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Minutes of a Meeting of the Senate of Simon Fraser University

held on Monday, October 4, 2004 at

5:30

pm in Room 3210 WMC

Open Session

Present: ?

Percival, Paul

Vice-Chair of Senate

Absent:

Apaak, Clement

Breden, Felix

Beynon, Peter

Brennand, Tracy

Blackman, Roger

Copeland, Lynn

Budd, James

da Silva, Gisele

Dean, Charmaine

Deigrande, James

Dickinson, John

Dunsterville, Valerie

Driver, Jon

Grimmett, Peter

Easton, Stephen

Hayes, Michael

Fizzell, Maureen

Higgins, Anne

Fung, Edward

Love, Ernie

Giacomantonio, Chris

Mauser, Gary

Gordon, Irene

McArthur, James

Gordon, Robert

McFetridge, Paul

Gupta, Kamal

Scott, Jamie

Harder, Derrick

Smith, Don

Haunerland, Norbert

Stevenson, Michael

Honda, Barry

Weeks, Daniel

• ?

Horvath, Adam

Wong, Milton

Hunsdale, Shawn

Yerbury, Cohn

Johansen, Elinor

Zandvliet, David

Jones, John (representing B. Lewis)

Krane, Bill

Li, Ze-Nian

MacKenzie, Christine

MacLean, David

McKinnon, Stephanie

McInnes, Marcia

Pierce, John

Pinto, Mario

Plischke, Michael

Rozell, Sara

Sears, Camilla

Schehlenberg, Betty

Shaker, Paul

Tombe, Trevor

Waterhouse, John

Wessel, Sylvia

Wong, Josephine

. ?

Woodbury, Robert

Heath, Ron, Dean of Student Services/Registrar

Watt, Alison, Director, University Secretariat

Grant, Bobbie, Recording Secretary

S.M. 4 October 2004

Page 2

P. Percival advised Senate that the President was at a conference in New York and as

Vice-Chair of Senate he would chair the meeting.

On behalf of Senate, the Chair welcomed the following newly elected Senators: C. Dean

and M. Hayes (faculty senators elected to the positions created after the establishment of

the Faculty of Health Sciences), and D. Harder (student senator elected to retain the

required balance between student and faculty positions on Senate).

Approval of the Agenda

Senate was advised that the Chair would add two items under 'Report of the Chair', and

that Paper S.04-67 - Annual financial Statements was withdrawn from the agenda and

would be brought forward to the next meeting of Senate. Following these amendments,

the Agenda was approved.

2. ?

Approval of the Minutes of the O

en Session of September 13, 2004

The Minutes were approved as distributed.

3. ?

Business Arising from the Minutes

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

4. ?

Report of the Chair

Congratulations were extended to Dr. Larry Dill, Department of Biological

Sciences who has been chosen as a co-recipient of the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in

Biology.

ii)

Paper S.04-76 - Review of the President

The above-noted paper was distributed at the meeting. Senate was advised that

the Board of Governors has started the process of considering the reappointment

of the President whose current term expires in 2006. Senate will elect two faculty

senators and one at-large graduate student to this committee at the next Senate

meeting. Prospective committee members were requested to take note of the

tentative meeting schedule outlined in the memo and candidates wishing to put

their name forward should note the detailed information about the nomination

process and deadline dates.

Question Period

There were no questions submitted.

Reports of Committees

A) ?

Senate Nominating Committee

i) ?

Paper S.04-68 - Elections

Senate was advised that no further nominations were received to those shown on the

above-noted paper. Therefore, Charmaine Dean was declared elected by acclamation to

the Senate Committee on University Priorities (SCUP) and the Senate Committee on

University Teaching (SCUTL) for terms of office to May 31, 2005; and Christine

S.M. 4 October 2004

•

Page

MacKenzie was elected by acclamation to the Senate Committee on

University Honours

(SCUH) for term of office to May 31, 2005. The student senator positions on the Senate

Committee on Continuing Studies and the Senate Committee on International Activities

remain vacant and will be carried forward.

B) ?

Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies

Paper S.04-69 - Change to General Admission Requirements

Moved by R. Blackman, seconded by C. Apaak

"that Senate approve the addition of Instrumental Music 12 and Choral

Music 12 in the Fine and Performing Arts group (List 3) of courses

accepted for admission, effective Fall 2005"

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

ii)

Paper S.04-70 - School for the Contem

p orar y

Arts - Changes to Admission

Requirements and Curriculum Changes

Moved by R. Blackman, seconded by I. Gordon

"that Senate approve changes to the admission requirements in the visual

art studio courses, and the visual art extended minor program, as set forth

in S.04-70"

A question was raised about the deletion of courses concerning the history of art. It was

pointed out that although reference was being deleted from the course title, the material

would be rearranged and presented in a different format within the program.

