TingTing Wang’s case made news in November following a public letter written by SFUO president Dean Haldendy to University of Ottawa President Allan Rock, denouncing the injustice of TingTing’s situation.
TingTing’s appeal was also featured in the 2008 SAC Annual Report and was covered by the CBC evening news on November 14, 2008.
TingTing Wang’s academic advisor mistakenly registered her in a course for which she did not have the pre-requisite in August 2007. It is only after having failed the course that TingTing’s professor noticed that she did not have the prerequisites. She has since expressed two clear requests to the University of Ottawa: to have the failure removed from her transcript and to be reimbursed the $1782.58 she spent on the course.
TingTing obtained a letter of support from her professor and appealed her case to Manon Lalande (Administrator of Undergraduate Programs for the Faculty of Social Sciences), Cécile Coderre (Vice-Dean Academic), François Houle (Dean), Robert Major (Vice-President Academic) and the Senate Appeals Committee.
In July 2008 The Faculty of Social Sciences first refused to recognize its mistake by ruling that TingTing should have dropped the course even though she was passing the course on the final drop day. At the level of the Senate Appeals, the Faculty changed its position by claiming that it had made a special exception for the benefit of TingTing’s work schedule, a statement that has no basis in fact.
Interestingly, TingTing’s work with Marco Polo Media Communications and with the local Seven Days Newspaper involves networking with potential international students who are interested in studying at the University of Ottawa. Should she lose her appeal, TingTing says it will be important to warn potential students of her case with the University of Ottawa.
The Senate Appeals Committee will make a final and binding decision for TingTing’s appeal on Friday March 13, 2009.
