On February 14, Faculty Council met and food was plentiful—because quorum was not met. Quorum is thirty-seven voting members, and only about twenty members were present. SLS President Katie Longo noticed the shortfall in attendees. Consequently, no motions could be passed. However, the members present did take this opportunity to speak to the agenda items provisionally.
Chair’s Update
International SJD tuition in the new school year will be the same as domestic SJD tuition. This is part of a larger effort by the University to increase funding for international Ph.D. students in exchange for allocating some spots reserved for domestic students to international students. The law school was not bound by the University decision but still followed its lead. Dean Iacobucci acknowledged that it would come at a cost, but affirmed that it was “the right direction to move in.” The Dean was pleasantly surprised by the “rapturous” response to the recent decision by the University and the Faculty of Law.
The Dean also praised Law Follies for being funny in its own right, and funny in an inside-joke kind of way. He especially found the Court Reporter video amusing.
SLS and GLSA Update
SLS President Katie Longo spoke to the success of the Candy Grams initiative for Valentine’s Day, with all proceeds going to Red Door, a family shelter charity.
The theme for this year’s law ball will be “Carbolic Smoke Ball.” The SLS is still brainstorming ideas, but perhaps expect smoke and mirrors, old-timey advertisements, and lots of silver balls.
President Longo also promised to move away from a first-past-the-post to a ranked-ballot voting system for SLS elections next year. The SLS is also working on an event in response to the recent Gerald Stanley decision.
The GLSA is organizing a games night, escape room, and tour of the Art Gallery of Ontario. GLSA President Haim Abraham also welcomed the new funding initiative for international SJD students.
Sessional Dates & Gender, Accessibility, and Diversity
The proposed sessional dates were released and provisionally passed. Both terms will have twelve weeks of class (thirteen for first-year students), which fixes the asymmetry found in this year’s calendar.
Assistant Dean Alexis Archbold promised that the Gender, Accessibility, and Diversity survey results would soon be released. She forewarned that there was a low response rate to the survey, so results may not be representative.
Career Development Office
Director Jordana Laporte of the Career Development Office (CDO) welcomed two new staff members, Karen Williamson and Waleska Vernon, who joined the office earlier this year. The CDO also organized a Public Interest Day with the Ministry of the Attorney General and Osgoode Hall that took place on February 16. Ms. Laporte reported that there was a 12% increase in positions secured by U of T students during the official 2L Recruit versus the previous year (in line with figures reported by Ultra Vires in November).
