Last reviewed by SCSR: March 2025, Carla White on behalf of the OUAC
Table of Contents
Mandate
As per the Standing Committee on Student Recruitment Terms of Reference (SCSR TOR), Article XIV, Section 1–The Postsecondary Information Events (PIE) Calendar is a resource hosted on the OUAC Guidance website and managed by the OUAC to centralize information about PIE scheduled and organized by the guidance community.
The intent of the calendar is to allow the guidance community and General Committee on Student Recruitment (GCSR) members to understand the timing and location of scheduled events, particularly as it relates to the universities’ ability to send staff to the events.
The GCSR acknowledges that while PIE bookings continue to increase in popularity with the guidance community, they present significant and growing staffing and scheduling challenges for member universities.
With that in mind, the PIE Calendar and associated communications exist in an effort to achieve the following strategic aims on behalf of the GCSR:
- Request that counsellors avoid scheduling events that conflict with other Ontario Universities’ Events (OUF, Regional Fairs in their local area and virtual Information Sessions). Refer to Article XIV, Section 1a for further detail.
- Encourage counsellors to organize events with other counsellors to minimize new PIE and/or reduce the total number year-over-year.
- Encourage counsellors to schedule events on dates with as few other competing events as possible.
- Educate the guidance community on the staffing challenges faced by universities and inform their expectations on university attendance based on the volume of competing events.
Initiative Lead
As per the SCSR TOR, Article II, Section 4m, the OUAC is responsible for maintaining the PIE Booking Form and Calendar, the PIE page on the Guidance website and liaising with host schools to manage the volume of events, as referenced in Article XIV. The OUAC is also responsible for notifying the universities when PIE are booked and maintaining an up-to-date university contacts list.
The OUAC is also responsible for providing regular reports to the SCSR and the GCSR and incorporating members’ feedback into the management of the PIE Calendar.
Interested Parties
Name | Description |
|---|---|
|
GCSR |
The member universities provide the mandate to the SCSR and are the first level of approval required for changes to be made to the SCSR TOR. |
|
SCSR |
The elected Standing Committee is voted into their positions by the GCSR at the Annual General Meeting and is responsible for overseeing and executing the collective initiatives stated in the TOR. The SCSR represents the GCSR and reports to the Ontario University Registrars’ Association. |
|
OUAC |
The OUAC is an ex-officio member of the SCSR that manages PIE bookings and hosts the calendar on their Guidance website. |
|
PIE Hosts |
Guidance counsellors who wish to have their event posted on the calendar are required to fill out a booking form and must allow all GCSR member universities to attend their event if the universities wish. |
Associated Documents and Resources
- PIE Booking Form
- PIE Calendar
- Host email templates (e.g., booking open, PIE confirmed and PIE cancelled)
- PIE University Contacts (contacts receive reports indicating PIE bookings from the OUAC)
- pie@ouac.on.ca email account
- PIE bookings reports (sent weekly to the universities during the PIE booking season)
- PIE FAQs
Strategic Considerations for Review
Pending the results of the PIE survey being conducted from March to April in 2025, possible changes for 2026 as a result of the feedback received.
Appendix – Completed Improvements
| Improvement | Consultation | Date Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Update website and associated documents to reflect the new “PIE” acronym (formerly PSIE). | GCSR | December 2018 |
| Create a critical path. | GCSR | May 2019 |
| Review past host email campaign content and timelines. | GCSR | May 2019 |
| Update website to condense text. | SCSR Chair and Vice Chair | Summer 2019 |
| The OUAC’s investigation into building PIE Booking Form and Calendar. | SCSR and GCSR | November 2019 |
| Address concerns about competitor access to the calendar (colleges and out-of-Ontario universities). | GCSR | May 2020 |
| Add “Resources to Share with Your Students” section to the Guidance website. | N/A | Spring 2020 |
| Create PIE FAQs and add to the Guidance website. | N/A | Spring 2022 |
| Add question to the PIE Booking Form about school details: AP, IB, SHSM, French Immersion, Francophone. | SCSR and GCSR | March 2024 |
| Remove the option to book a virtual event. | SCSR and GCSR | January 2025 |
| Change form question about “Partnering Schools” to clarify that we mean high schools. | SCSR and GCSR | January 2025 |
| Various website and internal PIE tool enhancements for clarity and ease of use for the OUAC. | SCSR and GCSR | January 2025 |
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