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To

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SENATE 

........................................... 

Subed.......     

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From

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U!EI.....Ut5

SENATE COMMITTEE 

ON

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Date .......

.24..\V]...]9...........................

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The following motion arises from the report to Senate 

from SCUB: 

MOTION: ? 

"The Senate of Simon Fraser University 

urges the Senate Committee on the Univer- 

sity Budget to continue vigorously in its 

efforts to obtain from the administration 

the means to fulfill an effective, informed, 

and timely advisory function in the formula- 

tion of the budgetary proposals of the 

administration, including proposals for 

allocations to major units and for policies 

with major budgetary implications" 

•

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

H.Evans, Secretary,

Prom: K.E.Rleckboff,Chair,

SENATE

SCUD

Subject: Agenda Items

Date: August 17th, 1984

In its meeting on August. 15th, 1984, the Senate Committee on the

Universi

W Bdf ( SCUB )

approvedtfreen-ctosed'Reportto-the-SenateOn

behalf of the Committee I hereby request that the report be put on the

agenda for the September meeting of the Senate as an item for information

under 'Reports from Committees".

In the same meeting on August 15th. SCUD also approved that passage

of the following motion be recommended to Senate at the September

meeting:

MOTION: The Senate of Simon Fraser University urges the Senate

Committee on the University Budget to continue vigorously

in Its efforts to obtain from the administration the means to

fulfill an effective, informed, and timely advisory function in

the formulation of the budgetary proposals of the

administration, including proposals for allocations to major

units and for policies with major budgetary implications.

Oil behalf of

.SCUD I request that this motion be included In the agenda

for the September meeting of the Senate as an item for action under

"Reports from Committees". The rationale for the motion is provided by the

contents of the report and need, no doubt, not be stated separately.

k.E.Rieckhoff, Chair. SCUD

a: W.Wattamaniuk, Secretary,SCUB

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE UNIVERSITY BUDGET

(SCUB)

REPORT TO THE SENATE

AUGUST !984

The Senate Committee on the University Budget (SCUB ) is a Standing

Committee of the Senate of Simon Fraser University whose Terms of

Reference are determined by provincial

law, ?

i.e. The University Act,

Section 36(e), as follows: "To meet with the President and assist him in

the preparation of the University Budget: These terms of reference were

approved-by Sena e-at4ts-meet4ng-of-October-6--1-975.

The membership as laid down by Senate in its meeting of December 1st,

1980, consists of those Members of Senate elected by and from Senate to

the Senate Committee on Academic Planning and the Director of Analytical

Studies as (non-voting) Secretary. The Chair of the Committee is elected

by and from the voting members of the Committee. The present Chair is

K.E.Rieckhoff (Faculty Member of Senate), elected on July 11th, 1984. The

•

other members are ( as of August 1st 1984): Faculty Senators K.Okuda,

J.Dickinson, ?

ftFellman, J.rlDAuria,

Student Senators R.Stewart, MNoonan, 8.Archer, and Secretary

W.Wattamaniuk.

The proceedings of the Committee, information received by it from the

administration, and specifics of the advice given by the Committee are

confidential. Only the activity reports that the Committee makes to the

Senate are not subject to this confidentiality rule. There has never been

any complaint that the Committee has acted improperly with respect to

confidential information to which it has been given access.

The Committee is supposed to report to Senate annually in December.

However, the record indicates that in fact It has reported at less frequent

intervals. The last "annual" report of SCUB was prepared in December 1980

and send to the Secretary of Senate

on May 14th 1981. This particular

report covered the period from July 1979 to December 1950. The one

before covered the period from July 1977 to. July 1979. There were two

earlier reports covering the periods October 1975 to June 1976 and July

1976 to July 1977 respectively. The report now before you covers the

period from January 1981 to August 1984.

The History of SCUB up to the end of 1983 can be summed up very

simply when considering its role and function "to assist the President in

the preparation of the University Budget": It has been ineffective in

providing meaningful assistance to any President in the PreDaration of the

budget. The main reason for this ineffectiveness has been the historical

fact that no President up to that time has given the Committee any

significant role in the budget

p re p

aration. This has led to considerable

soul-searching on the part of the Committee which is reflected in the

record as a perennial appearance of discussions both within the Committee

and between the Committee and various Presidents regarding its role and

suitable activities that it could fulfill in serving its functions.

In its attempts to fill some useful function, SCUB has throughout the

years of its existence been content to receive and react to information on

the budgetary details (operating and capital) provided to it by succeeding,

administrations and to provide advice on such general arid specific

subjects with budgetary implications that were referred to it by the

various Presidents. Thus SCUB has been able to react and comment on the

line item budget and has done so on a number of occasions. It has viewed

and commented on Capital and Operating Budget Requests of the University

before they went to the UCBC, and at times, before they were approved by

the Board of Governors. It has prepared reports and recommendations on

specific areas of concern, such as the Library. In all of these activities it

has had, by and large, cooperation from the administrations it has served.

