DRAFT UNTIL APPROVED BY SENATE

Minutes of a Meeting of the Senate of Simon Fraser University held on

Monday, November 7, 2005 in Room 3210 WMC at 7:00 pm

Open Session

Present: Stevenson, Michael, President and Chair of Senate

Apaak, Clement

Breden, Felix

Copeland, Lynn

Corbett, Kitty

Dickinson, John

Dickinson, Peter

Driver, Jon

Ester, Martin

Easton, Stephen

Fizzell, Maureen

Fleming-Saraceno, David

Francis, June

Gordon, Irene

Gordon, Robert

Halpern, Erica

Harder, Derrick

Haunerland, Norbert

Hayes, Michael

Honda, Barry

Hunsdale, Shawn

. Javed, Waseem

Joifres, Michel

Krane, Bill

LaBrie, John

MacKenzie, Christine

MacLean, David

Magee, Sean

Percival, Cohn

Percival, Paul

Pinto, Mario

Plischke, Michael

Schellenberg, Betty (also representing J. Pierce)

Scott, Jamie

Shaker, Paul

Smith, Don

Tilley, Kevin

Uhlmann, Sasha

van Baarsen, Amanda

Warner, D'Arcy

Waterhouse, John

Weeks, Daniel

Williams, Peter

Wong, Josephine

Woodbury, Robert

Zandvliet, David

Heath, Ron, Registrar

Watt, Alison, Director, University Secretariat

Grant, Bobbie, Recording Secretary

Absent:

Black, Sam

Brennand, Tracy

Budd, James

Caufield, Sarah

Deigrande, James

Grimmett, Peter

Horvath, Adam

Johansen, Elinor

Louie, Brandt

Love, Ernie

McArthur, James

In attendance:

Hayden, Michael

Stead, Doug

Wattarnaniuk, Walter

S.M. 7 November 2005

Page 2

Fol

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awal of Item 6.A.iii - Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences - the

Agenda was approved as amended.

Approval of the Minutes of the O

pen

Session of October 3, 2005

Referring to the first paragraph on page 4, L. Copeland noted that photocopy fees were

determined by the University Administration, not by the Board of Governors as indicated

in the minutes. The revision was noted and the Minutes were approved as amended.

Business Arising from the Minutes

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

Report of the Chair

On behalf of Senate, the Chair welcomed the following newly elected/re-elected Faculty

Senators from the Faculty of Health Sciences to the meeting: K. Corbett, M. Joffres, and

M. Hayes.

The Chair reported on his recent trip to Asia. Senate was informed about successful

meetings in conjunction with the ongoing celebration of SFU's 40

anniversary with

Alumni at various locations. Additionally as President of SFU, the Chair reported that he

had been invited to participate in international colloquia on information and

communication technology in Beijing and on Asian Migration and Economic

Development in Hong Kong. The Chair felt that SFU was invited to the two conferences

primarily because of the new Joint Degree Program in Zejiang. He felt that SFU would

be strongly advised to consider more programs of this nature.

The Chair was pleased to report that SFU had, once again, been ranked amongst the top

three comprehensive universities by Maclean's, and congratulations were extended to

everyone in the University whose efforts resulted in the ranking.

Paper S.05-109 - President's Agenda 2005-2009 (For Information)

Prior to discussion of this item, the Chair advised that he would like to respond to three

questions that had been submitted by Senator P. Dickinson with regard to the report.

The first question related to the proposal on page 3 to increase the proportion of the total

enrolment in graduate programs to 25% of the total enrolment and what mechanisms

were in place to secure adequate funding for this increase. The Chair explained that the

25%

was a target and was highly unlikely to happen in five years time but he felt it was

the kind of balance that leading research institutions need to have. If adequate funding

for graduate enrolment is not forthcoming, the University would not press for any

significant expansion of graduate enrolment. Universities across Canada share a concern

that the past 10-15 year hiatus in funding for graduate enrolments has seriously

undermined the quality of university systems across the country, and it was an absolute

priority that all levels of government find a way to reach agreements on graduate

enrolment funding.

