The U of T Student Equity Census is a demographic data collection initiative that will be used to develop, assess, and maintain programs and initiatives that respond to the needs of our students. You can learn more about the U of T Student Equity Census and view the FAQs here.  

1. If you have not yet completed the U of T Student Equity Census and are registered for the current academic session, you will see a blue or yellow notification at the top of the ACORN Dashboard. The link in that notification message will direct you to the U of T Student Equity Census page in ACORN.
   
   
2. You can also access the U of T Student Equity Census page by going to “Profile & Settings” from the left-hand navigation menu and clicking “U of T Student Equity Census” near the top of the page or in the card.
   
   
3. On the U of T Student Equity Census page, you can read an introduction about the census and click the “Get Started” button.
   
   
4. You will be directed to the first page of the census form. At the top of every page, you can read instructions on how to answer the questions and complete the form. 
   1. All questions are mandatory unless stated otherwise, so you will need to complete all the questions within each step before clicking the “Save & Continue” button to progress. This will save the answers that you’ve provided so far in case you navigate away from the Census.
   2. As you progress through the form, you can click “Previous” or use the navigation near the top of the form to go to the previous page.
      
      
   3. Depending on your answers to certain questions, additional mandatory questions may appear.
      
      
   4. If you don’t want to answer a question, select “Prefer not to answer”. If you select this option, you will not be able to select other options for the question.
      
   5. To erase all of your answers and restart the form, click “Reset Form”. Your answers will be removed, and you will be directed to the first page of the form where you can start over. This action will not override any saved progress until you click either “Save & Continue” or “Save & Exit”.
      
      
      
   6. To navigate away from the census, click “Save & Exit Form”. This will re-direct you to the U of T Student Equity Census home page where ACORN will inform you that you currently have a response in progress. Please ensure that you return and complete the form as soon as possible.
      
      
      
5. When you’ve reached the final page of the form (7. Data Collection Feedback & Submit), you can choose to provide the U of T Student Equity Census team with any feedback regarding your experience with the census. This field is optional.
   
6. Once you’ve answered all the required questions in the census and read the important information on the page, click “Submit Response” to save and submit your response.
   
   
7. If your response was submitted successfully, you will see a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen. You will be directed to the U of T Student Equity Census home page where you can view your response anytime and edit it as long as you are registered for the current academic session.
   
   

Once you’ve completed and submitted a response, you can return to the U of T Student Equity Census page in ACORN to view it anytime. You may edit your response as long as you are registered for the current academic session. 

1. On the U of T Student Equity Census page in ACORN, you can see the date when you last submitted or updated your response. To view and/or edit it, click the “View & Edit Submission” button (for non-registered students, click the “View Submission” button).
2. You will be directed to the first page of the census form. At the top of every page, you can read instructions on how to edit and answer the questions. You can edit any of your previous answers to the questions. If you remove an answer (e.g., removing all selected options or removing a typed response), you will not be able to progress to the next pages in the form until you have selected or typed a new response.
   
   1. You can use the navigation at the top of the form to navigate to any page, and you can click “Back” or “Next” to go to the previous or next page.
      
      
   2. To erase all of your answers and restart the form, click “Reset Form”. Your answers will be removed, and you will be directed to the first page of the form where you can start over. This will not override your previous submission until you answer all the questions and click “Update Submission”.
      
      
      
   3. To navigate away from viewing or editing your response, click “Exit Form”. This will re-direct you to the U of T Student Equity Census home page. If you have made any changes to your response, your response will not be updated to reflect those changes unless you click “Update Submission”.
      
      
      
3. Once you’ve finished making changes, click “Update Submission” to save and submit your response. The “Update Submission” button appears on every page of the form and will submit any changes you have made on every page.
4. If your response has updated successfully, you will be directed to the U of T Student Equity Census home page and see a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen as well as the date you last updated your response.
   
   

You can cancel an existing absence declaration if the start date is up to 2 days in the past. For example, if the start date is June 1, 2021, you can cancel the declaration until June 3, 2021. 

1. On the Absence Declaration screen, you can view any previously declared absences within the current academic session.
   
   
2. If the start date of the absence is up to 2 days in the past, you can click the cog icon next to the absence to open a menu. Click the Cancel Declaration option to cancel the absence declaration.
   
