•

Draft until approved by Senate

Minutes of a meeting of the Senate of Simon Fraser University held on Monday,

February 3, 1997 at 7:00 pm in Room 3210 WMC

Open Session

Present: ?

Stubbs, John, Chair

Absent:

Alderson, Evan

Akins, Katherine

Aujia, Angela

Arnason, Kristjan

Berggren, J

Len

Barrow, Robin

Boland, Larry

Beattie, Suzan

Chan, Albert

Blaney, Jack

Clayman, Bruce

Blazenko, George

Cleveland, William

Cellik, Peter

Etherington, Lois

Crawford, Charles

Gagan, David

Dahl, Veronica

Hewitt, Kevin

D'Auria, John

Lewis, Brian

Dobb, Ted

Luk, Wo-Shun

Dunsterville, Valerie

Mathewes, Rolf

Emmott, Alan

Mauser, Gary

Giffen, Kenneth

Naef, Barbara

Howlett, Michael

Percival, Paul

Jones, Cohn

Peterson, Louis

Kanevsky, Lannie

Pierce, John

Kozminuk, Angela

Reed, Clyde

Marteniuk, Ron

Ross, Douglas

McInnes, Dina

Shapiro, Stanley

Nip, Harry

Whitbread, Katherine

Osborne, Judith

Winne, Phil

Rawicz, Andrew

Wortis, Michael

Sanghera, Baiwant

Segal, Joseph

Warsh, Michael

Wickstrom, Norman

In attendance:

Blackman, Roger

Wassermann, Selma

Heath, W. Ron, Dean of Student Services and Registrar

Watt, Alison, Director, Secretariat Services

Grant, Bobbie, Recording Secretary

S.M. 03/02/97

Page

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

The Agenda was approved as distributed.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE OPEN SESSION OF

JANUARY 6, 1997

The Minutes were approved as distributed.

BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR

Referring to the current outbreak of measles on campus, the Chair

reported that efforts were being made to keep the university and the

off-campus community updated as much as possible. Faculty Senators

were asked to remind students in their classes about the immunization

clinic set up in the East Gym.

The Chair advised Senate that there has been a reorganization of

Government at the bureaucratic level which means not only have

universities got a new Minister, they also have lost the Deputy

Minister and the Director of the Universities Branch.

Referring to reports that the freeze on capital funding is being eased,

the Chair reported that the university has not received any direct

information in this regard but it is believed that a relaxation of the

capital freeze for the university sector will not occur for some

considerable time. It is expected, however, that the minor capital and

renovation budget will be restored with effect from the next fiscal year

but it is not certain if restoration will be full or partial.

Senate's attention was drawn to a series of lectures being presented by

the Association for Students of African Descent. The first of the

lectures will be held at 7:00 pm on February 4th at Harbour Centre.

Detailed information has been posted around the university.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

a) ?

Senate Nominating Committee

i) ?

Paper S.97-16 - Elections

Senate was advised that no further nominations had been received. B.

Peterson has therefore been elected by acclamation to the Senate

Committee on Disciplinary Appeals and the Senate Appeals Board. All

other positions remain vacant and will be carried forward.

Committee

The Chair

had

reported

met

with

that

the

student

and the

caucus

Chair

Senate

the Nominating

prior to the

•

meeting to

address

the question of how to

strengthen student

S.M. 03/02/97

Page 3

. ?

membership on Senate and Senate committees, and those Student

Senators present were thanked for their comments.

b) ?

Senate Committee on Academic Planning/Senate Committee on

Undergraduate Studies

Paper S.97-17 - Undergraduate Curriculum Revisions - School of

Communications (For Information)

Senate received information that SCUS, acting under delegated

authority, approved revisions (credit hours, course numbers, and

prerequisites) to existing courses in the School of Communication.

ii)

Paper S.97-18 - Undergraduate Curriculum Revisions - Faculty of

Arts (For Information)

Senate received information that SCUS, acting under delegated

authority, approved a series of language course numbers, revisions to

existing courses in the Department of Philosophy, and a change in

Calendar entry to include the Asia-Canada Program as a separate

"department" under the Faculty of Arts breadth requirements listing.

iii)

Pa p er S.97-19 - Under

raduate Curriculum Revisions - Facult

y of

Business Administration (For Information)

• Senate received information that SCUS, acting under delegated

authority, approved a change of prerequisite to an existing course

(BUEC 232) in the Faculty of Business Administration.

iv)

Paper S.97-20 - Undergraduate Curriculum Revisions - Faculty of

Education

Moved by D. Gagan, seconded by P. Winne

"that Senate approve and recommend approval to the

Board of Governors, as set forth in S.97-20, the proposed

change of requirements for applicants to the Secondary

PDP modules"

Selma Wassermann, Director, Professional Programs, Faculty of

Education, and Roger Blackman, Chair, Senate Committee on

Undergraduate Studies were in attendance in order to respond to

questions.

Senate was advised that the proposed change attempts to solve the

problem of preparation for students who are currently eligible to be

admitted without having completed a degree, and attempts to create

. equity among students being admitted into the program. Experience

has shown that students entering the program without having

completed their degree are weaker in the subject area they are teaching

and degree completion is required to strengthen their preparation.

S.M. 03/02/97

Page 4

Concern was expressed about the requirement of having students

complete their degree one full semester before commencing the PDP

program. Cited as an example was a student needing only a few credits

in the final summer semester before entry and it was suggested that it

would be inappropriate, especially in a university operating on a

trimester system which stressed flexibility, not to allow a student the

flexibility to complete the requirements in the summer.

