The decision to temporarily suspend admissions into the Physical Health and Education (PHE) program is still uncertain, according to another mass email sent out to students and alumni by Dr. Jean Côté, director of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (SKHS).

The Oct. 2 email came after two previous emails sent out in the last two weeks about the decision.

In the email, Côté clarified that decisions to suspend admissions don’t rest with the SKHS. Instead, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Dean and the Provost.

“The decision to suspend admissions rests with Dean [of the Faculty of the Arts and Science] Mumm, and we expect that she will only act, in accordance with Queen’s Senate policies, after hearing from all stakeholders and exploring all alternatives,” Côté wrote.

The original two emails had been sent to prepare students for the School’s request that admissions be suspended to the PHE program. The SKHS announced their request at the Faculty Board of Arts and Science on Sept. 25.

“This announcement at Faculty Board does not mean that a decision has been made to suspend admissions to the BPHE program,” Côté wrote in his most recent email.

At the Faculty Board meeting, the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies reported that they’ll be proposing a temporary suspension of admission into the PHE program following a unanimous vote by their Faculty members. Based on their proposal, admissions would be suspended starting September 2017.

“The School feels that with limited resources it should focus on its strengths within the Kinesiology and Health Studies programs” the SKHS report to Faculty Board reads.

The report states that if the decision is made to suspend admissions, current PHE students will be able to complete their degrees and no full-time faculty members or staff will lose their positions.

In the most recent email, Côté invited all interested parties to attend a town hall meeting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22.

“At this meeting, we will discuss the rationale that led SKHS full time faculty members and continuing adjunct to request a temporary suspension of admissions,” Côté wrote. The School will also solicit student feedback and input at the meeting, according to the email.

The SKHS suspension request aligns with a proposal Côté described in one of his previous emails to eventually merge the Physical Health and Education (PHE) and Kinesiology (KIN) programs.

Côté told students in his Oct. 2 email that any decision will be made after broad consultation with students and other stakeholders.

“Senate policy also provides for the broad consultation with stakeholders, not least of whom include current students, both preliminarily and after a draft proposal has been developed,” Côté wrote.

The town hall meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 5 p.m to 7 p.m in the Kinesiology building, Room 100.