A new academic year has arrived for our college and university, and compared to this time last year, our Saskatoon campus is bustling with more of the usual fall activity. Of course, this is still a different type of start to an academic year for us, as we continue to look after each other’s safety and manage the challenges of the pandemic.

Wherever you are located in our sunny province, I welcome you back and hope the year is getting off to a better, more normal start for you! For medical learners, the return for this academic year was a while ago—at the beginning of July for residents and about a month ago for medical doctor students. Graduate students and researchers are back in the lab and on campus. Some professors are back in the classroom while others continue to deliver lectures remotely, and medical students in Years 1 and 2 are on campus in Saskatoon and in Regina based at the Regina General Hospital. Some members of our staff and academic leadership continue to work remotely with plans to gradually return to campus we believe by January.

I do want to extend a special welcome to all new learners—our first-year medical students, first-year residents, and all new grad students. We are so happy to have you join (or continue) as part of the CoM team!

I don’t want to make light of the challenges we are all experiencing, in different locations and in different ways. I do want to send my encouragement and thanks to each of you, whether you are having to pass through protesters as you enter a medical facility, finding campus life while still under the pandemic requirements challenging, still managing remote work alongside home life, as well as the many other day-to-day changes we need to continue with to be safe and keep one another safe.

A quick reminder: ensure that you provide your vaccination status to USask as required for campus access. It’s a quick and easy online process in PAWS under the Vaccine Status menu item.

Finally, let’s all continue to support one another and be kind.