DRAFT UNTIL APPROVED BY SENATE
. ?
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE SENATE OF SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY HELD
ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1 • 1993 KLAUS RIECKHOFF HALL, 7:00 P.M.
OPEN SESSION
Present: ?
Stubbs, JO., Chair
Alderson, E.
?
i
Absent: ?
Barrow, A.
Amason, K. ?
S
Dhir, R.
Bacani,J.
Eaton, C.
Beanie, S.
Etherington, L
Blaney, J.
Giflen, K.
Boland, L
Ingram, E.
Bowman, M.
Jespersen, J.
Bullock, D.
LeMare, L.
Carlson, A.
McAskiII, I.
Cavers, J.
Segal, J.
Chunn, D.
Soheili, A.
Ciria, A.
Waite, K.
Clayman,B.
Warsh,M
Crawford, C.
Wideen, M.
D'Auria, J.
Dill, L.
Dobb, T.
Driver, J.
Dunsterville, V.
Hater, L
Heinrich, K.
HoetIich, K.
Hoegg, J.L.
Irwin, J.C.
Jahn, R.
Lord, T.
•
Luk, W.S.
Marteniuk, A.
In attendance: Heath, N.
Mauser, G.
Reilly, N.
McInnes, D.
McKeown, B.
Mezei, K.
Morrison, T.
Munro, J.
Naet, B.
Osborne, J.
Palmer, E.
Palmer, L
Percival, P.
Pint ield, L.
Shapiro, S.
Stewart, M.L.
Swartz, N.
Wade, S.
Wickstrom, N.
Winne, P.
Wotherspoon, A.
Wrenn, P.
Heath, W.R., Secretary
Grant, B., Recording Secretary
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S.M. 01/11/93
Page 2
On behalf of Senate, the Chair welcomed Ms. D. Mclnnes and Ms. B. Naef,
Order-In-Council Appointments to the Senate.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The Agenda was approved as distributed.
2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE OPEN SESSION OF SEPTEMBER 20.
1993
The Minutes were approved as distributed.
;1 FiI[cL;t.Ji I
I1dE[Iii
i)
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University Planning
As a follow-up to his report in Closed Session at the last meeting, the
Chair wished to comment in the Open Session'On the planning process for the
University. He indicated that since his arrival
at
SFU he had familiarized himself
with the University. He continued to seek advice from the University community
as to how to proceed in the future. He felt it was very important for the University
to initiate planning, especially in times of fiscal constraints when decisions will
have to be made with respect to the allocation of limited funds. He also felt it was
important to revisit the assumptions made in the Challenge 2001 document in
order to bring it up-to-date, and that, it was. necessary to pull together some of the
documents, issues and proposals which the University has generated over the
past period of time to see how they all fit together, and to provide some sense of
what future opportunities are available to the University within the current
financial picture
in
order to retain control of the direction that the University wants
to
a partial
take. Although
,
focus on
some
planning,
existing
the
committees
Chair felt that
such
some
as
type
SCAP
of
and
committee
SCUB deal
with
with
its
membership to be drawn from the whole-
-
University community could be
established to focus on the planning process for the institution as a whole. He
also indicated that the idea of forming task forces to focus on particular issues
which needed careful examination was also attractive. The Chair reiterated that
no matter what format was initiated, a planning process has to be developed
fairly soon and it was his wish that it be an open and consultative process that
draws on the expertise and experience within the University.
^01;1015
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AWN 1491 s
o rm Im
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Ministry of Skills. Training and Labour
The Chair reported that although there had been no correspondence from
the new Ministry, he had met with several civil servants and it was his belief that
there would be no major changes in dealing with the Government at the
bureaucratic level. In his opinion, the Government is still in transition trying to
settle into the new structure and determine how it will operate and what its
priorities will be. The Government appears to be very committed to eliminating
the deficit and, since the university receives a major portion of its funding from
them, this is of very significant concern as it appears that most of that reduction
will be achieved through cut-backs There also appears to be a very strong focus
by the Government on skills training and meeting the current needs of the
S.M.O1/11/93
Page 3
economy so it is very important to persuade the Ministry that universities are in
fact very much part of the answer to those things.
ii) On behalf of the University, the Chair extended congratulations to
Professors Grubel and McWhinney, both successful candidates in the recent
Federal election.
D-
i)
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Paper S.93-45 - Elections
The following are the results of elections conducted at Senate for
membership on the following Senate committees:
SENATE APPEALS BOARD ?
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One Faculty Senator
to replace P. Winne from date of election for no specified
term of office.
Elected by acclamation: Lucy LeMare
SENATE UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS BOARD (SUAB)
Two Student SenatOrs and One Student Senator Alternate
to replace T.
Morrison, S. Wade, and K. Hoeflich for one-year terms of office, from October 1,
• ?
1993 to September 30, 1994.
Balloting at the last meeting resulted in the election of T. Lord as a Regular
member, and in a tied vote between the next two candidates - D. Bullock and R.
Dhir. A run-off election was therefore necessary to determine the second
Regular member and the Alternate member.