S.M. 7 November 2005

• Page 3

The second question related to the issue of expanded faculty complements mentioned in

passing on page 3 of the report. A question was posed why there was not a separate

section devoted to faculty recruitment and retention since attracting top graduate students

required an excellent faculty complement. The Chair agreed that ideally faculty•

complements should expand in proportion to increases in undergraduate and graduate

enrolment but it was unlikely that grants would be sufficient to cover what universities

deemed to be adequate complementary funding for faculty expansion relative to targeted

enrolment increases on the graduate side. Issues of recruitment and retention were dealt

with extensively in the President's previous Agenda statement and remain an

overwhelmingly important issue and probably should have been referenced in this report.

The final question related to the Great Northern Way campus and why there was no

mention of its status, development, and priority in the document. Senate was advised that

the Burnaby, Vancouver and Surrey campuses are seen as higher priorities. The GNW

campus has been viewed as a potentially interesting model for collaboration to generate

programs that are not currently offered, and that might be offered without prejudice to

funding of programs and priorities within SFU. There are several areas being reviewed

that might be the basis for collaborative programming at GNW campus, but discussions

have been difficult and so far sources of funding are not forthcoming. So the Consortium

continues to cooperatively manage the site, and if collaboration on academic grounds is

not possible, there may be other possibilities for development of the site with resulting

•

money used to endow programs at SFU.

The President was commended for including in the document a section on student life

that captured the concerns of the past few years of the Student Society. Disappointment

was expressed that the Dual Degree Program in China was cited as a model for the future

as it was hoped that there would be more consistency in the application of tuition fees

charged to students in any such future programs. A brief explanation was provided to

Senate about how the fees in the SFU-Zhejiang program are consistently applied to

domestic and international students.

It was noted that the term 'interdisciplinary' was used several times throughout the

document. An opinion was expressed that the existing structure in the University that

required programs to be housed in specific Faculties mitigates against the

interdisciplinary nature of programs, and question was raised as to whether there were

any plans in place from a structural point of view to address this issue. The Chair felt

that there was likely not a straight-forward way to create structures that encourage

mobility across disciplines but that SFU was genuinely better at doing it than most

universities. A senator suggested that due to increased cross-teaching and research

initiatives, it might be interesting to consider assigning teaching FTEs and research

overhead directly to the individual faculty member doing the teaching and/or research.

The Administration was commended for the support provided to international students at

• SFU, with particular reference being made to the creation of the International Student

Lounge. However, a concern was expressed that most of the international students at the

University currently come from specific parts of the world and that there should be more

diversification within the international student population. It was noted that many

students from developing countries are not able to afford current tuition fees and it was

S.M. 7 November 2005

Page 4

suggested that funding should be set aside to target high quality students from these

countries. Reference was made to the first paragraph on page 4 of the report, and a

question was posed about the rationale for the proposed increase in international student

enrolments. The Chair felt that having an international component within the student -

body enriched the educational experience of all students and agreed that there ought to be

more diversity in the international student population. There appeared to be interest from

the Government in this issue and he hoped to see some funding committed to this area.

Reference was made to page one under the section of notable achievements, and

clarification was requested with respect to the ranking of research mentioned in the first

bullet. The Chair explained that SFU ranks 4

amongst all Canadian research-intensive

universities in humanities and social sciences, and 5

amongst all in science and

engineering in terms of the success rate of awarded grants to faculty members on a per

capita basis. He felt this was a more valid measure than absolute dollars awarded in

research, especially when comparison is being made against large engineering and

medical programs.

Question Period

There were no questions.

Reports of Committees

.05-

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Changes to the Forest Renewal BC

Endowed Chair in Terrain Anal

ysis

and Forest Geoscience

Moved by J. Waterhouse, seconded by M. Plischke

"that Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the change of the

title of the "FRBC Endowed Chair in Terrain Analysis and Forest Geoscience" to

the "FRBC Chair in Resource Geoscience and Geotechnics" and the changes to

the proposed research program, reflecting a new emphasis on resource

geoscience"

D. Stead, Department of Earth Sciences, was in attendance in order to respond to

questions.

