Report Number 69 Of The Utsc Campus Council
MONDAY, MAY 26, 2025
To the Governing Council, University of Toronto,
Your Campus Council reports that it held a meeting in the Council Chamber, Arts and Administration Building, on May 26, 2025 at 4:10 p.m. with the following members present:
PRESENT: Grace Westcott (Chair), Linda Johnston (Vice-President and Principal), Daniel Bowyer, Jason Glover*, Brian Harrington*, Irmi Huftless, Paul Huyer*, Imran Khan, Elaine Khoo*, Silma Roddau, Shennel Simpson, Dorinda So*, Rachel Sturge, Arjun Singh Yanglem
NON-VOTING ASSESSORS: Andrew Arifuzzaman, Tim Tang (Dean of Student Experience & Wellbeing)
*remote attendance
REGRETS: Aarthi Ashok (Vice-Chair), Karin Ruhlandt (Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean), Syed Ahmed, Willow James, Mariana Jardim, Mandi Liao, Gillian Mason, Sonja Nikkila, Hoorik Yeghiazarian
SECRETARIAT: Miranda Edwards, Megann Davidson
IN ATTENDANCE: Alexis Archibald, Randy Boyagoda, Sandy Welsh
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members to the final Campus Council meeting of the governance year. She extended her thanks to the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Council’s standing committees, Professor Elaine Khoo, Professor Rachel Sturge, Professor Brian Harrington, and Dorinda So. The Chair also thanked the assessors to the Campus Council and its standing committees for their significant contributions to University governance. - Report of the Vice-President and Principal
Vice-President and Principal, Professor Linda Johnston noted recent milestone events on campus, including the UTSC Community Farewell Reception for outgoing President Meric Gertler, a Spring Townhall, focused on the culture of care philosophy, and a visit by the Governing Council. Governors visited campus to attend the Cycle 5 meeting as well as partake in a tour of the newly opened Sam Ibrahim Building, view the Gathering Circle of the soon-to-be completed Indigenous House, and to attend the closing ceremony of UTSC's 60th anniversary celebrations.
Professor Johnston reminded members that consultations were underway by the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Discrimination Working Group and encouraged participation.
In closing, Professor Johnston wished all members a safe, healthy, and enjoyable summer. - Review of the Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment
Professor Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students, introduced this item by reminding members that the Policy had first come into effect in January 2017 and applied to all student, staff, faculty, and librarians. The Policy outlined the university's response to incidents of sexual violence involving members of the university community as well as the supports provided to those who had experienced sexual violence. The University remained committed to ensuring that all members of the university community had the ability to study and work on a campus free from sexual violence and sexual harassment.
Under the Policy, the University was required to conduct a review every three years and make amendments as required. This review was also aligned with provincial legislation requirements.
Professor Welsh stated that the review had been led by Professor Faye Mishna, Dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. The University had also retained external legal expert, Jillian Nachu. Over the summer, the administration would be working to develop draft changes to the Policy in response to both Professor Mishna’s consultation feedback and Ms Nachu’s input. A summary of Ms Nachu’s input and proposed changes would be brought forward to the Board for feedback and information in Fall 2025, and final changes would be brought forward for approval the following year.
Professor Mishna acknowledged the excellent work of her team in supporting the Review process. She also thanked all members of the university community who had participated in the consultation process and commended the university community as a whole for its commitment to upholding the principles of justice and fairness inherent in the Policy.
Professor Mishna told the Board that the consultations had taken place from January 15 to March 28, 2025. Consultations were designed with a trauma-informed framework and counsellors had been available to all consultation session participants. Consultation feedback included a desire for clearer information about University processes and timelines around investigations, improved definitions, a strong statement condemning sexual violence, and improved online resources for education, training, and awareness-raising. Feedback also indicated a need for better clarity around whether or not the Policy included intimate partner violence, and the boundaries of the Policy’s jurisdiction. Respondents also suggested that the administration should conduct an internal review to identify areas where processes could be simplified, streamlined, and where consistency could be improved. Common feedback indicated that formal reporting, investigations, and decision-making processes were lengthy and those involved wished they could have received more frequent information updates.
Members had no questions. - Final Report of the Working Group on Civil Discourse and Administrative Response
Professor Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse told the Council that the working group began its work in January 2024 with a mandate to examine the state of civil discourse within the University community. The working group undertook extensive consultations and received responses from about 1,500 individuals. Consultations revealed seven main areas of concern: 1) the definition of civil discourse, 2) academic programming, 3) classroom environment, 4) faculty/divisional environment, 5) perceptions of university administration and leadership, 6) University structure and culture, and 7) broader factors negatively impacting civil discourse.
Commonly-cited concerns included a perception that some positions and ideologies had become orthodox at the university and that these orthodoxies, whether perceived or real, were seen as obstacles to civil discourse. An additional concern was the University’s decentralized structure, which, at times, led to inconsistencies across divisions in terms of how civil discourse was practiced. Another concern was the desire for greater transparency and trust-building between faculty, students, and the Administration.
The Report offered eight recommendations:-
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
- Deepen engagement with the broader external community beyond U of T
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Administrative Response
Professor Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students stated that the administration had accepted and committed to all of the Report’s recommendations. She told the Council that the Office of the Vice-President and Provost planned to take action on enhancing civil discourse education – ensuring that students were offered meaningful opportunities to learn the skills of civil discourse – as well as establishing best practices for “dialogue across difference.”
Professor Welsh was pleased to note that Professor Boyagoda had agreed to continue in his role as Provostial Advisor for the next six months in order to oversee implementation of the Report’s recommendations. She thanked Professor Boyagoda for his outstanding work.
In response to a member’s question regarding the impact of hierarchical power dynamics on civil discourse, Professor Boyagoda remarked that all stakeholder groups felt, in some way, that they did not have the power to speak freely for a variety of reasons. He noted that all members of the University community carried power over others in one form or another and recommended that individuals try to be conscious of this.
In regards to a question regarding the impact of donor pressure on the creation of orthodoxies, Professor Boyagoda noted that the University had clear guidelines in place around gifts and donations; and that, while it was possible for donation opportunities and civil discourse to come into conflict, this topic had not fallen within the scope of the Working Group.
When a member requested clarification on funding availability for civil discourse education, Professor Welsh confirmed that this initiative would begin by making grant funds available to faculty to initiate such education programs, with a focus on classroom learning.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried,
YOUR COUNCIL APPROVED,
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and that Item 6, the Report of the Previous Meeting, be approved.
- Governance Meeting Schedule 2025/2026
The Council received the Governance Meeting Schedule 2025/2026 for information. -
Report of the Previous Meeting: Report Number 6 – April 21 2025
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. -
Reports for Information
The Council received the following reports for information: -
Date of Next Meeting – October 6, 2025, 4:10 p.m.
The Chair confirmed that the Council would next meet on October 6, 2025 at 4:10 p.m. - Question Period
Members had no questions for the Administration. -
Other Business
Members had no items of other business.
The Council moved in camera.
IN CAMERA SESSION
- UTSC Capital Projects Report, as of March 31, 2025
The Council received the UTSC Capital Projects Report for information. - Appointments: UTSC Campus Council Standing Committees, 2025-26
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
YOUR COUNCIL APPROVED
THAT the 2025-26 UTSC Campus Council Standing Committees assignments recommended by the UTSC Nominating Committee, be approved, effective July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m.
June 6, 2025