Forms, Policies & Guidelines

The Department of Chemistry and Biology is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment. Below you will find resources that help us to uphold our departmental standards.

•  (google doc) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Laboratories (external link) 
•  (google doc) Chemical Safety Manual (external link) 
•  (google doc) Biosafety Program Manual (external link) 
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
• Toronto Metropolitan University Environmental Health & Safety
•  (google form) Incident/near miss report form (external link) 

If you have any issues or questions regarding health and safety in the department, please contact any of the members of our Health and Safety Committee. Please note that matters can be handled confidentially, if desired.

Health & Safety Committee members
Department Chair: Kim Gilbride
Faculty: Bryan Koivisto
Technical Specialist: Kathy May
Technical Specialist: Miriam de Jong
Technical specialist MaRS: Ella Hyatt

Courses offered in the Chang School of Continuing Education are typically fully interchangeable with those offered in the regular program. Examples of interchangeable courses include CBLG143/BLG143, CBLG144/BLG144 or CBLG151/BLG151. If you took a Chang school course that is a prerequisite for a full time course and it does not appear on your academic record, please follow the instructions and fill out the  (PDF file) Undergraduate Degree Course Exemption (Substitution/Directive) Form.  

If the prerequisite was a transfer credit from another institution, we will be able to verify this by your transfer credit report/unofficial transcript and can then enroll you in your desired course. Please contact Chemistry and Biology administration if this is your situation.  

A conflict occurs when two courses have teaching or tutorial/lab blocks that occur in the same time slot.

1. Students will normally be prevented from enrolling in courses for which there is a
   scheduling conflict. In exceptional circumstances, a student may obtain a conflict override from the Program Director or Chair of their program department, which would allow them to take both courses.
2. Conflict overrides are not normally granted for conflicts of more than 1 hour per week. (An example of an exception would be a conflict with a lab for which the student has an exemption.)
3. Conflict overrides may not be granted to students who have shown weak academic performance.
4. The onus is on the student to provide a convincing argument for a conflict override to their program director. The argument must include dates of major evaluations and indicate that there are no conflicts between evaluations in the two conflicting courses; i.e., the student is not expected to write two tests at the same time. Arguments may include such elements as (this is not an exhaustive list):
   1. The conflict is created by a lab in a course for which the student has an exemption.
   2. The student has consistently demonstrated exceptional academic performance with a full load and is likely to succeed.
   3. The student has a reasonable prospect of graduating at the end of the academic year if the conflict is overridden.
   4. The student has completed one of the courses before successfully and is retaking it to improve their grade.
   5. The lectures for one of the courses are recorded and posted online, or the student has obtained permission from one of the instructors to record the missed lectures.
   6. The conflict is manageable because of special accommodations provided by the instructor or because the course is in some way exceptional.
5. All conflict overrides are granted at the discretion of the student’s program director. It is expected that the program director will consult with the instructors prior to rendering a decision.
6. There is no appeal process if the request for an override is denied.
7. A completed conflict override form does not guarantee that the student will be enrolled in the course. Enrolment is subject to availability.

There are numerous courses in which a student must complete one or more courses before they can be enrolled in the course of interest. These earlier courses are called “prerequisites”.

1. Students must fulfill the prerequisite requirements before enrolling in a course. In exceptional circumstances, a student may obtain a prerequisite override, which would allow them to take a course without having completed a prerequisite.
2. Prerequisite overrides may not be granted to students who have shown weak academic performance.
3. All prerequisite overrides are granted with the agreement of the student’s program director and the instructor of the intended course.
4. There is no appeal process if the request for an override is denied.

Prerequisite Override can be requested by filling in this  (google form) google form (external link) . Please ensure that you complete all sections of the form to allow your program director to assess your request.

A lab exemption can be requested when a student has passed the lab component of a course but they have failed the course. If approved, a student can take the lecture portion of the course but the student will not have to retake the lab component. To apply for a lab exemption, please complete the  (PDF file) lab exemption form. View the form for further instructions.

