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The SID Community

Make. Lead. Challenge. Care.

At SID we are a community. Like any community, there will be differences of opinions and times of stress, but we should remember to treat each other with respect and care at all times. Consider the wishes of our colleagues when acting - am I making things better for my neighbour, or causing them difficulty?

All members of the SID community are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with SID’s core values of making, leading, challenging and caring. Among other things, this means keeping the channels of communication open and believing the best of people. We must operate in an atmosphere of trust.

SID's Learning Environment and Course Practices

These guiding principles shape our collective learning environment:

  1. Inclusive Participation and Respectful Engagement
    Learning in SID is collaborative and dialogic. Students are expected to engage respectfully with peers, instructors, staff, and guests, and to contribute to an environment where diverse perspectives, identities, and modes of expression are valued. Discriminatory, harassing, or exclusionary behaviour—whether intentional or not—has no place in our classrooms, studios, or critiques.
  2. Professional Practice with Care and Accountability
    As a professional, degree-granting program, SID models the realities of design practice alongside its responsibilities. This includes clear assignment expectations, deadlines, and submission protocols. At the same time, we acknowledge that structural and personal barriers can affect students unevenly. When challenges arise, students are encouraged to communicate early and to make use of university supports such as Academic Consideration Requests.
  3. Attendance, Access, and Engagement
    Regular attendance and on-time participation support collective learning, especially in studio- and discussion-based courses. If access needs, health concerns, caregiving responsibilities, or other circumstances affect your participation, please communicate with your instructor as early as possible so that appropriate support or accommodations can be explored.

Everyday Tips for Ease and Success:

  • Check your TMU email and D2L regularly, and enable notification tools that support executive functioning and time management.
  • Use your TMU email when communicating with faculty and staff, and include the course code to support clear and equitable communication.
  • If unforeseen circumstances arise, reach out early—seeking support is a professional and responsible act, not a failure.
  • SID’s studios and workshops are shared spaces. Students are expected to use them safely, respectfully, and with consideration for others’ access, wellbeing, and labour.
TMU Policies

All members of SID are expected to understand and abide by all Toronto Metropolitan University Senate Policies, especially:

The building is your home away from home and a valuable gift. Please treat it with respect! Misuse or abuse of the building or its furnishings is considered academic misconduct.

Access to the building is by the Toronto Metropolitan University OneCard. The One card will allow students 24 hours/7 days a week access to the building, with the exception of statutory holidays.

 

SID policies are approved by the School Council, which is made up of a set number of faculty, instructors, staff and students. Although Council's particular mandate is on curricular concerns, it is also involved broadly in decision-making for the School. 

Ancillary fees are mandatory payments made to the University for course-specific expenditures. They are approved by School Council a year in advance and governed by strict regulations set by the Ontario Government. In SID we have the following fees:

  • First year fees are used to pay for equipment and software.
  • Second year fees are used to pay for the annual Field Trip.
  • Third and Fourth year fees help to pay for the costs of the Internship program.

These are normally reviewed during the summer and any changes brought to School Council at its September meeting.

The studio is your communal workspace: please care for it. Each student has a designated desk space in the studio. Remember though that you share this space with a student in another year. This means, for example, that the studio is off limits for first years when second years have a class in the studio, and vice versa.

Although you may leave things in the studio, please keep the space neat for your own use and that of your colleague. Use a cutting board for cutting and cover the table if you are painting or gluing - this too is about taking care of the space.

Remember to consider care for the environment in your work. Use sustainable materials and methods whenever possible. Spray painting is highly discouraged, but if you must use spray paint, do it in the spray booth. Recycle scrap material. 

If you are working or presenting outside of your studio area, please take care to clean up after yourself! Think about the person who will be using the space next.

Please use push pins to attach to homosote walls and magnets to pin up on whiteboards. Tape leaves residues and can leave a permanent mark.

A telephone is provided for your use on the second floor. It is directly linked to security. Dial “80” for emergencies. 

Please participate in the course or studio that you are in at the moment. Working on assignments for other courses can be disruptive.

Wear headphones if you want to listen to music, especially during the day.

