Report: UTSC Campus Affairs Committee - September 11, 2024

REPORT NUMBER 58 OF THE
UTSC CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 
 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

To the UTSC Campus Council, University of Toronto,

Your Committee reports that it held a meeting in the Council Chamber, Arts and Administration Building, on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 3:10 p.m. with the following members present:

PRESENT: Brian Harrington (Chair), Karin Ruhlandt  (Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean), Andrew Arifuzzaman (Chief Administrative Officer), Faith Opoku Agyemang, Syed Ahmed, Ainsley Lawson, Liv Ansley-Engel, Mark Fitzpatrick, Elaine Khoo, Sylvia Mittler, Silma Roddau, Tanzina Mohsin, Willow James, Hoorik Yeghiazarian, Monica Sok

REGRETS: William A. Gough (Acting Vice-President and Principal), Dorinda So (Vice-Chair), Desmond Pouyat (Interim Dean, Student Experience and Wellbeing), Muntaha Almahjub, Tiffany Castell, Sandra Dega, Ramona Gonsalves, Leonard Hu, Lala Li, Stephanie Perpick, Andrew Tam

NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Jeff Miller, Sheila John, Nadia Rosemond

SECRETARIAT: Emma Thacker, Megann Davidson

OPEN SESSION 

1. Chair’s Remarks 
   
   The Chair, Professor Brian Harrington, welcomed members and guests to the meeting. He invited a roundtable of introductions, to introduce the Committee’s Presidential Assessors, members of the administration, and members. He provided an overview of the Committee’s mandate and some meeting protocols.
    
2. Reports of the Presidential Assessors
   1. The Chair invited newly appointed Vice Principal Academic & Dean, Professor Karin Ruhlandt, to share her report. Dean Ruhlandt reported that she began her role on July 1, after eight years as Dean and faculty member at Syracuse University. She expressed enthusiasm for the position, noting that many priorities at UTSC aligned with her past work, which focused on interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing the student experience, and expanding experiential learning. She emphasized her commitment to attracting and retaining a diverse, world-class faculty, and spoke of her experience leading the development of an academic strategic plan, prioritizing opportunities for underrepresented students and faculty.
      
      As Vice Principal Academic and Dean, she oversaw academic programming, services, and faculty appointments, ensuring alignment with University goals. Her responsibilities included managing the academic budget, handling high-level academic integrity issues, and crisis management. She was working with colleagues on a strategic enrollment plan for UTSC.
      
      Professor Ruhlandt shared that since starting, she had met with faculty to understand their concerns and promote collaboration, with a focus on improving the student experience, building a strategic enrollment plan, and fostering faculty research excellence. She introduced changes to the CAD group, now called the Chair's Council, which would focus on curriculum development, enrollment planning, and research. She also highlighted the success of UTSC’s Pathway to Health Professions certificate and expressed excitement about new programs under development aimed at attracting students and supporting successful career outcomes.
       
   2. The Chair invited Andrew Arifuzzaman, CAO, to share his report. Mr. Arifuzzaman gave a brief overview of his portfolio, which included key operational aspects of the campus, such as safety, finance, facilities, retail, conference and food services, construction management, capital projects, and community partnerships.
      
      He reported that Harmony Commons (student residence) had opened last Fall and had a successful first year of operations. He was also excited to have received the International Passive House certification as the largest passive house project in Canada. The project had minimal carbon use.
      
      He also discussed the Sam Ibrahim Building, which had recently opened. While most areas were operational, some IT implementations were still underway. He mentioned that by January 2025, the building would be fully operational, and all new residents would have moved in. Additionally, a new food outlet was expected to open within six weeks. He noted delays with the Indigenous House project but expected it to be completed by spring or early summer of 2025. The Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) building was progressing, with the basement and MRI facility in place. Steel erection was set to begin soon, with the project expected to be enclosed by early 2026. The entire facade of the building would consist of solar panels. Regarding the parking structure project next to SAMIH, he mentioned that footings were being installed, and columns would be erected soon, with completion targeted for June 2026.
      
      Turning to enrollment challenges, he noted a 20% drop in international students' registration due to a visa policy change by the government, though they were working to mitigate these issues for the coming year.
      
      On the topic of food services, he praised the quality at Harmony Commons, noting a special parmesan pasta event that had been well-received. The food services provider, Aramark, had committed to being the best food provider on any campus in the country.
      
      Lastly, he mentioned the start of the budget process for the upcoming year, which would involve presenting the budget proposal in late December, followed by approvals in February. The key focus would be on enrollment management, as it was a critical revenue source.
      
