DRAFT UNTIL APPROVED BY SENATE

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

Monday, July 9, 2007 at 7:00 pm in Room 3210 WMC

Open Session

Present:

Stevenson, Michael, President and Chair of Senate

Abdulwahab, Kamal

Black, Sam

Brebner, Sarah

Copeland, Lynn

Dickinson, Peter

Driver, Jon

Ester, Martin

Fizzell, Maureen

Fox, Sasha

Francis, June

Gencay, Raino

Gordon, Robert

Hannah, David

Harder, Derrick

Harding, Kevin

Haunerland, Norbert

Hayes, Michael

Hemingway, Alex

Javed, Waseem

Jones, John (representing B. Lewis)

Laba, Martin

LaBrie, John

Lein, Adam

Letourneau, Michael

Liljedahl, Peter

MacLean, David

Mathewes, Rolf (representing M. Plischke)

Percival, Cohn

Peters, Joseph

Pierce, John

Pinto, Mario

Thompson, Steve

Tiffany, Evan

Tse, Karen

Vaid, Bhuvinder

Van Baarsen, Amanda

Wakkary, Ron

Warner, D'Arcy

Waterhouse, John

Kiai, Mehran, Acting Registrar/Senior Director, Student

Enrolment

Watt, Alison, Director, University Secretariat

Grant, Bobbie, Recording Secretary

Absent:

Brennand, Tracy

Corbett, Kitty

Dagenais, Diane

Easton, Stephen

Krane, Bill

Malik, Hamza

McArthur, James

Percival, Paul

Popadiuk, Natalee

Russell, Robert

Shaker, Paul

Shermer, Thomas

Smart, Carolyne

Smith, Don

Weeks, Daniel

Williams, Peter

Williams, Tony

In attendance:

Anderson, Gail

Barton, Andrew

Burley, David

Dench, Sarah

Fairey, Elaine

Khan Hemani, Rummana

Johnston, Nancy

Moore, Donna

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 2

Approval of the Agenda

The Agenda was approved as distributed.

Approval of the Minutes of the O

pen

Session of June 11, 2007

The Minutes were approved as distributed.

Business Arising from the Minutes

There was no business arising from the Minutes.

Report of the Chair

On behalf of Senate and the University, the Chair acknowledged the service and

expressed appreciation to the following Deans whose terms of office will be ending on

August 31, 2007: David MacLean, Faculty of Health Sciences, and John Pierce, Faculty

of Arts and Social Sciences. The following Senators will also be leaving Senate at the end

of August and, on behalf of Senate, the Chair expressed thanks to Norbert Haunerland

who will commence appointment as Associate Vice-President Research, effective

September 1, 2007; and Martin Ester who will commence a Study Leave.

Question Period

There were no questions.

Reports of Committees

A) ?

Senate Committee on University Priorities ?

Paper S.07-84 - Centre for Forensic Research

Moved by J. Waterhouse, seconded by A. van Baarsen

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

creation of the Centre for Forensic Research as a Schedule A Centre

within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences"

Brief discussion took place with respect to the criteria for a Schedule A Centre versus a

Schedule B Centre.

The question was called, and a vote taken.

? MOTION CARRIED

ii)

Paper

S.07-85 -

Report on Under

raduate Curriculum Im

plementation (For

Information)

S. Dench, Director, University Curriculum and Institutional Liaison, was in attendance to

respond to questions.

A question was raised as to why there were no WQB courses in the Faculty of Health

Sciences. Senate was advised that since the curriculum and course development were still

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 3

in progress, it was decided to wait until all faculty hires were completed and the

curriculum was in place before any courses were certified. Expectations are that

certification will be resolved within the next few months.

Reference was made to a statement in the third paragraph on the last page of the report

which suggested that FAL and FAN courses should provide integral credits rather than

additive credits and therefore count towards a student's degree. An opinion was

expressed that since the courses exist to provide remedial material for students not

adequately prepared from high school, they should not count towards a university degree.

It was pointed out that the courses are counted in a student's CGPA and since there were

already a number of courses in Physics, Math and Chemistry which provide upgrading

for students coming from high school and count toward the degree requirements, it was

felt that this suggestion needed to be monitored and evaluated.

