Master of Public Policy Program

David Young; Stephanie Verkoeyen

12 Master of Public Policy Program

If you need assistance of any kind, please contact us. Note that the Program office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm and closed for lunch daily from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. The office is located in L. R. Wilson Hall (LRW), room 5021.

Vass Bednar, Executive Director, vass.bednar@mcmaster.ca, Ext. 21408
Greg Flynn, Acting Academic Director, flynngl@mcmaster.ca, Ext. 23890
Laura Johnson, Coordinator, pubpol@mcmaster.ca, Ext. 21873

Laura Johnson is your first point of contact for questions on items ranging from McMaster policies to program procedures.

Attendance Policy

The MPP is a synchronous virtual program. To benefit from the class teachings and discussions, which all happen live, it is necessary to be present and to participate. Consequently, attendance in class is mandatory unless there is a good reason for a student to be absent, such as illness. It is the student’s responsibility to notify instructors regarding any absence, and to provide the reason for that absence.

While many classes include a participation component in the grade, the program discourages participation grades for simply being present, in keeping with our policy that attendance is a baseline, mandatory expectation.

Bereavement Leave Policy for Students

If a student experiences the death of a loved one during the course of an academic term, the student may request to utilize the Bereavement Policy for Students. We recognize the impact that a loss may have on the emotional and academic well-being of a student and wishes to support the student during this stressful time. We also understand that grief impacts every student differently and, therefore, this policy is not an attempt to quantify the impact of the death of a loved one or in any way address the nature of the grief process. Rather, the purpose of this policy is to provide a formal process to allow grieving students the time to attend the bereavement services, as well as the opportunity to be available for their families during times of death and grief.

Under this policy, a student will be excused from class for funeral leave, subsequent bereavement, and/or travel considerations. A student is entitled up to five (5) consecutive academic days of bereavement to mourn a death in the immediate family as defined below. For a death outside the immediate family as defined below, a student is entitled up to two (2) consecutive academic days of bereavement. While this policy excuses a student from class attendance, the student remains responsible for all material covered in class and must work with each individual professor upon return to complete any required work.

The immediate family includes:

Parent(s) or legal guardian(s)
Siblings
Spouse or partner
Children
Other relatives living as members of the student’s household

Relationships outside the immediate family may include, but are not limited to:

Grandparents
Aunts or uncles
Cousins
Nieces or nephews
In-laws

Disclaimer: The Program reserves the right to review specific situations to determine if exceptions to the established bereavement policy are warranted.

Scope of Applicability

This policy is applicable to all full-time Master of Public Policy Graduate Students.

Travel Days

In addition to the aforementioned excused academic days, students may be granted up to three (3) additional calendar days to account for travel considerations.

Process and Notification

The student or a representative (family member, room/suitemate, on-campus faculty/staff) must notify the MPP Program Office at pubpol@mcmaster.ca prior to the start of the bereavement leave. The Coordinator will notify the MPP Program Directors and relevant course instructors of a student’s bereavement leave and anticipated return date. The student is required to provide appropriate documentation to the MPP Office. Upon return to the institution, it is the responsibility of the student to communicate with their instructors about any missed assignments and arrange to complete missed work. In keeping with this policy, instructors shall excuse the student from class according to this policy and provide an opportunity for the student to complete missed quizzes, exams, papers, other required work and/or alternative assignments. Students who have followed this policy should not incur academic penalties.

Documentation

Any student who wishes to utilize this policy is required to provide documentation to the MPP Program Coordinator at pubpol@mcmaster.ca. Acceptable documents may include: a funeral program, obituary, signed letter from funeral home, or death certificate. Failure to provide documentation will result in the absences being considered unexcused.

Appeal

If an instructor fails to follow this policy, the student may appeal the instructor’s decision in writing to MPP Program Academic Director.

Counselling Services

McMaster University’s Student Wellness Center is available to assist students and provide counselling services if so desired by the student.

