U of T Law opts to carry on as planned
On November 20, the University of Toronto’s President Meric Gertler informed the university community that many programs will experience a shift from a January 4 start date for upcoming winter term classes to January 11. While all first-entry undergraduate divisions will resume classes a week later than originally planned, the start date for graduate and professional programs will vary to ensure that “students in these programs can complete their courses in a timely manner as planned.”
Shortly following this announcement, Dean Edward Iacobucci clarified that the Faculty of Law will not move the winter start date. As originally planned, classes will resume January 4 for first year students and January 11 for upper year students.
President Gertler cited the change as “prompted by the fact that we’ve all been under an extraordinary amount of stress for months now, because of the burdens imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The purpose for an extra week of winter break would be to allow students an opportunity to “rest and recharge, and to make the most of the upcoming holiday break.”
This change came not long after a petition to extend winter break for U of T students initiated November 16 by a group of undergraduate students received over 8,000 signatures from across the university community. The organizers of the petition cited that the extension would allow for students to “recover from a difficult term,” and be able to visit family over the break “without missing school for quarantine and endangering others.” Other universities across Canada have also opted to delay their winter term start date, including McMaster University, Waterloo University, and Carleton University, among others.
In his email to the law school community, Dean Iacobucci cited a number of reasons as to why the Faculty will not postpone the start of winter term.
First, the Faculty cannot change the date of its intersession, the intensive one-credit upper year courses that run from January 4 to 8, and are primarily taught by visiting professors. The Dean expressed concern that an extended winter break would result in cancelling intersession altogether, causing “uncertainty and dislocation for the hundreds of students presently enrolled in the intensive courses.” It would also be a logistical nightmare to move these students into other courses so that students may still obtain the credit necessary to graduate.
Secondly, the Dean stated that “for academic, Law Society and University reasons,” the Faculty cannot reduce the number of classes in the term. If the Faculty did postpone the start date for winter term classes, this would result in having make-up sessions for first-year courses in “an already crowded schedule during the semester,” or shortening the gap between the end of classes and the examination session, or both. The Dean noted that doing so would undoubtedly create stress and dislocation for students.
Finally, the Dean stated that a postponement in starting winter term classes would “inevitably create frustrations and conflicts for students and instructors,” in the GPLLM program where students and instructors plan their schedules well in advance.
In their November 20 email to law students, the Students’ Law Society (SLS) clarified the Faculty’s decision following a discussion with Associate Dean Christopher Essert. The Law Society of Ontario imposes minimum classroom instruction hour requirements which the Faculty must adhere to in order to remain accredited. As the University did not allow changes to the end of classes nor the beginning of the examination period, a late start would result in meeting the same requirements during a shorter period of time. Even if the examination period may be delayed, the SLS noted that this may result in students having to finish their courses while starting summer jobs or delay their employment.
Additionally, the SLS noted that the winter term would be difficult to restructure as it includes moots, recruits, and intersession. They stated that “as a professional program partially regulated by a professional body, we do not have the same internal flexibility as some other first-entry undergraduate programs.”
While this may be a disappointing outcome, it is evident that it is a result of thorough consideration. As students at the Faculty will not experience an extended winter break, the SLS is looking at other ways to encourage the Faculty to prioritize reducing the upcoming term’s stressors.