On behalf of Senate, the Chair extended thanks and appreciation to Sarah Dench for her

pivotal role with respect to curriculum development.

B)Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies

i) ?

Paper S.07-86 - Student Success Pro

ram -Special Exemptions from

Undergraduate Academic Standin

and Continuance Policy

S ?

Moved by J. Waterhouse, seconded by K. Harding

"that Senate approve that exemptions be made to existing Standing and

Continuance policies as follows:

At the end of the first enrolled semester subsequent to being placed on

Academic Probation, International and Faculty of Applied Sciences students with

both a SGPA and CGPA below 2.00, rather than being Required to Withdraw

(RTW), will be invited to enroll in the "Student Success" program. If they choose

this option, then their academic standing will be changed to Continuing Academic

Probation (CAP). Students who do not take up the program will remain RTW, and

will be required to meet the normal readmission requirements.

At the end of Semester One of the "Student Success" program, if both the

SGPA and CGPA are below 2.00, a student will only be RTW if they have not

competed the prescribed non-credit modules. This is the only exception to the

current evaluation policy for students enrolled in the program. At the end of

Semester Two, the current evaluation policy will apply to all students.

A student enrolled in the "Student Success" program will not be permitted to

exceed 9 credit hours of regular course enrollment, with the exception of students

whose CGPA >2.00 at the end of Semester One. These students will be in Good

Academic Standing.

And that these exemptions be reviewed by the end of the Spring 2008 semester"

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 4

R. Khan Hemani, Director, Academic Advising and Student Success, Nancy Johnston,

Senior Director, Student Learning and Retention, and Elaine Fairey, Director, Student

Learning Commons, were in attendance to respond to questions.

A Senator suggested that failure in a student's initial W or Q course was a good indicator

of whether remedial help was needed and asked why these students were not being

targeted. A suggestion was also made that students should be able to enter this program

before they become RTW. It was pointed out that there are a variety of potential

indicators that could have been used but the RTW factor had been chosen for this pilot

program. At the end of the pilot a full evaluation will be done and recommendations will

come forward on future directions.

A question was raised about the choice of the two groups included in the study, RTW

students in the Faculty of Applied Sciences and RTW International students, and whether

the choice of these two groups would skew the results. R. Khan Hemani indicated that

these two groups were chosen because these are fairly diverse groups, and because they

contain a large number of high school students.

Discussion focused on data from SFU and other universities with respect to academic

probation. Some data implied that a considerable number of high school students appear

to go on academic probation within two years of admission, and an opinion was

expressed that that seemed to suggest that high schools were not adequately preparing

students academically for university. An inquiry was made as to whether any outreach

strategies were taking place in this regard. Senate was advised that both academic and

non-academic factors affect the performance of high school students and discussions

were taking place with colleagues and high school councilors about these issues.

It was noted that the data with respect to the percentage of students on academic

probation for the different adthission categories demonstrates that admission averages

have an impact on academic performance, and an opinion was expressed that the high

percentage of students on academic probation was a consequence of recently decreased

admission requirements and served as a signal that admission requirements should not be

arbitrarily lowered. Senate was advised that the grade point average for BC 12

admissions for SFU as a whole has been steadily increasing since 2000, but lower

minimum admission averages had been implemented in some Faculties. However, the

lowering of the minimum admission gpas has had no observable impact on student

retention or graduation rates.

In response to a question as to whether or not the language barrier was a source of

difficulty for international students, Senate was advised that transition issues were greater

than this and that language was an issue for both international and domestic students.

Senate was advised that ESL supervisors were being hired for the Learning Commons

and should be available to assist students by the Fall semester.

Reference was made to past discussions at Senate in which students advocated for

increased services of this kind, and D. Harder, on behalf of the students, expressed

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page

appreciation for this initiative and extended congratulations to the staff in Student

Services who have worked to bring this forward.