Borrow AV Equipment required for your presentations ahead of time from Media Services in KHE-227 or from The Creative School’s Equipment Distribution Centre, in RCC 166. 

If you are uncertain or confused and need advice; if you are upset and need an attentive ear; if you are frustrated or angry and need something explained or rectified; or if you merely need to talk, there are a number of things you can do to ensure prompt attention to your problems or concerns. 

  • If you have concerns pertaining to a specific course, you are urged to address these issues with the appropriate instructor at the earliest possible date. 

If the issues are not resolved, speak with the Course Coordinator; if further discussion is needed, make an appointment with the Undergraduate Program Director, Lorella Di Cintio.

When raising concerns, please remember that there are often conflicting perspectives on issues and that everyone in SID is doing their best to make the School operate in the most positive manner.

As well, the following are there for advice: 

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Jeanine Webster, Academic Coordinator, you can do so by clicking this Office Hours Calendar Link (external link)  (also found at the bottom of Jeanine’s email signature). Please be sure to include your student number and the reason for the appointment in the description. If you are not able to attend during these hours, please send Jeanine an email and to schedule something individually. 

  • General curricular issues or BFA program operational matters should be brought to the attention of your Course Coordinators or the Undergraduate Program Director. Queries or concerns about School-wide policies or procedures should be addressed to the Chair. You may wish to discuss a concern (of a non-personal nature) with your class representative who has the responsibility for voicing collective concerns to the appropriate faculty. 
  • Meetings of the School Council are not an appropriate forum for raising concerns, although resolutions to some concerns may require action by Council. You are also encouraged  to attend Town Hall meetings (all-school meetings) or join the school’s special  committees. 

If you are experiencing personal problems of a non-academic nature, you may wish to seek the assistance of the Centre for Student Development and Counselling or the other services offered through Student Learning Support.

Equity and Community Inclusion is a key aspect of SID's values. SID's ECI program is comprised of scholarships, targeted courses, curricular initiatives, guest speakers and exhibitions.

Curriculum/Course Information

Students are required to meet the BID program requirements for the term they start the program (students starting in Fall 2022 must follow the 2022-2023 Undergraduate Calendar). Students can review their progress by running an Advisement Report. Questions about the curriculum or your advisement report can be directed to the Academic Coordinator.

Attendance

Due to the practical nature of the Interior Design program, reguar attendance is highly recommended for all classes. Failure to attend class may jeopardize students' academic success. If a student is unable to attend class an Online Academic Consideration Request should be submitted.

Accommodations

Students with disabilities will be accommodated as per Senate Policy 159, and provided access to Academic Accommodation Support.

Students will be accommodated on the grounds of religious, Aboriginal and Spiritual Observance per Senate Policy 150. General, students must submit their request via the online Academic Consideration Request (ACR) system within the first two weeks of the class. For more information, see the policy.

Group Work

Group work is an integral part of the program. Individual assessment guidelines will be outlined in the course outline. Group work which does not receive individual assessments may not consist of more than 30% of the course credit. Students are responsible for negotiating group interactions, however, faculty should be consulted promptly if serious problems arise.

Project Closure Policy

Due to limited space in the Interior Design building, students are responsible for the clean up and removal of completed projects within 10 days of receiving their grade. An exception will be made if the project is intended to be submitted for the Year End Show. Instructions on storage of YES projects will be issued by the YES team.

 

Submissions must be made to the course D2L site before the deadline set by the Instructor. Late submissions will be subjected to a whole letter grade deduction (10%) for every 24 hours from the day/time the assignment is due until the project is handed in. Hand-in times are specified by the instructor in the course outline and on assignments sheets.

Normally, late submissions without penalty will only be accepted for verifiable medical or compassionate reasons, following TMU's policies on academic consideration. Computer malfunctions are not accepted as reasons for academic consideration.

Student work may be used by SID for a number of reasons, including CIDA accreditation, exhibitions, and promotions (such as on this website). Students will be credited but no specific permission will be sought for the use of digital images produced, including images of models and other physical objects. Students have the right to opt-out of showcasing their work.