1. Page 1
    2. Page 2
    3. Page 3
    4. Page 4
    5. Page 5
    6. Page 6

 
SiMON FRAS
ER
UNIVERSITY ?
MEMORANDUM
To. .
SENATE ? . ?
., .
From...
SENATE COMMITTEEON
AGENDA AND RULES
.............Date...
DECEMBER 22,197.
ADJUSTMENT TO SENATE RULES
ELECTIONS
General Background InformatiOr
Prior to 1974, under the then-existing
'
provincial legislation,
the S.F.U. senate had provided in a rather unique way for student
representation on senate at this institution, with provision for
three student senator seats. In those provisions senate also had
set some conditions on the requirements of an individual student
to be a candidate and to continue to hold membership on senate.
These conditions included a requirement that the individual
candidate for or in office continue to be registered in specified
semesters (2 of 3) in at least a prescribed minimum course load
. .,
?
and with at least that minimum throughout the specified semesters.
Throughout the same periods at this institution the requirements
to be a student nominator or voter were less than those for
candidates and basically required only that the individual be duly
formally registered as a student in certain specified semesters.
In 1974 legislation was changed in the Universities Act and it
technically set conditions that nominators, voters, candidates had
to be full-time students. It was quickly ascertained through
discussions with various bodies including government representatives
that the impacts had not been fully intended and accommodations
were made but with some considerable unease as to legality.
In 1977 some adjustments to the legislation were made and those
changes now have been proclaimed. Some adjustments to the Rules of
Senate governing elections are required.
II The pertinent changes to legislation are as follows, (Universities
Act):-
1. Section 1 - Interpretation
"Student Association" means all full-tim2
.
students who
are members of the alma mater society or the graduate
student society of a university.
(full-time has been dropped from the definition.)

 
-2-
2.
Section 20 - The board shall be composed of fifteen
members, as follows: ----------------
(e) Two full-time students elected by and from the
Student Association
(full-time has been added to the section, and the
words yand, have been dropped. Similarly the words
by and are dropped from section 21 (1).)
3.
Section 35 (2) The senate of each university shall be
composed of - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(f) a number of full-time students, equal to the
number provided rn clauses (a) to (f), elected
by and from the Student Association in a manner
that ensures that at least one student from each
faculty is elected.
• (full-time has been added to this section and the
words by and have been dropped.)
These changes now provide a distinction between those who
can make nominations and/or vote and those who can be candidates
for or members of the Board or of Senate. Nominators/Voters
need not be full-time, nominees/members need be.
(UVIC has received legal opinion that to be a candidate and
to continue in office the individual must continue to be full-
time in the pertinent periods.)
III There are a number of differing definitions that are applied to
full-time students, for differing purposes, e.g.
full-time equivalents ?
-
?
15 semester hours is used
full-time student ?
- ?
12 semester hours is used by
?
agreement with Stats Can. and for certain
Ministry of Education reports.
full-time through full course fee
?
- ?
12 semester hours was
used and is still used by UBC for many faculties
full-time for Canada Student Loan and B.C. Provincial Grant
purposes
?
-
?
9 semester hours is used (60% of full-
course program.)
Full-time for Revenue-Canada (Taxation) for $50 monthly exemptions
- ?
10 hours weekly is applied.
Discussion has been held with Ministry of Education officials
pertaining to the changes and intent, noting the provincial
use for grant-in-aid purposes of full-time definition of 9 semester
hours minimum, with assurances that use of this or higher value
would be taken as falling within the intent. UBC and UVIC will
use 12 hours as minimum.

 
-3-
MOTION S
1.
That Senate approve change to the Rules of Senate by deleting
the present section IV. F and substituting a new section IV. F
as described in appendix I herewith.
If motion 1 is approved
2.
(a) That the new rules of senate adopted through motion 1
first be applied for the regular elections to the Board
and to Senate being held in Spring 78-1, and thereafter.
(b) That the new rules not be applied to those persons now
holding membership on the Board or Senate with term of
office ending May 31, 1978.
Explanatory Notes:
Regular amendments to the rules of Senate are governed by the
. ?
rules, section VIII, Method of Amending which stipulates:-
Alterations of these Rules of Senate shall require written notice
at a regular meeting of Senate prior to the meeting at which a
vote on the proposed alteration is taken, which vote shall
require an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the voting members
present to carry.
It is intended that Notice of Motion be given at the January 1978
meeting of Senate, with voting to occur at the February meeting.
The rules to be applied need be known at that time to permit
completion of the extensive Spring 1978 elections by the dates
stipulated in rules.

