Students back at Okanagan College

• Okanagan College campus is fully open
• Safety measures still in place
• Off-site learning options available

Students at Okanagan College are finally back to in-person learning and according to an official, the vibes on campus are tremendous.

After over a year of hard work and anticipation, students are ready to start learning in-person again. With the BC Vaccine Card being implemented as of Monday and larger groups of people being allowed into indoor spaces, students and staff are back on campus.

Tyler Finley, the Interim Director of Public Affairs, said that although the college was able to remain open throughout COVID, most classes were moved to online until the current semester started in September.

“It’s safe to say that people are thrilled to be back in class, to have that interaction again, to be around their peers academically and socially,” Finley told Kelowna10.

Okanagan College prides itself on having a tight-knit community with smaller class sizes, so they are glad students can begin building relationships with each other and their instructors once again in a safe manner.

“To start to engage in things like some cultural events on campus again, even if they’re delivered in a hybrid way… to be able to do so socially and to have that fabric of our learning community back together again has been tremendous,” Finley said.

Okanagan College still has some distance learning options for students who have anxiety around the pandemic and for those who are still seeking to move to the Okanagan.

They are also careful to follow the Provincial Health Office (PHO) guidelines as students come back to in-person learning. COVID safety protocols are in place and masks must be worn when entering the interior of any building. Okanagan College recommends staff and students get vaccinated, stay home when feeling ill, and practice social distancing when they can.

Domestically, enrollment is starting to get closer to how it was in 2019 before the pandemic hit, Finley said, but they haven’t quite reached the same number yet. As for international students, there has been a downturn due to current COVID restrictions. However, they hope to have more students joining the college from around the globe starting in January.