      Questions and discussion followed pertaining to the following topics:
      
      The discussion that followed revolved around strategies for recruiting local students, particularly in light of declining enrollment numbers. The enrollment team had successfully brought in nearly 500 new domestic students through a new life sciences program, and the University was close to achieving its domestic enrollment target. There were concerns about international student recruitment due to visa uncertainties, but a significant portion of international applicants were local students from high schools.
      
      Participants also expressed interest in expanding recruitment efforts beyond the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to rural communities. It was noted that British Columbia’s government had quickly implemented policies to ease international student admissions, unlike Ontario, which faced delays.
      
      In terms of parking and student movement on campus, there were concerns about congestion and unsafe road crossing conditions, especially during peak times. Mr. Arifuzzaman acknowledged the typical chaotic start of the academic year but anticipated improvements as students became more familiar with the campus. Plans were in place for a new parking structure to alleviate parking challenges by 2026 and for a pedestrian bridge over a busy intersection, which had been delayed due to transit planning. Additionally, the potential for a scramble intersection was discussed, however City officials had been hesitant in the past.
3. Presentation – Fall Student Orientation
   
   The Chair invited Sheila John (Assistant Dean - Wellness, Recreation and Sport) and Nadia Rosemond (Assistant Dean - Co-Curricular Engagement & Student Leadership) to present, which included the following highlights:

• Nadia Rosemond and Sheila John spoke about the energy and excitement of students returning to campus and highlighted various orientation and transition events organized by the Office of Student Experience and Well-Being.
• The "Get Started" program, offered by the Academic Advising and Career Center, helped students with course enrollment and connected them to academic resources. Upper-year students mentored incoming first-year students, becoming their first social connections at UTSC. The program emphasized support provided to international students, including assistance with immigration concerns and a special "Get Started" program for students with accessibility needs. Greg Hum and the Residence Life team had successfully moved over 900 students into residence, including a unique partnership with IKEA that provided three lucky students with room makeovers.
• The Scarborough Campus Students' Union (SCSU) hosted an event for new students. Ms. Rosemond highlighted the importance of students connecting within the first six weeks of school to develop a sense of belonging. Numerous events were planned for diverse student groups, including Black-identifying, Indigenous, and queer students, as well as international students who may have arrived late.
• A total of 1,200 students and over 200 families attended the first orientation, with the Welcome Day attracting 1,200 students and involving 30 departments and 130 staff. Ms. John then discussed the Healthy Campus Day on September 5th, which had 1,400 students participating. The event promoted health pillars such as mental health, nutrition, and physical activity, celebrating UTSC’s recognition as a Healthy Campus.
• The presentation concluded by reporting on the "Ask Me" campaign, where staff and faculty wore orange to assist students with questions, and the recent move to the new Sam Ibrahim Building, which housed several key student services. Despite the move, the Health and Wellness Center prioritized student appointments, seeing many students since the transition.

Questions and discussion pertained to the following topics:

• Students Seeking Accommodations: Ms John did not have current numbers regarding students who sought accommodations that academic year but mentioned that approximately 52% of those who sought accommodations the previous year related to mental health issues.

• Support for Multilingual Students: Concerns were raised about multilingual students struggling with language barriers. The response highlighted summer workshops, mentorship programs, and social events that helped these students integrate and practice English in friendly settings. Translation services were also available through the Health and Wellness Center. The discussion included various services available for students whose first language was not English, emphasizing their successful graduation rates, which were comparable to those of domestic students, despite common assumptions about challenges faced by international students.
• Food Quality and Prices: A question was raised about the rising food prices on campus. Mr. Arifuzzaman noted that this trend was part of broader inflation affecting food costs. He also mentioned the availability of a food bank to help students access nutritious food.
• Accessibility of Meals for First-Year Students: A student raised the issue of first-year students living across campus from dining facilities. The response indicated that there were options like t-bucks for more local purchases, and this topic would be addressed in future presentations to food services.
• Mental Health and Language Learners: Clarification was sought about the 52% statistic relating to mental health and whether it included English language learners. It was acknowledged the need to investigate whether language barriers contributed to stress for these students.
• International Student Enrollment: A question was raised about whether decreasing international student enrollment might have affected costs for both international and domestic students. The response suggested that this would be considered due to revenue impacts.

4. Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 57 – May 6, 2024
   
   The report of the previous meeting was approved.
5. Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
   
   There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting.
6. Date of Next Meeting – October 16, 2024, 1:10 p.m.
   
   The Chair advised members that the Committee would meet again on October 16, 2024 at 1:10 p.m. The Chair highlighted the earlier start time for members.
7. Other Business
   
   The Chair reported that the upcoming governance by-election included three UTSC Teaching Staff seats: Two seats on the Campus Affairs Committee, and 1 seat on the Academic Board. The nomination period for the election opened on September 16 and closed on September 22, 2024.

The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

September 24, 2024