Elected: ?
R. Dhir (Regular)
D. Bullock (Alternate)
ID
I) ?
Paper S.93-52 - Annual Report (For Information)
Reference was made to the statistics in the Appendix and concern was
expressed about the unevenness in the reporting of departmental data. The
value of having this type of information in the report was also questioned. Senate
was advised that whatever is reported by departments is included in the report
but because departments determine what kinds of information they wish to
provide, an unevenness does exist in the report. J.L. Hoegg, Chair of SCCS,
advised Senate that the Committee would be pleased to receive Senate's advice
in terms of how to better obtain and report this information. Senate was also
advised that this information was required for Statistics Canada, and just
recently, requested by the Provincial Government since there appears to be an
increasing interest in looking at programs that particularly respond to the
economy.
S.M.O1/11/93
Page 4
Within the report itself, it was noted that regular evening program courses are
grouped in with a' wide range of other activities so that it. was difficult to
understand what the total figures actually represent. Suggestion was made that
it would be much more informative
'
if regular evening courses could be broken
down in terms of what proportion of a unit's course offerings are taught in the
evening and what proportions are represented by Department and by Faculty.
The Chair informed Senate that SCAR has recommended that the Chair, the
Registrar, and the Dean of Continuing Studies meet in
order to discuss the
concerns of Senate
with regard to the report and its content.
c)
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC PLANNING
i)
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Paper S.93-53 - Report -
Senate Committee on International Students
The Chair informed Senate that in order to facilitate more open debate on
this issue, SCAR has recommended that Sehàtè reconstitute itself as a
committee of the whole. The Chair also indicated that prior to moving into a
committee of the whole, after a motion is formally put on the table, he would
invite J. Munro, as Chair of SCAP and S. Shapiro, as Chairóf SCIS to give a
brief presentation. . The Chair.also advised that since there is
.
an assumption that
the Chair would have a particular position on the issue
under discussion' and
therefore might be
in a conflict of interest, it is normal for the Chair to step down
And' have someone else ,chair the debate'. However, since the Chair has not
been personally involved with this specific issue befOre Senate, it might not be
germane but he wished to bring it to Senate's attention,at this point. .
Moved by L. Boland, seconded by S. Wade
?
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. ..'.
"that the rule requiring the Chair to step down if, Senate
"
moves into
a committee of the whole be suspended to 'allow him 'to remain in
the Chair"
Question was called, and a vote taken.
?
.1 MOTION CARRIED
Moved by J. Munro, seconded by S. Wade.
"that Senate approve the-following principles: ., "
?
..,
a)
that the presence on campus of international students from the
widest possible spectrum of countries enriches, campus' life and
contributes to international understanding and frienship .and
should therefore be encouraged
b)
that in order to attract internatio
,
nal students 'of the highest
calibre and to make a meaningful contribution to economic
development, a scholarship, program for 'international
undergraduate students is desirable, particularly for students
from countries which have bee
,
n underrepresented at Simon
Fraser University
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S.M. 01/11/93
Page 5
C) that in order for the University to fulfill its obligations to Canadian
society and the local community, the accessibility needs of
domestic students must be recognized as placing limitations on
the number Of international students who can be accepted, and
that the maximum percentage of new international students
admitted to the University should be reduced from the present
Note: the current level of admissions of international
undergraduate students is 5.2%, the total number of
international students is 5.7%, and the ten-year average (83/84
to 92/93 for new admissions is 5.9%
d) that tuition fees for international undergraduate students should
reflect the operating costs of the University and should be
greater for international students than for domestic students"
- Disdus -
sion ensuecclabout whtrr flbtthtin1 itdë td-cover lFfUr - - - - -
principles or whether each principle would be voted on separately. Senate was
informed that there was one motion on the floor containing four principles.
A motion by N. Wickstrom, seconded by R. Jahn that each issue be dealt with ad
seriatim was deferred until debate as committee of the whole took place.
J. Munro and S. Shapiro were asked by the Chair to provide brief presentations.
. J. Munro explained that SCAP preferred to deal with these issues at the level of
principle rather than at the level of detail. He advised Senate that the issue of
admission of international students in limited enrolment programs is still under
consideration by SCAP and that SCAP will be consulting with Departments and
Faculties as regards to the SCIS recommendation that a 10% limit for
international students be applied to all limited enrolment programs.
S. Shapiro drew Senate's attention to the three reports from SCIS - a majority
report and two minority reports - which he felt reflected the complexity of the
issue and the diversity of opinions within the Committee. He explained that
although there were differences of opinion, the Committee felt it was essential to
putforward the set of recommendations which spell out the practices which SCIS
felt should be followed. As Chair of the Committee, he wished to thank all of its
members for their hard work and participation in this committee.
N. Heath and N. Reilly, members of SCIS, were seated.
Moved by A. Wotherspoon, seconded by S. Wade
"that Senate move into a committee of the whole"
Question was called, and a vote taken.
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MOTION CARRIED
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The committee of the whole dissolved, and discussion followed on the motion in
the report.
S.M.
