SiMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Paper S-89

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M

Mr.

P

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P

..........

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From...

A .M.Unrau

trar

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Department of Cherni....

Subect..-4. Representation andOpe....Date..Noyember..27.,

1967

Meetings of the Senate Scholarship and Awards Committee.

The Senate Scholarship and Awards Committee is appointed

and functions under the terms of reference set forth by the

Senate. It follows, therefore, that the minutes are open to

the members of Senate; and in the appointment of the members of

this committee, it is obvious that any member of Senate could

be appointed. Since we now have student representation on the

Senate it is therefore possible that a student could actually be

appointed as a member of the Senate Scholarship and Awards

Committee. It is indeed doubtful whether this would be desirable

or for that matter proper since the primary responsibility of this

committee is to award scholarships to qualified candidates. This,

therefore, involves access to confidential documents to

which

students should not have general access.

The subject of open meetings and student representation

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on the committee was discussed at some length at the last meeting

of the Scholarships Committee. It was strongly felt that it would

be improper to have open meetings with unlimited participation

because of the highly confidential nature of the majority of the

transactions of the committee. At no time should students have

general access to student transcripts. Since the applicant's

transcripts and letters of reference are the main documents which

are circulated to the members of the committee for the purpose of

reaching reasonable decisions with respect to the awarding of

scholarships, it is therefore obviously not possible to transform

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the general meetings of the Scholarships Committee into a parliamentary

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form. It would also be highly inefficient during the course of

the meeting-to have to declare which particular agenda .items are

confidential and to request visitors to leave. Such a

"Jack-

in-the box" procedure would be of little value to the visitor and would

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certainly impede the progress of the meeting.

The Scholarships Committee would, however, wish to suggest

that should there be sufficient interest, the committee members

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would be happy to meet such interested parties at a general meeting

in which general issues could be discussed and specific questions

with respect to.the general availability of scholarshipd could be

answered. It was felt that since the Senate now has. student

representation, the'-initiation of such a meeting should be through

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the proper channels'9f the University Senate.

A.M. Unrau