REPORT NUMBER 247 OF THE UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS BOARD
WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025
To the Governing Council,
University of Toronto,
Your Board reports that it held a meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 with the following members present:
PRESENT: Geeta Yadav (Chair), Sandy Welsh (Vice-Provost, Students), David Newman (Executive Director, Student Experience)*, Amanda Bartley*, Luca Calabretta*, Spencer Craddock, Ramy Elitzur*, Fatima Formuli*, Ankita Goyat*, Audrey Karlinsky*, Jihan Khatib*, David Kim, Rachel Leggett*, Avi Hyman, Cameron Miranda-Radbord, Arjun Yanglem
REGRETS: K. Sonu Gaind (Vice-Chair), Sarosh Jamal, Robert Gerlai, Brian Harrington, Somtochukwu Nnakenyi, Gretchen Kerr, Daneille Skipp, William Verreault, Payam Zahedi
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS:
Robyn Parr, Executive Director, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students
Tim Tang, Dean, Student Experience & Wellbeing, UTSC*
Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice President, People Strategy, Equity and Culture
Anne Macdonald, Assistant Vice-President, Spaces and Experiences
SECRETARIAT: Joanne Chou (Secretary), Timothy Harlick
IN ATTENDANCE:
Professor Faye Mishna, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Professor Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse
Josh Haas, Coordinator, Student Policy Initiatives, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students
Jodie Glean-Mitchell, Executive Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Nicholas Silver, Vice-President, Academics, UTGSU
Corey Scott, Executive Director, UTGSU
Allison Burgess, Director, Sexual & Gender Diversity Office
Angela Treglia, Executive Director, Sexual Violence Strategy, Prevention & Support
Nicole D. McFadyen, Assistant Director, Education and Communication, Sexual Violence Strategy, Prevention & Support
Alexis Archbold, Executive Director, Strategy, Programs and Operations
Jennifer Barcelona, Assistant Director, Student Engagement
Ryan Kavanagh, Student Life Officer, Recognized Campus Organizations
Chris Ibell, Assistant Director, Campus Safety, UTSC
Taylor Thompson, Staff Sergeant, UTSC
Shahid Zafaar, Assistant Director, Campus Safety, UTM
Michael Munroe, Director, Campus Safety, St. George
Dan Bowyer, Community Member
Nadine Mchorgh, Director, Marketing and Communications, Spaces and Experiences
Ivan Canete, Trademark Licensing Manager, Spaces and Experiences
Ron Castro, Trademark Licensing Officer, Spaces and Experiences
Ben Poynton, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Officer
Marie Kinderman, student
*Attended remotely
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the Board’s final meeting of the governance year. She noted that a request to address the Board on the topic of the Recognition of Student Coalition on Food Waste and Injustice was received, considered and declined as the matter was not a topic of discussion on the agenda. The student was encouraged to engage in a moreestablished consultative process through the student societies at a standing Office of the Vice-Provost, Students meeting for review and consultation. - Report of the Senior Assessor
At the invitation of the Chair, Professor Sandy Welsh began her report by extending her congratulatory wishes to all students that were graduating. She acknowledged and thanked Mark Overton, Dean of Student Affairs and the Assistant Principal, Student Services at U of T Mississauga (“UTM”) for his service and contributions to the Board, as he was retiring in the fall. Under Mark’s leadership, there was a significant increase in student enrollment at UTM, noting his positive contributions to the overall student experience, underscoring his commitment to holistic student support with significant growth in service and programming at UTM. She commended his commitment and thanked Mark for his numerous contributions and his years of dedication and service to UTM students, and to the broader community at U of T. Professor Welsh concluded her report by thanking members for their dedication and service to the University.
The Chair also thanked Mark Overton for his contributions to this Board and extended her appreciation for his dedicated service to the Board, and wished him well.
Members had no questions. - Annual Report: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
The Board received a presentation of the Annual Report: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion from Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice President, People Strategy, Equity and Culture and Ms. Jodie Glean-Mitchell, Executive Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion to offer a presentation. The Report reflected the collective efforts of the University community to embed equity and inclusion and belonging across the institution.
