SFU Records Retention Schedule and Disposal Authority (RRSDA)
Senate Agendas, Minutes and Supporting Papers

Description | PIB | Authorities | Retentional rational | Rentention and filing guidelines | Status

RRSDA number

1997-002

Record series

Senate Agendas, Minutes and Supporting Papers

Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR)

Student Services

Retention periods

Records Active retention (in office) Semi-active (records centre) Total retention Final disposition
Student Services (Senate Secretariat): Permanent Nil Permanent Permanent retention by Department with copy to Archives for retention as vital records copy
Copies in all other departments: CY or when no longer needed Nil CY or when no longer needed Destruction
Hardcopy and Electronic Indexes Permanent Nil Permanent Permanent retention by Department with copy to Archives for retention as vital records copy.

CY = Current calendar year; CFY = Current fiscal year; CS = Current semester; S/O = Superseded or obsolete; OPR = Office of Primary Responsibility; Non-OPR = All other departments.

Description, purpose and use of records

Series comprises the official record of Senate meetings.

Records include original agendas, minutes, reports, proposals, memoranda, correspondence, and background papers.

Minutes are used to document all deliberations of the Senate including the passage of motions and resolutions and the approval of governing decisions. They cover both open sessions (available to all members of the University and the public) and closed (restricted to Senate members and the Senate Secretariat, typically concerning graduates and recipients of honorary degrees).

The records are arranged chronologically by meeting date.

Authorities

These records are created, used, retained and managed in accordance with the following authorities:

Retention and filing guidelines

Senate Secretariat retains a permanent full run of these records. At the end of each year, copies of that year’s records are sent to the Archives for retention as a vital records copy.

There are three index systems to these records. First, the Senate Secretariat produces a list of the numbers and titles of all papers presented to the Senate in a given year. Second, there is a subject index. This index contains various subject headings (developed in-house) cross-referenced to the date of the Senate meeting, the page number of the minutes for that meeting, and the Senate paper reference number.

In 2003, the subject index system was replaced with the electronic senate cross-reference database. This third index system contains subject headings dating from 2003 onwards, cross-referenced in a similar manner as the preceding, paper-based index system. Format and content remains the same, but much more detail is provided regarding specific senate actions. The previous index system must still be referred to for records made prior to 2003; currently, there are no plans to migrate the discontinued paper-based system to the new electronic system.

Status

RRSDA is in force.

Approved by the University Archivist: 22 Jan 2009

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