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What's in This Issue
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- Message from Sandy
- Spotlight on Student Mental Health
- Update on Tri-Campus Student Mental Health Team and Priorities
- Survey Results – Student Perception of Mental Health Care
- New Supportive Leaves Policy – Student Companion Guide
- Updates & Reminders
- Responding to the Impact of World Events
- Processes for Student Complaints Related to Student Societies or Recognized Student Groups
- APUF Funding – 2023-24 Recipients
- Tri-campus HEQCO Conference Delegation
- Indigenous Tuition Initiative
- Roger Pizarro Milian Appointed Manager, Student Data & Analytics
- Awards of Excellence Nominations Now Open
- Confidence in Career Decision-Making Workshop
- New Tutor Training Program (UT3)
- New Disclosure and Accommodation Guide
- Religious Holiday Observances – Resources
- Flu Vaccine Pop-up Clinics
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Photo credit: Lisa Sakulensky Photography
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Message from Sandy Welsh, Vice Provost, Students
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As we pass the half-way mark in the Fall Semester, I want to acknowledge that it has been a painful and challenging time for many of our students, staff, faculty, and librarians. I have included reminders about a few policies and resources that may be especially helpful right now. Thank you for the support and caring that so many of you have been providing to our students during this time.
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In addition, this newsletter’s “Spotlight on Student Mental Health” contains information about the new tri-campus Student Mental Health Team’s strategic priorities, some recent student survey results, and a new student companion guide for the Supportive Leaves Policy.
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I look forward to keeping you informed about these and other important steps U of T is taking towards providing even more coordinated and consistent student mental health services at its three campuses.
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Also in this issue you will find just-in-time updates about recent staff appointments, upcoming student services staff awards, new student programs, APUF funding recipients, flu vaccinations, and more.
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Sandy Welsh, Vice Provost, Students
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Spotlight on Student Mental Health
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Update on Tri-Campus
Student Mental Health Team and Priorities
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In 2022, the University created a tri-campus Student Mental Health Team and hired Chris Bartha as the inaugural Senior Executive Director of Student Mental Health Strategy, Policy, & Planning.
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Developed collaboratively across the three campuses, the Student Mental Health Team’s current strategic priorities are:
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- Embedding a Student Advisory Committee in the newly established Tri-Campus Student Mental Health Governance Model.
- Establishing a consistent approach to clinical service design, while retaining the capacity to customize campus services to meet local student needs.
- Partnering with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Scarborough Health Network (SHN), and Trillium Health Partners (THP) to build acute care supports for students.
- Developing a standard, reliable, University data set, including access and wait-time data, to support and sustain improvements to service accessibility.
- Launching collaborative evaluation projects to measure results.
- Collaborating to establish simplified communications and navigation tools for students, staff, and faculty who are looking for resources.
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We will continue to update you as progress is made on these and other important priorities.
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Survey Results –
Student Perception of Mental Health Care
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Later this month, the tri-campus student health centres will feature posters inviting students to view the results of a survey about student perceptions of mental health care at U of T.
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New Supportive Leaves Policy –
Student Companion Guide
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The Companion Guide was created in response to a recommendation from the review of the Policy conducted in the 2021-22 academic year. The development of the Guide included extensive consultation with student organizations as well as staff and faculty who have experience engaging with the Policy. Thank you to all who participated in this process.
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Feedback or questions about the Companion Guide can be direct to Melinda Scott, Executive Director, OVPS.
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Reminders & Updates
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Responding to the Impact of World Events
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We understand that events occurring in other regions of the world, such as conflicts and natural disasters, may directly or indirectly impact members of our community. For a list of resources available to students who may need support in response to a world event, please visit the OVPS website.
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Processes for Student Complaints Related to Student Societies or Recognized Student Groups
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Student Societies are organizations on whose behalf the University collects a compulsory non-academic incidental fee, and in which membership is automatic and determined by registration and status in one or more divisions or programs of the University of Toronto.