Highlights from the presentation included:
- Various initiatives and highlights from the three overarching goals:
- Advancing Inclusive Leadership & Equitable Systems Change;
- Fostering Community Experience of Belonging; and
- Sustaining an Institutional Culture of Inclusion.
- The 2024 education program hosted by the Institutional Equity Office, delivered through training sessions, workshops, community check-ins/engagement opportunities, and events, aligned with three key themes:
- Roles, Responsibilities, and Building the Inclusive Work Environment;
- Tools for Implementing Equitable Systems Change; and
- Fostering Belonging: Communities, Identities, and Experience.
- Collaborative leadership on the launch of several EDI-related initiatives:
- Multi-Year Accessibility Plan Consultation Committee;
- Review of the Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment;
- Working with the community to understand antisemitism; and
- Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Discrimination Working Group.
- Creation of tools that enhanced inclusion, building community connection, and enhanced research, such as:
- Office of the Vice-Provost, Students: Student Equity Census Dashboard;
- Black at UTM: Black Flourishing & Inclusive Excellence Summit; and
- Research & Innovation: EDI Action Plan.
- EDI Developed Skills and Networks for Career Readiness:
- Career Exploration & Education and Accessibility Services within Student Life, launched a new Career Pathways Series for Neurodivergent Students;
- University Advancement hosted the annual 2SLGBTQ+ Student-Alumni Career Networking Night in partnership with the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office and Career Exploration & Education; and
- The Academic Advising & Career Centre at U of T Scarborough hosted the BlackNorth Initiative Career Fair, focused on the theme “Excellence in Inclusion – Shaping a Diverse Future Together.”
- The Employment Equity Dashboard was enhanced to improve the navigation and speed of the interactive data dashboard.
- In 2024, regarding the Employment Equity Survey, the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture launched an annual cycle of data-sharing with Deans and Chief Administrative Officers.
- The data from the Employment Equity Survey, alongside other available community feedback was available on the dashboards, such as Speaking Out! and pulse surveys, and was used to inform decisions about responsive programming.
- 2025 and beyond included:
- Returning to core principles & values that inform our work: community, commitment, compassion;
- Recognized importance of will and resources; and
- Created spaces that enabled dialogue, built trust and affirmed unique stories.
In response to a member’s question regarding progress related to antisemitism initiatives, Ms. Glean-Mitchell responded that addressing antisemitism was an ongoing priority across the tri-campus. This included the curation of appropriate resources, engaging with community check-ins, ensuring that tri-campus colleagues were continually and proactively engaged, and highlighted the Antisemitism Resource Guide. She acknowledged that there was always more work to be done, and the work that was launched around the systemic review of the statement on discrimination and discriminatory harassment assisted the University identify more efficiencies within the complaints resolution processes.
In response to a member’s question regarding the work to combat anti-black racism and what supports were in place to support the Palestinian community, Ms Glean-Mitchell responded that the efforts to address anti-black racism was enhanced by the launch of the anti-black racism task force report back in 2021, and the work with the Institutional Equity Office was twofold: education and community engagement programming, and support for community partnerships across the tri-campus to support the implementation of the key recommendations from the anti-black racism task force report. The Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Discrimination Working Group was also well underway with ongoing consultations, there was a website for the University community to engage with the working group members in various ways, and through education modules.
In response to a member’s question related to trans inclusion efforts, Ms. Glean-Mitchell responded that through the leadership of Allison Burgess, Director, Sexual & Gender Diversity Office, there were several LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts underway which included workshops around gender inclusivity and trans inclusion. She noted that there were sessions on asexuality and ongoing work to identify opportunities to provide continuing supports to community members and that fostered community engagement. She acknowledged that Ms. Burgess was providing guidance to faculties through education, physical infrastructure and ongoing community engagement. Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat added that it was included within the Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment.
In response to a member’s question regarding the addition of data collection for student leadership roles, Professor Welsh responded that there was both a public and internal dashboard that they were working on with divisions to address relevant research questions. This included diverse variables such as demographic background, retention rates, and co-curricular records, and explored opportunities to assess measures and metrics of student leaders.
