ULTRAVIRES.CA
November 25, 2020
VOL. 22, ISS. 3
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW
No Change in Start Date for Winter Term Classes U of T Law opts to carry on as planned SABRINA MACKLAI (1L JD/MI)
THE LAW SCHOOL REMAINS LARGELY EMPTY WITH THE COMPLETE SHIFT TO ONLINE CLASSES. PHOTO CREDIT: JACQUELINE HUANG
Annual Faculty Council Meeting on Tuition and Budget SLS addresses disappointment over tuition; brings attention to the recent passing of Jamal Howlader ANGELA GU (2L JD/MBA) On Wednesday November 18, Faculty Council held its annual discussion on tuition and budget, this time via Zoom. This was Dean Edward Iacobucci’s last Faculty Council as dean of the law school. Students’ Law Society (SLS) Updates
SLS President Robert Nanni (4L JD/MBA) began with brief remarks, noting the stressors faced by the law school community as the end of the term draws near, with 1Ls facing law school exams for the first time, and other students writing exams remotely once again. He drew attention to mental health concerns, and asked attendees to check in with each other, and for faculty members to check in with students. Nanni also spoke about the recent passing of
Jamal Howlader, a member of the JD class of 2020, and noted the heartwarming response of the law school community in coming together. Denna Pourmonazah Jalili (4L JD/MBA), began fundraising efforts for a Faculty of Law bursary in Howlader’s honour, and contributions from the community quickly surpassed the $25,000 minimum that U of T requires for a named bursary. Dean Iacobucci added that he had been in touch with the family, and expressed that the bursary was a “lovely tribute” and would help future students. Graduate Law Students’ Association (GLSA) Updates
Anil Nair, President of the GLSA, noted that the distancing effect of remote learning is more
salient for graduate students, like himself, as many are only at the Faculty for a year. The GLSA is working on ways to improve graduate students’ social experience at the Faculty. Budget and Tuition
Dean Iacobucci prefaced the discussion on budget and tuition by noting that Faculty Council does not have authority over the law school’s budget. The Office of the Dean, in consultation with the Faculty’s Chief Administrative Officer Annette Henry, and others, creates a budget plan that is subject to the approval of the Provost and the Governing Council. Dean Iacobucci stated that he provides the budget presentation as a courtesy, that it will be at the next
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE EQUITY WORK IN THE WAKE OF BLM PROTESTS AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC PAGE 4
RIGHTS REVIEW PAGE 18
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On November 20, t he Un iversit y of To ronto’s President Mer ic Ger t ler infor med t he un iversit y commun it y t hat many pro g rams w i l l ex per ience a sh ift from a Januar y 4 star t date for upcom ing w inter ter m classes to Januar y 11. W h i le a l l f irst- ent r y underg raduate d iv isions w i l l resume classes a week later t han or ig ina l ly planned, t he star t date for g raduate and professiona l prog rams w i l l var y to ensure t hat “st udents in t hese prog rams can complete t heir courses in a t imely manner as planned.” Shor t ly fol low ing t h is announcement, Dean Edward Iacobucci clar if ied t hat t he Facu lt y of L aw w i l l not move t he w inter star t date. A s or ig ina l ly planned, classes w i l l resume Januar y 4 for f irst year st udents and Januar y 11 for upper year st udents. President Ger t ler cited t he change as “prompted by t he fact t hat we’ve a l l been under an ext raord inar y amount of st ress for mont hs now, because of t he burdens imposed by t he COV I D -19 pandem ic.” T he pur pose for an ext ra week of w inter brea k wou ld be to a l low st udents an op por t un it y to “rest and recharge, and to ma ke t he most of t he upcom ing hol iday brea k.” T h is change came not long a fter a pet it ion to extend w inter brea k for U of T st udents in it iated November 16 by a g roup of underg raduate st udents received over 8,0 0 0 sig nat ures from across t he un iversit y commun it y. T he organ izers of t he pet it ion cited t hat t he extension wou ld a l low for st udents to “recover from a d if f icu lt ter m,” and be able to v isit fam i ly over t he brea k “w it hout m issing school for quarant ine and endanger ing ot hers.” Ot her un iversit ies across Canada have a lso opted to delay t heir w inter ter m star t date, including McMaster Un iversit y, Waterloo Un iversit y, and Carleton Un iversit y, among ot hers. I n h is ema i l to t he law school commun it y, Dean Iacobucci cited a number of reasons as to why t he Facu lt y w i l l not post pone t he star t of w inter ter m. First, t he Facu lt y cannot change t he date of its intersession, t he intensive onecred it upper year courses t hat r un from Januar y 4 to 8, and are pr imar i ly taught by v isit ing professors. T he Dean ex pressed concer n t hat an extended w inter brea k wou ld resu lt in cancel l ing intersession a ltoget her, causing “uncer ta int y and d islo -
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REFLECTIONS ON AMY CONEY BARRETT’S CONFIRMATION PAGE 23