 
-4-
APPENDIX I
?
1.
?
Students; Student Association; Full-Time Students
1. For the purposes of making nominations and/or voting in the
election of students to the Senate or to the Board.
'Student' means a person who is presently enrolled at the
university in a credit course or who is designated by
resolution of the Senate as a student; for the purposes
of these elections for undergraduate students it includes
i)
Those registered in a credit course or courses in
the semester in which
nominations
are due, or
ii)
Those in gOod
standing
who were registered in a credit
course or courses in the immediately previous semester
who certify that they intend to register again at
Simon Fraser University before missing two consecutive
registrations.
For the purposes of these elections for graduate students
it includes any student duly registered as a graduate
student other than one who currently is designated with
"on leave" status.
"Student Association" means all students who are members
of the alma mater society or the graduate student society
of the university;- for the purposes of making
nominations
or voting in the elections to Board and to Senate it shall
be deemed to consist of those students defined above.
?
2. ?
For the purpose of being a candidate in the election of
full-time students to the Board or to Senate the undergraduate
student must fulfill the conditions in F 1 (i) and be registered
in 9 or more semester hours credit or must fulfill the conditions
in F 1 (ii) and have been registered in 9 or more semester hours
credit at the close of the semester and certify that he/she
intends to register in the immediately forthcoming semester in
not less than 9 semester hours. A graduate student must be
duly registered as a graduate student other than one who
currently is designated with on-leave status.
?
3. ?
A candidate's eligibility to continue to hold office as a
representative of students on the Board of Governors or on
Senate requires the following:-
i)
Must not miss more than one registration during the one
year term of office.
ii)
Must not withdraw from the University or be required to
withdraw from the University.
... 5 ?
0

 
I
L4
-5-
iii) If an undergraduate student then must be registered
in at least 9 semester hours credit and continue through-
out the semester to be so registered.
-
in at least two
of the three semesters associated with the one-year term
of office. If a graduate student must continue to be
so registered throughout the period of office.
.
0

 
ASSOCIATION des ETUDIANTS SIMON FRASER
do SIMON FRASER STUDENT SOCIETY
MEMORANDUM
Comm
.
itteeonA
9
enda .&
?
.From....
.
.
s
9wl1
Rules
Subject $enate
.
paper ?
.l.
.Date ...... 18Jan ...§.......
The current legislation which has prompted this notice of motion
has the clear intent of ensuring that a student member of Senate
enrolled in a minimum number of credit hours worth of courses while
holding office. As is stated in this paper, the Ministry of Education
has indicated that if a student enrolled in 9 credit hours, they would
satisfy the intent of the.legislatiOn..
Most student Senators have expressed the opinion that the 9
credit hours should be averaged over the length of their term in order
to best satisfy the intent of the legislation. Consider the case
of the following two students who take office in
1
79-2
in the credit
hours indicated:
79-2 ?
79-3 80-1
Student A 0
?
9
?
9
Student B 0
?
12
?
8
Total load for term of office
18
20
r
Student A would be allowed to complete a term on Senate while Student
B would be disqualified from holding office in
1
80-1 under the change
to the rules proposed in S 78-12. However Student B would seem to
better satisfy the intent of the legislation by virtue of carrying a
heavier load than Student A during the term of office. That is, it
does not seem to be the intent of the legislation that Student B be
disqualified from holding office for the full term.
Therefore it would appear that student Senators should be required
to enrol in an average of 9 credit hours for any two of. the three
semesters they are to hold office in order to best satisfy the
intent of the existing legislation.
go
simon Oraw university
I
burnaby 2, b.c.
I
tsi.phon. 291-3181
univ•rsits simon fras.r
I
burnaby 2, c.-b.
I
tslsfon 291-3181
.

Back to top