Report: UTSC Campus Affairs Committee - February 05, 2025

REPORT NUMBER 61 OF THE
UTSC CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 
 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2025

To the UTSC Campus Council, University of Toronto,
Your Committee reports that it held a meeting in the UTSC Council Chamber on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 3:10 p.m. with the following members present:

PRESENT: Brian Harrington (Chair), Dorinda So (Vice-Chair), Karin Ruhlandt (Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean)*, Andrew Arifuzzaman (Chief Administrative Officer), Tim Tang (Dean, Student Experience and Wellbeing), Syed Ahmed, Liv Ansley-Engel, Sandra Daga*, Kyle Danielson*, Mark Fitzpatrick, Ainsley Lawson*, Tanzina Mohsin, Simla Roddau, Monica Sok, Faith Opoku Agyemang
*remote attendance

REGRETS: Muntaha Almahjub, Tiffany Castell, Ramona Gonsalves, Elaine Khoo, Leonard Hu, Willow James, Lala Li, Sylvia Mittler, Stephanie Perpick, Andrew Tam, Hoorik Yeghiazarian

SECRETARIAT: Miranda Edwards, Megann Davidson

IN ATTENDANCE: Jennifer Adams-Peffer, Daniel Bowyer, Aileen Cabrera, Ting Chiu Hsieh, Carmina Elefano, Ian Gale, Greg Hum, Tanya Poppleton, Silma Roddau, Fran Wdowczjk, Larry Whatmore

OPEN SESSION 

1. Chair’s Remarks
    
   The Chair, Professor Brian Harrington, began by welcoming members and guests to the Cycle 4 meeting. He provided an update on the Governing Council elections, reminding members that the voting period would close on February 14^th. He encouraged all members to participate in this important governance process and to encourage others to do so.

2. Presentation: Office of Design & Construction Management, UTSC
   
   Ms Adams-Peffer, Campus Architect and Director of the Office of Design and Construction Management, informed the Committee that her office consisted of thirteen staff whose work was split between design and project management, including management of the tri-annual Campus Plan. The Office aimed to create more inviting and open physical environments for the UTSC community while navigating the challenging state of UTSC’s aging infrastructure. Since 2018, the Office undertook approximately $60 million worth of projects with about half of all work being done on research laboratories. Ms Peffer-Adams told the Committee that the Office currently had 67 open projects at various stages of the planning, design and construction phases. Other current priorities included a new signage and wayfinding project to be rolled out next year, improvements in data collection, a transition to a new portfolio management approach, and collaboration with the Indigenous Placemaking Subcommittee.

3. Operating Plans and Fees: Service Ancillaries, UTSC
   
   Mr. Andrew Arifuzzaman, Chief Administrative and Strategy Officer
   
   Mr Arifuzzaman provided the Committee with an overview of the four UTSC Service Ancillaries: housing, conference and event services, food services, and parking. He explained that the goal of these services was to be self-funding and revenue-generating; however, in some cases such as parking, a balance was required to provide reasonable pricing levels for the benefit of the University community.

   Housing and Residence Life:
   Greg Hum, Director, Housing & Residence Life 
   
   Mr. Hum informed the Committee that UTSC housing aimed to provide a place of belonging for students where they could grow and thrive. In the past year, his office introduced a range of new activities and residence life programs which have received excellent student feedback. Mr. Hum noted that UTSC’s student residence population had approximately doubled since September 2023, including an increase in graduate students living on campus. As such, the Housing and Residence Life staff numbers have also increased to maintain service levels. Renovations to existing residence buildings have been underway, with a major four-year renovation of Joan Foley Hall having just been completed.
   
   Residence fees were planned to increase from 3.5% to 5.7%. In response to student feedback, the winter break fee that was charged to students who wished to remain in residence during winter break, would be reduced to make this option more financially accessible. The costs of this would be absorbed by the general fee increase. These rate increases were consistent with residences fees across the tri-campus and competitive with the general Ontario housing market. UTSC offered a wide range of fees to students to accommodate as many students’ budgets as possible.
   
   Currently, each residence building’s fee schedule was based around different financial years (May-April or September-August), resulting in different fee schedules for different students and fee increases having to be applied at different times of the year. This year, UTSC would implement a one-time reset of all financial schedules so that, moving forward, fee increases would be applied equally to all residences and students at the same time. No significant challenges to implementation were expected. 
   
   In response to a member’s question as to whether the university had explored the possibility of housing refugees in its residences, it was noted that University residences would not be a stable housing option for refugees because residences need to be vacated every August to accommodate students.
   
   Retail and Conference Services:
   Frances Wdowczyk, Director, Business Development & Special Advisor to the CAO     Operations and Special Projects
   
   Ms Wdowczyk informed the Committee that UTSC’s Retail and Conference Services Department’s priority was to better utilize campus resources during non-academic periods as a source of revenue. This included a plan to maximize opportunities for booking space rentals and accommodation for conferences, community groups and summer camps. Ms Wdowczyk’s Department was also working to maintain its relationships in the film industry to further grow the University’s revenue generation through filming permits.
   
