SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY 

MEMORANDUM 

TO: ? 

Ron Heath, Registrar 

FROM: Martin Laba, Chair 

Dept. of 

DATE: ? 

16 January 1991 

RE: ? 

Proposed change to entry requirements: Entry to 

specialization in Communication; Maintenance and graduation 

standard; Entry to upper division courses. 

In my memorandum of 19 November 1990, and at the meeting of SCENE 

on 21 November 1990, I detailed the need to implement some 

mechanism of enrollment management -. in 

-

the Department of - 

--

?

---Communication.- The rationaIpeèñted outlined two reasons for 

the request to modify entry, maintenance, 

?

and graduation 

requirements:. first, to effectively manage the extraordinary 

enrollment increases over the past five years, and to work toward a 

balance of these enrollments with resources, particularly, faculty 

resources; and second, to maintain the integrity and quality of a. 

program that has earned the Department an international reputation. 

With one of the highest student-instructor ratios in the 

University, a responsible management of enrollments is imperative. 

Stated succinctly, the Department is proposing to impose some 

restrictions on entry to specializations in Communication, 

maintenance and graduation standards, and entry to upper division 

courses, and is seeking an improvement to the quality of students 

entering the program. 

The following proposals reflect the feedback and concerns expressed 

by SCEMP, and the detailed and comprehensive set of suggestions 

offered by the Registrar subsequent to meeting with SCEMP: 

ENTRY TO SPECIALIZATIONS IN CO 

MM

UNICATION (MAJOR AND MINOR PROGRAMS 

To gain approval for entry to a specialization in Communication 

(major or minor programs), a student must have fulfilled the 

following: 

-- ? 

a minimum CGPA or transfer GPA of 2.25; and 

-- completion with a grade of C- or higher, CMNS 110-3 and 

CMNS 130-3, and four courses in Communication at the 200 

level including at least one course from each of the 

Department's areas of concentration (Media, Technology 

and Science, Policy) 

R. Heath, 16 Jan. 91, page 2 

MAINTENANCE AND GRADUATION STANDARDS 

Once approved for a specialization in Communication, a student will 

be required to maintain a CGPA of at least 2.00 to maintain good 

standing in the program (that is, to retain eligibility to continue 

in the program), and to graduate from the program. 

ENTRY TO UPPER DIVISION COURSES IN COMMUNICATION 

The following priority' system will govern entry to upper division 

courses in Communication: 

First Priorit y 

: Students who have been approved for entry to 

one of the specializations in Communication, and students in other 

specializations outside the Department of Communication for whom an 

upper division course in Communication is specified as required for 

completion of program. If the number of requests from First 

Priority students exceeds the number of available spaces, the 

Registration Priority Number will determine assignment of available 

spaces. 

Second Priorit y 

: Students in any other program in the University 

who have, satisfactorily completed any stated prerequisites, and who 

have a CGPA of at least 2.25. When requests from First Priority 

students have been met, if the number of requests from Second 

Priority students exceeds the number of available spaces, the 

Registration Priority Number will determine assignment of available 

spaces. 

There are three important features of the above proposal to point 

out: 

(1)

The "Entry to Specializations in Communication (Major and 

Minor Programs)" is, in our view, a modest but effective means 

of achieving the stated concerns of the Department in terms of 

managing the current substantial enrollment pressures and 

addressing the issue of the maintenance of the quality of the 

program. 

(2) The 

!

'Maintenance and Graduation Standards" responds to the 

concern expressed at SCEMP regarding the situation of those 

students in the program who falter below the 2.25 entry 

standard. 

(3)

The "Entry to Upper Division Courses in Communication" sets 

out a system which prevents a student from doing an "end run" 

and gaining entry to upper division courses without having met 

the minimum CGPA entry requirement. 

Martin 

ML: LCM 