We have continued to work closely with local public health to make sure our plans for the fall continue to support the physical and mental health of our students and employees, while ensuring that we can expand in-person experiences for everyone. In alignment with the strong recommendations of public health we have made a change to our plans for students living in our residences. This means that students who want to live in our residences this academic year must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Residence students will be required to have received their first-dose of a Health Canada recognized vaccine prior to arrival on campus and be fully vaccinated within 14 days after arrival.

For international students, please follow the guidelines on our international student page.

On August 16, 2021, McMaster announced a mandate which required all McMaster community members, including students, faculty and staff to provide proof of vaccination by October 18 to access campus or a university facility in-person. As a result, residence requires all students attending campus to submit vaccination proof through MacCheck, to be approved by the university.

If you have received either your first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccination, you are able to download and print your COVID-19 vaccination receipt(s) through the province’s website. You must have a health card to use this online portal.

As of October 21, students can also now show proof of vaccination with the enhanced vaccine certificate which is accessed through provincial websites, or the Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination, which is being rolled out in each province and territory.

Confirmation will occur in two stages.

1. Students will complete an attestation/declaration they they will comply with the vaccine requirement in the residence portal by August 13, 2021.
2. Students will then be required to show their vaccination receipt(s) at check-in in order to receive their room keys on move-in day.

Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons or other protected grounds as included in the Ontario Human Rights Code, can request an accommodation via the Residence Accommodations application starting on Tuesday, July 27.

To ensure your space in residence, please submit your request by August 13, 2021.

As per the August 16 announcement of the McMaster Vaccination mandate, students were required to submit exemption requests with McMaster by September 19, 2021.

All international students have coverage for the Covid-19 vaccine through UHIP. Please take a look at the Student Wellness Centre website for more information: https://studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca/international-students/health-insurance/

The Student Wellness Centre has great resources to help answer your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine.

https://wellness.mcmaster.ca/topics/covid-19/#tab-content-vaccine-faq

Vaccines can be accessed both on a walk-in basis or by booking an appointment at clinics across Hamilton. Individuals 12 years of age and older who are eligible to receive a first dose or second dose can get vaccinated at mobile pop-up clinics. Clinic locations and hours are available here.

You can contact the Student Wellness Centre to book a vaccine appointment at 905-525-9140 x27700.

Ontario’s new, updated guidance for university planning for fall 2021 is encouraging universities to expand their planning to include more student activities on campuses, no physical distancing, and the use of masks indoors.  As activities levels are expected to increase, McMaster has decided that students who’ve chosen to live in residences will require vaccinations this fall.

Starting on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, we will be requiring all students to attest to their agreement to secure at least their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine before arrival via the residence portal.

Once you complete this important attestation, you will be able to view your room assignment and connect with your new roommate(s)! Please complete this step by August 13, 2021 at the latest.

On move-in day you will be expected to show us your vaccine receipt or similar vaccine documentation in order to receive your residence room keys. Students who fail to provide proof of vaccination will be given 3 business days to provide us with this document for review or to receive the vaccine. Students who do not complete this requirement will be asked to leave residence.

All residence students will receive an email with important information regarding this change. Please see below for FAQs regarding this update.

Residence rooms are determined by a lottery process. All students guaranteed a space in residence who have completed the residence application by the deadline will be placed in a lottery.

1. On the residence application, you will have had the opportunity to indicate up to 3 preferred residence room types.

2. All first-year guaranteed students who have completed their application and paid their deposit by the deadline are then entered into a computerized lottery for a room assignment.

3.  After the residence lottery process on Tuesday, July 27 and your completion of the vaccine attestation step on the residence portal, you will be able to view your room assignment.

4. We will do our best to provide you with room options based on your type preferences. However, we have limited availability of certain room types and over 70% of our residence types are double rooms.

Please note that preferences will be taken into consideration but are subject to availability.
We have a very limited amount of single rooms and students who have identified only single room type preferences on their applications may not have the option to choose these spaces

Room types on-campus that can accommodation a valid roommate request for two students are:
• Suite-style
• Apartment-style (Apartment 4/6 and Apartment 2 person (Double Room))
• Any Double Occupancy Room (i.e., Double Room, Double with Access to Single-User Washroom, Double with Connected Shared Washroom).

Students may select the room types that can accommodation a roommate request on their online residence application. However, please appreciate it is a lottery process to assign students to bed spaces and you may not receive one of your top preferences. As such, please note you will most likely be assigned to a traditional double room together.

If you and a friend submit a valid roommate request by the deadline this will over-ride any request for single bed-space room types such as a Single Room, Single Room with Access to Single-User Washroom, Single Room with Ensuite Washroom, or Single with Connected Shared Washroom.

Can I live with 3 or 4 of my friends?
We will not be considering roommate requests from 3 or 4 persons for Fall 2021. You may only request one roommate request.

• In a recent provincial government announcement, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has approved lifting provincial border restrictions as of June 16, 2021.
• With this new guidance, if a student has not travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days, we will not be requiring out of province students to quarantine upon arrival to campus regardless of vaccination status.

If you have submitted a valid roommate request and your preferred roommate has also indicated you, you will be assigned the same room.

Roommate requests do not extend to single rooms with connected shared washrooms in the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning residence building.

If you and a friend submit a valid roommate request by the deadline this will over-ride any request for single bed-space room types such as a Single Room, Single Room with Access to Single-User Washroom, or Single Room with Ensuite Washroom.

After the residence lottery process on Tuesday, July 27 and your completion of the vaccine attestation step on the residence portal, you will be able to view your room assignment.

Many residence students who initially express disappointment with their building assignment find that after living in their building for a week or two, they wouldn’t want to trade residences even if given the option! Every year students remind us that it’s not the building that makes residence home, it’s the people! Students can submit a room change request via the residence application portal after room assignments are released in July.

First year students wishing to room with a friend will be placed as roommates as long as both have:

• received guaranteed residence offers
• met the residence application and deposit deadline
• ranked their preferences identically, and requested each other as roommates
• A valid roommate request WILL over-ride requests for single bed-space room types (i.e. if you have a valid roommate request, you will be assigned together; single room requests will not be considered).

If you did not get your requested roommate, then one of these requirements was not met.

You can view your roommate’s first name by visiting your application status page of the online Residence Portal. You can email a message to them by clicking on the Send Message button. Be sure to include your contact information so they can reply to you directly.