April 25, 2002 Meeting Summary

The meeting was unable to proceed at the originally scheduled venue at the Halpern Centre due to a student protest, so the Deputy Chair, in the absence of the Chair, adjourned the meeting. The meeting reconvened at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

OPEN SESSION

A. Finance and Administration

  1. Donations: the Board approved terms of reference and accepted donations to new funds, and accepted donations to existing funds, as follows:
    MONTH NEW FUNDS EXISTING FUNDS
    December 2001 (Supplemental)   $36,529
    March, 2002  $123,916 $271,039
  2. The Board approved the appointment of Mr. Denis Berube to the Administrative/Union Pension Plan Board of Trustees as a University representative for the period December 1, 2000 to November 30, 2003.
  3. The Board approved the re-appointment of Mr. David Gillanders and Mr. Ray Spaxman as Directors of the Burnaby Mountain Community Corporation for the period April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005.
  4. The Board approved the Emergency Management of Physical or Other Disasters Policy, GP 31. This policy sets out the appropriate response within the University to address physical or other disasters that have, or that have the potential to, significantly disrupt University operations.
  5. The Board of Governors discussed the proposed 2002/2003 Tuition Fees as set out in the Notice of Motion documents. The Board heard that the University’s budget process has confirmed that without an increase in tuition fees, the University faces an $8.8 million deficit. Further cuts to achieve a balanced budget, after years of austerity measures, would have a severe impact on quality. The Board also heard that 25% of the proposed tuition fee increase will be allocated to student financial assistance, increasing the budget for scholarships, awards and bursaries by 45%. Two programs cut by the government will be reinstated with part of the financial assistance monies – the work-study program and graduate student assistantships – and one-half of the money directed to the scholarships and bursaries fund will be distributed as bursaries to students in need. The Registrar is planning immediate incorporation of the new levels of student support, should the proposed tuition fee increase pass.
  6. The Board defeated a motion from the Student Society to have tuition fees maintained at the current level until a tuition policy is adopted by the University. The Board approved an amended motion that mandates the Finance and Administration Committee to investigate the impact of tuition levels on accessibility and to review the principles involved in current recommendations for changes in tuition.
  7. The Board approved that the University continue negotiations with Translink and actively cooperate with the Student Society to develop a proposal for the U-Pass. Student approval will be secured through referendum.
  8. The Board approved that a compulsory monthly fee of $26.99 (plus tax) be implemented for all students in single residence accommodation, commencing September 1, 2002, to provide high-speed quality internet service to each residence room. The fee will allow students an exemption from installation or disconnection fees, and represents a monthly savings of over 32% for a service that most students find essential.

B. Academic Operations

  1. The Board approved the revised A 13.02 – Appointment of Department Chairs/Directors of Schools. Among the changes is the replacement of the Recall section with a section entitled Reconsideration.
  2. The Board approved the revised Policy A10.01 – Academic Appointments. Among the changes are guidelines for non-advertised positions.

C. Other

  1. The Board received the 2001 Annual Report from the Harassment Resolution Office.
  2. The Board approved a revision to the Nominating Committee procedures to state that reasonable efforts will be made to poll all members of the Board for their opinions on possible candidates before making recommendations for the position of Chair and Deputy Chair.
  3. The Board heard a report that the purchase of the remaining 20% balance of the Finning Lands has been concluded. The Joint Venture group is now working under the established guidelines.

 

CLOSED SESSION

A. Finance and Administration

There is no business to report.

B. Academic Operations Committee

  1. Faculty Appointments

    The following faculty appointments have been approved and have been accepted:

    Dr. Arthur Robson Professor with Tenure & CRC Chair Economics 1/Sept/02
    Dr. Jacob Eyferth Assistant Professor History 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/06
    Dr. Peter Dicksinson Assistant Professor English 1/Jul/02 - 31/Aug/06
    Dr. Yildiz Atasoy Assistant Professor Sociology & Anthropology 1/Sept/02 - 31Aug/06
    Dr. Ralf Wittenberg Assistant Professor Mathematics 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/06
    Dr. Ian McCarthy Associate Professor & CRC Chair Business Administration 1/Jan/03 - 31/Aug/06
    Dr. Panayiotis Pappas Assistant Professor Linguistics 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/06
    Mr. Daniel Smith Instructor Business Administration  
    Mr. Thomas Spalek Instructor Psychology 1/Jul/02 - 31/Aug/05
  2. Administrative Appointments
    Dr. Frank Gobas Director REM 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/05
    Dr. Lucy LeMare Director, Undergraduate Programs Education 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/05
    Dr. Mehrdad Saif Director Engineering Science 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/07
    Dr. Alex Clapp Chair Geography 1/Sept/02 - 31/Aug/05
  3. Resignations

    The Board received the resignations of the following faculty members:

    Dr. L. Armstrong, History & Humanities, effective June 30, 2002
    Dr. Lorne Campbell, Psychology, effective June 30, 2002
    Dr. Carolyn Kenny, Education, effective April 30, 2002
    Ms. Julia Wirch, Stats and Actuarial Science, effective July 31, 2002
    Ms. Charlene Zietsma, Education, effective April 30, 2002

  4. Other

    The Board ratified the Memorandum of Agreement between Simon Fraser University and the Ministry of Advanced Education regarding Tech BC becoming part of SFU. The Board heard that a due diligence analysis had been undertaken by the University to determine if there was any undue risk attached to assuming Tech BC operations and assets. The analysis found no areas of undue risk, and no basis for concern about the quality of Tech BC programs and faculty.

CONFIDENTIAL SESSION

    The Board approved the continuing appointment of Professor J. Osborne as Associate Vice-President, Policy, Equity and Legal, effective immediately.

The next Board of Governors Meeting will be held in Room 126 of the Halpern Centre, Burnaby Mountain Campus, at 3 p.m. on Thursday May 23, 2002.

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