   Food Services:
   Frances Wdowczyk, Director, Business Development & Special Advisor to the CAO     Operations and Special Projects
   
   Ms Wdowczyk informed the Committee that her office aimed to increase retail sales and establish more new vendors on campus. In the past year, four new culinary vendors had been added to campus. In selecting vendors, the University listened to student feedback and strived to reflect the student body’s cultural diversity. Retail food expansion has been challenged by UTSC’s aging building infrastructure, which required updated exhaust vents and fans, new ovens, and electrical systems.
   
   Parking:
   Tanya Poppleton, Senior Director, Campus Safety Operations 
   
   Ms Poppleton informed the Committee that her team’s current priorities were to operate and maintain parking lots safely and effectively, while expanding capacity and improving existing services. Ms Poppleton noted that the Sam Ibrahim building parking lot had opened this year and the new Parking Commons was scheduled to open in the 2026-27 academic year. The Commons was expected to add 1,200 new additional parking spaces and bring in approximately 65% of all total parking revenues.
   
   Ms Poppleton also informed the Committee that, while there were currently different parking rates across campus lots, once the Parking Commons opened, there would be a proposed uniform  increase to all parking rates on campus. In response to a member’s question, Mr. Arifuzzaman noted that parking rates had been gradually increasing over the past year to accommodate the building costs of the parking structure so that rates would not have to increase dramatically in one price raise. Once the new Parking Commons was opened, the rate increases were expected to return to normal
   
   In 2024, major maintenance projects on existing lots were completed, including resurfacing, repaving, re-painting, and improvements to accessibility spaces. Ms Poppleton’s office planned to continue studying potential accessibility improvements. Due to campus construction, UTSC was managing the ongoing challenges of limited parking spaces and bottlenecks in vehicle and pedestrian flow across campus. Committee members voiced their concerns regarding parking protocols, safety and etiquette. Mr Arifuzzaman and Ms Poppleton both noted that UTSC had painted curbs in bright red to indicate no-stopping zones, installed extra signage, and deployed extra Campus Safety personnel to parking lots during rush hours. Ms Poppleton noted that her office planned to hire an external consultant to study campus traffic flow and pedestrian safety and also noted that many of the congestion problems were expected to be alleviated once the  Parking Commons opened.
   
   Mr Arifuzzaman noted that the threat of U.S. tariffs was a cost risk for the Parking Commons project because, although the concrete was manufactured by a Canadian company, the work was being done at the company’s U.S. facilities in Michigan. It was unclear at the time of the meeting if the planned concrete shipments would be subject to new tariffs.
   
   On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried 
   
   YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
   
   THAT the 2025-26 operating plans and budgets for the UTSC Service Ancillaries, as summarized in Schedule 1; the Service Ancillary capital budgets as summarized in Schedule 5; and the rates and fees in Schedule 6, as presented in the Service Ancillary Report on Operating Plans dated January 6, 2025, be approved effective May 1, 2025. 

4. Operating Plans and Fees: Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing, UTSC

   1.  Advice from the Council on Student Services

   2. Operating Plans and Fees: Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing

      The Chair invited Tim Tang, Dean of Student Experience and Wellbeing to present items a) and b). Dean Tang began by noting that his office collaborated closely with the Council on Student Services (CSS) in discussing student experiences. The Council reviewed annual reports and made recommendations on the strategic expansion and reduction of student program initiatives. CSS meetings engaged over seventy students and staff along with three Finance advisory committees and fourteen departmental advisory committees. Dean Tang noted six key priority areas: 1) decision-making informed by data analytics and evidence-based practices, 2) fostering inclusive excellence aligned with campus and institutional strategic plans, 3) promoting a healthy campus and student wellbeing, 4) enhancing student living and learning both on and off campus, 5) expanding experiential and international educational opportunities, and 6) supporting students’ academic and career success.
      
      Dean Tang summarized highlights of the Operating Plans and Fees materials that had been provided to Committee members, noting the great successes in academic advising and career services, student crisis support, student success programs, and athletics and recreation. Dean Tang particularly noted the success of the Health and Wellness Centre, which provided primary medical care as well as health promotion programming and same-day counselling services. In the past year, the Centre had over 18,000 student visits. Dean Tang noted that his office was working with CSS to review the Centre’s programming with the goal of expanding and hours and increasing flexibility and innovation in the Centre’s operations. Dean Tang concluded his report by noting that UTSC’s impressive variety and quality of services had been delivered while having the lowest student services fees across the tri campus.
      
