bi-weekly pay periods between April 9, 2020 and March 26, 2021. The number of pay periods that deductions will be applied will depend on when the approved VRWW request is received. This may result in a higher deduction amount than shown in the table, as the number of bi-weekly pay periods that deductions are scheduled to occur will be less than 26.

Employees that have scheduled vacation will be expected to continue their vacation leave unless otherwise directed by their manager to support operations during this current situation. If individuals would like to take additional vacation time and where it’s operational feasible please do so.

No. During this period, we will not be requesting sick notes. We do not want to burden the health care system and allow health care providers to support those employees that require urgent care.

Employees experiencing flu symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, or any combination of these sign, should stay home and rest and take sick time. Please contact the Health Services at 204.632.2238 for further direction.

For employee who become ill during this period for reasons other than listed above, the regular sick leave reporting provisions will apply. However, sick notes are still not required during this period.

Please contact the Health Centre at 204.632.2238. If you are experiencing symptoms, please also contact Health Links at 1-888-315-9257.

If you are self-isolating and are able to work the following, options would apply:

1. Work from home where appropriate. Working from home guidelines have been developed to support managers and employees.
2. Use of vacation, Voluntary Reduced Work Week (VRWW), and/or overtime
3. Use of sick leave or other forms of approved leave

A sick note is not required.

1. Work from home where appropriate. Working from home guidelines have been developed to support managers and employees.
2. If you are unable to work from home you will need to utilize vacation, Voluntary Reduced Work Week (VRWW) days, and/or overtime
3. Sick leave in this instance will not be an option.

Please click on the link below for the most up to date information.

https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/infomanitobans/#safehealthy

As per the Federal Government, Canada is currently at a Level 3 and should avoid non-essential travel.

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices#risklevels

Please contact the Health Centre at 204.632.2238.

If your family member has returned from international travel and is self-isolating, you should self-monitor yourself for symptoms, and you can continue to attend work if applicable. If your family member develops symptoms you should then self-isolate as you would be considered having ‘close contact’. If your family member tests negative for the virus, you may continue as normal (self-monitor).

No. The College has suspended all international and domestic travel until further notice.

The Government of Canada has now advised all Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada until further notice: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html#non-essential

Upon return to Canada, you are required to self-isolate for 14 days. If you departed on your personal travel after March 15, 2020, you will not be eligible for sick leave for this period. Vacation leave, VRWW, or Overtime leave can be utilized. Should you not have enough leave to cover the self-isolation period, it will be recorded as approved leave without pay.

Term employees will continue their term. As we continue to prioritize student completion, term employees will work through the duration of their employment. If it’s operationally required, term employees will be extended as necessary. Term employment at the completion of the school term will end as specified in their letter of offer.

Leaders continue to develop and review plans for the ongoing operation of the College including working from home. Casual employees will work with their manager to determine what work is needed and time will be recorded accordingly.

For all employees who utilize the electronic time entry on HUB, please continue to do so as you normally do.

For employees who use paper-based time sheets, and are paid current, an electronic time sheet for you to fill in and provide to your manager for approval.

For employees who are paid in arrears, we will be providing an electronic time sheet for you to fill in and provide to your manager for approval.

All employees can access their leave information through HUB. This can be accessed through Payments and Profiles, Earning Statements. If you are unable to determine your balances please email paybenefits@rrc.ca or your pay and benefits specialist directly.

All documents sent to either the Accounts Payable or Credit Card email address for submission must be digitally signed and must be sent by the last approver.

Please refer to the following document for instructions on scanning documents, digital signatures, organizing Adobe files, submitting files, and asking for help:

https://teamsites.rrc.ca/departments/Information/Forms/Shared%20Documents/AP_Interim_Process_COVID_19_2020_03_23.pdf

Please:

• Complete your claims and invoices correctly and as per RRC Policy
• Send one comprehensive PDF file per expense claim, invoice or VISA statement
• Submit your banking information via WebAdvisor for EFT of an expense claim reimbursement
• Be patient; our team is working as fast as it can

Contact Nikki Hart – Finance Business Analyst nhart@rrc.ca for help with this new process

Make sure to provide enough information for Finance to process the refund:

• Full Name
• Colleague ID number (if applicable)
• COVID-19 related
• Invoice number
• Amount of refund
• Receipt number

For the extent of the closure for COVID 19, please mark your expense claim “COVID” and charge expenses to department 15202. In all other cases, charge the expenses to your regular department.

