On campus during the COVID-19 pandemic

We asked award-winning photographer Kiana Hayeri, Image Arts ’11, to document the campus in early October. Here’s what she saw

By Colleen Mellor, Journalism ’86 | January 15, 2021

A Black woman with a mask on is ordering food on campus.

No dine-in is allowed inside Pitman Hall cafeteria but around lunch time, students show up with their green to-go containers in hand to pick up lunch and take it back to their rooms or outside. Photograph by Kiana Hayeri

When the university moved to essential services status last March in response to the pandemic, every faculty and department began to adjust to the new reality. The Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) was no different. When it closed along with all the gyms in the city, the Ryerson Athletics and Recreation team organized virtual recreation programming (Move Everywhere: Online) and began researching safety protocols for when the facility could reopen.

On Aug. 10, after the city moved to Stage 3, the MAC was ready to open. The team had put together a 130-page reopening plan and a 36-page risk assessment report. The plan was so thorough that other universities and colleges travelled to the facility and consulted with Athletics and Recreation on how to prepare their facilities for potential openings, said Chris Nadavallil, manager of facilities, operations and risk management for Athletics and Recreation.

A receptionist sits at the computer with a mask on.

The receptionist at the entrance of one of the student residences. Photograph by Kiana Hayeri, Image Arts ’11

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When the facility was open (it closed again during further lockdowns), gym equipment was spaced six to eight feet apart. Members could book a 90- or 70-minute session to work out and numbers per session are based on provincial health requirements. After each session, the gym was disinfected with multiple electrostatic sprayers. There were no group fitness programs onsite and the change rooms were closed.

“Our students that come in are so grateful to have this,” said Nadavallil last September when the facility was open. “As a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual release for them, they have a place to come and do this. And they know it’s a safe place where people care about their well-being and safety, maintaining our protocols and making sure our environment is tip top all the time.”

The university has restricted the number of people on campus, asking people to come to campus only for essential purposes. Still some necessary services opened in September under strict protocols. Students and researchers were able to book time in the Library and the Student Learning Centre for study and research space.

Graduate students Jessica Phulchand, Malek el-Alooiti and Veronica Hislop, of the Food and Soft Materials Research Group, work in the lab at the Centre for Urban Innovation.

A female student working out in the gym with a mask on.

Working out while physically distancing at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Three residences opened in September with fewer students to allow for physical distancing. Only about 350 students—mostly first year, and far fewer than last year’s roughly 1,144 students—lived on campus in the fall term. Safety measures include a no-guest policy, a mandatory face-mask policy, closed common areas, increased cleaning protocols, and hand-sanitizer stations.

The majority of Ryerson’s classes are online, however, a few offered in-person opportunities during the fall term. For example, Image Arts held a first-year Image Arts studio class, with students coming to the Image Arts building for a six-hour class once a month.

A number of research labs on campus have opened since March, after detailed planning for how each space would adhere to public health directives. Elements of the plans include physical distancing provisions and enhanced cleaning. Building systems, facilities and services continue to support essential research activities.

Campus life carries on during the pandemic, but in a minimal way, with most activity taking place in the virtual world.