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Paper S-20

Dean of Arts

Sublect

.

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

JI.)y .......

May 1 have the following paper circulated to members of Senate, and

thls item included in the agenda for the next Senate meeting?

Keeping of Minutes

At the last meeting of Senate I. proposed the keeping of a transcript of

the rough minutes of every meeting as they are taken down by the minutes

secretary.

The President averred that this would be too costly in

secretarial time and that it was unnecessary.

The present practice, as I understand it, is for the minutes secretary to

prepare a summary which is presented, with very little editing--for indeed,

if secretarial time is precious, how much moreso that of the chairman in

consultation with the secretary--for adoption at the ensuing meeting of

Senate.

The only safeguard against error in the minutes is in the memory

of

senators, who receive a copy of the draft sometimes weeks after the

meeting the proceedings of which the minutes record. They are busy people

and their memory should not have to be relied upon.

There is no other

check on the accuracy of the summary minutes.

In my submission this procedure, scarcely sufficient for keeping proper

records of proceedings of any group, is wholly inadequate for those of

responsible bodies such as Senate and Faculty Council.

I therefore propose that the minutes secretary for Senate and Faculty

Council and other important committees be required by Senate to read-onto

tape, as being quicker than typing a transcript, the noted minutes in

extenso 1

and that this record be available for reference by the chairman when

editing the summary minutes--this will also save secretarial time--and be

retained for reference in case

of

need, for a period of twelve months after

the date of

the meeting the proceedings

of

which are there

recorded. These

records

could be in charge of a meetings secretary.

...

JM:ols