The Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness' Early Childhood Education program is organizing the collection of books, craft or school materials and toys for Early Childhood Educators in St. Lucia at this time. A donation box has been placed in the M200 FHSW reception area. 

Donations will be accepted until Thursday, October 26. 

Thank you in advance for your generousity.

Questions can be directed to ECE Professors, Roxana Zuleta (roxana.zuleta@humber.ca) and Danielle Pusateri (danielle.pusateri@humber.ca), and Program Support Officer, Lucy Koncan (lucy.koncan@humber.ca).

Accessible Learning Services shares some best practices considerations:

• Extension request guidelines are provided to students who are registered with Accessible Learning Services and require extensions as a disability-related accommodation. 

• There may, on occasion, be exceptions to these guidelines for specific disability-related reasons (for example, when a disability-related reason prevented the student from engaging in the accommodation process). 

• With increased efforts to embed accessibility in curriculum, applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can reduce the need for extension requests. These include breaking down large assignments into smaller components with respective due dates or implementing a “voucher” system allowing all students an opportunity or two to submit assignments late without penalty or rationale. 

• It is understood that there is value in structure, timelines and building responsibility in our students, but peer review supports pedagogical value in compassion and suggests rethinking deadline and late penalty policies.  

Visit our ALS Information for Faculty website to learn more about extension accommodations.   

Please email us at accessible-learning@humber.ca with suggestions for key accessibility-related topics that you would like us to address through the Communiqué.

In the latest SVPA Blog, Gina Antonacci highlights how Humber College is exploring innovative teaching and learning approaches that lead to transformative change. 

This includes announcing 10 proposals by Humber faculty and staff that were chosen as the inaugural projects under Priority 3: Empowering Teaching and Learning.  

Read the latest SVPA Blog.

What is Workplace Harassment?

Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber are committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive culture in which all members of the Humber community study, work and live free from discrimination and harassment. Humber has the right and the legal and moral responsibility to ensure that all Humber community members are treated fairly, equitably, and respectfully and to provide a learning, working and living environment free from discrimination and harassment.

Harassment is a form of discrimination and a breach of the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code) and Humber's Human Rights Policy.

What is Harassment?

Harassment in section 10(1) of the Ontario Human Rights Code and workplace harassment (personal/psychological harassment) in section 1(1)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) is defined as "engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome." This definition includes any behaviour that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be offensive, embarrassing or humiliating to other individuals. Such conduct may or may not be based on any of the prohibited grounds identified in the Code and includes visual representations, electronic messages including emails and social media posts, written messages, and verbal and/or physical conduct.

Examples of harassment include but are not limited to:

• Unwelcome remarks, jokes, slurs, innuendoes or taunting;
• Hazing, stalking or shunning;
• The repeated mistreatment of one employee or student, targeted by one or more employees or students with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage of performance (bullying);
• Displaying derogatory or offensive pictures, graffiti or materials either through printed copy or personal computer;
• Verbal abuse;
• Insulting gestures or practical jokes which cause embarrassment or awkwardness;
• Unauthorized and/or unnecessary physical contact;
• An impassioned, collective campaign by co-workers to exclude, punish and humiliate a targeted worker.

What isn't harassment?

Harassment or workplace harassment does not occur when a supervisor/manager gives legitimate direction or instructions to an employee in the course of their employment. It also does not occur when performance reviews are conducted in accordance with the College's Faculty Evaluation Procedure, or its equivalent.

Incivility is generally defined as an instance of behaviour such as rudeness, discourteousness, or impoliteness. Incivility, while inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, on its own, would not meet the threshold of harassment.

For more information, please see Humber's Human Rights Policy at humber.ca/policies/human-rights-policy.

If you have any questions about harassment or to report any harassment experienced or witnessed, please get in touch with humanrights@humber.ca.

Thank you for your continued commitment to fostering a respectful, discrimination and harassment-free working, learning and living environment at Humber.