S-02-33 FACULTY OF SCIENCE Meeting of Faculty Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Leacock Council Room - L232 ATTENDANCE: As recorded in the Faculty Appendix Book. DOCUMENTS: S-02-25 to S-02-32 A reception was held at 3:00 p.m. before the Faculty meeting. Principal Heather Munroe-Blum attended the reception. After the reception, Dean Shaver told members that Principal Munroe-Blum had enjoyed the reception. Dean Shaver called the meeting to order at 3:45 p.m. (1) ADOPTION OF AGENDA Item 5(d), Nominating Committee Report (S- 02-32), to be added to the Agenda. Prof. Harpp moved, seconded by Prof. Mucci, that the amended Agenda be adopted. The motion carried. (2) CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES a) Bachelor of Science S-02- 25 Associate Dean Mendelson moved, seconded by Prof. Harpp, that the above candidates be recommended to the Senate Steering Committee for the Bachelor of Science degree. The motion carried. 502.1 Associate Dean Mendelson said that full information concerning the degree list was available on Minerva. Departments could check information regarding their students' graduation on Minerva, and if there were any problems, they should contact Donald Sedgwick, Senior Advisor, Student Affairs Office. b) Diploma in Environment S-02- 26 There were no students receiving this Diploma. c) Diploma in Meteorology S-02- 27 There were no students receiving this Diploma. Prof. GowriSankaran further moved, seconded by Prof. Ewing, that the Dean be given discretionary power to make such changes in the degree list as would be necessary to prevent injustice. The motion carried. 502.2 Associate Dean Mendelson thanked the advisors in the Student Affairs Office and in departments for their work in preparing the degree list. He added that the graduation process had been improved under Banner. (3) MINUTES OF JANUARY 7, 2003 S-0224 Prof. Mucci moved, seconded by Prof. Baker, that the minutes be approved. The motion carried. (4) BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There was no business arising from the minutes. (5) REPORTS OF COMMITTEES a) Committee on Student Standing S-02- 28 Associate Dean Mendelson drew members' attention to the CSS Report. b) Scholarship Committee S- 02-29, S-02- 30 Associate Dean Mendelson took over as chair of the meeting. 505.1 On behalf of the Science Scholarship Committee, Prof. Leighton presented two new scholarships. - WALLACE B. CHUNG Scholarships Value: Minimum $2,500 each - GARNET & JANE SHAVER VETERAN'S Scholarship Value: $2,000 Prof. Leighton moved, seconded by Prof. Mucci, that the above two scholarships be approved. The motion carried. c) Academic Committee S-02-31 SECTION A: NEW PROGRAMS None SECTION B: MAJOR PROGRAM CHANGES None SECTION C: NEW COURSES COMPUTER SCIENCE COMP 533 O-O Software Development AC-02-90 3 credits Prof. Panangaden moved, seconded by Prof. Th‚rien, that the course be adopted. The motion carried. SECTION D: COURSE CHANGES 1. COMPUTER SCIENCE COMP 273 Intro to Computer Systems AC-02- 89 Change in Course Description 3 credits Prof. Panangaden moved, seconded by Prof. Th‚rien, that the change be approved. The motion carried. 2. PSYCHOLOGY PSYC 308 Behavioural Neuroscience 1 AC-02- 95 Change in Restriction 3 credits Prof. de Takacsy moved, seconded by Prof. Panangaden, that the change be approved. The motion carried. SECTION E: MINOR PROGRAM CHANGES 1. COMPUTER SCIENCE - Minor in Computer Science AC-02- 91 - Major in Computer Science AC-02- 92 - Honours in Computer Science AC-02- 93 - Major in Software Engineering AC-02- 94 Prof. Panangaden moved, seconded by Prof. Th‚rien, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. 2. EARTH & PLANETARY SCIENCES - Minor in Earth and Planetary Sciences AC-02- 96 - Minor in Geochemistry AC-02- 97 - Major in Earth and Planetary Sciences AC-02- 98 - Honours in Earth Sciences AC-02- 99 - Honours in Planetary Sciences AC-02- 100 Prof. Mucci moved, seconded by Prof. Baker, that the program changes be approved. The motion carried. Dean Shaver resumed the chair. SECTION F: Other - Courses Outside the Faculties of Arts & of Science AC-02-101, AC-02-101A Associate Dean Mendelson explained the reason for the proposal. Prof. Drury moved, seconded by Prof. Baker, that the proposal in Document AC-02-101A be adopted. The motion carried. SECTION G: Minor Course Changes (For Information Only) - Minor Course Changes AC-02- 87 d) Other Reports or Academic Business - Nominating Committee Report S-03- 32 505.2 Associate Dean Mendelson said that for the Academic Committee, Prof. Donald Kramer was now the Department of Biology's representative, and the student members Sharon Chakkalackal and Colette Ward had been replaced by Celine Kim and Yasmin Moolani. 