While most law students have come to expect a very strong academic program at U of T Law, it is less well-known that the faculty also has a flexible academic accommodations policy. The process is outlined in the Academic Counselling and Accommodations policy and the Examinations: Guidelines and Accommodations policy, which are found in the Academic Handbook. The depth and flexibility of the process only becomes apparent, however, when one engages with the Assistant Dean, Students, Alexis Archbold.
According to the Assistant Dean, students approach her with a broad range of issues when requesting academic accommodations. This range includes physical ailments, family problems and the fallout of relationship breakdowns, but the most common issue cited is stress and anxiety. Other mental health problems, such as depression, are not uncommon. For some students these health problems started before law school and are ongoing, whereas for others the problems arise for the first time in law school.
Where any of these or other problems arise, there is a spectrum of academic accommodations available to students. For some, extensions on assignments and exam deferrals may be sufficient for some. It is also possible to shift the weighting of a course grade such that participation grades do not unduly impact students who were unable to attend classes. For others, there is the opportunity to switch to the half-time program, take a short-term leave of absence or withdraw from the program. For students who opt to exercise any of these latter options, the faculty will work with them to reimburse them for tuition as deemed appropriate under the circumstances. In the past this has meant that Assistant Dean Archbold will work with the University to claw back tuition for students when they are past the normal university deadline for tuition refunds. The amount of the refund will depend on the timing of the accommodation.
On the other hand, going half-time will generally have an impact on financial aid; this includes the faculty’s financial aid program and government student loans. Students who enter the half-time program will likely see a reduction in their financial laid bursary due to the reduction in their tuition. More problematic, however, is the fact that such students will almost certainly no longer qualify for government student loans. In cases where the student has outstanding loans from previous years of study, including pre-law school loans, the student will be asked to begin repaying the outstanding amount. The faculty has no say in this, unfortunately, and so students will have to determine how this may impact them and how this can be mitigated.
Aside from the government student loan issue facing students considering switching to half-time, the centralized accommodations process is
handled within the faculty. The process begins with a confidential meeting with Assistant Dean Archbold. “Before discussing a specific accommodation, we will address the issues being experienced by the student. We’ll talk about what is happening, what are the impacts, and whether this is the first time or if it is ongoing,” said Archbold. “Our mission is to determine the needs of that student. This quite often involves making referrals to counselling services and health services for assessment and support.”
If accommodations are deemed appropriate, the student will not deal with his or her professors on an individual basis. This is handled exclusively by the Assistant Dean. “We do this to ensure: (1) the policy is applied equitably; and (2) it allows me to monitor how students are doing in a general sense, which would be impossible otherwise,” Archbold commented. As per the policies, documentation will be needed to support any accommodations.
When asked how she rated the faculty’s accommodations process as compared to other professional faculties’, Assistant Dean Archbold
responded, “I don’t know. We are so focused on providing stellar service and care to our students that we do not care what other faculties are doing. We are meeting the needs of our students, and tailoring our accommodations to them.”
Archbold acknowledged the fact that law school, as well as the legal profession, are inherently stressful environments. “As someone who struggled with fairly serious anxiety during law school, I have a lot of compassion and understanding for law students who are experiencing stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues while trying to get through law school. One of the main challenges of my job is to support students to stay balanced and healthy while they complete what can be a challenging and stressful academic program. We are working hard at the law school to develop a culture where students feel comfortable to reach out for help when they need it, and confident that they will receive the information, support and referrals they require to be well.”
