NEWS
Monday, September 15, 2014 3
To the Class of 2017
Welcome to Osgoode for what promises to be an amazing year!
lorne sossin › dean
2
014 will mark Osgoode’s 125th Anniversary
and we have a range of special events to ring
in this milestone year. This will include the
installation of Charles (Ya’Ya) Heit’s signature indigenous carvings which will transform the
atrium in Gowlings Hall, and Austin Cooper’s collection of paintings and photographs which will
transform our white walls into narratives of expression. Professor Bruce Ryder will lead a group of students and Julie Lassonde (one of Osgoode’s two
Artists in Residence this year) on a trip to Winnipeg
to participate in the launch of Canada’s Museum of
Human Rights. Professor Andree Boisselle will lead
Osgoode’s first
ever “Aboriginal
Aw a r e n e s s
Camp,” set to
bri ng students
and faculty to
Cape Croker, home to the Anishinaabe community at
Neyaashiinigmiingand and Osgoode grad and former
faculty member John Borrows (now at the University
of Victoria) who has collaborated on this initiative.
This fall will also feature the launch of several
important digital services that flow from last year’s
consultations and plans around the Osgoode Digital
Initiative. First, we will mark the establishment this
year of Osgoode’s Digital Commons, an open access
one-stop portal for all Osgoode’s scholarship and
publications, which will ensure the research of our
faculty and students shape the public debate. Second,
Osgoode’s MyJD is now live, which will enable students to access the services they need on the platforms they use. We also launched Just Balance [www.
justbalance.ca] in September. This Osgoode led collaboration among Ontario law schools provides
resources, advice and mentorship for students experiencing mental health issues while at Law School.
Kudos to Counsellor and Wellness Officer, Melanie
Goela (’03), her colleagues at our partner schools, and
the team of students who worked so hard to make this
idea a reality.
As we look forward to the themes for the coming
year, accessibility is an aspiration that unites several important projects. First, in honour of the 125th
Anniversary year, a group of dynamic Osgoode JD
students are leading a fundraising campaign to raise
$125K for debt relief, which will be matched by the
law school and again by our alumni. Second, we plan
to announce this fall our first ever income contingent loan pilot program to commence in 2015, under
which participating students will pay for law school
only when they graduate and only when they sufficient income to afford the cost. If a graduate chooses
a career path which does not generate that level of
income, the loan is forgiven. Third and finally, we are
striking the Accessible JD Working Group which will
explore the possibility of a flex-time JD which students who cannot afford to give up full time work or
family responsibilities will nonetheless be able
to pursue their
legal education at
Osgoode. Taken
together, and alongside the existing range of financial assistance measures, I believe these initiatives
advance our goal of seeing no student denied the
opportunity for legal education at Osgoode due to
financial barriers.
This year at Osgoode will also be animated by new