505.3 In related business, Dean Shaver announced that for student members of the Faculty of Science, Sharon Chakkalackal and Henry Lin had been replaced by Rob Kozak and Alison Speigel. (6) REPORT ON ACTIONS OF SENATE - Prof. E. Meighen - Senate Meeting of November 6, 2002 Prof. Meighen has not submitted his report. - Prof. K. GowriSankaran - Senate Meeting of December 4, 2002 The Meeting of Senate on December 4, 2002 started with Senate approving unanimously a resolution on the death of Professor Kenneth Hare of our Faculty. The resolution was presented by Dean Shaver. Professor Hare was one of the most distinguished geographers and climatologists. The individual members' question period after a routine Steering Committee report. 1. Question by Senator Noumoff: Given the fact that many reports come before Senate with recommendations for action on the part of the Administration, will the Administration agree to provide Senate with up-dates of action taken in conformity with these recommendations and should the Administration, in its wisdom, decide not to implement any or all of these recommendations, that it justify its decision before Senate? The Principal replied that it is appropriate that the Administration does provide such data to Senate and that he will instruct the Administration to do so. 2. Question by Senator Noumoff He pointed out that lately there has been considerable delay in processing of paycheques of new faculty/librarian staff members by the payroll office causing considerable administrative difficulty to the departmental offices and staff as well as causing inconvenience to the new staff members. Given the above how does the Administration plan to rectify the situation? Vice-Principal Yalovsky responded that lengthy delays are unacceptable and that the Administration is attempting to address the matter. 3. Senator Al-Kady brought to the attention of Senate that sometimes marks are submitted in the middle to late January causing considerable difficulties to students. He asked to know how the Faculties are dealing with late submission of grades and if there was a policy to handle students who may have difficulty due to late reporting of grades. Associate V.-P. Nick de Takacsy answering the question confirmed that each Faculty had its policies on reporting of grades. Efforts are made to persuade teachers to respect deadlines for submission of grades. He also informed Senate that there was a 'safety net' to catch the students who may be falling through cracks. The questions on Salary Anomaly adjustments (Senator Lydia White) and on efforts and statistics to hire female academics (Senator Anthony Pare) were postponed due to the absence of Vice-Principal (Academic). The Part B of the meeting commenced with a routine report from APPC and it was followed by a Notice of Motion to Amend the Statutes of the University regarding the (name change) of Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences). Senate then approved a motion moved by Professor Mendelson, seconded by Professor Baines, regarding the amendments to the composition of Faculty Meeting of our Faculty. Senate approved various recommendations from the Senate Nominating Committee. Of particular interest was the approval of the appointment of Professor James Finch (Engineering Faculty) as University Vice-Marshall as was the advisory Committee for the selection of a Director of the Centre for University Teaching and Learning. Senate received Financial report to the Board of Governors (presented by Vice-Principal Yalovsky), Annual report of the University Bookstore Committee (Professor Kerry McSweeney) as well the Report of the Principal. After the regular business of Senate was finished, with permission from the Chair, Professor Pare proposed (seconded by Professor GowriSankaran) that Senate, on the occasion of Professor Patrick Farrell's final meeting, thank him for his long and dedicated service to Senate and the University. This was adopted unanimously with applause. Professor Farrell thanked everyone and in particular, Dr. Victoria Lees, for her help in the role of Secretary General. This was followed by comments by Professor Noumoff on the occasion of Dr. Shapiro's last meeting as Chair of Senate. He announced the establishment of Bernard Shapiro Prize (value $500) to be awarded annually to a student in the Faculty of Music and for this purpose $10,000 donation has been made in the name of Senate. He remarked about the Principal's deep love of music and the appropriateness of the Prize. He also presented the Principal with a baton on behalf of Senate. This meeting of Senate was followed by a reception to honour the long and dedicated service of Dr. Victoria Lees who was retiring as Secretary General after almost a decade of excellent service to Senate and Board of Governors. 