SiMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
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SENATE
L
ect. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO SCUS -
Su
REPORTING IN SUMMARY FORM TO
From
SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGENDA AND RULES
Date.. NOVEMBER 21, 1978
Section 37 of the Universities Act stipulates as follows:
37.
The academic governance of the university is vested in the Senate
and it has power
(f) to consider, approve, and recommend to the board the revision of
courses of study, instruction and education in all faculties and
departments of the university;
(i) to recommend to the board the establishment or discontinuance of any
faculty, department, course of instruction,....
Section 37 (b) gives authority to Senate to delegate such of its powers
as it may from time to time determine.
Within these provisions Senate, at its meeting of January 9, 1978,
amended and then approved the following motions of a proposal submitted by
the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies. The Board later granted its
approval.
"That Senate approve and recommend approval to the Board:
1.
That the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies be
authorized to conclude all matters dealing with proposed
revision of an existing course unless such revision is
undertaken in the context of a major program revision or
entails the need for the allocation of additional resources;
2.
That such actions be reported In a summary form to Senate
at its next meeting and the Board for ratification;
3.
Notwithstanding the authority granted to it, the Senate
Committee on Undergraduate Studies retains the right to
forward for consideration by Senate and the Board any matter
which, In the judgment of the Committee or its Chairman,
requires such consideration."
Motion 2 before change was "That such actions be reported in a
summary form (at least once each semester) to Senate and the Board for
ratification."
The intent of these proposals was to lessen by one the number of
university level considerations given to minor curriculum revisions, specifi-
cally to the revision of an existing course. This minimal delegation of
authority could save paper and reserve the time of Senators for consideration
of weightier matters.
The agenda provided for the December meeting follows current agenda
practice and rules and has three types of papers:- Those for information only;
those for action shown by M; a mixture of for information and for action shown
by M. On this occasion the level of support information is that which Senate
has been receiving Ln the past, whether now provided only for information or for
action. Specifically, then, less direct action will be required by Senate at
the December meeting but the amount of data .(and paper) provided Senate is
relatively unchanged.
It is intended that for future meetings the agenda will be structured
such that the "for action - M pieces" will appear in a group and the "for
information pieces" will appear in a group after the action pieces. There will
continue to be some papers that will be a mixture of information and action
(for paper conservation). Instructions would be issued to departments and
faculties indicating the need to separate "information" and "action" pieces
where it is appropriate to do so.
It is further intended, with Senate concurrence, to now significantly
reduce the paper material provided to Senators on "for Information" items. It
Is proposed that for these items the agenda indicate only the departments (or
programs) for which changes have been authorized by SCUS, and that the support
information distributed he minimal - at most that contained, for example on the
Lop
cover lug memorandum this time for Geography Paper S.78-133 or DLLL Paper
S.78-135, or Centre for the Arts Papers S.78-140 and S.78-141. This type of
information likely would be consolidated in one simple summary paper for all
Items.
Copies of the additional support papers for these Senate information
items as received and approved by SCUS would be available for view by any
individual member of Senate who so desired immediately in advance of the Senate
meeting, or in the Office of the Registrar in the week preceding the Senate
meeting. They would be retained with master Senate files..
The introduction of these procedures would then achieve both reduction
in Senate direct action and in the amount of material distributed to all Senators
and departments.
Where there is provision of summary data to Senate "for information"
indicating that SCUS has acted under its delegated authority it is intended that
the SCUS action shall stand (subject to ratification by the Board where required).
Senate, however, could undertake to issue instruction to SCUS not to repeat a
certain action or actions.
MOTION:
"That Senate endorse, and recommend acceptance by the
Board of Governors for its ratification requirements,
the proposed summary procedures for reporting actions
taken by SCUS under its delegated authority, - to Senate
for information, and the Board for ratification.
a
