-
Via Virtual Meeting
REPORT NUMBER 47 OF THE CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
April 27, 2021
To the Campus Council,
University of Toronto Mississauga,
Your Committee reports that it held a meeting on April 27, 2021 at 3:10 p.m. via a Virtual Meeting Room.
Present:
Joseph Leydon (Chair), Robert Gerlai (Vice-Chair), Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President & Principal), Amrita Daniere (Vice-Principal Academic and Dean), Saher Fazilat (Chief Administrative Officer), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs), Nagham Abdalahad, Lee Bailey, Dario Di Censo, Claudiu Gradinaru, Adriana Grimaldi, Shelley Hawrychuk, Yuhong He, Tanya Kenesky, Ashley Monks, Hans van Monsjou, James Parker, Stephanie Santos, Laura Taylor, Anthony Wensley, Fatima Yakubi, Mitra Yakubi
Non-Voting Assessors:
Andrea Carter (UTM Assistant Dean Student Wellness, Support & Success), Tammy Cook (Executive Director, Facilities, Management & Planning)
Regrets:
Diana Aldaz, Noha Farawi, Imre Gams, Allen Lu, Brandon Nageer, Joanna Szurmak, Ryan Tomlinson, Marc Yegani
In Attendance:
Rob Messacar (Manager, Campus Police Services), Sako Khederlarian (Student Engagement Coordinator, Student Organizations and Outreach)
Secretariat:
Cindy Ferencz Hammond (Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council)
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the meeting.
- Major Capital Projects Update
The Chair reminded members that level two capital projects were those with a total project cost of between level $5 and $20 million and that level three projects were those with a total project cost over $20 million. He invited Ms. Saher Fazilat, Chief Administrative Officer, to give a presentation on the progress of these current and planned projects at UTM. Ms. Fazilat noted that as presented previously to the Committee, active engagement with the community regarding the UTM Master Plan was continuing through multiple Town Hall events that would continue until June, following which a final plan would be drafted to submit for governance consideration in the fall of 2021.
Ms. Fazilat reported that UTM was working on a total of five capital projects. She showed design renderings and expected timelines for the planned level two projects, which were the long-awaited Student Services Hub as well as a Robotics Laboratory environment. Both were in the planning stages and would be submitted for governance consideration in the fall of 2021.
Ms. Fazilat also reported on level three projects: the Science building, which was under construction, the planned Arts, Culture and Technology (ACT) building and a planned new student residence. She showed a progress picture of the Science building and noted that it was slated for occupation in early 2023. The ACT building was in the design and costing stage of planning and would enter governance consideration in early 2022, with a planned occupancy of 2025. With respect to the planned new student residence, Ms. Fazilat reported that it was planned to be a 400-bed facility and would be taking advantage of the dining amenities already existing in Oscar Peterson Hall (OPH); it would be submitted for governance approval in early 2022, with an expected completion date of fall 2024.
- Level One Capital Projects Update
The Chair reminded members that level one capital projects were those with a total project cost of less than $5 million and invited Ms. Tammy Cook, Executive Director, Facilities Management & Planning, to give an update on these projects. In her presentation, which covered renovation and infrastructure projects over two years, Ms. Cook noted that in 2019-20, there had been 17 projects totaling 5.1 million and in 2020-21, there had been 15 projects, totaling $4.1 million.
Ms. Cook showed pictures and discussed the progress of these renovation projects, including in 2019-20, research renovations for wet labs, a sleep lab, as well as classroom renovations and office renovations. In 2020-2021, projects included wet laboratory upgrades, an electrophysiology lab as well as classroom and office renovations, which included the offices of the CAO and Vice-President & Principal.
Ms. Cook also reported that infrastructure projects had represented the bulk of the work, including 17 deferred maintenance projects in 2019-20 totaling $10.8 million and 18 such projects in 2020- 21, totaling $8.1 million. She provided some examples of these projects, including roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, paving and road maintenance, elevator modernization, and upgrades related to the Central Utility Plant (CUP.
A member asked Ms. Cook to comment on what was a decrease in the total amount of funds spent on renovation projects this year and to comment on such projections for the near future. Ms. Cook explained renovations were normally allocated $4 million per year, and $11 million was set aside for infrastructure projects. She added that sometimes as more urgent needs arose, these funds could be blended together, and a small central allocation fund could also be drawn upon as needed. Professor Gillespie also explained that much of the work of the strategic planning process over the next nine months would focus on UTM’s capital space needs.