506.1 Associate Dean Mendelson pointed out that fall-semester grades for the Faculties of Arts and of Science had been submitted earlier than in previous years. This improvement was a result of the implementation of Minerva. - Prof. M. Mendelson - Senate Meeting of January 14, 2003 1. Before the usual formalities, Principal Munroe-Blum remarked what a pleasure it was to chair her first Senate meeting. She observed that she had never worked at a University that had bicameral governance and that she was looking forward to working closely with Senate to chart together the future course of McGill University. 2. Under Business Arising from the minutes of November 6, 2002, in response to a question, Vice-Principal Vinet stated that elections for Faculty representatives to Senate are administered by each Faculty and are governed by the regulations of that Faculty. Individuals holding appointments in two faculties would therefore participate in elections to Senate according to the procedures independently determined in each of these two faculties. This means such individuals could vote for two elections. 3. In response to a question by Prof. White about the anomaly exercise Vice-Principal Vinet distinguished between the program developed to address gender imbalances in salaries and its use for "general" anomalies. He indicated that the implementation of gender anomaly adjustments had been well communicated. He further indicated that the provisions for general anomaly corrections were intended to address significant deviations from the norm, but, in light of the growing demand for academics the need for an anomaly envelope has grown, with its main raison d'ˆtre being the retention of academic staff. With reference to appeals, Vice-Principal Vinet indicated that the process by which anomaly corrections are determined is indeed already an "appeal" process, so the outcome should not be formally appealable. He concluded that it would be unwise, given concerns related to retention, to advise Faculty members that they had been considered but would not receive an adjustment. Moreover, all salaries are actually reviewed. Nonetheless, the Deans will be asked to make sure that their faculty members are reminded of this process and of its Faculty specifics. Prof. GowriSankaran noted that under the Access to Information Act everyone has a right to view correspondence related to any anomaly adjustment. He stated that there was a general desire amongst faculty for a more transparent process. He requested that ASPSC be asked to recommend guidelines for transparency in the process of according anomaly adjustments and in disseminating that information. The Chair asked that the motion be referred to Senate Steering Committee and Prof. GowriSankaran agreed to do so. 4. Prof. Par‚ asked about efforts to hire more female academics. Vice-Principal Vinet reported that, on the average for the whole university, McGill's success at attracting female academics is close to or greater than the nominal pool of potential Canadian applicants. He noted that this is not necessarily a result of our hiring procedures. However, the increase to 35% of the academics hired from 25 % in April 2001 is certainly encouraging. 5. Prof. Noumoff asked about possible access to information regarding foreign teachers and students at McGill. Secretary General Geller replied that the University has not received a request from the FBI, or similar U.S. or Canadian government agencies, to provide the "names, addresses, telephone numbers, citizenship information, places of birth and any foreign contact information" for professors and students who are foreign nationals. If the University were asked for this or similar information, the University would normally refuse to provide such information, in accordance with the Quebec Act Respecting Access to Documents held by Public Bodies and the Protection of Personal Information. The law does, however, allow the University to release personal information when served with a valid court order or when there is reasonable cause to believe that the person is in imminent danger of 6. Student Senator Peters asked about scheduling exams in an appropriate environment. Vice-Principal Vinet replied that current policy and practice is to schedule examinations only in those locations where there will be no undue noise or disturbance. He noted that notwithstanding the efforts made, on at least two occasions, the noise level in the Rutherford Building during the December exams became disturbing and the exams had to be moved to Leacock 132 despite that room's limitations. Vice-Principal Vinet noted that the University is experiencing difficulties scheduling an increasing number of examinations within an 11-day period, with very limited suitable space available. 