The question was called, and a vote taken.. ? MOTION CARRIED

The Chair acknowledged the energy and professionalism of staff in Student Services who

are dealing with very serious issues of enrolment management and thanked those in

attendance with respect to this matter.

ii)

Paper S.07-87- Admission Re

uirements - Applicants from other Canadian

Provinces

Moved by J. Waterhouse, seconded by C. Percival

"that Senate approve that Canadian High School Admission Requirements

mirror the requirements from leading universities in each province, and

use five or six courses for admission"

D. Moore, Associate Registrar, Admissions was in attendance to respond to questions.

If requirements were changed and made easier for students in a particular province, a

concern was expressed that this would then make it easier for students from that province

S ?

to gain admission to SFU. Senate was advised that since admission requirements would

be based on a 'leading university', standards would be assured.

The question was called, and a vote taken. ?

MOTION CARRIED

iii)

Pa p

er S.07-88 - Curriculum Revision - Faculty of Applied Sciences (For

Information)

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

under delegated authority, approved minor changes to an existing course in the School of

Interactive Arts and Technology.

iv)

Paper S.07-89 - Curriculum Revisions - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (For

Information)

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

under delegated authority, approved the deletion of numerous courses not offered for at

least six semesters.

Paper S.07-90 - Curriculum Revisions - Facult

y of Business Administration (For

Information)

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

under delegated authority, approved minor revisions to lower division requirements and

existing courses in Business Administration.

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 6

vi)

Paper S.07-91 - Curriculum Revisions - Facult

of Health Sciences (For

Information)

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

under delegated authority, approved minor revisions to lower division requirements and

existing courses in Health Sciences.

vii)

Paper S.07-92 - Curriculum Revisions - Facult

of Science (For Information)

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

under delegated authority, approved minor revisions to programs and existing courses in

Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Biological Sciences. SCUS also approved, under

delegated authority, changes to breadth requirements for the Faculty of Science and the

Environmental Science Program.

C) ?

Senate Graduate Studies Committee

Paper S.07-93 - Curriculum Revision - Earth Sciences PhD Program (For

Information)

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

delegated authority, approved changes in calendar language to clarify the PhD entry

requirements and program transfer from the MSc to the PhD program.

ii)

Paper S.07-94 - New courses - De

partment

of Mathematics (For Information)

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

delegated authority, approved five new graduate courses in Mathematics.

iii)

Paper

S.07-95 -

Cohort Special Arrangements Master of Arts Program in

International Studies (For Information)

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

delegated authority and in accordance with the rules approved by Senate for Special

Arrangement Programs, approved a Cohort Special Arrangements Master of Arts

Program in International Studies as a pilot program to begin in Fall 2007 for a maximum

of three years. Eleven new graduate courses associated with the program were also

approved by SGSC under delegated authority.

iv)

Paper S.07-96 - Revised Graduate Student Appeals Procedures -Graduate

General Regulation 1.8.2 - Unsatisfactor

Progress (For Information)

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

delegated authority, approved a revised procedures for appealing decisions under

Graduate General Regulation 1.8.2 - Unsatisfactory Progress. The revised procedures

include new guidelines concerning documentation for appeals, and are effective

immediately.

Paper S.07-97 - New Stream in the PhD Program, Faculty of Education (For

Information)

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

delegated authority, approved a new stream - Languages, Cultures, and Literacies - in

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 7

. ?

the PhD Program in the Faculty of Education. Six new graduate courses associated with?

the new stream were also approved by SGSC under delegated authority.

Senate Committee on A

enda and Rules

i) ?

Paper S.07-98 - Annual Re

ort (For Information

The Annual Report of the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules, covering the period 1

June 2006 to 31 May 2007, was received by Senate for information.

Senate Nominatin

Committee

i) ?

Paper S.07-99 - Elections

Senate was advised that no further nominations had been received. Dan Weeks was

therefore elected by acclamation to the Senate Committee on Agenda and Rules, and the

vacancies on the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies and the Senate Committee on

University Teaching and Learning would be carried forward to the next meeting of

Senate. The results of balloting for the International Student Exchange Committee

resulted in the election of Michael Favere-Marchesi for term of office to May 31, 2009.

Other Business

i) ?

Paper S.07-100 - Boycott Motion

Moved by S. Black, seconded by M. Hayes

"that Senate authorize the Chair of Senate to express disapproval on behalf

of Senate of the contemplated boycott of Israeli academic institutions by

the University and College Union of the UK.

