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Cisco AnyConnect - Empower your employees to work from anywhere, on company laptops or personal mobile devices, at any time. AnyConnect simplifies secure endpoint access and provides the security necessary to help keep your organization safe and protected. Follow the instructions below to configure Windows 7/8/10 to connect to UBC's myVPN service. The myVPN service uses the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client 4.6. If you have already gone through the setup, see the Connecting to myVPN section. To go directly to the myVPN website, go to https://myvpn.ubc.ca.

Last updated: December 22, 2020

Along with the rest of UBC, Student Housing and Community Services continues to respond to the global progression of the COVID-19 virus. This page includes our current and ongoing response to this extraordinary situation and our efforts to protect the health and safety of our communities.

Our first priority is to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 by caring for our staff and for the communities we serve. We are committed to continuing to provide services and amenities that help create a healthy, safe and supportive community environment to the very best of our abilities.

SHCS staff can visit this page for regularly-updated information and for valuable resources and support. We strongly encourage you to also stay updated on UBC’s overall response at ubc.ca. Thank you for your continued dedication and professionalism.

Information, updates and resources for you

UBC-wide

→ ubc.ca: UBC-wide information, updates and resources.
→ hr.ubc.ca: Information and resources for managing/supervising and working during COVID-19.
→ vpstudents.ubc.ca: Additional information and resources for members of the Vice-President, Students (VPS) portfolio, which includes all SHCS staff.

For SHCS staff (on this page)

→ Departmental updates for SHCS
→ SHCS workspace safety plans
→ Resources for remote workers
→ Wellbeing tips

Andrew’s Updates

Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, Student Housing and Community Services, will continue to provide regular updates to SHCS staff about COVID-19, its impacts to SHCS operations and how we are responding.

Read Andrew's Updates

Read Andrew’s most recent updates to SHCS staff.

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December 2020

November 2020

Departmental Updates for SHCS

Find out about how each of the SHCS departments is responding to COVID-19.

Student Housing

Student residences remain open on both campuses, except for Totem Park and Place Vanier on the Vancouver campus.

Strong encouragement (and detailed instructions) to maintain physical distancing, core (social) bubbles, and enact enhanced cleaning/hygiene protocols are being regularly communicated to all residents.

Enhanced cleaning and sanitizing is ongoing. Units suitable for self-isolation have been set aside. Instructional flyers are available for these units and include resources and recommendations as well as information from the BCCDC for people who have been tested for COVID-19 and then directed to self-isolate.

For the most up-to-date information and to learn more about how UBC Student Housing is responding to COVID-19 on the Vancouver Housing and Okanagan Housing websites.

Fees

Of note, monthly residence fees for students in Year Round and Student Family Housing will remain at 2019-20 rates until further notice. Each month, students will see a charge for the full 2020-21 monthly amount, minus the difference between this year’s and last year’s fees. (i.e., May 1 Fee: $1,200; Freeze Credit: -$50; Balance Owing: $1,150.)

Self-isolation

Many students will need to self-isolate, whether they are travelling to UBC from abroad, have been directed to self-isolate due to contact or as a result of symptoms.

While some students in some situations are able to self-isolate in their current residence room, UBC and SHCS are offering a variety of self-isolation options for others, along with self-care resources for all.

Learn more about the self-isolation options and resources UBC and SHCS are offering on both our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Food Services

VANCOUVER

Residence Dining

Currently, Feast and Gather are closed. Open Kitchen and Hero are open for Orchard Commons residents only.

Retail

View COVID-related updates and FAQs for customers.

Restaurants & Catering

Sage Restaurant and Catering, Ideas Lounge,and Scholar’s Catering are closed until further notice.

OKANAGAN

Find out what’s open on-campus at UBC Okanagan Food Services.

View COVID-related updates and FAQs for customers.

Parking

UBC Parking Rates

UBC Parking reinstated hourly parking rates effective May 4. If you have a permit, there are no changes. You can continue to park for free in the locations your permit allows.

If you don’t have a permit and wish to park at UBC, you are now be required to pay for parking. Please pay at the nearest meter or from your phone via the HONK payment app.

For permit holders requiring a refund, we will continue to process refunded permits at the end of the month

Bookstore

The UBC Bookstore Vancouver and Okanagan locations are now open Monday to Friday. View hours.

The bookstore will be practicing enhanced safety practices including:

• controlled one-way entry and exit locations
• strict customer capacity
• hand sanitization dispensers placed throughout the store
• sneeze and cough guards at the cash registers.

Learn more about UBC Bookstore’s COVID-19 safety precautions.

Child Care

Beginning June 2020, Child Care Services (CCS) is now providing care for Tiers 1 & 2 essential service families, which includes faculty and other educators.

