Facilities and Services

'Incredible gratitude': ��˾��ֱ�� grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 15:15:50 +0000

'Incredible gratitude': ��˾��ֱ�� grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 06/04/2024 - 11:15

Cutline

Six years on from sustaining a life-altering injury, Beau Hayward is graduating with an honours bachelor of arts degree – and looking forward to beginning his master's at ��˾��ֱ�� in the fall (photo by Matthew Volpe)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Facilities and Services

Accessibility

Athletic Centre

Faculty of Arts & Science

KPE

Woodsworth College

Subheadline

"My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything as it was about building something completely new."

In the summer of 2018, Beau Hayward dived off the dock of a friend’s cottage in Sudbury, Ont., and unexpectedly struck the bottom. Face down in the water and unable to turn over, he was luckily found by a friend who was able to revive him on shore.

Beau Hayward (photo by Matthew Volpe)

But the accident changed Hayward's life. He sustained a spinal cord injury that caused him to become an incomplete quadriplegic, which means he has limited function in his upper body.

A period of profound adjustment followed that involved tirelessly working towards regaining his independence and developing a mindset to focus on what was truly important and worthy of his time and energy – which, he decided, was studying history and archaeology at the University of Toronto.

Hayward is graduating this spring with an honours bachelor of arts degree as a member of Woodsworth College. He spoke to Faculty of Arts & Science writer Sean McNeely about his experiences at ��˾��ֱ�� and pursuing what he loved:

What did you enjoy most about the history and archaeology programs?

When I began, my interest in history was very broad, albeit somewhat focused on North American and European history. The way the undergrad program is designed, you’re exposed to historical research from across the world, but there was always something about American history that held a grip on me.

The professors and TAs made all the difference throughout my undergraduate degree. I had the opportunity to take several courses taught by Assistant Professor Max Mishler who has been an inspiration and supported me throughout the past four years.

The archaeology undergraduate major is an incredible program that has so many avenues for growth. There are field schools around the world, field schools in Toronto, and opportunities to get hands-on experience inside laboratories at the university. As a student with a physical disability, there are a lot of challenges in pursuing archaeological research, but that never stopped my ��˾��ֱ�� professors and TAs who always worked with me to make sure that I was getting the most out of my experience.

Professor Michael Chazan and Hilary Duke, a postdoctoral fellow, worked with me to build my experience working with archaeological materials in the lab – that was a highlight of my university experience.

Throughout my undergrad, I’ve had the opportunity to take several courses with Hilary Duke focusing on stone tools. From early on, I felt an attachment to these artifacts. There is something special about them; they are such a tremendous part of human history and can tell us so much.

Can you share your experiences with accessibility at ��˾��ֱ��?

When I decided to go to ��˾��ֱ��, some friends were concerned that an old university would not be accessible. As it turns out, it’s incredibly accessible. Over my four years, I can think of only two instances where classrooms proved difficult for accessibility, and those issues were resolved quickly.

Additionally, the Office of Facilities & Services has a deep commitment to accessibility. I had the pleasure of providing consultations for upcoming construction projects involving accessibility.

Outside of the physical aspects of accessibility on campus, I’ve had incredible support from the university’s Accessibility Services team. Michelle Morgani has been my accessibility adviser since the beginning at Woodsworth and has been critical in my success at the university.

Everything from accommodated formats for research materials to accommodated testing services made my experience as a student with a disability seamless.

Looking back, what advice would you give your first-year self?

Spinal cord injuries take everything from you, and the journey of recovery is about regaining as much as possible. My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything [as] it was about building something completely new.

My advice to my first-year self would be to trust the process and enjoy every minute because it really does fly by.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences at ��˾��ֱ��?

As I reflect on the past five years, I cannot help but feel incredible gratitude towards the massive group of people who have helped me along the way.

I will be forever grateful for all the students and staff who work at the Athletic Centre. With their incredible support, I have been able to regain so much physical strength that has shaped my independence.

I also had the pleasure of working on the [Faculty of] Kinesiology & Physical Education’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team and developed a few programs for students with disabilities. These programs were both big and small, and created some incredible experiences that I will cherish.

What’s next for you after graduation?