However, SCUB has never had the opportunity to comment on and influence

through its advice the

p aration of the budget during its period of

gestation. To be specific, SCUB has usually been given the budgetary

allocations after the decision process had been completed within the

administrative circles, and It has never been a party to the discussions

among administrators that ultimately produced the policy and allocation

decisions reflected In the line item budget (though it did often receive

after the fact briefings).

In fairness to past members of SCUB It must be said that, while

prevented from fulfilling the role intended for it by the provincial

legislation, It has within the above limitations done Its best to be useful.

It was always ready and willing to respond to any call from the President,

even if it came so late in the game that members often felt that they were

actually wasting their time, since any assistance at such late stages of

the budgetary process was more imaginary (for the sake of appearances)

than real (being of substance).

Specifically besides numerous meetings, including several with the

then President, Dr. Pedersen, in whThtiThCommitteceiYed1flt0rmat1Off

regarding the successive financial crises resulting from cutbacks etc., the

Committee made a detailed report on course scheduling entitled

"Enrolment Growth: The Effect on Instructional Facilities" in 1981; This

report, was called by the then V.P.Academic, Dr. Munro,

....

the best

analysis carried out of our Instructional space...." and

...confirms the

usefulness of assigning specific projects to SCUB rather than encouraging

them to range widely over various issues.... In 1982 the Committee

commented in detail on a set of criteria prepared by Dr. Munro for

budgetary adjustments and also sent a lengthy letter to Dr. Gibson,

Chairman of UCBC, informing him of the difficulties faced by SFU as a

result of unsatisfactory budgetary allocations.

With a new President, Dr. W.G.Saywell, at the helm of SFU and a new

Chairman for SCUB, Dr. W.Leiss, the Committee reconsidered its function

and working relationship with the administration. There was a general

consensus that while regular detailed examination of specific areas and a

continuing review of overall expenditures, as in the past, could be of some

use, a closer and more timely involvement of SCUB in the budgetary

process was imperative if the Committees advice to the President was to

be informed and was to be made at a stage when It could in fact be acted

upon should the President choose to do so.

The Committee then engaged In a dialogue with the President

-to create

a timetable with respect to the budgetary process that would provide for

appropriate Committee input at early stages. The President has responded

• positively to this Initiative of the Committee and has agreed to provide

SCUB with the opportunity to respond to administrative proposals

effecting the budget at an early stage. Thus the Committee has had the

opportunity to interact with PACUP and has been assured that it would

receive PACUP recommendations and administrative responses in a timely

fashion.

The Committee has in this dialogue also requested that it have a

presence, in the form of one of its members, in discussions held by senior

administrators on budgetary matters, so that it would be informed

continuously of not only decisions arrived at but also of the nature of the

considerations and arguments entering the budgetary process at that level.

While this request was at first denied as not necessary or helpful to the

process, It Is at present being reconsidered by the President after a new

and carefully reasoned request by the Committee, submitted after the

latest changes in its chair and membership in July of this year.

Generally speaking, the present membership of the Committee is of the

opinion that, unless it can provide its advice and assistance to the

President in a way that ensures that it can be acted on effectively and in a

timely manner, it would be a waste of time to spend all its efforts merely

communicating with the administration after the fact about policy

decisions and budgetary allocations made already in a separate forum. The

Committee sees at this time no reason why it could not be given the role

envisaged by the legislation under which it was established. The

Committee realizes, however, that to fulfill that role requires that the

administration will allow it to do so. This in turn is not likely to occur

unless the parent body of SCUB, i.e. the Senate, fully supports the

Committees endeavour to play a more active role in the formulation of

budgetary proposals of the administration than has been the case in the

- past. ?

•

The preparation of the next budget will be effectively under way by the

time this report reaches the Senate. The Committee seeks the guidance

and support of Senate. Essentially we are asking Senate which of the

•1

following three options Senate urges the Committee to pursue.

1 )To continue as in past years to be reactive only to budgetary

proposals of the administration, and to restrict Its own Initiatives to

occasional reviews of specific areas or policies.

To meet only at the request of the President and restrict its

activities to such matters as are referred to it by the President.

To continue vigorously in its efforts to obtain from the

administration the means tófUlfTil an efftiViTfrtfledandtimeiy

advisory function in the formulation of the budgetary proposals of the

administration, including proposals for allocations to major units and

for policies with major budgetary implications.

The Committee recommends the third option and asks the Senate to

pass a motion to that effect. Only the third option -with the appropriate

cooperation on the part of the administration - will enable the Committee

to fulfill its legislated function and its terms of reference.

The other two options, 1) and 2), are perceived by the membership of

SCUB as perpetually frustrating the purpose of SCUB: A Senate voice in the

formulation of the budget. It cannot be expected that many Senators will

continue to be willing to serve diligently on SCUB under those conditions.

_; V, ^ _. ^ ? 

-

K.E.Rieckhoff,Chair, SCUB

^1