      On a motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
      
      YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
      
      THAT, the 2025-26 operating plans and budgets for the UTSC Student Experience and Wellbeing (including the Health & Wellness Centre, Athletics & Recreation, Student Services), as presented in the documentation from Mr. Tim Tang, Dean of Student Experience and Wellbeing, be approved; and 
      
      THAT the sessional Health & Wellness Service Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC- affiliated full-time student be increased to $94.70 per full-time student per session ($18.94 per part-time student per session); which represents a year over year increase of 9.71% ($8.38 for full-time student; $1.68 for part-time student); and 
      
      THAT the sessional Athletics and Recreation Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC- affiliated full-time student be decreased to $142.05 per full-time student per session ($28.41 per part-time student per session); which represents a decrease of 1.43% ($2.06 for full-time student; $0.41 for part-time student); and 
      
      THAT the sessional Student Services Fee for a UTSC-registered or UTSC- affiliated full-time student be increased to $217.75 per full-time student per session ($43.55 per part-time student per session); which represents a year over year increase of 1.99% ($4.25 for full-time student; $0.85 for part-time student). 

5. Compulsory Non-Academic Incidental Fees: SCSU Sports & Recreation Complex Levy
   
   Dean Tang introduced the motion to recommend that the UTSC Sports and Recreation Complex Levy be raised by 4%. As background information, Dean Tang reminded members that the UTSC Sports and Recreation Complex Levy was established in 2010 following a student referendum to support the construction of a new sports complex. As part of that referendum, students voted to support an annual fee increase of 4% between 2014 and 2039 to fund the project’s costs.
   
   On a motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
   
   YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
   
   THAT, beginning in the Summer 2025 session, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union fee be increased by $8.29 per session ($1.66 for part-time students) in the UTSC Sports & Recreation Complex Levy portion of the fee. 
6. Reports of the Presidential Assessors
    
   Professor Karin Ruhlandt, Vice-Principal Academic & Dean
   
   Dean Ruhlandt reported that her office’s three current priorities were admissions, budget planning, and faculty hiring for the 2025-26 academic year.
   
   Regarding admissions, Dean Ruhlandt told the Committee that UTSC had seen strong growth in domestic applications with an increase of 11%, placing UTSC among the top universities in domestic applicant growth. There was also strong growth among the number of students who listed UTSC as their first choice of school. Dean Ruhlandt stated that she was cautiously optimistic that UTSC would meet its domestic enrollment goals. So far, there had been a further decline of approximately 6% in international student applications.
   
   Regarding faculty hiring, offers were currently going out and one new contract had been signed. Although hiring had been limited in general, focus was placed on hiring in growth programs such as life sciences, computer sciences, math, and statistics. Dean Ruhlandt noted that her current priority in budget planning was ensuring that the university met increasing demand for student services in these growth program areas.
   
   There continued to be strong demand for health sciences programs in new applications. Last year, UTSC had received from the province, an additional allocation of 500 domestic student seats for its health sciences programs and had enrolled 750 new students. As part of the campus shift towards the life sciences, Dean Ruhlandt told the Committee that she had met with a number of departments to study complementary program proposals, such as bioethics, artificial intelligence, and health information management.
   
   Andrew Arifuzzaman, Chief Administrative and Strategy Officer
   
   Mr Arifuzzaman reported to the Committee that his office was undertaking risk management planning for the ongoing threat of U.S. tariffs and a looming trade war. His office was re-examining major capital projects and seeking out Canadian and non-U.S. alternative suppliers.
   
   Mr Arifuzzaman was pleased to inform the Committee that Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs had gifted Indigenous artefacts to UTSC for its new Indigenous House, where these items could be celebrated and displayed. These items had been gifted to Minister Anandasangaree by Canadian bands in recognition for his efforts towards truth and reconciliation. The items included painted canoe paddles and peace pipes that were used to seal historical treaty deals.
   
   Tim Tang, Dean of Student Experience and Wellbeing
   
   Dean Tang shared highlights of recent student initiatives including Lunar New Year celebrations, Black History Month events, a job fair attended by approximately 600 students and 54 employers, “Healthy Campus” events held to promote student and staff wellness, and Healthy Campus Day which was attended by over 1,200 students. Dean Tang reported to the Committee that, overall, there had been record-breaking increases in program attendance and student engagement at campus events. As of January 31^st, there were 1,100 new followers of UTSC student services social media accounts and over 100,000 views on social media videos that promoted UTSC events and services, which demonstrated a strong direct connection to students.

CONSENT AGENDA
 

The Board proceeded with the Consent Agenda.

On a motion duly moved, seconded, and carried

YOUR BOARD APPROVED

THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 7, the Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.

7. Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   Report Number 60 of the Campus Affairs Committee from the meeting of January 8, 2025 was approved.

8. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting.

9. Date of the Next Meeting
   
   The Chair confirmed that the Committee would next meet on March 24, 2025 at 3:10 p.m.

10. Other Business

    No items of other business were raised.

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

March 14, 2025