I will be beginning my master’s in history [at ��˾��ֱ��] this September which I’m thrilled about. My research will be focused on the United States. I’ll be researching early 20th-century labour history, with my project specifically focused on Appalachia.

What would you say to someone considering ��˾��ֱ�� and Woodsworth College?

The staff and faculty at Woodsworth College are incredible. They are committed to their students’ success. The Academic Bridging Program was my ticket into the university and to a new life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s absolutely true. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the community at the college really is.

Not only are the staff and faculty members amazing and driven to provide every opportunity for success, but there is tremendous peer support and community at Woodsworth. To someone considering ��˾��ֱ��, and especially the Academic Bridging Program at Woodsworth College, there is a life-changing opportunity available here. Don’t let it pass you by.

��˾��ֱ�� partners with health ministry, Metrolinx to bring GO-VAXX bus to campus

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 15:15:21 +0000

��˾��ֱ�� partners with health ministry, Metrolinx to bring GO-VAXX bus to campus

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 11/08/2021 - 10:15

Cutline

The GO-VAXX bus, a mobile pop-up vaccine clinic, parked on the corner of Willcocks and St. George Streets on the St. George campus (photo by Skyler Huang)

Topic

Facilities and Services

UTogether

Vaccines

The University of Toronto has partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Metrolinx to bring a mobile vaccine clinic – housed in a GO bus – to the St. George campus.

The GO bus has been transformed into a mobile pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic that operates on a first-come, first-served basis.

The seats have been removed to create a safe and roomy environment to comfortably deliver vaccines to people who have yet to receive a first or second dose – or international students in need of a Health Canada-approved mRNA dose, also known as a “bridging dose.” GO-VAXX buses have travelled to malls, festivals, community events, and more recently, to the corner of Willcocks and St. George Streets.

“I’m thrilled to report that more than 90,500 ��˾��ֱ�� community members have uploaded their vaccination status to the university’s UCheck portal as of Nov. 1 – with 97.2 per cent reporting they are fully vaccinated and another 2.3 per cent who are on their way to full vaccination,” said Ron Saporta, chief operating officer, property services and sustainability and chair of the COVID-19 planning and re-entry advisory committee.

“Having the GO-VAXX bus on campus in such a central location has given the ��˾��ֱ�� community another convenient option to get vaccinated.”

Inside the GO-VAXX mobile pop-up clinic (photo by Jennifer Puskar)

Over the summer, ��˾��ֱ�� also hosted a vaccine clinic in the Exam Centre that administered nearly 56,000 doses, including pop-up clinics in community hot spots. That includes vaccinations provided to nearly 1,600 members of Indigenous communities. ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga was the site of a mass vaccine clinic that provided more than 335,000 doses to the local community while ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough delivered nearly 27,500 doses.

At St. George, a grounds team from ��˾��ֱ�� Facilities & Services developed a plan to accommodate the bus in the narrow space of Willcocks Street.

“We rearranged the outdoor furniture and placed planters strategically to prevent cars from parking and clogging the flow of pedestrians,” said Stan Szwagiel, manager grounds services on the St. George Campus. “It was a team effort.”

During a few visits in October and November, the GO-VAXX bus team vaccinated more than 500 community members, including providing support to international students who required a bridging dose to be considered fully vaccinated.

The GO-VAXX pop-up clinic is just one example of ��˾��ֱ��’s ongoing efforts to facilitate a safe return to in-person campus activities.

The bus is scheduled to be back on campus on Nov. 10. Details around vaccine availability, including additional dates for GO-VAXX, can be found at ��˾��ֱ��’s UTogether site.

The Discovery Pharmacy at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy also offers COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment. Information on booking an appointment can be found here.

All members of the ��˾��ֱ�� community are required to complete a health self-assessment via UCheck prior to coming to campus.

Learn more at UTogether

‘We all have a responsibility’: Meet six ��˾��ֱ�� essential staff members keeping our campuses running despite the pandemic

sungjimi — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 03:12:35 +0000

‘We all have a responsibility’: Meet six ��˾��ֱ�� essential staff members keeping our campuses running despite the pandemic sungjimi Tue, 06/02/2020 - 23:12

When the novel coronavirus forced the university to close non-essential spaces in mid-March, many staff, faculty and librarians had to adapt to remote work – sometimes while homeschooling or caregiving.

