The President of Thompson Rivers University says he is pleased to how the university community has stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To our faculty and our staff, you have gone so far and done so much, more than I could ever ask of you, in supporting our students,” said Brett Fairbairn. “And to our students, I want to say thank you for your patience and your understanding. It’s been a major adjustment for all of us.”

Fairbairn says the TRU community has gone above and beyond to help out as people adjust to the new reality over the last few weeks.

[CLIP] “I think of the donations of face masks and gloves to the hospital but the faculty of science as well as provisioin of critical life-saving ventilators that would have otherwise laid dormant. I think about the donations of food from culinary arts to the food bank and to a local hospice. Food that would have otherwise gone to waste.”

Fairbairn says while the university buildings are closed to implement physical distancing requirements, the university itself is not.

“TRU and our promise of an education remain here. We are open access. We include and we support and we reach out for students even when our buildings may be shut. Yes, it looks different, and yes we’ve had our bumps along the way, but I know that each and every one of you is doing your best.”

Like other universities across B.C., TRU has suspended face-to-face classes for most programs. Most programs resumed virtually in the week of March 23.