S.93-9
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
?
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Senate
From: ?
Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules
Date: ?
January 27, 1993
Subject: ?
Change to Rules of Senate
At the January meeting of Senate, Notice of Motion to change the Rules of Senate was
duly given by SCAR Accordingly, the following motion is now presented to Senate for
action:
"that the Rules of Senate, Section II, Officers, A. Chair, be changed
from:
?
Chair: The Chair of Senate is empowered and expected to take
actions he/she deems necessary to ensure the orderly
• advancement of the legitimate business of Senate. In case the
President is unable to chair a meeting of Senate, the Academic
Vice-President will take the Chair.
to: Chair: The Chair of Senate is empowered and expected to take
the actions he/she deems necessary to ensure the orderly
advancement of the legitimate business of the Senate. The Vice-
Chair shall be elected annually by and from the members of
Senate, and shall sit as a member of the Senate Committee on
Agenda and Rules. In no case shall a Vice-Chair serve more
than two consecutive terms."
• ?
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
SCAR
?
From: Ron Heath
Registrar & Secretary of Senate
Subject: ?
Vice-Chair of Senate
?
-- Date: December 16,1992
Dr. Munro and I have recently discussed and exchanged correspondence on the current
practice at Senate of having the Vice-President, Academic act as Vice-Chair of Senate in
the absence of the President. Let me summarize my findings on this question.
Up until April 1969, Senate had followed the practice of having the Chancellor take the
Chair in the absence of the President, and, in the Chancellor's absence, the Faculty Dean
with the most seniority who was present at the meeting was designated as the Acting
Chair.
At the May 1969 meeting, the following motion was passed:
"In case the President is unable to chair a meeting of Senate, the Academic Vice-President
shall take the chair. If both the President and the Academic Vice-President are unable to
chair, the most senior Dean of a Faculty shall be Chairman where seniority shall be
determined in terms of the date of appointment as Dean."
At that time, The 1963 version of the University Act was in force and the first item read as
follows: 54. "It is the duty of Senate and it has power a) to regulate the conduct of its
meetings and proceedings, including the determining of the quorum necessary for the
transaction of business and the election of its members to the Board of Governors", and
Section 60. reads: 'The President is Chairman of Senate and of Faculty Council and is a
member of each Faculty. In the absence of the Chancellor, the President shall be
Chairman of Convocation and shall confer degrees." There doesn't appear to have been
any rule within the U.A. that set out who should be the Vice-Chairman of Senate.
Consequently, Senate appears to have developed its own rules.
The University Act was reopened in 1974 and the version we have (that says our version
was 'consolidated for convenience only in 1978' carries this statement:
36. The academic governance of the university is vested in the Senate and it has power
a) to regulate the conduct of its meetings and proceedings, including the determination of
the quorum necessary for the transaction of business, and the _election of a_ vice chairman
at least annually_who shall _chair meetings
_in_
the
_absence of the president: _but _inno
case
_shall
_a_ vim
_chairman _
serve
more
_
thin
_two _consecutive terms. We can find nothing
in Senate cross reference that would indicate this change in the Act was ever discussed or
acted on by Senate.
Consequently the current practice of having the Vice-President Academic assume the
Chair,
ex officio,
appears to violate the terms of the University Act. In addition, since
much of Senate business comes forward from committees chaired by the Vice-President,
Academic, there are strong logistic arguments to have some other designated Chair.
:
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