Please visit UBC Child Care Services for the most up-to-date info on how CCS is responding to COVID-19.

Campus Mail

Campus Mail is offering on-site pick up from 8 am-3:30 pm at their Vancouver location for mail and parcels that they are unable to deliver due to ongoing building closures, etc.

Conferences & Accommodation

Conferences

C&A staff are working hard to support clients who have had to cancel conferences, camps, workshops and events – and they are doing a great job re-booking many of these clients for summer 2021 or 2022.

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Accommodation

West Coast Suites remains open to hotel guests.

Read more about how C&A is responding to COVID-19 and its updated cancellation policy.

Resources for Remote Workers

Effective April 28, 2020: UBC has officially extended Remote Work Arrangements until further notice. Sharp port devices driver download.

We recognize that you will have varying levels of work to be done. Many of you provide support to facilities that will not be operating during this time, while others will be scrambling to stay ahead of the workload.

UBC IT has a helpful guide for working off campus, and here are a few resources specific to the current environment.

UBC Finance has provided additional information related to ergonomics, loaned equipment, and financial questions.

Connecting to Your Desktop Remotely

SHCS staff at UBC Vancouver and Okanagan can log onto their UBC desktops and access shared drives remotely.

Step 1: Download Two Pieces of Software

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client (the program that runs the UBC VPN)

1. Browse to myvpn.ubc.ca
2. Log in using your CWL credentials
3. Follow the prompts to download and install Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

VMware Horizon Clients (the remote desktop software)

1. Browse to my.vmware.com
2. Download and install the version of VMware Horizon Clients that is compatible with your home computer

Step 2: Connect to Your Remote Desktop

Connect to the UBC VPN

1. Open Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
2. Select a server (myvpn.ubc.ca or myvpn2.ubc.ca)
3. Log in using your CWL credentials
4. Once connected, leave Cisco AnyConnect running in the background

Connect to your remote desktop

1. Open VMware Horizon Clients
2. Type “vdi.housing.ubc.ca” in the connection server field
3. Type your username and password (the same ones you use to log onto your computer at work)
4. If there is a domain field, enter “Housing”

Step 3: Disconnect When You Are Done

Given that UBC’s VPN servers are working at maximum capacity right now, please:

• Disconnect from the VPN when you do not need it for work
• Avoid streaming videos and music while you have the VPN running

Troubleshooting

• The VPN must always be connected before attempting to connect via VMware
• If you are unable to connect to the VPN, try selecting a different server because it may be overloaded (myvpn.ubc.ca or myvpn2.ubc.ca)
• If you are still unable to connect or receive an error message, please contact Sam Pat at sam.pat@ubc.ca or Aaron Ng at aaron.ng@ubc.ca.

Video Conferencing

UBC has several video conferencing accounts staff can take advantage of while working remotely:

If any staff from your unit want to use Skype for Business or Zoom for virtual meeting, UBC IT asks that you compile all your contact information (full name, department, email) in one list and submit it to the AV HelpDesk at av.helpdesk@ubc.ca.

SHCS COVID-19 Workspace Safety Plans

Additional SHCS COVID-19 Safety Plans

Student Housing: For the SHCS Residence Commonsblock COVID-19 Safety Plan (Vancouver), please refer to the Vancouver Student Housing COVID-19 web page.

Food Services: For the SHCS Food Services COVID-19 Safety Plan (Vancouver), please refer to the UBC Food Services COVID-19 web page.

Conferences and Accommodation: For the Conferences and Accommodation COVID-19 Safety Plan, please refer to the C&A COVID-19 web page.

UBC Bookstore: For the UBC Bookstore and Corner Store COVID-19 Safety Plans, please visit the UBC Bookstore COVID-19 web page.

Child Care Services: For the Child Care Services COVID-19 Safety Plan, please refer to the News section on the homepage of the UBC Child Care Services website.

Parking and Access: For the Parking and Access COVID-19 Safety Plans, please visit UBC Parking Help & Support and filter for COVID-19. Alternatively, here are direct links for the Access Desk Safety Plan and the Enforcement Safety Plan.

COVID-19 Creative Materials Toolkit

The SHCS Marcom Team has created a wide variety of materials, including posters, signage, floor decals and more. Themes include physical distancing, cleaning/hygiene, closure signage, elevator protocol and wellbeing. We’ve packaged everything up for you and you can download the package, and included all final art files. Feel free to help yourself, and alter to suit your needs, however we do recommend that you stick with the existing colours and fonts to maintain the integrity of the design. You can replace our logo with your own. We’re sharing these materials across UBC and others who are interested can also repurpose these materials for their own unique needs.

