It was the culmination of years of hard work. For the last few weeks, Family Relations and Human Development student Angela Underhill had been waiting to hear back from the University of Guelph ethics board for the go-ahead to start her PhD research – the last phase of her doctoral program. Angela was planning on using arts-based workshops and in-person interviews to investigate access to fertility care. Now, approval had been given. She could put her plan into action. If everything went smoothly, in just over a year’s time she would be walking across the platform at convocation, receiving her doctoral degree.

Things did not go smoothly.

A few days after receiving approval, life as Angela knew it came to a grinding halt as Canada and most of the world was engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The University along with the rest of the country was locked down – all research was suspended until further notice.

The next few months, Canadians would wade through the hard decisions of what was essential and what was not, of how to carry on with life while still taking measures to stop the spread of the virus.

For many graduate and post-doctoral students, this meant adapting their research to new guidelines set by the University and the province. For some, it meant changing the trajectory of their research completely.

“It became evident very quickly that I may end up addressing an entirely different problem,” said Angela. “Fertility care was closed, which meant there was, at least temporarily, no access for anyone. All this to say, my length of study was drastically increased as I reimagined my research question, approach and ethical measures."

Realizing that there would be an added financial burden on students as they made necessary adjustments, the College established the COVID-19 Delay Assistance Program ­– co-funded by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The program provided up to $5,500 for graduate students whose research had been affected or delayed because of the pandemic.

“As a student who has largely put myself through school, this extended timeline (past my scholarship and guaranteed funding) was an intense stressor during a time of global change,” said Angela. “Receiving the COVID-19 Delay Assistance allowed me to cover my extended program stay and gave me time to ensure my research was still meaningful to my participants and healthcare systems – and to make sure it was completed."

Now that vaccines are being rolled out and an end to the pandemic may be in sight, much of the original activities being carried out at the University have begun to resume. However, the College was happy to be able to provide the COVID-19 Delay Assistance Program and help its students through the difficult pandemic period. This program was made possible because of donations made to the CSAHS Student Assistance Fund. These donations allowed the College to pivot quickly and provide this extra financial support.

Angela is currently drafting the analysis of her research. It will take a little longer than she had planned to finish her PhD, but she is looking forward to publishing the results of her study and completing the final step of her academic journey – as long as things go smoothly.

To learn more about ways to support students like Angela, please visit the Alumni Affairs and Development giving page [1].