Camera Policy

Good graduate education is interactive and participatory; generative discussions require active presence, and in an online program, that means being on-camera. Your learning experience, and the experience of your classmates, will be better if you are visibly taking part in the class. Not only does appearing on camera enhance the classroom dynamic but it also offers an opportunity to develop more substantive relationships with your instructors which is also to your benefit, as when your instructor is asked to provide you with an employment reference they will know you better. (then the same final two paragraphs

The MPP Program appreciates that it is exhausting to have to appear on camera for every synchronous session. There are some ways to mitigate this, including strategies to mitigate Zoom fatigue, including hiding your self-view and changing or blurring your background if you wish. However, as you move forward professionally you will be expected to appear on camera at least as often as you are being asked to do in this program. Appearing on camera during meetings when working remotely is a standard in most professional settings and acquiring the capacity to manage those expectations is an important professional skill.

Sexual or Gender-Based Violence Policy

All members of the MPP Program have a right to study, work, and live in an environment that is free of any form of sexual or gender-based violence. If you wish to report an experience, please speak to the program’s Executive Director or Faculty Advisor, if you feel comfortable doing so. Information you share will be kept confidential to the fullest extent possible, but there are some circumstances where we would have a legal responsibility to report to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO). You may also speak directly to a case manager at that office, if that feels safer to you.

What to do if you receive a disclosure:

If you receive a disclosure from an MPP student, a supportive and non-judgmental initial response to a disclosure can make a significant difference to individuals who have experienced sexual or gender-based violence. Community members are not expected to be experts, but rather to recognize, respond, and refer to appropriately support an individual who makes a disclosure. The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) provides support to people who receive disclosures, as well as to people who have experienced or have questions about any form of sexual or gender-based violence. Their services are available to all members of the McMaster community, including undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students, staff, faculty, medical residents, volunteers, visitors and visiting professors, and institutional administrators and officials representing McMaster University.

Please visit the Giving Support page on their website for more information and support resources, and review the Response Protocol to familiarize yourself with the limitations to confidentiality. As an academic service provider, the University has a responsibility to maintain an environment free of sexual violence and as such, any information shared during with you during a disclosure may be need to be reviewed with campus partners to ensure we are in legislative compliance.

It is very important to know the legal reporting requirements, which include but are not limited to:

There is a risk of harm (to self, others or the broader community)

There is an obligation by law (if the person disclosing to you is under 16 years of age)

There is an obligation by a regulatory body (if the accused belongs to a profession regulated by a college, such as social workers, nurses or physicians)

In those circumstances you must tell the student of your reporting obligations so that they can make an informed decision regarding what they wish to tell you. You are encouraged to consult with SVPRO if you are unsure about how to proceed.

McMaster Zoom Activation and Course Set-Up

McMaster provides an institutional license to Zoom, which is supported through University Technology Services.

Sign in with your MacID@mcmaster.ca and your MacID password to activate/configure your zoom license account. Failing to sign in via the McMaster portal or without your MacID will prevent the use of features such as breakout rooms.

Please inform us at pubpol@mcmaster.ca once you have activated both your Mac ID and Zoom account.

Set up your course in Zoom

Login to Zoom using your web browser (not the app!). Select the Meetings tab on the left sidebar, and then select Schedule a Meeting.
Begin entering the details of your course.
- When you select the “Recurring meeting” option, ensure you set the recurrence to “Weekly”, repeat every 1 week, occurs on your scheduled day, and the end date is after 14 occurrences (or select your end date manually).
- A unique security passcode will be generated for you
Finish entering the details of your course and select the following:
- Waiting Room
- Host and Participant videos “On”
- Computer Audio
- Select the options: “Allow participants to join any time” and “Mute participants upon entry”
- Enter an alternative host if required. If you have an alternative host to add, type their full name to select them (they must have activated their MacID as well for their name to be located).

Once you click the Save button, you will be able to select Copy Meeting Invitation. Send this meeting invitation to Laura Johnson, MPP Program Coordinator, at pubpol@mcmaster.ca. Your recurring course for the semester will be entered in the PUBPOL Outlook Calendar, which will be sent to the MPP students.

Course Outlines

A syllabus should not be posted to your course shell until final review and approval is given by the MPP Executive Director. Your draft(s) needs to be submitted to the MPP Executive Director no later than 2-3 weeks prior to the first day of your course. This is so that we can share/compare across all of the courses in a term, address any potential redundancies, coordinate due dates, and populate A2L course shells so they’re ready by the first class.

The MPP Office will provide you with the Program’s required course outline template. The template is formatted to AODA specifications, and it also contains all of the necessary university statements.