Report: UTM Campus Affairs Committee - May 08, 2023

1. Chair’s Remarks
   
   The Chair welcomed members and guests to the last meeting of the Committee for the governance year.  
    
2. Seizing Student Opportunity Presentation
   
   At the invitation of the Chair, Jessica Silver, Director, Centre for Student Engagement (CSE) introduced two recent graduates who shared how their involvement in co-curricular activities enriched their UTM experiences. She noted that according to research, students who participated in at least 10 hours of co-curricular activities per week saw higher GPAs than their peers who did not, and hoped that the student experiences highlighted under this item would inspire others. Next, the graduates, Hamza Bin Waheed and Tobi Mohammed shared their experiences. Hamza Bin Waheed expressed how being a team leader at various campus organizations, a teaching assistant, and taking part in internship courses and case competitions enhanced his student experience. He also highlighted his role as a resident council president and the skills he gained through those experiences. Lastly, he emphasized the importance of offering students professional experience through co-op or internship programs and expressed his hope that UTM would be offering these soon.  Next, Tobi Mohammed spoke about how being involved with various student organizations and programs, including the African Students Association, the B.A.E.E (Black Access to Educational Excellence), the Black Art Steering Committee as well as being a part of a residence living-learning community, greatly enhanced her academic achievements. She also highlighted the importance of taking advantage of opportunities offered at UTM.  Both students then also shared their future plans, one in medical research and the other in finance or student affairs.
   
   The Chair thanked the presenters for their inspirational words and emphasized the importance of students taking advantage of the infrastructure and opportunities offered by UTM as well as providing feedback on those experiences.  It was also noted that co-op programs were under development and would be offered at UTM in the near future.
    
3. Update on UTM Capital Projects
   
   The Chair invited Deborah Brown, Chief Administrative Officer and Luke Barber, Acting Chief Operating Officer, Property Services and Sustainability to provide the presentation.
   
   During their presentation, it was noted that UTM recently formed a committee called MCaPS, which handled the allocation of funds for projects ranging from small renovations to multi-million dollar infrastructure projects. The spending threshold for Level 1 projects had increased from $5 to $10 million in 2021.  Project spending also increased from $12.3 million in 2021 to $32 million in 2022. The increase was due to inflation and larger projects, as well as backlogged projects that were now being addressed. The presentation featured a list of Level 1 projects funded this cycle, which included academic, maintenance, sustainability, and accessibility projects, and the infrastructure projects were eligible for the provincial facilities renewal program. UTM was also working on asset management programs to keep up with infrastructure maintenance.  Additionally, there were four major capital projects on campus that were in various stages of construction and design, including the new Science building, a Student Services Hub, and yet to be approved computer science and robotics building, and a new residence hall complex.  It was reported that UTM had recently recruited a new role on the Facilities, Management & Planning and their team to manage project processes and resources.
   
   Members had no questions.
    
4. Annual Report UTM Campus Safety
   
   The Annual Report of Campus Safety was provided by Deborah Fritz, Director of UTM Campus Safety.  She noted that the central mission of her team was maintaining a safe and secure campus for students, staff, librarians, and faculty. The report included safety statistics from the previous four years, information regarding team training and community initiatives.  She noted that some of the statistics quoted in the report reflected an increase that was consistent with the return to full operations as individuals returned to campus post the pandemic.  Additionally, the report highlighted several campus safety measures, including a fraud prevention campaign, campus safety app features, and the addition of six new special constables to the team. The report also discusses five areas of focus identified by the UTM committee on the role of special constables, including achieving tri-campus consistency and enhancing recruitment, hiring, and onboarding strategies. During discussion, and in response to a recollection of a health-related incident on campus, it was noted that ECSpeRT, a division of St. John Ambulance, was a team of student volunteers with advanced Medical First Responder training that provided fast and effective first aid to all students, staff, and visitors to the UTM campus. It was noted that not everyone was aware of the available resources and services on campus and that more needed to be done to inform students, staff and faculty about the available services.
    
5. Reports of the Presidential Assessors
   
   In his report, Chad Nuttall, Assistant Dean of Students and International Initiatives talked about the International Student Experience Fund.  The fund aimed to enhance the lives of international students on campus and ultimately to encourage them to become permanent residents in Canada after graduating. The fund provided grant funding for innovative and collaborative projects with the goal of improving the international student experience, and with a focus on intercultural competence development.  He also discussed the international student transition program which paired international students with coaches and addressed previously identified transition challenges by creating individual advising reports.
   
   Mr. Nuttall’s report also gave some successful projects that had been funded in the past and encouraged collaboration and the submission of proposals for the next round of funding. The fund offered two levels of funding: grants for smaller projects and impact grants for larger multi-year projects. The deadline for letters of intent was October 16, 2023.

CONSENT AGENDA

On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried

YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED

THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 8 - Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
 

6. Annual Report – Recognized Campus Groups, 2022-23
    
7. Report on Capital Projects – as at March 31, 2023
    
8. Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   Report number 58, dated March 22, 2023, was approved.
    
9. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
    
10. Date of Next Meeting – September 21, 2023 at 3:10 p.m.
    
    The Chair reminded members that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on September 21, 2023, at 3:10 p.m.
     
11. Other Business
    
    There was no other business.  The Chair thanked members for their engaged participation throughout the governance year as well as outgoing members of the Committee for their service on the CAC.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:17 p.m.

May 15, 2023