Dear DCS Undergrad Students,
Now that your courses have moved to an online format, we wanted to check in with you and let you know that we (the faculty and staff of the Department of Computer Science) are thinking of you, and hoping that you are finding ways to stay well while staying home, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged us all to do.
We know that many of you have already left Toronto for home, or are planning to travel soon, and that some of you have made the decision to stay in Toronto even though your families are somewhere else. Regardless of where you are, we wish you well and hope you stay safe.
As we have all begun working from home, we recognize that this experience can be quite challenging and isolating for many of us, even if being at home is safer. We have been sharing tips with each other about how we plan to take care of ourselves in the coming weeks, and want to share some of our advice with you. Not all of these will feel right for everyone, but we hope you find some of them valuable.
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“Make a point of connecting with other people every day. Call your family or set up a group video chat with your friends. Host a party online.” - Prof. Michelle Craig, Associate Chair, Undergraduate
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“If you have a friend who also promises not to interact with anyone else, you can create a contained circle of people to spend in-person time with.” - Prof. Marsha Chechik, Department Chair
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“Don’t be too hard on yourself if you aren’t getting much done right now. Anxiety makes it very hard to focus, and these are anxious times. And try to get your 8 hours of sleep! It's not unexpected to have a harder time falling asleep, or to be more tired than usual, but watch out for sleeping much more or much less than 8 hours.” - Prof. Jacqueline Smith
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“Schedule times when you are “at work/school” and when you are “at home”. Try your best to stick to those times. I’ve been walking to/from work every day – around the block to start and end the day.” - Prof. Jennifer Campbell
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“Schedules can be stressful, but just try to pick one thing a day that makes you happy and do that (yesterday mine was eating ice cream)” - Prof. Dave Levin, CSC418 instructor
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“Don't forget about the weekends. Just because you're home all the time doesn't mean you need to be working all of the time or every day.” - Prof. Alec Jacobson
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"Try to eat as well as you can, and stay hydrated. If you're at home for a while, it'll be tempting to snack on junk food; make sure you have some healthy snacks like your favourite fruits." - Prof. David Liu
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“Or be like me and snack on Oreos.” - Mario Badr, CSC148 instructor
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“Move your body, go outside, let the sun shine on your skin.” - Prof. Diane Horton
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“I’m determined to get outside every day and get some decent exercise.” - Prof. Karen Reid
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“If you are already missing the gym/pool/yoga studio, pick a floor exercise workout and do it every day. It really helps me manage anxiety (and burns off the Oreos!)” - Prof. Mat Zaleski
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“Do something fun every single day. Like watch movies for free through the UofT library system. You may have to turn on your UofT VPN.” - Prof. Paul Gries
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“Don’t think about what you could be missing, think about everything you can do now. That book you’ve been meaning to read, or that craft you’ve been meaning to try? Now’s the time to do it!” - Sarah Lavoie, Departmental Assistant
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“Organize activities with friends online: watch a movie together, play a game, have coffee, or maybe even cook together.” - Prof. Sasho Nikolov, CSC473 instructor
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“Stream live concerts and dance and sing along in your room. Here are some sites that are updating available concerts to keep an eye on: NPR, Billboard, Vulture” - Misha Schwartz, CSC148 Instructor
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“Call or video chat your friends and family instead of texting back and forth. It’s good to hear their voices and see their faces.” - Prof. Alán Aspuru-Guzik
We hope that you are all finding ways to be safe and well during these uncertain times, and that you are staying socially connected to the important people in your life, even while keeping physical distance between you.
We wish you all the best, and looking forward to seeing you back on campus soon.
The Faculty and Staff of the Department of Computer Science