ALEXANDER YU
<Contributor>
“Greetings, travellers!”
*Correct identification of the source of this quote entitles one to a coffee courtesy of me. Yes, there’s only one correct answer.
For those who have been wondering what Student Caucus has been up to (no laughing!), the short answer is: a lot! In particular, we have been in discussion with the administration about the audio-visual recording policy for lectures.
Students who began their studies at Osgoode in 2011 and later might be surprised to learn that the audio-visual recording of lectures is a fairly new feature of the school. On the other hand, it is known to just about all that the results of this program has been mixed. While some classes consistently capture all the lectures, others, for an assortment of reasons (including technical issues), have faced varying rates of failure.
For many students this inability to access all the lectures in a recorded format is an inconvenience, but the real harm done is the impact these failures have on students who face barriers to accessibility. In a very competitive academic program, our peers who are confronted with such barriers are disadvantaged by this inability to access recorded lectures synchronized with slides on account of these failures.
At the moment, the administration is planning on removing support for the current program starting next semester. Consequently, Student Caucus is, on multiple fronts, raising its concerns to the administration, hoping to develop a solution that addresses both student and faculty concerns.
We have been diligently discussing this issue and have consulted with interested student groups. A sub-committee has been struck to further consult stakeholders and to consider how we might best move forward from this point. As such, we want to hear your opinions (particularly from students facing accessibility barriers), so please address your thoughts and concerns as soon as possible to James Stevenson (Chair of the sub-committee) jamesstevenson@osgoode.yorku.ca or any other members of Student Caucus.
Alexander Yu is a 2L representative on Student Caucus. He’ll buy you coffee if you play his trivia games.