Note: Lab exemption must be completed within the first two weeks of the term

Students should inform their instructors as soon as they know they will miss an assessment and, if appropriate, submit an Academic Consideration Request through the Senate ACR Portal. Students should ensure that Academic Consideration Requests are consistent with Senate Policy 167. The decision of whether or not an ACR is granted is ultimately up to the discretion of the instructor but students are encouraged to contact their program director should disagreements arise in how an ACR has been handled.

It is mandatory, as a student, to contact your instructor(s) for any exams missed and request a final makeup examination. This will assist you as a student in being able to take advantage of writing any Chemistry or Biology exam that the Chemistry and Biology department is hosting for our student body.

It’s imperative to understand the following for any missed exams:

1. Always email your instructor as soon as you know you are to miss any final exams scheduled.
2. If you miss your final exam due to illness, print or Complete the online TMU Health Certificate Form (external link)  and take it to your physician.
3. Submit your documents within 3 business days of the missed exams onto the Academic Consideration portal.
   The instructors will confirm your attendance to the makeup exam.
   The Chemistry and Biology Department will contact you once you have been confirmed to write, with the date, time and location of the makeup exam. All arrangements will be done according to the final examination scheduling policies.

Makeup Final Examination Scheduling Policies

1. All makeup final examinations will be scheduled during one of the designated makeup exam periods to avoid creating conflicts. (You need confirmation that you are writing)
2. Final examination times published by the Office of the Registrar take precedence over makeup final examination times.

The Department of Chemistry and Biology Departmental Council (CAB DC) is composed of faculty, staff, and student representatives from the Department of Chemistry and Biology. It is responsible for developing and recommending policy relevant to our department. The Departmental Council approves program and curriculum changes before presenting them to the Senate. The CAB DC also receives reports from standing committees each responsible for specific aspects of departmental governance. Current standing committees include: Students interested in being a member of the CAB DC should contact the Administrative Assistants in the Department of Chemistry and Biology Office.

The Department of Chemistry and Biology has a number of useful software packages that can be downloaded and used as part of our licensing agreement. Below are the details for each.

• ChemDraw
  ChemDraw is a drawing tool of choice for chemists and biologists to create publication-ready, scientifically intelligent drawings for use in reports and publications. Science students can quickly, effectively, and accurately communicate research and ideas using an extensive set of biological templates and drawing objects to create compelling illustrations of cells and pathways, including live chemical objects as needed
  Follow  (PDF file) this guide (opens in new window)  for instructions on how to install ChemDraw.
  
• ArcCIS by esri
  ArcGIS (external link)  is a geographic information system (GIS) for working with maps and spatial data that allows users to create publication quality maps and perform more advanced spatial analysis. The system is an industry standard software for compiling geographic data; analyzing mapped information; creating, sharing, managing, and discovering geographic information. More information can be found at Toronto Metropolitan University Library, Geospatial Map and Data Centre  or contact Stephanie Melles.
  

The Chemistry and Biology Department students share locker space due to the insufficient amount of lockers allocated. Most importantly this decision was made for the health and safety for our student body. On a daily basis, when you attend a lab, the TAGA's in the lab will assist you in placing your items in a shared locker.

 Please note do not bring valuables to class, you risk loss or stolen items.

 All lockers and contents must be removed before May 1.

Students with Probationary standing may not continue their studies until a specific plan of studies has been authorized for them by the Undergraduate Program Director. Students who fail to have a probationary plan of studies approved by the Undergraduate Program Director will have their course selection requests or course registrations cancelled for the term in question.

Students should first talk about any course-related concerns they have with their instructors. If they do not feel comfortable doing this or cannot resolve the concerns, they may bring this up with the Undergraduate Program Director followed by the Chair of the Department. Students may also consult Toronto Met’s ombudsperson discuss any complaints they may have.