   
3. On the Cancel Absence Declaration pop-up modal that appears, review the information presented and click Cancel Declaration. Remember to inform your instructor(s) about the cancellation and check your faculty or campus’ procedures for any additional steps.
   
   
4. If you have successfully cancelled the declaration, you will receive a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen, and you can view your cancelled absence declaration in the Cancelled Declarations table.
   

You can edit an existing absence declaration if the start date is up to 2 days in the past. For example, if the Absence start date is June 1, 2021, you can edit the declaration until June 3, 2021. 

1. On the Absence Declaration screen, you can view any previously declared absences within the current academic session.
   
   
2. If the start date of the absence is up to 2 days in the past, you can click the cog icon next to the absence to open a menu. Click the Edit Declaration option to edit the absence declaration.
   
   
3. After you have read the instructions on the Edit Absence Declaration screen, you can edit the Start Date and End Date of your absence declaration, the course(s) affected by the absence, and add any additional notes regarding your absence.
   
   
4. If you had not done so already, make sure complete the consent form to release COVID-19 Medical Information if your absence is related to self-isolating due to COVID-19.
   
   
5. Once you’ve finished editing the information, read over the Declarations and check the checkbox to confirm that you have read and agree with the statements.
   
   
6. Before saving your changes, please contact your instructors regarding these changes or to request any accommodations related to your absence. Click the link in the Next Steps section to familiarize yourself with your faculty or campus’ procedures.
   
   
7. Click the Save button to submit your changes.
   
   
8. If your edits were saved successfully, you will receive a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen. You can view your edited absence declaration in either the Current Declarations or Past Declarations table.
   
   

If you were or will be absent from academic participation at the University and require consideration for missed academic work, you can formally declare an absence for one or multiple consecutive days using the Absence Declaration tool in ACORN. This tool is used to record any absences for courses you’re taking during the current academic session.

1. From the ACORN dashboard, click Profile & Settings near the top of the left-hand navigation menu.
   
2. On the Profile & Settings page, click Absence Declaration near the top of the page or in the card.
   
   
3. On the Absence Declaration screen, click the Add New Declaration button. 
   
   
4. After you have read the instructions, select the Start Date and End Date of your absence. If your absence is for a single day, select the same Start date and End date. Keep in mind, you can only declare absences 2 days in the past and up to 14 days in the future.
   
   
5. Select the course(s) that you were or will be absent from, or that you will be missing course work for during the time period. This includes missing lectures, tutorials, practicals, or evaluations (e.g., tests, exams, etc.). You can also declare absences if you have an arrangement with your instructors regarding missing course-related work or assignments.
   
   
6. You may add any additional notes regarding your absence. Please do not include any personal or medical information in this field. This step is optional.
   
   
7. If you were or will be self-isolating and your absence is related to COVID-19, you will need to complete the consent form to release COVID-19 Medical Information. This consent form will open in a new tab outside of ACORN.
   
   
8. Read the Declarations and check the checkbox to confirm that you have read and agree with the statements.
   
   
9. Before submitting your absence, please contact your instructors to request any accommodations that you may need to due to this absence. Click the link in the Next Steps section to familiarize yourself with your faculty or campus’ procedures.
   
10. Click the Submit Declaration button to finish declaring your absence.
    
    
11. If your absence declaration was created successfully, you will receive a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen. You can now view your absence declaration in either the Current Declarations or Past Declarations table.
    
    
12. If your absence declaration was not created successfully, you will receive an error message instead. Please follow the instructions in the error message.
    

Instructional video: All campuses

1. From the ACORN dashboard click ‘Profile & Settings’ near the top of the left hand menu.
2. On the Profile & Settings page click ‘Phone Numbers’.
3. On the Phone Numbers screen click the pencil icon to edit an existing phone number, or ‘Add new’ to enter a new number.
   
4. Follow the prompts on the screens following to save your phone number information.

Instructional video: All campuses

1. From the ACORN dashboard click ‘Profile & Settings’ near the top of the left hand menu.
   
2. On the Profile & Settings page click ‘Address’.
   
3. On the Address update screen click the pencil icon to edit an existing address, or ‘Add new’ to enter a new address.
   
4. Follow the prompts on the screens following to save your address information.