Essential staff, such as those who keep our campuses secure, clean and operational, continued to come to campus, ensuring workplaces are safe and ready to welcome everyone back once restrictions lift. In addition, residence staff and researchers have continued to come to campus to support students and conduct time-sensitive research.

“Our many essential workers are working hard to keep our facilities running,” says Ron Saporta, chief operating officer of property services and sustainability. “From responding to emergencies to fixing critical equipment to cleaning and disinfecting our physical spaces, essential staff across the university’s campuses have truly risen to the many challenges of operating during these times and adapting to new circumstances and new realities.”

The facilities and services department alone has more than 400 essential staff who continue to work on-site at the three campuses. These dedicated staff members include caretakers, tradespeople such as plumbers and electricians, building operators and engineers, property managers, fire prevention and hazardous materials specialists, switchboard operators, building patrol and campus police, recycling and waste management, campus movers, shipping and receiving and more.

In addition to maintaining the campus grounds, essential staff support on-campus residences that have remained open to house students, as well as offices and labs conducting time-sensitive or COVID-19-related research.

On any given day, hundreds of staff deliver vital services on-site and they will play a critical role in creating and supporting a safe environment once more people and activities return to campus.

Meet six essential staff members who have continued to work on campus during COVID-19.

Ryan Dow and Anastasia Shimansky: St. George Campus Police

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Ryan Dow is a staff sergeant with Campus Police (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Ryan Dow, staff sergeant of the Campus Police’s Resource Unit, says there was uneasiness among the police force when the lockdown was announced.

“When this started, we were scared. Everybody was. Nobody really understood how dangerous this virus could be,” he said. “But it came down to leadership. We all agreed to be positive instead of dwelling on the what-if scenarios and ensuring that we kept communication open to stop officer burnout.”

As staff sergeant, Dow hadn’t donned a uniform in years, but he and other police managers didn’t hesitate to wear them again in order to cover shifts for officers who had to self-isolate or had to care for their children at home. His responsibilities during the pandemic include ensuring staff have enough personal protective equipment and developing procedures to allow for physical distancing while maintaining security on campus.

Dow notes that there has been a heightened sense of unity since the pandemic began. He emphasizes the dedication of the officers and says this is something that he attributes to the university culture – one which is inclusive, approachable and supportive.

“We have each other’s backs to keep this university safe,” says Dow.

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Anastasia Shimansky is a special constable with Campus Police (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Special Constable Anastasia Shimansky echoed Dow’s initial feelings of uncertainty but adds that she has found that we are all resilient.

“The new lifestyle we’ve had to live for the last couple of months is difficult and unusual. But we’ve learned that it is doable and we can do it,” she says. “But I know it’s not easy for everyone.”

Shimansky says with less activity on campus, people have been more open about approaching the officers with questions or asking for support.

“It’s important now, more than ever, for us to be a physical presence that can provide a sense of security and comfort for the people who are still on campus,” she says.

Tarun Patel: ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga Building Operations, lead hand engineer

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Tarun Patel, a lead hand engineer, monitors the building automation system in the Central Utilities Plant at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The job of a building engineer involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work. For the last 20 years, Tarun Patel, a lead hand engineer, has been helping to maintain the heating, ventilation and cooling systems – among other responsibilities – of the 29 properties on the ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga campus.

As the team of 15 engineers manages major changes to their work as a result of the pandemic, such as staggering shifts to accommodate physical distancing, they must also manage regular yearly challenges such as the switch from heating to cooling as warmer weather approaches.

“This changeover season is a busy one,” he says. “Some of our staff members are immunocompromised so they’re in self-isolation. We’re a bit short-staffed but we’re doing our best to keep everyone comfortable, especially in the spaces where researchers are still coming in.”

Patel notes that with a smaller crew, he’s been grateful to see upper management take a hands-on approach.

“They could be working from home, but they come in every day to help us manage the load,” he says. “Everybody was anxious when the lockdown began, but our managers have always supported us from the beginning. They told us to take care of ourselves first and have provided us with extra sanitizing supplies and PPE.”

