The conversation which ensured in the car between myself and my son during the rest of the trip to school was the best part of a day that taught me a great deal. It is with that theme of responsibility that I approach today's topic. My talk, as you might have already guessed, is highly anecdotal. Every office of this and every university and college, every laboratory, every nook and cranny should exist to facilitate the making and sharing of knowledge with generation after generation of students. Any structural weakness in the physical plant or more importantly in the huge human organism that sustains the institution can disadvantage students, can have lasting effects on their ability to negotiate this most complex of institutions and hence affect their futures.
Canadian universities have a public trust to nurture learners.
We heard yesterday of administrative efforts to be proactive on behalf of the student body, to provide support services to all students but especially to those in designated equity groups. Sometimes those efforts are successful, sometimes not. This afternoon's discussion will focus on the need for change in the institution and the impediments and avenues to that change. Perhaps that is the most universal tenet of a university. Unfortunately, some disciplines have yet to recognize that.