S.08-76
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SENATE AND ACADEMIC SERVICES
STUDENT SERVICES
TO:
?
Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules
FROM: ?
Kate Ross, Registrar and Senior Director, Student Enrolment
Michael Letourneau, Student Senator
DATE: ?
April 17, 2008
SUBJECT: Revision to the Rules of Senate -
Notice of Motion
According to the Rules of Senate, the attached revision to the Rules of Senate is presented to
Senate as a notice of motion (without debate) at the May meeting and will be considered for
approval at the June meeting of Senate.
The purpose of the amendments are to update the Rules to (a) reflect that as of May 1, 2008, there
will be two student societies independently representing SFU's undergraduate and graduate students
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(submitted by Michael Letourneau); and (b) to delete an election eligibility requirement related to
undergraduate students which is difficult to administer and no longer applicable due to changes in
the University Act; and to clarify current administrative practice with respect to nominations for
Convocation Senator (submitted by Kate Ross).
Page 1
SIMON ERASER UNIVERSITY
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THINKING OF THE WORLD
Item: Senate Election Rules (Rules of Senate, Appendix C)
Revision
E. Students; Student Association
1. For the purposes of nominating, voting and standing for office in the election of students to
the Senate and the Board of Governors:
a) At
Simon Fracr Univercity the Student Society is the alma mater sesiety (Sec
Univer r
ity
Act Part 1, Section 1)
i)
the Simon Fraser Student Society
is the under
g
raduate student society, and
ii)
the Graduate Student Societ
y
at Simon Fraser Universit y is the graduate
student society
(See
Universit
y
Act,
Part 7, Section 35(h))
b) "undergraduate students" means those who are members of the Simon Fraser
Student Society and who also:
I) are in good academic standing and are registered in at least one credit course
in the semester in which nominations are due, or
ii) are in good academic standing and wcrc rcgitercd in at Icact one credit
cource in either of the two previouc cemesterc in which nominations arc due,
or
iii)
are registered in a co-op work term in the semester in which nominations are
due, or
iv) are designated by resolution of the Senate as an undergraduate student; and
c) "graduate students" means those who are members of the Graduate Student
Society at Simon Fraser University
and who also:
i)
are duly registered as graduate students in the semester in which nominations
are due, or
ii)
are designated by resolution of the Senate as a graduate student.
2. Undergraduate students and graduate students are eligible to be nominated as student
members of the Senate and the Board of Governors.
3. During the one-year term of office as a student member of the Senate or the Board of
Governors undergraduate students and graduate students
a)
must maintain registered status at the University for at least two semesters,
b)
must not withdraw, or be required to withdraw, from the University.
4. There shall be at least one graduate student and one undergraduate student among the
total number of students elected to Senate under Part 7, Section 35(2)(h) of the University
Act.
Rationale
The
University Act
s.35(h) requires that the students to be elected to Senate be members of "an
undergraduate student society or a graduate student society", and s.19(e) likewise requires such
membership for election to the Board of Governors. This revision designates the SFSS to represent
undergraduate students and the GSS to represent graduate students for the purposes of Senate
elections.
The term "alma mater society" was removed, as it was replaced with "undergraduate student society"
in/around 1999 when the language on student societies was updated.
Rationale for deletion of E.1.b)ii
This regulation which was created in order to satisfy the requirement of the University Act for students
to be 'full-time' is very difficult to administer and is no longer applicable since a student no longer has to
be 'full time' in order to hold a seat on Senate or the Board of Governors (Repealed in October 2003).
The proposed change also creates parity of requirements for both undergraduate students and graduate
students.
Item: Senate Election Rules (Rules of Senate, Appendix D)
Revision
D. ?
Nominations
All nominations of candidates for membership on the Senate who are to be elected by and
from the Convocation shall be signed by not less than five members entitled to vote in the
election. All candidates for membership on Senate who are to be elected by and from the
Convocation must hold a degree from Simon Fraser University at the time
of
nomination.
Faculty members may sign nomination papers, may vote, but cannot be candidates.
Rationale for revision
It has always been understood that nominees for Convocation Senator must have a degree from Simon
Fraser University, and the proposed revision will clarify and make explicit this administrative practice.
3.
