By Sam Arseneau
Photo via Forbes.com
2020 was a whirlwind around the world, but here are some of the key events that happened at UPEI during the year.
January
After the tragic death of UPEI recent graduate Khaled Rezaei in January, the UPEI Student Union unanimously decided to implement a one-year grant in his memory. The $1000 Khaled Rezaei Memorial Grant was approved as well as a $250 donation to Rezaei’s celebration of life service.
February
UPEI Women’s Basketball team took on the AUS championships after a strong season. The championships in Halifax were good to the UPEI team as they took home the win.
March
Coronavirus entered Canada, though PEI was at low risk the province was at high alert. In the middle of the month, sports events were cancelled and classes were moved online.
April
All events at UPEI remained cancelled and plans for convocation ceremonies were no different.
May
Charlottetown city council gave approval to the new UPEI nine-storey residence building. UPEI and the province teamed up to make the large $60 million project happen.
June
UPEI decided to cancel all sports season’s due to the coronavirus pandemic.
July
UPEI and UPEISU agreed to eliminate some expenses for students, such as the e-learning fee, ability to opt-out of on-campus resources if not in the province.
August
UPEI announced NSO 2020 would be a virtual series of events.
September
UPEI announced that the 2021 Winter semester would be held entirely online, similar to the Fall 2020 semester.
October
UPEISU hosted in-person Halloween themed events while abiding by the health guidelines.
November
Two UPEI alumni came together to create an online event for students regarding financial wellness.
December
UPEISU welcomed a new President, Tolulope Oginni, following the resignation of their President, Brian Affouan.
Despite all the negatives of 2020, there were also many positives that came from the year. We are hoping 2021 will bring some more positives to everyone.