The University of Toronto (U of T) recently withdrew a proposal for a policy that would allow the university to put students with mental health issues on a mandatory leave of absence, according to a news release.
Sandy Welsh, vice-provost (students), said in the release the mandated leave would be considered for extremely rare cases where the student is experiencing a mental health crisis so severe that it is in their best interest to put their studies on hold and focus on their recovery.
However, following a letter and request from the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) for the university to take more time to review the policy, it was withdrawn, according to the release.
“The OHRC is concerned that the treatment of students contemplated in the Policy may result in discrimination on the basis of mental health disability contrary to the Ontario Human Rights Code,” Renu Mandhane, chief commissioner of the OHRC, said in the letter.
In the letter, Mandhane said the policy appears to allow decisions to be made by the U of T’s administrators who “do not have any specialized training on human rights or risk assessment, and does not require the University to seek objective information from an expert about the specific risk posed.”
Welsh said in the release, “out of respect to the commissioner, and to ensure that the best interests of our students continue to be addressed, the university will take additional time to consider [Mandhane’s] comments and provide a thorough and thoughtful response.”
According to the U of T’s website, the proposed policy guarantees students their right to a university-mandated leave of absence without academic probation and a return to their studies when they are ready.
In addition, it was decided that there would be no indication of the absence on the student’s transcript, so as not to discourage students from coming forward and getting help, according to the website.
In contrast, Carleton University has a mandatory leave policy as an appendix in its Students Rights and Responsibilities Policy, which was set out in 2007. There will be a mandatory review of the policy in June 2018.
Falum Gibson, a former political science student at Carleton University, said in a previous Charlatan article she left the school last month due to mental health issues.
Gibson said she was given two weeks to pack and leave campus after she was put on academic probation. Gibson has both cerebral palsy and borderline personality disorder, a severe mental illness that causes emotional instability.
In a Facebook post explaining her situation, she said “showing students the door who are suicidal creates an even larger stigma towards mental illness as a whole. I worry that my situation will cause other students to stay silent in fear of being shown the door.”
After leaving the university, she said she was unable to find accessible housing to meet her needs.
“The policy is not a punishment, nor is it disciplinary in any way. We want students to take a break if necessary and focus on their recovery,” Welsh said of the U of T policy.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