Senate recommends that the Chair of Senate's statement appear on the

University's web site in a prominent and accessible position"

The Chair explained that generally it was not SCAR's intention to bring forward political

motions to Senate but SCAR felt that since this motion focuses on the question of

academic freedom, it was appropriate for presentation to Senate.

A lengthy discussion took place on these points.

A question was raised about whether the Faculty Association ought to take a

position on this matter, rather than Senate, or whether SFUFA's views could have been

made known prior to the debate. The Chair noted that he had not received any indication

from the President of SFUFA or its Executive that it opposed Senate dealing with this.

Several matters were raised about the intention of the wording, what was meant

by "authorize", what was being authorized, how such a statement would be publicized,

etc. Some Senators felt it was unusual for Senate to be asked to support a statement

without knowing exactly how it would be expressed. It was stated that the intention of

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 8

the motion was to provide the President with a mandate from Senate, but that it was

deliberately drafted to allow the President to exercise his judgment and discretion.

In the debate, there appeared to be no disagreement that this was primarily a

matter of academic freedom, but there were concerns that the wording created difficulties

in interpretation. Senators debated whether this was a principled stand against academic

boycotts and whether or not they were justified in all cases. And if it was a principled

stand, why was there a need for reference to the UK union's proposed boycott about

which no detailed information was available.

Some Senators felt that they had been given insufficient time to consider the

motion and to become more informed about the issues. One Senator noted that the

boycott was being considered by the University and College Union of the UK, and

wondered whether Senate action should await the outcome of the UCU deliberations.

Senators also discussed the various potential interpretations of Senate approving or

defeating the motion.

In an effort to clarify the intention of the motion, an amendment was moved by E.

Tiffany, seconded by S. Black

"that the first sentence of the motion be amended as follows:

On the grounds

that it violates academic freedom,

Senate authorizes the Chair of Senate to

express disapproval on behalf of Senate of the contemplated boycott of Israeli

academic institutions by the University and College Union of the UK"

In discussion on the amendment, it was suggested that specific reference to

Israeli/Palestinian circumstances might also need to be deleted since the amendment

refers to an absolute principle.

The question was called on the amendment, and a vote taken.

AMENDMENT FAILED

Because a variety of procedural questions had been raised, the Chair provided a detailed

analysis of procedural options available to Senate.

Moved by A. Hemingway, seconded by W. Javed

"that the motion be tabled to the next meeting of Senate"

The question was called, and a vote taken. ?

MAIN MOTION TABLED

Senator Black indicated that he was not prepared to bring the motion back to the next

meeting. It was noted that SCAR would determine further action on the motion.

Secretary's note: President Stevenson issued a statement on the proposed boycott

following the Senate meeting. (attached).

S.M. 9 July 2007

Page 9

8. ?

Information

The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting of Senate is Monday, September 17,

2007. There is no meeting scheduled in August.

Open Session adjourned at 8:15 pm and Senate moved directly into Closed Session.

Alison Watt, Director, University Secretariat

Statement on Proposed Boycott of Israeli Universities

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STATEMENT ON PROPOSED BOYCOTT OF ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES

Former Presidents &

In response to the call of the University and College Union of the UK for consideration of a boycott of

Chancellors

Israeli universities, I wish to state my clear disapproval of such a move. An academic boycott conflicts

Administration

with the free exchange of ideas and research that is central to the mission of universities, and violates the

principle of academic freedom. Such action might be justifiable in response to a state's action which

stripped its universities of academic freedom, and to complicity in such action on the part of its university

administrations and faculty. Clearly, complexities and ambiguities surround empirical arguments of this

kind, as recent discussion in the Senate of Simon Fraser University has indicated. However, whatever

one's position on other issues in that county or region, I do not believe that such criticisms can be made of

the state of Israel, and Israeli universities share our commitment to the fundémental value of academic

freedom. I call for all who subscribe to this value to oppose the proposed boycott of Israeli universiti

Michael Stevenson,

President & Vice-Chancellor, July 9th, 2007

8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5A 1 S6 I Terms / Privacy

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