01/11/93
Page 6
S
Moved by N. Wickstrom, seconded by
ft
Jahn
"that the four principles be voted on
adsenatim"
Question was called, and a vote taken.
Principle A
Question was called, and a vote taken.
MOTION CARRIED
PRINCIPLE A CARRIED
Principle B
There appeared to be general agreement to.this principle but concerns were
raised about the feasibility and practicality of implementation; Discussion ensued
about present regulations and forms of support available to international
students, and possible ways to recruit students from a variety of countries.
Question was called, and a vote taken.
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PRINCIPLE B CARRIED
Principle C
In response to a request for clarification with respect to the second line under the
Note, Senate was advised that all of the data in the paper refers to
undergraduate students, and there was no objection to inserting the word
undergraduate in the Note.
Senate was also advised that if this motion passes, nothing will change until
SCAP comes back with a specific recommendation for Senate approval.
Opinion was expressed that a set of principles should guide decision-making and
reflect things that are in agreement for all time and suggestion was made that it
was not appropriate to have specific recommendations such as the 7% quota
which may change from time to time included in a statement of principle.
Amendment moved by L. Boland, seconded by .S. Wade
"that the following tOw be deleted: "and that the maximum
percentage of new international students admitted to the University
should be reduced from the present 7%""
Question was called, and a vote taken.
?
AMENDMENT CARRIED
Opinion was expressed that since the future of this country, and particularly this
province is tied to the Pacific Rim, adoption of this principle sends out the wrong
message.
The need for this particular resolution was questioned since it appears that the
total percentage of visa students seems to have decreased over the last decade.
It was pointed out that even though the figures have been moving down slowly,
SFU still maintains levels of foreign. students at three to four times the norm at
other Universities.
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S.M.O1/11/93
Page 7
Opinion was also expressed that in voting down this recommendation, the
message being sent to the community was that the access needs of domestic
students not be recognized by placing limits on the number of visa students to be
accepted, and it was felt that this was not a desirable public policy.
Discussion briefly turned to admission practices at other universities.
Question was called, and a vote taken. PRINCIPLE C, AS AMENDED, CARRIED
Principle D
Senate was reminded that adoption of this principle should be understood to be a
recommendation to the Board of Governors since the power to set tuition fees
does not fall under the jurisdiction of Senate.
-- -- - - In response-to-an inquiryastoihe-Intentotthe- motion
- Se natewaslnformedthaf
the first part of the motion stating that tuition fees should reflect the operating
costs of the university is true for all students, and that the second part merely
states that fees should be higher for international students than for domestic
students but does not imply that full-cost recovery should be applied.
Question was called, and a vote taken.
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PRINCIPLE D CARRIED
Moved by P. Percival, seconded by L. Palmer
S
"a further principle that concentration of international undergraduate
students in a few programs is considered undesirable and that
SCAP be directed to produce a policy which sets a percentage limit
on international student enrolment that applies equally to each and
every program"
Although he was aware that
SCAP is presently looking at this issue, P. Percival
indicated that he wished to see it included as a statement of principle.
J. Munro informed Senate that the University is currently a defendant in a Human
Rights Council action on exactly this policy
and he felt it would be unwise for
Senate to pass this principle without first seeking legal advice.
SCAP will still
deal with the recommendations made by SCIS about program level quotas but
before a proposal comes back to Senate it would be better to have a sense of
what the consequences of adopting this principle might be.
A suggestion to delete the second part of the motion dealing with the directive to
SCAP which would then turn the motion into a statement of principle only, was
accepted as a friendly amendment.
Moved by A. Wotherspoon, seconded by G. Mauser
"that the motion, as amended, be tabled so the University can
obtain legal opinion of the possible effects"
0 ?
Question was called, and a vote taken.
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MOTION TO TABLE CARRIED
S.M. 01/11/93
Page 8
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6.
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OTHER BUSINESS
i)
Ubrary
A. Jahn advised Senate that 1500 signatures had been collected opposing
the Library cutback in hours.
Secretary's Note: The package containing the signatures has been forwarded to
the Chair of the Senate Library Committee.
ii)
Computing Services
Referring to the recent proposal to implement charges for computing
services, P. Percival expressed opinion that since computer access by students
using assignment labs is considered as part of instruction, he felt that the
proposal had considerable impact on the academic policy of the University.
Traditionally the University has used modern methods of instruction and
encouraged the use of computers to educate students, and he felt that Senate
should have an opportunity to consider this issue. Following a suggestion that
this matter be referred to SCAR, P. Percival undertook to bring a motion to
SCAR for consideration. The Chair indicated that no action will be taken on this
report until SCAR has considered the motion.
iii)
Student Services Fee
Referring to an inquiry from L. Palmer as to whether the student health
services budget had been increased as a result of the institution of a new student
services fee, the Chair indicated he would look into the matter.
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7. ?
INFORMATION
The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting of Senate is Monday,
December 6, 1993.
The Assembly recessed briefly at 8:50 p.m. prior to moving into Closed Session.
W.R. Heath
Secretary of Senate
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