QSS Council discusses student fee increases and New Year’s resolutions for UTM services
Administrators and student leaders discuss plans for the future in the final Quality Service to Students meeting of 2024.
In its final meeting of 2024, the University of Toronto Mississauga’s (UTM) Quality Service to Students (QSS) Council met on December 5 to discuss proposals for student fee increases and plans to improve student well-being.
According to its Terms of Reference, the QSS Council is a largely consultative body composed of administrators and student leaders. It meets every month to discuss programs and initiatives with the aim of improving the student experience at UTM.
The Council kicked off December’s purely informational meeting by going over proposed student fees for the 2025-26 session. The proposals included fee increases for Recreation, Athletics & Wellness, Health Services, and Student Services.
If accepted, the new fees for the services under consideration would amount to C$610.66, an increase of C$30.96 from the 2024-2025 session. The proposals come as UTM expects an increase in student enrolment in Fall 2025.
The Council will vote on whether to endorse these proposals in their next meeting on January 15.
The rest of the meeting was dedicated to presentations by various UTM departments.
The Health & Counselling Centre (HCC) Medical Director Erin Kraftcheck noted that the HCC has brought on an additional physician, highlighting that the new team member will help make more appointments available.
Citing student feedback, Kraftcheck noted that, “students want to access our services in new and unique ways, including without having to physically show up [to the HCC clinic].” The feedback has prompted the HCC to update the way it delivers services, such as by creating the option for booking appointments online instead of by phone call.
Kraftcheck stated that the HCC’s priorities for 2025 include expanding the Peer Support and Ask the Nurse programs, streamlining student navigation of Wellness services, and increasing student awareness of health services.
Director of Recreation and Wellbeing Peter Mumford announced that the Department of Recreation, Athletics & Wellness is seeking to implement outdoor wellness programs, expand upon and create programs for “equity deserving communities,” improve recreation equipment, and bring back Sunday evening residence time in the coming year.
Regarding the UTM Shuttle Bus, the University’s Hospitality & Ancillary Services announced that it plans to implement a new Sunday round trip to the St. George campus by the 2025-26 session, in addition to the five such trips in the current schedule. It also plans to enhance wi-fi on buses and implement virtual ticketing as part of its broader initiative to move all shuttle-related services to the cloud.
Speaking for Students Affairs & Services, Career Centre Director Felicity Morgan said that the Student Services Hub will focus on optimizing its use of space, maintaining its social atmosphere, and increasing support for graduate students. She also positively reflected on how some students use booths in the Hub to study and socialize. “We know space is really scarce on campus,” she said, “but we want students to see this as more than just a space to study.”
Representatives for the Career Centre, the International Education Centre (IEC), the Centre for Student Engagement (CSE), and Family Care Services each conveyed goals to expand outreach to students to increase awareness of programs and pathways at UTM. Additionally, the IEC hopes to increase its number of staff positions by 43 per cent while the CSE aims to increase available funds for student groups and the salaries, wages, and benefits of its employees.
In a discussion regarding how UTM organizations could conduct better outreaches to students, Vice President and Principal’s Delegate Chad Nuttall disclosed that, according to survey data collected by UTM staff, “students, by and large, want to hear about events through email and through a weekly newsletter.” He suggested that organizations should accommodate this preference moving forward.