As you set up your alternate work space, you were authorized to move College-owned property such as laptops, docking stations, monitors, cell phones, calculators and other items, as required, to your home.

If you haven’t yet done so, please provide your manager with a list of College assets that you have removed from the campus.

PLEASE NOTE: Staff and faculty are not authorized to remove office chairs from the College. If you have already removed your chair, please ensure you advise your Manager who will be required to notify Safety and Health Services at safety@rrc.ca

Reimbursable expenses include all administrative supplies such as pens, pencils, paper clips, and stationery and printer ink (see full list below) that are required. If purchases are required, purchase quantities needed to cover the time period you reasonably expect to be working from home.

Administrative Supplies

• Post-It Notes
• Pens
• Pencils
• Wite-Out
• Erasers
• Highlighters
• Notebooks
• Notepads
• Paper
• Post-It flip charts
• Markers
• Paperclips
• Folders
• Wipes for screens
• Extension cords, power bars
• USB keys
• Binders

Furnishings and equipment are not considered reimbursable expenses.

RRC will provide furnishings and equipment that are deemed essential from campus inventories, where possible, or rent/lease them on a short term basis for the duration of the working from home period.

If you consider any of these items such as chairs, desks, or filing cabinets essential, please discuss with your Manager.

Information technology assets are not considered reimbursable expenses. All IT items, laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, rocket stick and cell phone will be provided to you from the RRC IT department. Please work with your Manager and IT services to ensure your requirements are met.

A personal headset to a max of $50 is reimbursable if required.

Connectivity costs are not routinely considered reimbursable expenses. If you will incur incremental costs related to connectivity, please contact the IT helpdesk and you will be guided to the most cost effective option.

According to CRA regulations, employees may be eligible to claim a portion of some expenses incurred from setting up a home office. More information related to the T2202 tax form pertaining to claiming expenses while working from home will be added to this FAQ soon.

For any items not identified or items that you are not able to source or access, please contact Jade Karsin, Director of Procurement, at jkarsin@rrc.ca or Linley James at ljames@rrc.ca and these items will be sourced and delivered to you.

Please make every effort to work digitally and adopt practices that allow RRC to collectively minimize these costs.

Yes. RRC will offer students the option to change their final letter grade to a Credit/Not Complete (CR/NC) for any of their courses delivered on or following March 23, 2020. Whether CR or NC is applied as a grade depends on whether you have achieved the passing grade in the course.

For some students, the COVID 19 pandemic has presented many challenges both personally and academically. As a result, you may feel that you did not perform as well in a course as you would normally. A letter grade will impact your GPA. If you select the CR/NC option, there is no impact to your GPA calculation.

No. Students are not required to change their final grade from a letter grade to a CR/NC. Regular grading for your course remains the default for all students and will be included in your GPA calculation.

If you’re not satisfied with your letter grade and concerned it could impact your GPA you have the option to change it to a CR or NC. You must choose to change your final grade to the CR or NC by filling out the appropriate request form in HUB.

This option will be available to students for courses being delivered, on or following March 23, 2020, when alternative delivery was implemented. This new grading option will be available until the end of the Spring/Summer term, which ends on August 21, 2020.

CR stands for “credit received” and means that the student has achieved the pass mark for the course. Each course may have different marks required to pass. If you have achieved the pass mark for the course and you choose this option, you will be awarded a grade of CR – this won’t affect your final GPA and will allow you to progress with your studies at the College.

NC stands for “not complete” and denotes that you did not achieve the passing grade in the course. A grade of NC will require you to repeat the course if this is a required course in your program. The NC will not impact your GPA calculation.

