Dear Osgoode Community,
Earlier this week there were media reports indicating that a donor to Osgoode is seeking a change in the designation of funding for a student bursary; these reports suggest that the donor wishes to exclude members of a particular religious group from eligibility for the bursary.
A number of members of the community have contacted my office to express their concern, and to seek assurances that the law school will not accede to this request. In fact, no such request has been received at present. However, our policy has been, and remains, that all our financial assistance is available on a non-discriminatory basis.
We would never accept or administer funds that attempted to exclude members of particular religious groups from access to funding. Not only would such actions be contrary to the Ontario Human Rights Code and a variety of other legal requirements, they would also offend our own commitment to equality.
I want to assure members of the community that any such requests that might be received now or in the future would be dealt with on the basis of these legal requirements and commitments.
Yours very truly,
Patrick J. Monahan, Dean
Osgoode Hall Law School
York University
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