Amendment moved by P. Percival, seconded by R. Mathewes

"to strike the words

one

full

semester

from the first

paragraph on the second page so that the Calendar

wording would read as follows:

All students who plan to teach at the secondary level are

required to have completed their degree requirements -ee

full 3cmcstcr prior to commencing PDP. The exception to

this is the B.Ed. candidates who cannot complete their

degree until they have successfully completed PDP. These

B.Ed. candidates must have completed the academic

requirements of one teachable major or two teachable

minors one full semester prior to commencing PDP."

S. Wassermann explained that given the human and fiscal resources

available in the Faculty of Education, and because of the admission

process and the large number of applications received, it was simply

not possible to allow students the option of completing in the

Summer. Senate was provided with a brief summary of how the

application process worked and was reminded that the program is fully

funded by the Ministry and must be full in order to meet their

requirements. It was noted that students missing the Fall deadline had

the option of commencing the program in the Spring semester.

Opinion was expressed that the number of students trying to complete

their degree in the summer semester would probably be very small

and, if the amendment passed, it would allow admission opportunity

for such students who may be excellent candidates. Senate was

advised that it would prove very difficult for the Faculty of Education

to administer provisional admission in such circumstances and many

good candidates who were eligible for admission would not be willing

to wait until late summer to find out if they were going to be accepted

for admission in the Fall. It was noted that the plans of some

applicants probably change after they are accepted for admission. Those

spaces

conditional

would

admission

have

for

few

filled

students

from

was

waiting

more inconvenient.

list. Allowing

•

It was stressed that many good candidates on the waiting list are not

prepared to wait and the more uncertainty built into the admission

S.M. 03/02/97

• ?

Page

. process, the greater the risk of losing those good students who are

already admissible. It was noted that the amendment, if approved,

will create a larger pool of potential 'conditional admissions' since all

candidates would have the opportunity to complete requirements in

the Summer, not solely SFU students.

Question was called on the amendment,

and a vote taken.

AMENDMENT FAILED

(9 in favour, 15 opposed)

Amendment moved by A. Chan, seconded by P. Percival

"to add the words

unless permission is granted by the

Faculty of Education

to end of the first paragraph on the

second page so that the Calendar entry would read as

follows:

All students who plan to teach at the secondary level are

required to have completed their degree requirements one

full semester prior to commencing PDP. The exception to

this is the B.Ed. candidates who cannot complete their

degree until they have successfully completed PDP. These

B.Ed. candidates must have completed the academic

requirements of one teachable minor or two teachable

minors one full semester prior to commencing PDP,

unless permission is granted by the Faculty of Education."

Concern was expressed that the amendment creates the possibility for

the Faculty to waive its own requirements without specifying any

criteria for waiver and it also goes beyond the intent of the original

motion to imply that degree completion is not necessary prior to entry

into the PDP program.

Following brief discussion, the amendment was withdrawn.

Amendment moved by P. Percival, seconded by A. Chan

"to change the word 'all' to 'SFU', strike the words 'one

full semester', and add the final sentence of the first

paragraph on page 3 so that the Calendar entry would read

as follows:

S.M. 03/02/97

Page

SFLI

A41 students who plan to teach at the secondary level are

required to have completed their degree requirements one

full semester prior to commencing PDP. The exception to

this is the B.Ed. candidates who cannot complete their

degree until they have successfully completed PDP. These

B.Ed. candidates must have completed the academic

requirements of one teachable major or two teachable

minors one full semester prior to commencing PDP.

Students from other institutions may apply prior to the

completion

their degree, but such students are required

to have completed the degree one

full

semester prior to

commencing PDP."

Opinion was expressed that the new amendment assures that all

students must complete their requirements prior to commencing PD?

yet it still provides the flexibility of the trimester system to SFU

students by allowing them to finish their studies in the summer

semester. Opinion was expressed that it might be inappropriate for the

admission policy to discriminate in favour of SFU students. It was

noted however that much more is known about SFU students so there

is an unequal situation to begin with.

Question was called on the amendment

and a vote taken.

AMENDMENT CARRIED

(13 in favour, 11 opposed)

Question was called on the main motion

as amended, and a vote taken.

MAIN MOTION

(AS AMENDED) CARRIED

Senate received information that SCUS, acting under delegated

authority, approved revisions to existing courses within the Faculty of

Education.

Paper S.97-21 - Undergraduate Curriculum Revisions -

Department of Mathematics and Statistics (For Information)

Senate received information that SCUS, acting under delegated

authority, approved a change of description to an existing course (MATH

361) in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

vi)

Paper S.97-22 - Grade 12 courses for University admission

Moved by D. Gagan, seconded by L. Boland

"that Senate approve, as set forth in S.97-22, the following

changes:

S.M. 03/02/97

Page 7

that the revised courses English 11 and 12 are

acceptable for purposes of admission to Simon Fraser

University

ii)

that the Principles of Mathematics 11 and 12 are

acceptable for purposes of admission to Simon Fraser

University"

Applicants may not count both Principles of Mathematics

12 and Mathematics 12 towards the admission GPA.

Senate was advised that the motion before Senate was in response to

changes introduced by the Ministry with respect to Grade 11 and 12

English and Mathematics. The changes were reviewed by SCUS/SCAP

and at the departmental level and the new courses Technical and

Professional Communications 12 and Applications of Mathematics 11

and 12 were deemed not appropriate for admission to SFU and

therefore do not form part of the motion before Senate.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

C) ?

Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules

•

i) ?

Timing of Senate Meetings

Because the majority of off-campus Senators were absent, there

were no objections to a suggestion from the Chair that this item be

deferred.

OTHER BUSINESS

There was no other business.

INFORMATION

The next regularly scheduled meeting of Senate will take place on

Monday, March 3, 1997.

The Assembly moved directly into Closed Session at 8:15 pm.

Alison Watt

Director, Secretariat Services