A member commented that local units were reviewing their own data sets and were seeking ways to find intersections and leveraging that data. He added that he was proud of the EDI efforts and progress highlighted in the report. It was a collective effort, and expressed appreciation for the leadership and work by the EDI office, and the valuable insights obtained from the dashboard.
The Chair thanked Ms. Glean-Mitchell for her presentation.
- Annual Report: Office of Indigenous Initiatives
The Chair invited Ms. Tee Copenance, UTM Director, Indigenous Initiatives to offer a presentation. The Indigenous Initiatives 2024 Annual Progress Report outlined the University’s progress in addressing the six themes identified in Answering the Call, Wecheehetowin: Final Report of the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Highlights from the presentation included:
- Advancement of an Indigenous ceremonials commitment centred around smudging and other Indigenous ceremonial practices involving fire or smoke at U of T.
- At convocation ceremonies on the St. George campus this year, U of T unveiled the first-ever beaded stole for the Eagle Feather Bearers to wear as they led the Chancellor’s procession into Convocation Hall.
- New financial guidelines for making payments to Indigenous payees was introduced through a collaborative effort between Financial Services and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. The new guidelines responded to institutional commitments identified in the section “Indigenous Research Ethics and Community Relationships” from the Wecheehetowin Final Report.
- Creation of welcoming environments for Indigenous staff, librarians, students, and faculty members across the tri-campus that served a symbolic role, and signified that Indigenous peoples were present on this land and at the University. This included:
- Ziibiing: The Indigenous Landscape Project Opening;
- Inclusive Artwork Working Group, School of Continuing Studies;
- Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (“OISE”) – New Indigenous Space; and
- Walks with Reclamation –UTM Art Mural
- The recruitment and hiring of Indigenous faculty, staff, and librarians was fundamental to the ongoing Indigenizing of the institution. These faculty and staff provided Indigenous perspectives, historical methodologies, and epistemologies.
- Continued integration of the Indigenous curriculum, epistemologies, and pedagogies across all three campuses.
- Indigenizing Curriculum Development Workshop
- Indigenous Cultural Competency Training – Milestone
- Indigenous Training Series – Expansion with 2,619 participated in the training series.
- The Indigenous Research Network (“IRN”), an Institutional Strategic Initiative at U of T supported Indigenous researchers and research projects, released its strategic plan to inform the IRN’s priorities and action items for the next five years.
- The Office of Indigenous Health and the Office of Access and Outreach at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine partnered with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and other Ontario medical schools on the collaborative initiative Mushkiki Miikan.
- Emphasized the importance of investing in education to establish ethical research practices while promoting respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples.
- Continued work towards Indigenous recruitment and the creation of an environment where current and future Indigenous students thrived.
- Commitment to its role in advancing reconciliation across the three campuses relevant to and collaborative with Indigenous members of the U of T community and the host nations.
- Next steps included the opening of the Indigenous House UTSC; OISE Roof Community Garden & Cultural Practice Space; Indigenous Staff Affinity Group, PharmPath Expansion and Certificate in Indigenous Health, Indigenous Languages Revitalization Partnership Coordinator, and the Indigenous Hub.
In response to a member’s question regarding funding challenges, Professor Welsh responded that some of the new initiatives such as the Indigenous Hub was funded by the University to invest in a new space. She explained that they were always exploring new funding mechanisms, and government funding was limited. There was continued government advocacy efforts for Indigenous program funding, and would review the student fees, operating budgets and ways to continue to support the growth and sustainability of the Indigenous offices.
A member commented that while the University was advocating for funding from the province and from the federal government, it was important that the University took responsibility for its own funding mechanisms to support the Indigenous initiatives.
The Chair thanked Ms. Copenance for her presentation.
