Council meeting discusses new Dean’s priorities, mandatory TRC course, and sessional dates
On February 10, Professor Jutta Brunnée chaired her first Faculty Council as Dean of the law school. She opened by acknowledging the sustained impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the efforts by students, staff, and faculty in persevering.
Dean Brunnée’s Priorities
Dean Brunnée highlighted the guiding priorities for her term: community, inclusive excellence, and intellectual leadership for and engagement with the world around us.
Firstly, Dean Brunnée emphasized the fundamental need to foster a rich academic community, and expressed gratitude for the degree of support shown by members of the law school through engagement in her listening sessions. She then spoke about inclusivity as an indispensable dimension of excellence, saying that she would like the Faculty to think of having a systemic conversation on the topic. Lastly, she underlined the law school’s unique positioning at the convergence of global issues, and the ability to push forward debates by leveraging the law school’s constituents’ breadth of experience.
SLS Updates
Students’ Law Society (SLS) President Robert Nanni (4L JD/MBA) summarized key developments within SLS, including new by-laws, roles, and awards for community and mentorship. He thanked the professors who were going above and beyond to support student wellness and accessibility to the best of their ability.
Nanni also spoke about SLS’s social events, highlighting the high turnout at the 1L virtual games night, which nearly half the 1L class attended. The SLS is currently planning their annual Oakes Day, an event which brings together U of T Law students, staff and faculty to celebrate the anniversary of the R v Oakes decision.
GLSA Updates
Anil Nair (GPLLM candidate), President of the Graduate Law Students’ Association, expressed concerns over the lack of support for graduate students participating in the OCI process. He noted that while JD students have dedicated resources on the law school’s career portal, there was an absence of OCI resources specifically for graduate students. In a normal year, graduate students, many of whom are in one-year programs, would not have transcript grades available in time to participate in the usual November OCIs. Due to this year’s delayed OCI timelines, graduate students were able to participate.
TRC Implementation Committee Update
Professor Douglas Sanderson, Co-chair of the TRC Implementation Committee, highlighted their goals for upcoming Committee meetings, as preparation for a mandatory course in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #28 is underway. Consultations regarding the course continue, and the responsibility of course development now lies with the Associate Dean and Dean’s Office. The course is expected to be ready by September 2022. The Committee is also working to address the topic of cultural competency, as well as the Aboriginal and Indigenous law content in upper year courses.
Sessional Dates
Faculty Council approved the law school’s sessional dates for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The calendar allows the scheduling of Friday classes until 12:30 p.m., and Associate Dean Chris Essert notes that Friday classes allow for planning flexibility, which was necessary in light of this year’s pandemic circumstances, and says that notwithstanding a return to “Elysian beautiful days of yore,” this flexibility will likely be necessary in the fall.
Willem Crispin-Frei (2L), VP StAG, recommended that the continuation of Friday classes be communicated to students in advance. He also brought up 1Ls’ concerns about the exam period having been tightly scheduled this winter. Associate Dean Essert replied that they were aware of 1L concerns in exam scheduling, and suggested that there may be opportunities for further conversations in the future.
Professor Jim Phillips remarked, “When did the working week start to be Monday to Thursday?” He added that while such considerations were worth discussing, he did not feel that Faculty Council should be voting on sessional dates, and recalled that it was in the law school administration’s purview. Dean Brunnée shook her head, saying that Faculty Council had been approving sessional dates on an annual basis. The motion to approve sessional dates passed, with Professor Phillips abstaining from the vote.
Faculty Council Documents Amendment Process Committee Update
Associate Dean Essert and Branden Cave (2L StAG Representative) presented the multi-step processes involved in seeking approval from U of T’s Provost’s Office and Governing Council for an amending formula for Faculty Council’s Constitution. They are in the preliminary stages, to prepare for eventual conversations about more substantive amendments to the constitution.
Modifications to the GPLLM Program
Faculty Council approved the modifications to the GPLLM program presented by Emily Orchard, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Law’s Graduate Program.
The previous admissions requirement that applicants have at least two to three years of full-time work experience has been updated to reflect the reality that students in the program often arrive with 10-15 years of experience. The work experience threshold will now be set at five years so that applicants can better assess their interest in the program. Any students who do not meet the threshold can be admitted to the Canadian Law concentration, which will see the addition of more courses.
The major modification is the addition of an extended full-time GPLLM program, where students can pursue their studies across two years instead of the current one year. This will enable students who concurrently work full-time to better meet their professional and personal demands, as well as provide flexibility for students to decelerate from a one-year to two-year program without having to negotiate leaves of absence.
