Conference Format
3rd and 4th Conference Bids
Please find below the criteria by which conference bids will be judged for inclusion or exclusion from the official conference selection meeting.
In addition to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, students from universities interested in bidding to host the 3rd and/or 4th CNUB conferences should consult the official Conference Bidding Policy (formal regulations governing the selection of future conference hosts) for additional information required in their conference bids — however, please pay attention to the exceptions noted at the top! Any bidding universities who wish to know how the official conference selection meeting will unfold, as well as how their proposals will be adjudicated are encouraged to read the above policy document.
Conference Bid Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
The following are the criteria by which the inclusion or exclusion of conference bids will be judged. Failure to include required information will result in the automatic disqualification and exclusion of a conference bid. Conference bid proposals are to be no longer than 5 pages in length.
- Names of three students who will coordinate the organization of the conference. Also, please include each student's anticipated year of graduation. While there is normally one student who is the conference chair, this does not need to be decided before a conference is awarded to a university making a successful bid. At least one of the students must be in attendance at the conference, although it is preferred that all three be in attendance. If one or more of these students will be graduating before the conference takes place, they are responsible for finding suitable replacement student organizers.
- Three persons, organizations, offices, groups or legal entities that have committed to monetarily sponsoring the conference, were it to be held at your university. They do not need to specify for what amount they will sponsor the conference, but they do need to commit to monetarily sponsoring the conference in part.
Examples could be: Office of the President; Department of Biology; Department of Philosophy; Dean of Arts; Dean of Science; VP Academic; Students' Union, etc. If you need assistance determining who to approach in this respect, or how to approach them, send an e-mail to: .
If applicable, you can include persons, organizations, offices, groups or legal entities that have committed to in-kind contributions (e.g. - if the university will donate the rental of the conference venue as an in-kind contribution). However, please note that while these certainly enhance a conference bid, the requirement of three monetary sponsors is the primary condition that must be met. - Specify which student group will be responsible for the organization of the conference. Normally, this will be a student Bioethics group or student society related to Bioethics. [For the 1st CNUB Conference, it was the St. Francis Xavier University Bioethi'X' Society; for the 2nd CNUB Conference it was the U of T Undergraduate Bioethics Initiative, as examples]. If the group or society exists, specify the main officers/representatives of the group or society. If the group or society does not yet exist, specify the student or students who will be responsible for the establishment of the group or society.*
*If a conference bid is successful, the group or society must be established by the following Fall semester. - Description of the venue (or if more than one possibility exists: venues) where the conference would take place. What seating capacity does it have? Is it accessible to the disabled?* If publicity or marketing materials for the venue exist (which describe the venue, the technologies available within the venue, etc.) they may be included over and above the maximum of 5 pages for a conference bid.
*If the venue is not accessible to the disabled, specify the student(s) who will be responsible for taking measures to make it accessible, should any disabled students register for the conference. One example, would be: someone who will be responsible for hiring the needed staff to assist a person confined to a wheelchair to access the conference facilities; access an accessible washroom; and get to and from their accommodations from the conference venue. Another example, would be: the person who will be responsible for either recruiting volunteers, or hiring staff to help guide a blind person around the conference venue. These responsibilities can be relegated to one student, or to a group of students, at the discretion of the organizing committee (for that particular conference). - Any additional information that you wish to include about your university (either general in nature, or within the context of bioethics education/involvement). Any additional information must fit within the allotted maximum of 5 pages.
- If you wish to include letters of support from members of the university administration or faculty, you may do so. Up to three letters (one page maximum) may be included over and above the allotted maximum of 5 pages.
All conference bids must be submitted by no later than 4pm on Friday, February 18th (24 hours prior to the conference bid adjudication) in triplicate to either Josh Leslie, CSBI Founder or Isaac Filaté, 2nd CNUB Conference Chair. Both of these individuals will be identified during the housekeeping session on Friday morning.