The most recent U of G Senate meeting was held on Feb. 10. Below are key highlights from the meeting. A full synopsis of the meeting is available on the University Secretariat’s website.
Updated Policies: Reading Weeks and Study Break Days
In response to questions from faculty and students about assignments due during reading weeks and study break days, Senate approved revisions to the academic calendars and the Policy on the Establishment of the Schedule of Dates.
Effective May 1, 2020:
- Instructors are not permitted to schedule academic evaluations or have an evaluative component due during scheduled reading weeks or study break days.
- Reading weeks and study breaks begin at the end of classes on the Friday before the break and end when classes resume on the first day after the break.
- Exceptions can be made for clinical rotations and placements, fieldwork, experiential learning and graduate qualifying and thesis examinations with approval from the relevant Associate Dean, Guelph-Humber Program Head, or the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies).
These changes are intended to support student wellness and codify widely followed practices.
Call for Honorary Degree Nominations
University community members are encouraged to nominate worthy individuals for an honorary degree. In conferring honorary degrees, U of G seeks to recognize individuals whose transformative impact and standard of excellence will serve as an inspiration to our graduates and the broader community.
In keeping with the University’s Inclusion Framework, nominators are encouraged to consider individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
The full call for nominations is available on the University Secretariat’s website. Nominations are due Sept. 3, 2020.
New COU Academic Colleague Alternate
Senate approved the appointment of Prof. Andrew Papadopoulos (Population Medicine) as the University’s alternate Council of Ontario Universities (COU) Academic Colleague for a three-year term ending June 30, 2022. Papadopoulos replaces Prof. Shayan Sharif who was appointed Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies in the Ontario Veterinary College in the Fall.
The alternate Academic Colleague attends COU meetings when the Academic Colleague, Prof. Catherine Carstairs (History), is unavailable.
The next meeting of Senate will take place on Monday, March 30 at 5:30 p.m. in OVC Lifetime Learning Centre Room 1714.