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Note that these files are from spring 2020 and messaging may need to be updated, but we want these files to remain available for your use.

Wellbeing Tips

During this time, it is so important that you take time to care for yourselves and your families. To that end Melissa Baker, our Nutrition & Wellbeing Manager, and Jen Dowdeswell, Organizational Development & Learning Manager have shared some simple but effective tips you can put into practice and remind you of UBC-specific resources to support you and your family and colleagues.

Benefits spotlight

Therapist-assisted Digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): An evidence-based and effective form of psychotherapy for individuals experiencing mental health concerns, which is covered by your UBC Extended Health Benefits. Learn more >

30-Day Online Mindfulness Challenge: Ongoing until mid-May! Join in any Tuesday. Learn more >

Benefits Support for Staff and Your Families

• UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program – Your EFAP provides immediate and confidential assistance for any work, health or life concern. Visit www.workhealthlife.com for more information (search UBC Vancouver Campus.)
• UBC Benefits – These include $2,500/person/year, for you and eligible dependents, for counselling and psychological support services, including licensed psychologists, social workers or registered clinical counsellors. No doctors note is needed and fees are reimbursed 100% (based on a reasonable and customary charge).

Physical Wellbeing

• Find a comfortable space to work. The UBC ergonomics resources page or this recent article written by UBC’s ergonomist, Abigail Overduin about staying comfortable and preventing injury when working from home can support you in setting up a space. We also recognize that it may be hard to have a designated space to work from, other than the kitchen table etc. You could consider setting up agreements with your significant other/older kids/roommates that when the door is shut (or headphones are on) they don’t bother you but you’ll come out at least a few times a day to hang out while you take a break.
• Don’t forget to move! Get up and move every hour. If you have phone calls that don’t require video, stand up and pace or walk. Stretch and remember your posture. Here are 10 stretches you can do.
• Create a routine. Treat it as you would if you were going to the office. Have a start time, and an end time. Take a lunch break – consider getting some fresh air. It is essential to your wellbeing that you are able to create a separation from when you are working, to simply being at home. The more you can structure this, the better you will be at getting your work done during the day, and then relaxing at the end of the day.
• Listen to music. Listening to background music can be very helpful, especially if you are not in the house alone. Spotify and other music providers often offer music with the theme of “Focus.” Here’s an Entrepreneur article that explains why.

Social Wellbeing

• Connect with your colleagues. It will be weird to not see them every day. Consider creating a group chat on Whatsapp or other platform to check in at the beginning and end of the day. See how you can help each other, and also to help keep spirits up.
• Connect with your friends and family. This is an unprecedented opportunity to connect more closely with the people we care about, whether it’s spending quality time together in person or catching up over video chat.

Emotional Wellbeing

• Self-Care is an important part of building resilience to challenges like the current COVID-19 outbreak. We’ve put together a handy worksheet with ideas and questions to help you create your own self-care strategy.
• Specific to the current situtation, here’s a great presentation from Morneau Shepell emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Helpful Resources

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Working from home with kids

Training to master remote work (you’ll need a LinkedIn account to see these resources)

Some USC online services require access through on-campus USC Secure Wireless or a wired network connection. USC offers Virtual Private Networking (VPN) to provide secure remote access to these services when you are off-campus. Use AnyConnect VPN if you are away from the USC campus and are unable to connect to services. Additionally, you must use AnyConnect VPN to access internal USC systems handling confidential or sensitive data, such as Student Information Systems (SIS), and file servers for specific schools and departments.

Please be aware that you DO NOT need to use AnyConnect VPN when accessing Blackboard, Zoom, Workday, ServiceNow, Microsoft Office 365 or Google Apps at USC.

Examples of Applications that Require AnyConnect VPN

• Pitchbook – Marshall
• Business Intelligence – Kuali
• Remote Desktop Access
• MyAccess
• Student Information System (SIS)
• Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC)

How Do I Connect to VPN?

• Faculty/Non-IT Staff and Students: Use AnyConnect VPN using the following address: vpn.usc.edu. Duo Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is required.
• IT Employees/SIS Users: Use AnyConnect VPN using the following address: connect.usc.edu. Duo 2FA is required.

NOTE: For detailed Cisco AnyConnect VPN client installation instructions for Mac and Windows and Frequently Asked Questions, refer to the resources listed in the right panel.

Existing VPN URLs

The following URLs are supported via AnyConnect VPN:

• connect.usc.edu
• sslvpn.usc.edu
• vpn.usc.edu

Where Do I Go for Help?

If you need help setting up AnyConnect VPN, please contact the ITS Customer Support Center.

If you have questions regarding confidential data protection, please email infosecgrm@usc.edu.