Reference was made to the collapse of the 2-course-per-skill model which changed the

emphasis to a broad ranging introduction to all aspects of.the given skill. Opinion was

expressed that this was a very large pedagogical change to the program and concern was

raised about the lack of rationale to justify such a major revision. It was pointed out that

this program has been extremely stretched with regard to its teaching resources and the

Dean's office had worked closely with the School on this particular revision to make the

program more effective.

In response to an inquiry as to why a representative from the School was not in

attendance to respond to questions, Senate was advised that the level of interest in this

curriculum matter was under estimated and no one had been requested to attend.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

Senate received information that the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies, acting

under delegated authority, approved minor curriculum revisions to existing courses and

program requirements in the Visual Art program.

S.M. 4 October 2004

Page 4

iii) ?

Paper S.04-71 - Change to Admission Polic y

- Associate Degree

Moved by R. Blackman, seconded by M. Fizzell

"that Senate approve the proposed changes to the Associate Degrees

Admission Policy wording from "graduates... from a public BC or Yukon

community college or university college" to "graduates... from a BC or

Yukon community college or university college recognized by the B.C.

Ministry of Advanced Education", as

forth in S.04-71, in effect as of

Spring Semester 2005"

In response to an inquiry with respect to the degree completion statistics for Columbia

College, it was pointed out that the completion rates were significantly higher than the

average.

Discussion turned to the approval process of the Degree Quality Assessment Board. R.

Blackman, a member of the Board, provided Senate with detailed information concerning

the evaluation process for proposed degree programs. He noted that Columbia College

went through a full evaluation by the DQAB which resulted in the Board

recommendation to the Minister that approval be granted for Columbia College to grant

Associate Degrees.

In response to concerns raised about quality control, Senate was advised that the DQAB

carries out follow-up assessment to ensure that programs continue to be of sufficient

quality to merit Ministry approval. It was pointed out that since Senate has the authority

to establish admission standards if it were discovered that students admitted in a

particular category or from a particular institution were performing below standard,

Senate could recommend a change in policy.

Senate was advised that as of next year all students who apply for admission with an

Associate Degree will be expected to have a grade point average that is no less than

.25

lower than the floating average that applies to students without an Associate Degree.

This change in admission policy was approved after a careful evaluation of the

performance of the two groups of students and it was felt that the GPA differential levels

the playing field for the two groups. It was noted that Columbia College was the first

private institution to offer Associate Degrees, and opinion was expressed that should this

motion fail, it would be discriminatory towards students just because they went to a

private institution. It was noted that private institutions could be for-profit or not-for-

profit.

Concern was expressed that the motion was based on the decision of the Ministry rather

than the Review Board decision. It was emphasized that the Ministry, through the

Minister, makes the decision on the basis of a recommendation from the DQAB. Degrees

from any degree granting institution must receive approval from the Ministry before they

can be offered so wording reflecting this process was appropriate.

Question was called, and a vote taken. ?

MOTION CARRIED

Ift

S.M. 4 October 2004

• ?

Senate Graduate Studies Committee

Page

Paper S.04-72 - Change to Graduate General Regulation 1.12

Moved by J. Driver, seconded by C. Apaak

"that Senate approve the changes to Graduate General Regulation 1.12, as

set out in S. 04-72"

Brief discussion ensued with respect to degree completion times and clarification was

received that these deadlines had not changed.

It was noted that the proposed change did not lay out a process and a time limit for which

students with disabilities should apply. Senate was advised that this was purposely left

flexible because it was very difficult to legislate exactly what a student should do because

each case dealt with individual circumstances and had to be handled through a process of

negotiation between student, department, and the Centre for Students with Disabilities.

A question was raised as to why plans were to be approved by the Dean of Graduate

Studies rather than the Director of the Centre for Students with Disabilities. It was

pointed out that the Centre was a resource for providing expertise in the way that students

can be assisted but there were other issues that also needed to be assessed. The outcome

of discussions with the student, the department, and the Centre would result in a written

plan and it was felt that someone from outside the negotiation process should approve it.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

ii)

Paper S.04-73 - Curriculum Revisions - Master of Publishin

Program (For

Information)

Senate received information that the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, acting under

delegated authority, approved one new course, minor revisions to existing courses and

admission requirements, and a change in calendar description of the internship and

project report.

iii)

Pa p

er S.04-74 - Curriculum Revisions - Resource and Environmental

Management Program (For Information)

Senate received information that the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, acting under

delegated authority, approved one new course and minor revisions to an existing course.

iv)

Paper S.04-75 - Curriculum Revisions - Facult

of Science —(For Information) -

Biological Sciences and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Senate received information that the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, acting under

delegated authority, approved a change to the examination procedures for the project in

the Masters of Environmental Toxicology, and a minor revision to one MBB course.

S.M. 4 October 2004

Page 6

Other Business

There was no other business.

Information

The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting of Senate is Monday, November 1,

2004.

Open Session adjourned at

6:25

pm and moved directly into Closed Session.

Alison Watt

Director, University Secretariat