Brief discussion took place with respect to the definition of 'sustainability', clarification

of 'sustainable resource development' as it related to the list sectors on page two of the

document, the role of 'conservation' within the activities emphasized, and the relevance

of tourism.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

S.M. 7 November 2005

•

Page

ii)

Paper S.05-1 11 - Course Scheduling Policy - T.30.01

Moved by J. Waterhouse, seconded by C. Apaak

"that Senate approve the Course Scheduling Policy - T.30.01"

M. Hayden, Chair of the Course Accessibility Implementation Committee, and W.

Wattamaniuk, Director of Analytical Studies, were in attendance as resource persons.

Speaking at the request of T. Brennand, who was unable to attend the meeting, P.

Percival advised that some of the concerns that the Department of Geography had raised

with the first draft had been addressed in this version. There were still complaints

related to editorial corrections of a non-substantive nature. There was no objection to a

suggestion that the motion go forward on the understanding that these editorial

improvements will be accepted after the fact.

Opinion was expressed that the policy was very prejudicial to programs in the humanities

that tend to have smaller classes and fewer mandatory courses that need to be scheduled

on a flexible basis. Courses scheduled flexibly and non-routinely will receive low priority

thus creating enormous stress and burden in terms of scheduling and finding classroom

• space. It was pointed out that this imbalance already exists because of the block

scheduling done in Science. The policy will result in Science losing some of the

advantage they have had and other departments should actually benefit because a better

balance across Faculties will be created. It was also noted that the intent of the policy

was to provide students with more certainty with respect to planning their course

schedules.

Amendment moved by I. Gordon, seconded by J. Francis

"that the following section be added to the policy

12. Reporting

To ensure accountability, transparency, and fairness of application of this

policy, the Registrar's Office through Analytical Studies will report to

Senate once a year on:

12.1 The steps taken to survey instructional staff regarding the

effectiveness of rooms assigned for different teaching and learning

strategies and regarding the disposition of complaints regarding

inappropriate room assignments where these complaints are based on

pedagogical or teaching strategies that are intended to enhance students'

learning.

12.2 Room usage by day and time of day for each department and non-

departmentalized Faculty for both undergraduate (by levels) and graduate

courses"

Noting that the amendment was similar to elements of section 6 of Appendix I and

section 8.1 of the document, a suggestion was made to incorporate the thrust of the

amendment into the document so that in 8.1 the committee would solicit input from the

faculty and departments with regard to any concerns about the policy, and in Appendix I,

S.M. 7 November 2005

Page 6

Section 6 Senate would be included in the distribution of the report mentioned. On the

understanding that appropriate wording would be added to the two sections mentioned

above, the changes were accepted as a friendly amendment.

Discussion ensued with respect to whether it was more important to students to know

exact times that a course was scheduled as opposed to knowing in which semester a

course would be offered. In response to this inquiry, the following points were made:

• more important to know when a course will be offered rather than the specific

time

•

the greater degree of certainty the better to schedule the term, especially if

involved in campus activities outside the classroom

• policy will help graduate students who have to work around teaching assignments

•

since SFU is a transportation oriented school, knowing times is a big issue,

especially if driving long distances or taking public transit

• using the entire week will benefit students greatly as it will help to reduce

crowding on buses which are especially full Tuesday to Thursday, and will also

help to reduce course conflicts

Detailed discussion took place with regard to how priorities would be assigned to

different types of courses, for example, regular daytime courses offered occasionally in

the evening, and courses with tutorials which are spread out at different times during the

week. Senate was advised that as long as a regular scheduling pattern can be advertised,

our

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stion was raised as to why the last item in

this section differed in wording from the others with respect to 'may be given priority' as

opposed to 'will be given priority'. Senate was advised that the list would be used when

space was short and the last option could be used to decide in favour of a department that

had tried hard to spread its offerings across the entire week. However, it was felt that it

would disadvantage departments who simply cannot spread their curriculum over the

entire week if this criterion was made a requirement. It was pointed out that section 5.1

-6

allows the Dean of a Faculty to approve any scheduling pattern, so if a need ws

recognized, the Dean could automatically give a department the priority required.

