U of T holds elections for its governing and campus councils
The results of the governing council have been released, while the winning nominees of the UTM Campus Council will be announced on April 7.
The voting period for electing student representatives of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto (U of T), as well as the Campus Councils and Standing Committees of each campus at U of T, took place from February 4 to 14, with the results of the Governing Council elections being released on February 19.
These university bodies govern how the U of T community is run. As per U of T’s stated principles for governance, student representation and input are essential to ensuring that the university can be given fair oversight, accurate advice, and approval of policies from a student perspective.
Governing Council elections
The Governing Council is the primary body that oversees academic, business, and student affairs for the entire tri-campus system. It consists of 50 members from throughout the university community. It is organized under a unicameral model and exists to give every stakeholder within the university community a voice in the university’s governance.
Students voted for eight of these 50 seats, with four representing full-time undergraduates, two representing part-time undergraduates, and two representing graduate students. Full-time undergraduate students of U of T Mississauga (UTM) voted as part of Constituency I, consisting of UTM, U of T Scarborough (UTSC) and the Faculty of Arts and Science at the St. George campus.
Under Section 9 of U of T’s Election Guidelines, all prospective student nominees had to file a nomination form with support from five other students to the Office of the Governing Council via the Nominations Management Portal by January 16. Nominees could then start campaigning on January 29 until the last day of voting on February 14.
Each candidate had to adhere to strict campaign spending limits, with a limit of C$2,915 for full-time undergraduates in UTM’s constituency, C$400 for part-time undergraduates, and C$539 to C$542 for graduate students. Candidates were also required to ensure they campaign in the spirit of fair play and respect for the democratic process.
On February 19, the Secretariat of U of T announced that Albert Pan, a student at UTM, was elected as one of the student representatives for the Governing Council with 499 votes. UTSC student Rishi Shah won the other seat with 551 votes.
Campus Council elections
The UTM Campus Council is a secondary body that oversees academic, business, and student affairs for the Mississauga campus only and provides oversight on matters solely concerning UTM. It consists of 28 seats, with three being reserved for undergraduate students and one for graduate students.
Additionally, two of the Standing Committees under the oversight of the UTM Campus Councils—the Academic Affairs Committee and the Campus Affairs Committee —were also up for election. The Academic Affairs Committee covers the campus’s instructional and research functions and holds 63 seats; the Campus Affairs Committee has jurisdiction over the quality of student life on campus and holds 34 seats; and the Campus Council Agenda Committee, which was not featured in the elections, consists of 13 members and is responsible for preparing meeting agendas for the UTM Council.
Prerequisites and rules, similar to those of the Governing Council, are mentioned in Section 11 of U of T’s Election Guidelines for the election of UTM’s Campus Council and its Standing Committees. Students can choose up to five undergraduate representatives and two graduate representatives for the Academic Affairs Committee and five undergraduate representatives and one graduate representative for the Campus Council Committee.
The election timeline for the Campus Council and its Standing Committees mostly followed the same timeline as that of the Governing Council. Candidates also adhered to spending limits and fair play rules when campaigning for these positions, with a limit of C$801 for undergraduate students and C$400 for graduate students.
Due to a lack of nominations, the undergraduate nominees for the Campus Affairs Committee, the graduate nominees for the Academic Affairs Committee, and the graduate nominees for the UTM Campus Council have all been acclaimed. The rest of the results will be released by April 7.