- Annual Report: Recognized Student Groups, 2020-21
The Chair noted that as required by the terms of reference, the Committee received a report on recognized student groups each year for information. Mr. Mark Overton, Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Principal, Student Services invited Sako Khederlarian, Student Engagement Coordinator, Student Organizations and Outreach, to provide highlights from this year’s report.
Mr. Khederlarian reported that compared to last year, UTM had a slight decrease in the number of recognized student groups to 120 student groups, many of whom organized engaging online virtual programs. He noted that the Student Engagement Office had supported these student groups by developing leadership and skill building sessions, including workshops on how to build teams virtually. The Office had also introduced a student group resources website, which centralized helpful information for student leaders. Mr. Khederlarian then highlighted some examples of student groups who had received funding over the past year for their virtual events.
- Revisions to the UTM Campus Council and its Committees Terms of Reference
The Chair invited Ms. Cindy Ferencz Hammond, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council to present the item. Ms. Ferencz Hammond noted that the proposed changes to the Terms of Reference resulted from a recent review undertaken by the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic and the Office of the Governing Council. The proposed changes were considered minor and were for information to this Committee. She highlighted some examples that pertained to the CAC terms of reference, as follows:
- References to relevant policies and guidelines have been added for clarity. For example, in Section 5.2 of the Campus Council (CC) terms and section 5.8.1 of the Campus Affairs Committee (CAC) TOR, when referring to the establishment, disestablishment and restructuring of academic units, a reference has been added to the Policy and Procedures for Faculty and Librarians on Academic Restructuring;
- Referring to the same section in the TOR, a footnote was added to reflect the current practice that when departments were being established, the role of the CAC would be to consider the item in concurrence with the recommendation of the UTM Academic Affairs Committee.
Ms. Ferencz Hammond noted that consultations had occurred with the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic as well as the Office of the Dean at UTM with respect to the proposed changes.
- Reports of the Presidential Assessors
The Chair invited Professor Amrita Daniere, Vice-Principal Academic & Dean to provide a report on academic continuity planning. Professor Daniere reported that UTM had been planning for fall and winter course delivery, with the assumptions that in the fall there would still be some social distancing, mask wearing, and limits on how many people could be in a space at the same time. Her office had been working with faculty members and Departments to arrive at specific plans and have asked faculty to consider how they might introduce in person teaching elements into their courses, should this be approved by the Province. She added that the Office of the Registrar now had this data and were using it to assign spaces, dates and times to every single course based on department and faculty preference. Thus far, the data for fall term indicated that approximately 65% of classes were projected to be delivered remotely, with 26% having some in-person component increasing up to 50% with in-person elements in the winter term. She added that if as it was hoped, the public health situation improved dramatically by fall, modifications had been considered and planned for to support the transition.
The Chair thanked Professor Daniere for her final report to the Committee.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 9 - Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
- Annual Report: UTM Police Services, 2019-2020
The report was received for information.
- Report on Capital Projects – as at March 31, 2021
- Report of the Previous Meeting
Report number 46, dated March 23, 2021, was approved.
- Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
- Date of Next Meeting – Monday, September 13, 2021 at 3:10 p.m.
The Chair reminded members that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for September 13, 2021.
- Other Business
The Chair recognized and acknowledged Professor Amrita Daniere, whose term as Vice-Principal Academic & Dean would come to an end on June 30, 2021 for her many contributions to governance. He noted that her many initiatives would leave a lasting and positive mark on the campus. He also thanked the assessors to the bodies for their diligence in bringing business forward for governance consideration, namely Mark Overton, Dean of Student Affairs and Saher Fazilat, CAO. He additionally thanked members who had served on the Committee over the past year and recognized those whose terms had ended. The Chair further recognized the support received from I&ITS during meetings throughout the year and thanked the Secretariat for their continued support and contributions.
Ms. Cindy Ferencz Hammond, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council, along with Amrita Daniere and Mark Overton, recognized the outgoing Chair, Professor Joe Leydon for eight years of service to governance, and formally thanked him for his many contributions. A chair was presented to Professor Leydon in recognition of exemplary service and leadership as Chair of the UTM Campus Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2021.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
April 29, 2021