- University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union: Bylaw Revisions
Professor Welsh provided an overview of the proposed Bylaw Revisions from the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union. She noted that some older and incorporated student societies had clauses in their constitution and bylaws requiring approval from the society’s membership and the Governing Council which included the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (“UTGSU”). The proposed revisions were approved by the society’s membership at UTGSU’s annual general meeting, held on December 5, 2024. The Office of the Vice-Provost, Students worked with UTGSU to address concerns regarding a section of the society’s bylaws and its alignment with University policy, which were resolved through revisions to the UTGSU’s policy documents.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried,
IT WAS RESOLVED,
THAT the revisions to The Bylaw of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), as approved at the UTGSU Annual General Meeting on December 5, 2024, be approved.
Members had no questions. - Review of the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment
The Chair welcomed Professor Faye Mishna, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work to provide an overview of the summary of the consultations on the Policy that she had led from January 15 – March 28, 2025.
Professor Welsh remarked that The University’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment came into effect on January 1, 2017, which applied to all students, staff, faculty members, and librarians. The Policy outlined the University’s response to incidents of sexual violence involving members of the University community, as well as support for those who had been subjected to sexual violence. Professor Welsh advised members that the Ontario government required every publicly funded post-secondary institution in the province to have a policy on sexual violence and sexual harassment, which were reviewed and, if necessary, amended every three years.
The focus of the 2025 review assessed the impact of the last round of changes to the Policy and related processes made in response to the 2022 review recommendations, and identified further opportunities to improve the Policy. The review had two parts: consultations with the University community and an external review by a legal expert, and proposed changes to the Policy in response to their feedback. The proposed changes would go through governance for approval in the fall term.
Professor Mishna began by stating that the consultation process employed a broad, multi-pronged strategy to raise awareness about the review and provide opportunities for input. The consultation outreach leveraged various communication tools that integrated memorandum & newsletters, websites, emails, several digital platforms and social media. The resulting outreach engaged students, staff, faculty and librarians across the tri-campus, through a variety of communication channels, open consultations, individual and small group meetings, sessions with equity deserving members of the community, as well as an anonymous online forum.The Policy review team held 45 hours of consultation over 10 weeks, and a formal submission was received from UTSU and UTGSU.
Given the sensitive nature of this topic, consultations were designed using a trauma informed framework and members of the consultation team undertook trauma informed training before the consultations began. At the conclusion of the consultation period, a qualitative analysis of the notes was conducted at each consultation meeting, and the online submissions were manually coded based on the types of feedback, topics and recommendations made.
As a result of the feedback received, the following topics were identified:- Clarity and Transparency: Provide more information in the Policy.
- Process and Communication Improvements: Review and improve the Policy’s reporting processes and related communications.
- Timelines: Provide more information about how long a process under the Policy takes.
- Scope of the Policy: Clarify the extent to which the Policy may apply to other issues such as intimate partner violence.
- Education, Training, and Awareness: Provide mandatory training to key staff and create a new education program for student Respondents.
In response to a member’s question whether feedback on implementation was being tracked, Professor Welsh responded that yes, the feedback was being tracked. Angela Treglia, Executive Director, Sexual Violence Strategy, Prevention & Support added that implementation and tracking was important and part of the University’s commitment. The implementation of the 2022 recommendations was publicly available on the consultation website, highlighting the progress made on 10 of the 12 recommendations, and some of those recommendations were continuously being improved upon. Community feedback was not restricted to a three year annual review, and encouraged the University community to provide regular feedback, such as through the Sexual Violence Prevention Support Center or through an online feedback form where people could submit their feedback anonymously, all of which helped track progress.
The Chair thanked Professor Mishna for her presentation.
- Final Report of the Working Group on Civil Discourse and Administrative Response
The Chair invited Professor Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse, to offer his presentation.
Professor Boyagoda remarked that his appointed role as Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse was for an 18-month term, from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. He provided an overview of the Terms of Reference of the Working Group on Civil Discourse, summarizing that he had taken on the role to establish the state of civil discourse on campus, how members of the community experienced it, and identifying practical recommendations for strengthening a culture of civil discourse in and beyond the classroom from January 2024 through to June 2025.
Highlights of the presentation included:
- Working Group on Civil Discourse was comprised of faculty and students, to contribute advice, suggestions, and insights towards strengthening a culture of civil discourse on campus, including the cultivation of dialogue across different points of view and the discussion of challenging subjects.