Senate was advised that the policy would take effect for the Fall semester, 2006.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

iv)

Paper S.05-113 - Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Environmental Education

Moved by B. Krane, seconded by I. Gordon

"that Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the

proposal for a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Environmental Education"

Senator D. Zandvliet, Faculty of Education, was available to respond to questions.

S.M. 7 November 2005

Page 7

Speaking on behalf of T. Brennand who could not attend the meeting, P. Percival

indicated that despite the fact that Geography courses were prominently featured in the

Diploma, the Department had not been consulted, and she wanted to remind all Faculties

that wide consultation was required for curriculum changes/development. Senate was

informed that consultation had taken place with individual faculty members in the

Department of Geography.

Reference was made to the list of courses at the bottom of page 4, and a concern was

expressed about the inclusion of EDUC 311 and EDUC 441 since the existing course

descriptions make no reference to environmental issues. It was pointed out that the

courses in this group are, to some extent, foundational courses and will expose students to

different views around environmental teaching.

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

Paper S.05-114 - Facult y

Structure Review (For Information)

Senate was advised that it has been a long time since the University comprehensively

examined its academic structure and since there have been a considerable number of

changes in the composition of University programs, it was deemed appropriate for a

review to be carried out at this time. A Task Force will be formed and university-wide

consultations will be part of the process. It was stressed that the process does not

presume any particular outcome and could result in no changes being recommended.

Reference was made to the proposed timing of the first round of consultations, and it was

suggested that this should occur prior to the preparation of the discussion document.

Units who feel that some realignment is important for them will be requested to provide

input prior to the discussion document.

Brief discussion followed with respect to the composition of the Task Force, especially

student representation.

The document was at Senate for information.

Senate Graduate Studies Committee

Paper S.05-115 - Faculty of Education: Deletion of Intermediate and

Elementar y

Mathematics Education (MA. MEd) Program

Moved by J. Driver, seconded by P. Shaker

"that Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the

deletion of the Intermediate and Elementary Mathematics Education (MA,

MEd) program"

Question was called, and a vote taken.

MOTION CARRIED

S.M. 7 November 2005

Page 8

ii)

Paper S.05-116 - Facult

of Applied Sciences - REM: Revisions to planning

stream of the Master's program including change of degree title (For Information)

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

delegated authority, approved a revision to the planning stream of the master's program -

in the School of Resource and Environmental Management. The revisions to the program

description clarify the course requirements and include a list of elective courses, and a

change of the degree title for students completing the planning stream to

Master of

Resource Management (Planning).

iii)

Paper S.05-117 - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - Cohort Special

Arrangements Program - Master of Arts in International Leadershi

: course changes (For

Information)

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

delegated authority, approved a revision to the course requirements for the above-noted

program. The changes include the approval of a new course and the waiver of a course

requirement for graduates of a McRae Institute program in the cohort.

iv)

Paper S.05-118 - Facult

of Health Sciences - New courses (For Information)

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

delegated authority, approved five new courses for offering in the Graduate Diploma:

Foundations of Global Health Studies. Inquiry was made as to why these new courses

were labeled GLOH instead of HSCI. It was noted that at the graduate level it was not

uncommon for different programs within a department, school or faculty to be given

different course designations as a helpful identifier for a particular stream or program.

Senate Nominating Committee

Paper S.05-119 - Elections

Senate was advised that no further nominations had been received. J. Smith was

therefore elected by acclamation to the Senate Appeals Board and all other positions

remain vacant and will be carried forward to the next meeting of Senate.

Other Business

Paper S.05-120 Annual Re

ort and 3-Year Plan -SFU Librar

(For Information)

L. Copeland, Senator, and University Librarian, was available to respond to questions.

The Annual Report and 3-Year Plan were received by Senate for information without

discussion.

Information

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

2005

The Open Session adjourned at 9:00 pm. Senate moved directly into Closed Session.

Alison Watt

Director, University Secretariat