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: Andy McWilliams
Chair: Marc Adler
Faculty: Julia Lu
Faculty: Jan Matejovic
Technical Specialist (ex-officio): Shawn McFadden
Technical Specialist (ex-officio): Miriam de Jong
Technical specialist MaRS: Ella Hyatt
Graduate student: Fawwaz Azam
Undergraduate student: Amanjot Sethi

If you took a Chang school course that is a prerequisite for a full time course, 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.  

1. Students normally will 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 are not 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.

1. Students normally must fulfil 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 are not 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. The Prerequisite Override Form is provided for the convenience of the departmental decision makers. The list of reasons for overriding prerequisites, found in the Program Director’s section, might not be relevant to all departments. Departments are expected to develop practices and procedures that are consistent and fair, and to make those practices known to students (e.g. by posting them on their website).
5. There is no appeal process if the request for an override is denied.

Please complete the  (google form) lab exemption form (external link)  and submit.

Makeup Final Examination Scheduling

Qualifications for a Makeup Final Examination:

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 professor as soon as you know you are to miss any final exams scheduled.
2. Print or Complete the online Academic Consideration documents 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 Departmental Council is comprised of faculty, staff representatives 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. Students interested in being a member of the Departmental Council 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 (external link)  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
  For more information follow the instructions in the PDF file  (PDF file) here (opens in new window) .
• 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.