Last reviewed by SCSR: March 2025, Tori White, Chair, Ontario Universities’ Regional Fairs Working Group (OURF-WG)
Table of Contents
Mandate
As per the Standing Committee on Student Recruitment Terms of Reference (SCSR TOR), Article V, Section 1, the Ontario Universities’ Regional Fairs (OURF) are a vehicle for communication between Ontario’s universities and the province’s high school students, outside the Greater Toronto Area. All Ontario high school students and their families should be able to reasonably access an OURF or the Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF) from where they live.
The SCSR is responsible for organizing the OURF, with individual OURF regions organized by Members of the OURF Working Group (OURF-WG), as described in Article VI. The SCSR and OURF-WG shall endeavour to include all school boards in the OURF schedule within reasonable bounds of geography, time and budget.
The OURF will typically be held from September to November each year, and the dates set for the upcoming year are usually determined at the first SCSR meeting (typically held in February).
Initiative Lead
As per Article II, Section 4e – The Chair, OURF-WG, is responsible for the execution of the OURF, including chairing OURF-WG meetings, as referenced in Article VI.
Interested Parties
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| GCSR | The member institutions 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 SCSR members are voted into their positions by the GCSR at the Annual General Meeting and are responsible for overseeing and executing the collective initiatives stated in the TOR. The SCSR reports to OURA. |
| OUAC | The OUAC is an ex-officio member of the SCSR that manages and controls the OURF budget and provides administrative and publicity support for the OURF. |
| Bus Charter Companies | Charter bus companies are assessed and contacted in February/March. Contracts are approved by the OURF-WG Chair. Payment for each charter is managed through the OUAC. Two separate charter bus companies are required due to the limited availability of week-long charters that travel to Northern Ontario. 2024 Charters: Winning Streaks and Badder (Northern Ontario) |
| OURF Host High Schools | Host high schools are determined in March during the initial OURF planning stage. They are contacted by the OURF Coordinator for their region to ask for their participation. |
| OURF Non-Host High Schools | Non-host high schools in OURF regions are invited by both the OURF Coordinator and the host-school to attend 1 or more OURF events in their area. |
| OURF Host Universities | Universities in OURF regions are given first right of refusal to host. Where more than 1 university exists, first right of refusal to host will be given on a rotating basis. Universities will be contacted by the OURF Chair to ask for their participation in February/March. |
| OURF Host Community Venues | Host community venues will be determined in March during the initial OURF planning stage and may be pre-determined based on a university’s ability to host, the venue as past host and/or recommendations from the previous year’s report. |
| Regional Hotels | Hotel accommodation will be booked in blocks by the OURF Coordinator with the booking name Ontario University Regional Fairs (OURF). Room bookings will be secured individually by each university representative or someone from their institution on their behalf. Hotel accommodation will differ year-to-year based on location, availability, accessibility, cost and security. |
| University Representatives | University representatives attending each Regional Fair will be assigned by their home institution. Communication and updates between the OURF Coordinator and university representatives will be ongoing between August and November. |
| High School Student Volunteers | OURF Coordinators are responsible for communicating with local high school counsellors to recruit student volunteers for each event. These volunteers will be stationed at the door for the duration of the event to collect door counts for reporting purposes. |
Associated Documents and Resources
All planning and statistical documents will be regularly updated and stored on the OUAC GO2 website:
- Budget (resides with the OUAC)
- Bus Booking Process
- Critical path(s)
- Reports
- Host and non-host email templates
- Hosting a Successful Regional Fair
- Proposal
- Regions and dates
- Regional Fairs Emergency Protocol
- Regional Fairs Expectations and Standards of Practice
- Schedules and route templates
- University Venue Host Information
- Venue Booking Process
- Venue Information Sheet Template
- Week-at-a-Glance Template
Strategic Considerations for Review
| Consideration | Consultation/Action | Target Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| OURF Review | SCSR, GCSR | December 2025 |
| Implementation of Any Required Changes to the OURF | OURF-WG, SCSR, GCSR | Annually |
Appendix – Completed Improvements
| Improvement | Consultation | Date Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Selection/Nomination of the Panel Tasked With the Review of the 2010 OURF Review Conducted by the Change Alliance | GCSR | December 2018 |
| Inclusion of Core Initiative in Terms of Reference | GCSR and OURA | February 2019 (OURA AGM) |
| Incorporation of Sault Ste. Marie Dialogue in Northeast Ontario OURF | GCSR | May 2019 |
| Creation of Risk Management Plan | OUAC, GCSR | December 2019 |
| Review of the 2010 OURF Review Conducted by the Change Alliance | GCSR and OURF Review Panel | December 2019 |
| Implementation of any required changes to the OURF based upon the recommendations of the review panel and the 2010 OURF review conducted by the Change Alliance | GCSR and OURF Review Panel | March 2020 |
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