microphone

Construction, accessibility, parking discussed at UTM town hall

Blake Eligh

It was standing-room only as students, faculty and staff gathered for the Nov. 26 town hall session in Spigel Hall on Wednesday. The room was packed with UTM community members eager to participate in a question-and-answer session about campus issues and initiatives.

Memers of the senior administration answered a number of questions that had been submitted online before vice-president and principal Deep Saini moderated a free-ranging question and answer session. A dozen students lined up at the microphones to pose questions about issues related to parking, tuition and more.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Chief administrative officer Paul Donoghue updated the gathering on the progress of UTM’s 5-year capital plan, noting that there are currently 90 projects on the list, including new construction, renovations and infrastructure projects amounting to $215-milion to $270-million. Rebuilding of the North2 building has been approved by U of T’s Governing Council, and the university anticipates news on government support for the project early in 2015. A proposed rebuild of the temporary food court and Meeting Place is going through the Request for Proposal process. Donoghue also addressed questions about parking fees, noting that fees are set annually and must cover operating costs related to parking. Thee fees will also support a proposed second parking deck, with surpluses going into the rarking capital reserve fund.

EQUITY & DIVERSITY

Equity and diversity officer Nythalah Baker, discussed the issue of accessible washrooms, noting that The Washroom Inclusivity Project will launch at UTM in early 2015. The project, which previously ran on the St. George campus, examines the availability of gender-neutral washrooms as well as other accessibility and inclusivity issues. The inventory includes identifying where the single-user gender-neutral washrooms are on campus in addition to other accessibility and inclusivity features. At this time, the administration doesn't anticipate proposing all-gender multi-stall washrooms

On the question of building more prayer spaces on campus, Baker noted that she and aboriginal elder Cat Criger are meeting with student group leaders to learn about the prayer space requirements faith, religious and humanistic groups on campus. “As new buildings open, more spaces are being identified for multi-purpose use to allow students to access spaces for their spiritual and humanistic practices,” Baker said.

Baker and Saini also addressed a question from the audience about sexual assault and sexual harassment policies. “UTM continues to make progress with many partners, including UTMSU, the Women’s Centre, Peel’s Interim Place and others, to raise awareness, strengthen support for victims, make care easier to access and encourage reporting,” said Saini. “We want the resources available and used when any of our university community members need assistance.” Baker mentioned the UTM Community Safety Office card which advertises a number of support options. She noted ongoing education and training initiatives, such as the two-year CampUS Safety Project.

STUDENT LIFE

Student affairs dean Mark Overton discussed changes made in the last year to enhance student experience. He highlighted improved coordination between academic and out-of-class and co-curricular supports through programs like utmONE, rezONE and the First in the Family, which help students transition from high school to university studies. “We are fine-tuning new student orientation, and moving some of our resource so that students-to-be can access those resources in the summer before enrolling,” he said.

Assistant dean of students and international initiatives Dale Mullings addressed a question about how UTMSU activities might be be recognized on the co-curricular record. “Because it’s an official university record, one of the criteria for an activity to be included is having a university staff or faculty member assess and validate those activities,” Mullings said. “UTM Student Life has been actively working with UTMSU and other student groups on how to recognize more opportunities.”

Other questions and answers addressed online include:

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Mullings outlined a number of initiatives to support international students, including steps to reach out to students before they arrive at UTM. “We’re increasing contact, including electronic and virtual in-person support, not just for students who are citizens of other countries, but also Canadian citizens who’ve been living abroad, some for a few years to others almost all of their lives, on how to prepare for success here.” Mullings noted that the International Education Centre now has a certified immigration advisor to assist with student visa issues, and help graduating students with work and citizenship issues. “The IEC also now has a staff member who is devoted to helping more UTM students study, conduct research or complete an internship abroad.” This past fall, the university launched a new system to alert international students about study permit expiration. The new opt-in registration system includes a number of notifications to remind students to renew their permits.

MENTAL HEALTH

Health & Counselling Centre assistant director Chad Jankowski addressed ways students can support peers facing mental health challenges. “One of the best things students can do to help support each other is to educate themselves about the mental health resources and supports that are available on campus and in our community so that they can share that information with their friends and classmates who are experiencing difficulty.” He mentioned initiatives like MoveU and Exam Jam, along with supports offered by his office, and noted that UTM has trained over 5,000 community members in safeTALK, a suicide alertness program.

Due to time constraints, the session ended before all of the submitted questions were addressed. To find the full answers to questions submitted online, please visit the Town Hall website.