The SFSS is continuously reviewing and monitoring the COVID-19 situation, and we are currently available to support students virtually. Please view the services that have been modified to be more accessible for our members.
This situation is continually evolving and may impact the operations below. Check back regularly for the latest updates.
For general inquiries and additional questions, please contact the SFSS Student Centre (studentcentre@sfss.ca).
Club approvals will be done as usual:
Locker administration at this time will be put on hold. The locker renewals and turnover that typically happen in April/May will be put on hold until the SFSS returns to regular operations. Existing locker holders will retain their lockers until this time.
Due to increased incidents and concerns over locker and common room thefts at Burnaby campus during this isolation period, we would like to remind you to secure your valuables and take the appropriate steps to verify missing items.
If it is safe for you to do so, we recommend removing valuable items from your locker. If you choose to enter campus spaces, please adhere to social distancing guidelines (ex. limit close contact with others, on transit and on campus). We should keep about two meters from one another when we can when outside our homes.
If your locker is located in the MBC, please note that starting Friday, April 3, 2020 the MBC will be closed the following times:
Locker owners are welcome to contact security (at 778-782-7991) to verify the items missing. If any items of value were taken or personal information is at risk they should be encouraged to file a RCMP report at 604-646-9999 and ask for the reporting desk.
Going forward, student groups who have money approved in their grants for gift cards (as prizes or speaker gifts) need to have a Gift Card Receipt Form completed, and must submit it with their Cheque Requisition forms in order to get reimbursed.
The top portion of the form must be filled out by the person receiving the gift card, and the bottom portion of the form must be filled out by the club or student union executive who is distributing the gift card. One form should be filled out for each gift card received. If a recipient gets two gift cards, they should fill out two separate forms.
Effective April 1, 2020 until further notice
While the SFSS operates virtually, cheque requisitions from vendors, clubs and student unions must be submitted via email as there is no drop-off option available. For expenses prior to April 30, 2020, cheque requisitions are to be completed and submitted before May 4, 2020.
Reminders:
Procedures:
Failure to follow the guidelines may result in the delay of processing payments.
*Note: Please hold onto the original receipts, invoices and documents that are submitted with the Cheque Requisition Forms for 2 years. The originals may be helpful in the event the scanned copies are not clear, and need to be presented at a later date. The receipts may also need to be presented upon the request of the SFSS Finance Coordinators and or external auditors.
At the time the items and categories to be approved will be reviewed on a month to month basis and will be in line with the government recommendations regarding COVID-19 best practices at that time. We are unable to approve any retroactive purchases (purchased before the grant was approved).
Other Funding:
Clubs Resource Funding and Petty Cash:
Student Unions and Groups Core Funding:
About the Program:
This program is for EMERGENCY NEED of food only. Please complete the form only if hunger is a pressing issue (to maintain food funds). This is a valuable and essential service to students, from students, and is intended to serve as an online food bank. Please consider modified grocery store hours during this time, and remember to practice safety measures to aid in the battle against COVID-19. Additionally, attempt to visit as infrequently as possible without resorting to hoarding behaviour.
This food bank service is open for SFU Undergraduate students and FIC students ONLY. SFU Graduate Students are not eligible for this program.
To promote the safety of students and staff and to adhere to social distancing guidelines, we have made some changes to how food vouchers will be distributed. Starting April 6, 2020 all food vouchers will be mailed out to your home address. You will not be able to pick them up from SFU Campuses. Please make sure to provide your full information in this form; otherwise we will not be able to process your request.
For the Spring 2020 Semester, you will only need to make ONE request. You will be given a one-time lump sum. You will not be able to make any more requests for the rest of the semester. Please fill out the websurvey here: http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/371353491
If you are in need, you can also refer to Embark’s Food Rescue Program at Burnaby campus. Embark collects healthy yet imperfect-looking produce that does not meet the selling criteria of supermarket chains and redistributes it to the university community for free or by donation. Food is collected from Nesters Market and distributed at SFU Burnaby at Embark’s Learning Garden, on the south side of TASC1.
If hunger remains an issue for you, please contact your local food bank in the meantime. You can visit https://foodbank.bc.ca/find-food/locations/ to find a food bank that will be able to assist you.
We are proceeding with legal clinic meetings by phone during the regular scheduled times. Please email the Student Centre (studentcentre@sfss.ca) to book an appointment.
In the past year, the SFSS and Studentcare have worked closely in supporting the physical and mental wellness of SFSS members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Student Opt-Outs
In response to the unique challenges facing SFSS members who are international students in the 2020-21 academic year, Studentcare created a flexible, additional change-of-coverage period specifically for international students in order to give them the opportunity to make the best decision for their personal circumstances under evolving travel restrictions and institutional policies regarding online courses. This exceptional, retroactive opt-out is available to international students who:
To make the opt-out process easier this year, the criteria for what constitutes acceptable proof of coverage has been expanded to include documentation of international student status, such as study permits.
Enhanced Travel Plan
As of Sept. 1, 2020, Studentcare and the SFSS worked together to increase the travel coverage maximum of $5,000,000 and ensure it applied to COVID-19-related medical expenses for travelers (under the age of 50), even during a Level Three Travel Advisory (“avoid non-essential travel”) issued by the Government of Canada. This was the first of its kind in student health plans in Canada.
Trip Interruption coverage has increased from $5,000 to $7,500 and now includes trip interruption or delay due to:
Trip Cancellation coverage has been increased from $1,500 to $3,000 and now includes cancellation due to a Level Three Travel Advisory (“avoid non-essential travel”), or a change from a Level Three Travel Advisory related to COVID-19 to a Level Four Travel Advisory (“avoid all travel”), issued by the Government of Canada for your destination after the trip is booked.
Psycho-educational Assessments
Starting Spring of 2021, SFSS Health Plan members, can received 80% up to $3,000 reimbursement for the cost of a psychoeducational assessment. The benefit can also be claimed retroactively to Jan 1, 2021.
This unique support is a combination of coverage available under the Psychology benefit ($500) and a top up funded by the SFSS Health & Dental Reserve Fund. The SFSS is one of only 2 student societies currently providing this benefit, in conjunction with Studentcare and Pacific Blue Cross. Psycho-educational Assessments are used to diagnose learning disabilities, intellectual delays, ADHD, among other conditions. The goal of this assessment is to test the cognitive, learning, and behavioral functioning of a person that is not captured in a standardized testing and examination formats conducted at academic institutions. Students with disabilities may register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) to request for class and exam accommodations with the appropriate Assessment documentation.
Update as of January 2021:
If you’re an eligible student who received a U-Pass BC in January, you will be automatically provided your U-Pass BC for February onto the same Compass card. No further action is required.
If you’re an eligible student and did not receive your U-Pass BC by January 31st, please contact Compass Customer Service at 604-398-2042 or email at compasscard.ca
For validation purposes you will need to provide your full Compass Card, Student ID and the name of the School you attend.
Please be sure to have your Compass Card and Student ID numbers ready.
Update as of December 2020:
Students’ access to TransLink’s U-Pass BC account currently remains unavailable. If you loaded a U-Pass BC to your account in November, TransLInk has manually loaded a U-Pass BC for December. If a student’s U-Pass BC has not been loaded to their account for December, students are asked to contact Compass Customer Service.
If you have any questions or problems setting up your U-Pass BC, please contact the SFU U-Pass BC office at upass@sfu.ca or 778.782.6930.