- Timeline of Activities between January 2024- June 2025:
- Appointment of Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse & established working group;
- Developed a working definition of ‘civil discourse’ to guide consultations;
- Consultations with the University community across the tri-campus;
- Developed themes (“what we heard”) and recommendations;
- Shared themes and drafted recommendations with University community for feedback;
- Final report submitted to Vice-President and Provost on April 28, 2025.
- Group members participated in consultations about civil discourse in a variety of settings and formats, involving diverse constituencies, including administrative staff.
- Under its terms, the Working Group conveyed the results of the consultations, along with any working definitions, suggestions, guidelines, and recommendations, in a final report, to be delivered to the Provost by the end of June 2025.
- Approximately 1,500 people engaged directly in the consultation process in the first consultation period from October 1 – December 6, 2024, and 111 in the second consultation period from April 6 – 22, 205 via an online form.
- Identified seven main areas of concern and interest:
- Definition of civil discourse;
- Programming;
- Classroom environment;
- Faculty/division/departmental environment;
- Perception of University administration and leadership;
- University structure and culture; and
- Broader factors negatively impacting civil discourse
- The report from the Working Group on Civil Discourse included eight recommendations, primarily focusing on faculty and students, as set out in its mandate:
- Make an institutional commitment to civil discourse in the research, teaching and co-curricular activities of the University;
- Provide ongoing institutional support for activities and initiatives that foster civil discourse;
- Encourage familiarity and experience with civil discourse in the classroom;
- Enhance and improve opportunities for civil discourse within individual divisions and departments;
- Offer training on facilitating civil discourse across constituencies and encourage the formation of local networks and communities of practice to generate ongoing grassroots engagement in discourse opportunities, best practices and problem-solving;
- Improve transparency, visibility and approachability of University leadership and senior administration and encourage engagement with the whole University community;
- Create channels, spaces and events to promote civil discourse across the University and develop incentives for facilitating, engaging in, and modeling civil discourse within the University community; an
- Deepen engagement with the broader community beyond U of T.
- The Administration accepted all of the recommendations. Based on the responses to the recommendations, work began in two areas:
- Enhancing Civil Discourse Education
- Entering students should have a meaningful opportunity to engage in learning the skills of civil discourse, generally within their first year;
- Creation of a Learning & Education Advancement Fund Plus (LEAF+) for projects that foster civil discourse, to provide seed funding of between $5,000-$10,000;
- Programming related to civil discourse for graduate students, including through the SGS Sponsorship Fund and the Graduate Education Innovation Fund; and
- The Office of the Vice Provost, Faculty & Academic Life and the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation would offer opportunities and resources for faculty members and instructors to develop and practice skills to teach and facilitate dialogue across difference.
- Promoting Best Practices
- Develop a resource to share best practices at U of T;
- Highlight civil discourse initiatives and practices institutionally and in disciplines and Faculties; and
- Establishment of a communities of practice.
- To facilitate this, Professor Boyagoda extended his Provostial Advisor role for six-months to implement these actions by December 2025.
- Enhancing Civil Discourse Education
In response to a member’s question regarding potential enforcement or execution practices, Professor Boyagoda responded that there were various reporting and dispute resolution mechanisms available to members of the University community. He noted that civil engagement on difficult subjects had been eroded in recent years, particularly due to the pandemic and these concerns had been raised in the working group. He explained that given the large demographic of students, the impact of a series of small and local efforts was beneficial, both restorative and familiarizing new students and faculty to this concept. With these efforts, it created a stronger, deeper culture of belonging amongst members of the community.
In response to a member’s question regarding the eligibility of the Learning & Education Advancement Fund Plus (LEAF+), Professor Welsh responded that the funding derived from the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE) with a focus on faculty.
A member commented that supporting many forms of learning and knowledge enabled and advanced the many conversations that had taken place.
The Chair thanked Professor Boyagoda for his presentation.
