To ? 

MEMBERS OF SENATE 

Subject............PROVISION FO R QU ESTIO NS AT SENATE 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGENDA AND RULES 

Date JANUARY 25, 1977 

The Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules has received a 

request from Senator R. A. Ironside that the Rules of Senate be 

amended in order to provide a Question Period as a regular agenda 

item for meetings of Senate. A copy of Senator Ironside's request 

is attached for the information of Senate. 

The request for the creation of a questioning session was 

considered by the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules at its meeting 

of January 25, 1977, with considerable discussion relating to the 

various forms a session for questions may take and the nature of 

some of the Rules of Senate that would result. The Committee con- 

siders that the proposal as presented is inconclusive and wishes to 

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clarify such features as: 

Would Senate prefer that a session for questioning be 

formal or informal; 

What would be the purpose of providing opportunity for 

questions; 

To whom would questions be addressed; 

Would it be mandatory that questions be presented in 

writing? 

Regardless of the form the session may take it seems 

desirable that a time limitation be established. 

Would a Senator have the option of accepting or refusing 

to answer a question; 

If a formal question period is to be established would 

this lead to Beauchesne's Rules of Procedure? 

A major question is the nature of chairing. 

Would there be restrictions placed on the topics that 

could be discussed, etc.? 

There was general agreement that before changes to the 

rules and procedures for the conduct of meetings of Senate could be 

presented for the consideration of Senate, some guidance as to the 

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preferences of Senate was desirable and more detailed consideration 

by the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules required concerning the 

form of the session for questions and the Rules of Senate necessary 

for its operation. 

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules 

invites Senators to submit written or oral comments and suggestions 

to the Committee. The Chairman also wishes to invite Senator 

Ironside to participate with the Committee in the development of 

recommendations for the formal consideration of Senate at a future 

meeting. 

end. 

.

This is to provide Senators with notice that at the next 

regular meeting of Senate I shall make the following motion. 

Moved: 

"that the Rules of Senate be amended in Section 'G', Order 

of Business", number 2, to include "Question Period" between 

"Notices of Motion" and "Information", as outlined in the 

accompanying document." 

Moved: 

"that the Rules of Senate be amended in Section 'G', (Order 

of Business), Number 2, to include "Question Period" between 

"Notices of Motion" and "Information", as outlined in the 

accompanying document." 

The proposed question period is envisioned as operating with 

the following guidelines: 

1.

Questions may be directed to any Senator by any other 

Senator. 

2.

Questions must be 

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subznitted in writing to the appropriate 

Senator through the Chairman of Senate at least 4 days before 

the Senate Meeting. 

3.

Questions must pertain to the areas of responsibility of 

Senate as outlined in the Universities Act, or be accepted by 

the Chairman of Senate in consultation with the Senator of 

whom the question is asked. 

4.

Questions and responses will be treated as a normal part 

of the business of Senate, and will be recorded in the Minutes 

as such. 

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To ? 

Members of Senate 

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From _Dean ofGraduate_Sl-uidfps 

Ph.D. Language Requirement 

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Date_January19,1977 

MOTION: 

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That the Faculty of Science requirement for a language 

other than English in the Ph.D. programme be removed and 

appropriate changes be made in the graduate Calendar." 

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This change in the language requirement for the Faculty of Science was 

approved by the Senate Graduate Studies Committee on January 17, 1977. 

Jon Wheatley 

Dean of Graduat Studies. 

mm!

To

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Marian McGinn, Secretary 

Senate Graduate Studies Committee 

Subject.... Ph 

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Language Requirement 

J.M. Webster, Dean 

Faculty of Science 

1

December 10, 976 

Date................................................................................... 

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The Faculty of Science, at its meeting of December 2, 1976, passed the 

following motion: 

"That the Faculty of Science requirement for a language other 

than English in the Ph.D. programme be removed and appropriate 

changes be made in the graduate calendar." 

The rationale for the motion is provided below. This proposal is here- 

with forwarded to the Senate Graduate Studies Committee for consideration. 

Rationale: The requirement of a language other than English in the Ph.D. 

programme has always been a contentious issue, butchanging times are such 

that the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee considered it necessary that 

the Faculty address itself to this problem. It is clear that the present 

requirements do not ensure a useful or necessary learning experience for all 

students, and do not generally ensure a real reading knowledge of a second 

language. Historically this type of requirement has appeared to give added 

strength to a degree, but contemporary translation services and language 

use suggest that we would better serve the students' needs to have the Fac- 

ulty requirements more closely related to the real skills needed by all 

students in the Faculty. It should be stressed that members of the Committee 

felt that individual departments, and particularly the senior supervisors, 

would still be free to require an appropriate second language, if necessary. 

/pe 1 

To ? 

Dr....John Webster ? 

From ? 

Jon Wheatley         

.

pean9 . 

fScience ? 

...........Dean. of. Graduate Studies 

D ?

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

......... 

. December...2.l,...19.76............................... 

You will be pleased to hear that your proposed change of the 

Language Requirement passed the Executive Committee Senate Graduate 

Studies Committee on December 20, 1976. However, there was some 

confusion in the Committee as to what exactly was intended. I 

accordingly made the following rulings: 

a) That this changes the Faculty regulations but not the 

departmental regulations, which could only be changed 

on the recommendation (through the Faculty Committee) 

of the individual departments. 

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b) That, not withstanding the rationale offered, it is not 

within the power of a Senior Supervisor to require a 

second language. If the department does not require a. 

second language, then a second language could only be 

required in designing the student's program of study under 

64 of the General Regulations. 

I offer it as a personal opinion that, if a second language will 

probably be required, there should be an entry in the Calendar to that 

effect under the appropriate departmental listing. 

Jon Wheatley 

JW: jm 

cc: Mr. H. Evans, Registrar 

Ms. M. McGinn, to be distributed to Executive 

Committee with the next agenda 