A letter grade is used in the calculation of your GPA. If you opt to change your grade to CR/NC, this will not be included in your GPA calculation.

Yes. In most cases grades awarded a CR can be used for progression in a program at RRC. However, RRC cannot guarantee that other post-secondary institutions will accept this for admission to other programs. Please check with the institution you are planning to enrol in to be certain. A grade of NC will require you to repeat the course if this is a required course in your program and is a pre-requisite for other courses in your program.

Once your grades have been submitted by your instructor and verified you will be able to review your grade report in HUB. You will have 10 days to notify the College if you want to change a letter grade from any of your courses to the CR/NC option.

Our goal is to make the process to change your grade as simple and as straightforward as possible and work is still underway to determine that process. Once it’s confirmed, we will update you through your academic email, student news, and online at www.rrc.ca/coronavirus.

Once we’re able to receive your request it will take up to 10 business days for the Registrar’s Office to update your grade report in HUB. Once changed, you will receive a notification in HUB that your grade has been updated. If you do not receive a notification, or see that your grade has not been updated, please contact the Registrar’s Office immediately at register@rrc.ca.

To request a grade change, open your Grade Report in HUB.

1. Click on the Change to CR/NC button next to the course grade you wish to request to change. This button will also identify how many days you have left to make a change request.
2. Before you can submit, you will be prompted to acknowledge that you understand the implications of the grade change request. You will not be able to submit until you confirm all items.
3. It will take approximately 10 business days to review and process your request.
4. If your request is still being processed, your Grade Report will indicate ***under review***
5. If your request is complete, your Grade Report will indicate ***review complete***
6. You will receive an email response to your RRC email account once your request has been completed.
7. Your HUB Grade Report and official Transcript will be updated with the new grade, if approved.
8. If your request has been denied, please contact your course instructor for further information.

Before making any final decisions, you’re encouraged to have a conversation with your instructor or program Chair first. You need to ensure you are aware of all implications to changing your final grade. In some situations, this option may have implications for programs that are approved/accredited by external organizations.

No. If you opt to change your final grade to a CR or NC, then this decision will be final and you cannot change it back to a letter grade. Students are encouraged to discuss making changes to their grades with their instructor or Chair first before making any final decisions.

No. Opting to change your grade in a course is final. No appeals are permitted following this.

If I change my final grade to a grade of CR, will I be able to use this course to satisfy admission requirements and/or pre-requisites for other courses where a minimum letter grade is required?

Yes, we will accept a grade of CR earned in Winter, Spring, and Summer 2020 terms to satisfy pre-requisites for courses, where applicable.

No, there will be no tuition reimbursement for courses that are converted to “no credit”. “No credit” is an academic concession only so that students may choose to avoid academic penalty associated with a failing grade in light of the unusual circumstances this term.

Having a letter grade replaced with a grade of CR will not affect your eligibility for awards. However, a grade of CR will have no impact to your GPA calculation, which may affect your ranking for some awards.

You may apply for funding by filling out the online application form.

Through the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, support is available for students who are enrolled full-time or were enrolled full-time, in a full-time credit program that will graduate with a credential (excluding Apprenticeship programs), at the time of the transition to alternative delivery methods for courses and/or cancellation of practicum/clinical courses OR is a current Language Training Centre international student admitted to a credit program either now or in the fall or will be continuing at the Language Training Centre; who are maintaining academic eligibility to continue their program; and who can demonstrate the need for assistance resulting from the pandemic.

Please visit our online donation form and select ‘Covid-19 Emergency Student Support Fund’.

Yes. International students who meet the criteria may apply for financial support through this fund.

It is a bursary. You will not have to repay these funds.

Students must meet the listed criteria to receive support through this fund.

Red River College also offers a number of awards, scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible for.

Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Financial support will be available until the funds are depleted.

Our staff are working hard to ensure students in need of assistance can access funds as soon as possible. Due to the number of applications, we are unable to provide a specific timeline.

Funds will be dispersed by electronic fund transfer to their bank account, or by cheque, depending on the individual student’s preference.