- Annual Report: Code of Conduct for Trademark Licensees
At the invitation of the Chair, Ms. Anne Macdonald, Assistant Vice-President, Space and Experiences offered her report.
Ms. Macdonald provided an overview of the Annual Report: Code of Conduct for Trademark Licensees which highlighted key initiatives throughout the year. She noted that the Trademark Licensing Office (“TML”) had been in operation for 25 years, which was launched in year 2000. It was a self funded department within Spaces and Experiences, and neared the conclusion of a five-year strategic plan. U of T actively protected its trademarks on merchandise to uphold the university's ethical procurement commitments.TML oversaw applications for new trademarks, ensured compliance with trademark licensing, and worked with suppliers to ensure merchandise produced displayed the University's name and official marks.
The Department sought ways to increase visibility and availability of U of T merchandise, and supported school spirit through continued and special merchandise programs. This included merchandise for several of the community events that Spaces and Experiences hosted, such as the Mac & Cheese Smackdown. They expanded their staffing needs to include a new trademark licensing officer to address the growing demand for services.
Despite the growth, numerous challenges and pressures remained in supporting ethical apparel procurement, such as the demand and availability of many lower priced goods and uncertainty in the supply chain. Numerous collaborations and special collections were launched over the past 5 years.
Examples:
- The 4th OVO collaboration;
- New Lululemon program; and
- Homegrown Special Collections developed for Lunar New Year, Pride and the Black Excellence Collection (launched in collaboration with the UTSC Black Engagement Office)
The net income generated by trademark licensing paid for all of its operating costs. Periodically, small amounts of additional net income were reinvested in the Student Experience Funds, such as The Equity Ideas Fund (“EIF”) within the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (“KPE”) or to strengthen the program itself.This year, funds were allocated to support of the U of T bookstore that underwent a renovation and refresh of the store, improving the visibility of the U of T branding, and enhancing the shopping experience.
Looking ahead, the goals comprised of increased communication outreach to U of T students, faculty, and staff to promote TML policies and best practices; Expansion of the partnerships portfolio that appealed to expanded university markets, and develop more U of T student-led brands, citing the successful partnership with Motus. There were continuous efforts to expand the Collegiate Licensing Company (“CLC”) capabilities that included non-vendor approvals and craft-vendor licensing. After 25 years in operation, Ms. MacDonald concluded by noting the impactful contributions on U of T life and the promotion of ethical apparel procurement.
In response to a member’s question regarding the trademark licensing process for faculties and divisions, Ms. Macdonald responded that they partnered with a number of faculties that had their own merchandise programs, such as Rotman and KPE, whom both possessed their own mark. She explained it was a joint venture between TML and various departments across the institution. She added that in comparison with the US, they sought examples where they could learn and improve their programs.
A member commented on the popularity and demand of the U of T X OVO bag collaboration.
The Chair thanked Ms. Macdonald for her presentation.
- Annual Reports: Recognized Student Groups
- University of Toronto Mississauga
- University of Toronto Scarborough
- University of Toronto, St. George
The Chair noted for members that the three reports were received for information. Professor Welsh advised that the campus groups listed in the three reports sought recognition based on the Policy on the Recognition of Student Groups.
She reported that across the three campuses, there were 1,239 recognized Student Groups; 745 were on the St. George Campus, 213 at UTM and 281 at UTSC. There was an overall year over year increase of 21% in the number of recognized student groups from 2023-24 to 2024-25. However, the total number of student members engaged in campus groups experienced a 6% year over year increase. Professor Welsh noted that the size and diversity of the student community across the three campuses provided an extraordinary number of opportunities for students to participate in a vast array of activities undertaken by student organizations, and were an integral part of the student experience.
In response to a member’s question regarding the withdrawn or denied group requests and how this compared to previous years, Professor Welsh responded that it was on par, and where the office of the Vice-Provost, Students collaborated with students on these types of issues, noting the range of the different types of groups. Ryan Kavanagh, Officer, Recognized Campus Organizations added that they worked closely with student groups to ensure the alignment of their constitution and policy which prevented declined recognition.
