S.95-53

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

Senate ?

From: ?

SCAR

Re: ?

Change in Terms of Office

?

Date: ?

September 7, 1995

on Senate Committees

Elected members of Senate serve for terms of office that commence on June 1 and

conclude on May 31 of a succeeding year. SCAR was asked to investigate whether

the terms of office on Senate Committees should not have similar start and end

dates.

Under the current process, in those cases where a committee member leaves Senate

at the end of May, there is an election to fill that position until the end of September

at which time another election is held to fill the position for the regular term of

office. After considerable discussion, SCAR could find no compelling reason to hold

two elections for the same committee position a matter of four months apart.

SCAR recommends that all terms of office for Senate Committee members should

conclude on May 31, coincident with the usual end date for membership on Senate.

Elections to fill vacant positions on committees would be conducted at the June

meeting of Senate. In the worst case scenario, there could be a few unfilled positions

on committees for a maximum of seven days at the start of June. This is in fact an

improvement on the current situation where we may have vacancies both from the

end of May until the June Senate meeting and from the end of September until the

date of the October meeting of Senate. The recommendation allows for the new

composition of the Senate to elect its representatives to Committees and at the same

time, provide continuity of membership without having another set of changes

four months later.

Motion:

"that Senate approve a change in the end dates of terms of office on

Senate Committees from September 30 to May 31, and further that all

current terms of office for members on Senate Committees should be

modified from September 30 to May 31 of the same year. Elections to fill

vacancies at the October meeting of Senate would have terms of office

commencing on that date and continuing through until May 31 of the