Annual Report 2005-2006 - Osgoode Hall Law School - York ...

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
2. Aboriginal Support
The year 2005-06 witnessed a rejuvenation of the Osgoode Indigenous Students Association that had
been dormant during the previous two years.
Two sessions with new and returning Aboriginal students were held early in the fall term and it was
suggested by students participating in these sessions that they were not especially interested in having
targeted academic support. Rather, students were hoping to look into revitalizing the Visiting Elder
Program in the hopes of strengthening cultural supports while studying at Osgoode.
In the winter 2006 term, the Osgoode Indigenous Students Association, in conjunction with the Office of
Student Services and the Office of the Dean, mounted a series of Visiting Elder sessions open to the Osgoode
community. For the most part, these sessions were well attended, primarily by Aboriginal law students, and
anecdotal evidence supports the notion that they should be encouraged during the 2006-07 term.
Preparations are underway for the continuation of the Visiting Elder Program in 2006-07. This Program is
supported by the Assistant Dean (First Year) and the Office of Student Services, but it is critically
important that the students are heavily involved in terms of choosing and inviting the Elders. Tracy
Coates, who will be entering her third year, deserves special mention for her dedicated work in this regard.
We will continue to encourage our students to visit York University’s Aboriginal Counselor, Randy
Pitawanakwat, who is housed next door to Osgoode in the Health Nursing & Environmental Studies
building. Particular challenges to programming in this area include the relatively small size of the target
group, and the possibility that other, more broadly based, Academic Support Program initiatives (for
instance, the Dean’s Fellows Program) may be seen as mandatory, leaving little time for other events. Past
experience suggests that the types of programs we have offered to Aboriginal students have had
disappointing take-up rates. The Office of the Assistant Dean (First Year) plans to work closely with the
Osgoode Indigenous Students Association to ensure that the students are able to communicate their
needs directly with this office and that we are able to collaborate on programming that Osgoode’s
Aboriginal students will find meaningful. It may be that there is a limited need for institutionalized and
formal support systems (especially given the other academic support available). More critical, perhaps, are
informal support systems within the academic institution, the legal profession and the GTA including
Aboriginal faculty members and other peer support networks.
Providing academic and more broadly based support specifically to this group is a challenge that we can only
meet by sustained effort and a commitment to helping our students develop their own support networks.
3. Summer Outreach to Incoming Students
As in past years, the Office of the Assistant Dean (First Year) coordinated a summer outreach package
for incoming students, which was mailed just after the middle of July. In addition to sending an updated
Student Survival Guide answering a number of frequently asked questions, we also provided each
incoming student with a copy of The Law School Book, authored by our colleague, Associate Dean Allan
Hutchinson. Widely recognized as the best text in Canada on this topic, many students mentioned the
value of having this book to read during the summer months.
In 2006-07, we will be sending an updated Guide, along with Associate Dean Hutchinson’s book. As always,
students are encouraged to spend the summer before law school in a way that will render them mentally
prepared to begin school in September, and these materials come with a letter from the Assistant Dean
urging students not to worry about law school, but rather to stimulate their curiosity about law through
reading widely.
10 OSGOODE HALL LAW SCHOOL