- Annual Reports: Campus Safety
- University of Toronto Mississauga
- University of Toronto Scarborough
- University of Toronto, St. George
The Chair noted that these three reports were received for information and welcomed Mr. Shahid Zafar from UTM Campus Safety, Mr. Chris Ibell, and Ms. Taylor Thompson from UTSC Campus Safety, and Mr. Mike Munroe, Director, from the St. George Campus, who were available to respond to questions.
Professor Welsh reported that the Campus Safety Services on all three campuses were committed to supporting safe, secure and equitable campus communities through interaction with the community; foot, vehicle and bicycle patrols; and the provision of services related to crime prevention, awareness and personal safety. She advised that overall occurrences were up across all three campuses, back to pre-pandemic levels as the University community returned to more typical levels of on-campus activity. All three campuses had increased measures to increase campus safety, with more specialized training offered to constables, increased patrols, and the addition of more staff to assist. The additional training included a range of opportunities, such as cybersecurity awareness, protest management, de-escalating potentially violent situations, autism spectrum disorder and mental health awareness, and trauma-informed transfer of care. Professor Welsh highlighted the addition of new staff, such as a community crisis response coordinator (at UTSC) and four special constables at UTM, along with five building patrollers. UTSG introduced Falcon, an emotional support K9 that underwent the process of becoming a certified service dog.
In response to a member’s clarification regarding a HR matter concerning a member from the Scarborough Special Constable Service who received a complaint from the Toronto Police Service, Mr. Chris Ibell, Assistant Director, Campus Safety responded that this matter was still before the courts and could not openly discuss. He noted that this type of issue was not bizarre, that officers were required to maintain a certain level of status; if things changed, employment adjustments could occur.
In response to a member’s question regarding efforts related to increased training for sexual violence and protests, Mike Monroe, Director, Campus Safety, St. George responded that they engaged in additional training in partnership with the Sexual Violence and Prevention Office. An in-depth training plan was developed to ensure all staff members, including sworn officers, security guards and civilian members received training related to sexual violence and prevention.
There were ongoing training efforts related to de-escalation and mental health training, noting a partnership withThe Centre for Addiction and Mental Health(“CAMH”) and their training department, and was committed to ensuring that all special constables received additional training in a timely fashion.
Mr. Shahid Zafar, Assistant Director, Campus Safety from UTM Campus Safety, responded that they partnered with a service provider called TNT which helped onboard their special constables for protest training. They also worked with their counterparts, the Toronto Police and Peel Regional Police for protest training. This training provided proper, effective and meaningful ways to engage, and was also strategic towards de-escalation services.
In response to the impact of the Toronto Community Crisis Service and potential plans to provide more civilian mental health responses at UTM, Mr. Shahid Zafar, Assistant Director, Campus Safety from UTM Campus Safety responded that funding was received for the Community Crisis Response Coordinator and was in process to hire for the UTM role. He acknowledged the significant and positive impact this role would bring to the community.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR BOARD APPROVED,
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 11, the Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
- Report of the Previous Meeting
The Report of the Previous meeting was approved. - Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting. - Date of Next Meeting: October 23, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.
The Chair confirmed that the next meeting would be held on October 23, 2025, in the Council Chamber.
- Other Business
There were no items of other business.
The Board moved IN CAMERA.
- Annual Report: Striking Committee, University Affairs Board
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the following recommendations from the Report of the University Affairs Board Striking Committee were approved:
THAT the following be appointed to the University Affairs Board for a one-year term from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Ms Lingyin Shen
Ms. Alice Wright
Ms. Kate Baggot
Ms. Fatima Faruq
Ms. Syeda Hasan
Ms. Dulce Martinez
Mr. Efe Sahinoglu
Mr. Dzhafar Kabidenov
THAT the following be appointed to the Discipline Appeals Board for a one-year term from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Professor Mark Lautens
Mr. Sarosh Jamal
Mr. Dylan Archer Dingwell
Ms. Susan Froom
Mr. Seyedreza (Reza) Fattahi Massoum
Ms. Syeda Hasan
The meeting adjourned at 6:18 p.m.
May 28, 2025