Laurier is making daily decisions and service adjustments to contain the spread of COVID-19. Our goal is to keep the Laurier community informed of these updates in a timely and accurate manner. Visit the wlu.ca/coronavirus website for the latest information and the Remote Learning Student Hub site for academic, mental health and social supports.

We’re collecting stories of sharing, helping and kindness submitted by members of university community. Share your stories by emailing cpam@wlu.ca or tag Laurier in your social media posts.

May 14 key updates:

The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB): The Government of Canada recently announced a $9 billion fund to provide financial support to students and recent graduates during the summer, help them continue their studies in the fall, and help many get the experience they need to start their careers. Among the measures included in this framework is the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) which will be delivered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Applications for the CESB will open Friday, May 15, 2020.

To get ready to apply, the CRA encourages eligible students to take three important steps:

• Step 1: Register a profile with the CRA. If you have never filed an income tax return with the CRA, you may not have a profile. Call 1.800.959.8281 to activate your SIN with the CRA.
• Step 2: Register for My Account as this is the fastest and easiest way to apply for the benefit.
• Step 3: Enrol for Direct Deposit with the CRA through My Account or your financial institution to get your CESB within 3 days of applying. Alternatively, you must ensure your mailing information is up-to-date in My Account to receive a cheque by mail within 10 business days.

Reminders:

Zoom software update required before May 31: To continue to participate in Zoom meetings and classes, members of the Laurier community are required to update your Zoom software to the latest available version before May 31. The update provides increased security features and encryption to help keep our community and our data safe.

To update your client, start the Zoom application on your computer, hover over your icon in the top right and click once, then click on Check for Updates. If there is a newer version of Zoom available it will download and install. For further instructions, visit Zoom’s help page.

Option to Convert Winter 2020 Grades to Credit or Withdrawal: The CR/WD grade selection form will be available to students for Winter 2020 grades beginning May 20 at 8:30 a.m. and will close June 3 at 4:30 p.m. More details about the selection process are posted to the enrolment services website. For more information, read the FAQs and the original CR/WD notice.