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Different from Student Societies, Recognized Student Groups are voluntary organizations formed by members of the University community. Membership in student groups is open to all members of the University community. The recognition of Student Groups is governed by the Policy on Recognized Student Groups.
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APUF Funding – 2023-24 Recipients
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ASPO would like to thank everyone who applied or met with its office for a consultation. Stay tuned for more information about APUF 2024-25.
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Tri-campus HEQCO Conference Delegation
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Earlier in the term, the Access Strategy & Partnership Office (ASPO) offered members of U of T's access community the opportunity to receive a sponsored ticket to attend HEQCO's in-person conference on November 3rd: Access Reboot: New Directions for Higher Education.
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The response was outstanding, with a delegation of 18 faculty and staff from across all three campuses attending. Following the conference, the group convened a broader group of U of T attendees to debrief the day and discuss themes relevant to work supporting access across the University.
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Indigenous Tuition Initiative
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U of T has initiated tuition support for Indigenous students from nine First Nation areas, as of October 11. Find out more on the FAQ page, and please share the link to the Application Form with interested parties.
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Roger Pizarro Milian Appointed Manager,
Student Data & Analytics
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The Vice-Provost, Students and Vice-Provost, Strategic Enrolment Services are very pleased to welcome Roger Pizarro Milian as the inaugural Manager, Student Data & Analytics. Roger’s new office is located in the OVPS suite in Simcoe Hall and his email is roger.pizarromilian@utoronto.ca.
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Reporting jointly to the Vice-Provost, Strategic Enrolment Management and the Vice Provost, Students, Roger will take the lead in coordinating and executing a Provostial student data strategy. He'll oversee a new data analytics team that will work closely with academic administrators and staff to provide reliable, timely high-level data reporting and analytics to support DVPP planning, policy formulation, and decision making.
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Awards of Excellence–Nominations Now Open
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Please consider nominating your colleagues for the Jill Matus Excellence in Student Services Award and the Joan E. Foley Quality of Student Experience Award. The deadline is Friday, December 15, 2023.
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Part of the Awards of Excellence – an annual program recognizing exemplary members of the University community – these two awards specifically recognize contributions enhancing the student experience at the University.
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The Jill Matus Excellence in Student Services Award is awarded to individual staff members who demonstrate excellence in the area of student services, and whose contributions in this area go clearly above and beyond the responsibilities and expectations of their job. Two recipients are selected annually.
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The Joan E. Foley Quality of Student Experience Award is presented annually to a student, faculty, or administrative staff member who has made a distinctive and lasting contribution to enhancing the quality of the undergraduate or graduate student experience at the University of Toronto.
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Please click the links above for details about the awards and nomination process.
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Confidence in Career Decision-Making Workshop
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Confidence in Career Decision-Making is a full-day in-person workshop to create space for students to explore and develop strategies for bolstering personal confidence, hope, and optimism in career decision-making. Participants will learn about different approaches to decision-making, hear from U of T alumni who have navigated complex decisions, and develop a plan to achieve personal goals in support of healthy careers.
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New Disclosure and Accommodation Guide
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New Tutor Training Program (UT3)
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The U of T Tutor Training Program or UT3 is a series of modules from Academic Success to teach current undergraduate students at the St. George campus how to be effective tutors. Once students have completed all nine training modules, they will be added to Academic Success’s list of trained tutors.
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Note: During this pilot year, only undergraduate students are eligible to complete the training. A specialized training program for graduate students will be ready soon.
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Religious Holidays Observance Dates – Resource
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Flu Vaccine Pop-up Clinics
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Flu vaccines will be available this fall through U of T’s Discovery Pharmacy. Students, staff, and faculty can book appointments at the Pharmacy, or visit one of the pop-up clinics the Pharmacy is working to organize on the three campuses in late November.
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January Newsletter
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Want to submit a suggestion for our late January newsletter?
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