Four senators at York University and a member of its academic planning and research committee are asking for a judicial review of the institution’s decision to suspend admissions to several undergraduate programs.
The university has said it is temporarily suspending new admissions to 18 degree programs in the fall of 2025, including Indigenous studies, gender and women’s studies and environmental biology programs.
Members of the university’s senate and academic planning and research committee have filed an application in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, asking it to order York University to rescind its suspension decisions and to follow a collegial process before suspending admissions to the academic programs.
The applicants are arguing that York University’s senate has jurisdiction over academic matters and suspending admissions to programs requires the senate’s involvement and approval.
A spokesperson for the university says in a statement that York has just received the judicial review application, which it will be reviewing and responding to “in due course.”
The spokesperson says enrolments at many of the suspended programs are low, but the university believes in the “intellectual value” of the programs and will support faculty members to revise and update them to attract more students.