Patel says he feels less anxious now. With strict distancing and sanitizing protocols in place, plus fewer people on campus in general, he says he feels comfortable going into work.

Kwame Bloomfield: ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough Facility Operations, assistant manager

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Kwame Bloomfield, an assistant manager with ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough Facility Operations, labels supplies (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

A largely empty campus isn’t new for Kwame Bloomfield. As the night supervisor overseeing trades on the ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough campus, he usually doesn’t see much of the typical campus hustle and bustle. But he says things feel different now.

“It feels a bit eerie,” he says. “Not because campus is empty, but the reason behind it.”

Now that he’s working day shifts, Bloomfield says he feels reassured to see an empty campus, knowing that people are adhering to shelter-in-place orders.

Bloomfield and his team of caretakers and tradespeople have increased their disinfecting protocols to go over each area multiple times in a day. They have also increased the number of hand sanitizer stations by 40 per cent and have ensured disinfecting wipes are available to essential staff.
He says keeping these spaces safe for university leaders, students, staff and researchers is important, but the impact goes beyond the campus.

��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough has opened up space on campus to the disaster relief organization GlobalMedic, which is organizing food distribution to those in need in the community.

“We’re also cleaning and maintaining the space that GlobalMedic is using, so that they can continue to operate and reach those people,” Bloomfield says.

According to Bloomfield, a large part of why his job is rewarding is because he can see the impact it makes. “There’s a special sense of appreciation at ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough – there always was,” he says. “It’s part of what makes it such a nice place to work.”

“Nowadays, everyone is thinking about everyone else’s health, even in the way they sign off on emails. There’s a lot of well-wishing and checking in on health. It’s unusual, but it’s welcome.”

Matthew Malcolm: ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga Stores/Shipping & Receiving, supervisor

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Matthew Malcolm, supervisor at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga Stores, hauls in a shipment (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

When Matthew Malcolm first heard news of a potential lockdown, he started to think ahead. As the supervisor of shipping, receiving and stores at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, he knew he had to stock up on supplies for researchers and other essential staff who needed them.

With many workplaces shutting down, some courier companies assumed that shipping and receiving on campus was closed and diverted supplies back to their warehouse.

“Not only was I finding alternate suppliers for our stock, but I had to contact all our couriers to let them know that we were open and accepting packages,” he says.

Malcolm, a 25-year veteran ��˾��ֱ�� staff member, knows that undelivered shipments could make a big impact on research.

“We have to ensure that we have enough supplies for researchers to reopen their labs with minimal disruption once it’s safe to do so. Being designated as ‘critical staff’ means it’s my job to make sure all of this is taken care of,” he says.

Like many, Malcolm felt a sense of uncertainty at the start of the pandemic. “It’s only natural,” he says. “But I think I’ve adjusted fairly easily and now, the out-of-the-ordinary has become ordinary.”

Stanley Czerniec: St. George campus, lead hand caretaker

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Stanley Czerniak, a lead hand caretaker, poses with a new sterilizing gun that the caretaking team has recently begun using (photo by Johnny Guatto)

In his 35 years of working at ��˾��ֱ�� as a caretaker on the St. George campus, Stanley Czerniak says the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything he’s experienced. But despite some concerns expressed by his family and neighbours, he isn’t worried.

“If you have work to do, then you have to go to work,” he says. “We all have a lot of responsibility to take care of these buildings.”

He says it was a bit of shock when the campus became mostly vacant before the end of the spring semester, but he and his fellow caretakers quickly adjusted by implementing stricter disinfecting processes and using a new sterilizing gun. The caretaking staff have completed 3,400 projects in 75 buildings on the St. George campus, including deep cleanings and making necessary updates to lightbulbs and lamps in every room.

“I like that it’s a little quieter on campus because we’ve been able to be more productive, but I hope that this virus goes away soon and things go back to normal,” he says. “Whatever that may be.”

‘We all have a responsibility’: Meet six ��˾��ֱ�� essential staff members keeping our campuses running despite the pandemic

Building operations team member Genene Assefa checks on generator room equipment in the Central Utilities Plant at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Jenny Rodrigues

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