The Faculty always gets to grade us, now it’s our turn
School-Issued Masks: 5/10
All students registered to take in-person classes this year were given a “goodie bag”. It included a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a plastic card holder with some alcohol wipes, and, of course, two University of Toronto-branded masks. These get a 5 rating because, while I respect U of T’s effort in keeping students safe, these masks are questionable at best. They come with a beautiful artificial chemical scent when first removed from the bag, and have a pointy shape that makes your nose look a little too Big-Bird-beak-like. I’ve also heard a few complaints about gaping around the chin and sides.
Mandated Classroom Entrances/Exits: 8/10
All classrooms in the law school, including the law school itself (more on that later), now have designated entrances and exits, and all are encouraged to move to the last empty seat in a row before sitting down. This change is great, in theory. Squishing past people to get to the only seat available that’s close enough for my ever-increasing glasses prescription to handle was the bane of my existence last year. However, in practice, the changes are somewhat less impressive. While the entrances and exits do help the flow of people in and out of class, the whole moving-to-the-last-seat concept seems to have not caught on yet. I’ve still had to do the awkward suck-in-and-squish-past movement on far too many occasions.
Lack of Free Food: -2020/10
One of the highlights of my law school experience last year was the amount of free food available – from UV pitch meeting pizza, to Lawyers Doing Cool Things fancy sandwiches, it almost made the tuition price worth it. While there may be the occasional boxed lunch available this year, it won’t be the same as my tradition of attempting to get a free lunch every day of the week.
Building Entry Fobs: 7/10
There are many positives to the new building fobs, provided to in-person students so we can access the law school: no pesky undergrads watching their Khan Academy calculus videos in Jackman, a fun, new keychain accessory, the feeling of exclusivity when you get to tap in. However, they come with a couple of downsides. Entering through only one door is quite inconvenient. While the safety precautions are appreciated, it would be nice if I did not have to walk half the circumference of the law building to get to the only available entrance. Fobs are also not available to 2Ls in joint programs this year. While again, this makes sense on paper, it poses issues for students wanting to attend law-school-hosted events and access law school resources, if needed.
Essert As Associate Dean: 11/10
UV alumni on the admin team? Enough said; instant perfect score. One who wrote pizza reviews during his time here? Even better.
IHRP Scandal: 1/10
The Faculty of Law is no stranger to a juicy Globe and Mail exposé, so I’m not sure how much of a change this really is. This gets one single point for giving us something to gossip about during the monotonous days of COVID. It gets absolutely none for… just about everything else.