7. Student Senator Sagel asked about regulations requiring professors to show up to exams. Vice Principal Vinet responded that the relevant rules of the large undergraduate faculties are as follows: The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Studies requires instructors to be present for the entire examination. The Faculties of Arts, Education and Science require instructors responsible for examinations to be in the examination room at some time during the first half hour of the examination and to provide the invigilator with the phone number where they can be subsequently reached. The Faculty of Engineering requires the responsible instructor to be on campus and reachable by telephone for the duration of the examination. 8. The 346th report of APPC was presented. Of interest to the Faculty of Science, the African Field Study Semester was approved, as was a Centre for Research on Pain/Centre de recherche sur la douleur at McGill University 9. Senate agreed to recommend to the Board of Governors the amendment of Article 13.1 of the Statutes to add the Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) as a degree offered by McGill. 10. Senate moved into the Committee of the Whole to discuss the length of the exam period. Although it was noted that a 12-day schedule is needed, given the number of students and final exams, student senators strongly advocated for the retention of a study day before the exam period. 11. Senate moved into Confidential Session to discuss the Confidential Report of the Honorary Degrees and Convocations Committee. 12. Professor Harris presented the Annual Report of the Committee on Teaching and Learning and responded to questions and comments. 13. Professor Price presented the Annual Report of the Standing Committee on Sabbatic Leaves and responded to questions and comments. 14. Vice-Principal Vinet presented the Reports of the Joint Senate-Board Committee on Equity for the years 1999/2000, 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 (D02-41). Student Senator Ahmad noted that seven years ago, Senate had approved a series of recommendations from the Joint Committee. He expressed his dismay that only very limited action had been taken during the intervening years to implement those recommendations. Vice- Principal Vinet stated that significant turnover had limited the Committee's progress, as well as great difficulty in scheduling meetings. He indicated with respect to the Policy on Discrimination that this had been referred back to the Committee for further study and that he expected to be able to report further on their progress in the Fall, and agreed to bring an interim report to Senate in the next couple of months. 15. Vice-Principal Vinet presented together the Registration Summaries for Winter (D02-44) and Fall (D02-45) 2002. He noted that registrations in most faculties remained quite stable, year over year, with a decrease being experienced in the Faculty of Law. Prof. Mendelson noted that close to 60% of all students at McGill are now women. He wished to bring a motion requesting that the University Admissions Committee fully consider the issue of the gender composition of the student population at McGill and report thereon to Senate. The Chair asked him to prepare the motion for the next meeting of the Senate Steering Committee. Professor Mendelson indicated his willingness to do so. 506.2 There were a number of questions and comments concerning the proposed 12-day exam period. The number of exams written has increased dramatically in the last ten years, and both space and exam conflicts have become major problems. - Prof. N. de Takacsy - Senate Meeting of January 29, 2003 1. Report of the Steering Committee Professor GowriSankaran is elected to the Senate Steering Committee. 2. Chair's remarks This is a new standing item on the agenda. The Principal reported as follows: - The search for a Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni relations well under way. - The Dean of Law has resigned a year before the end of his mandate. A search will begin immediately. - The advisory committee's report on the Faculty of Arts is completed and the search for a new Dean of Arts is under way. - The advisory committee's report on the Faculty of Education is completed and further information about the Deanship will be issued later. 3. Questions and motions by members - In answer to a question from Mr. Ouimet-Storrs, Vice Principal Masi noted that advisors currently have access to all student transcripts, that this is not a change from previous policy or practice, and that students would not be routinely informed of who has accessed their transcripts unless there is reason to suspect inappropriate access. He noted that advisors and administrative staff are bound by university rules as well as provincial legislation which forbid access to students' personal information except when it is required in the performance of their university duties. - A motion by Professor Robaire asking for a review of McGill's health and safety organization and of its facilities was approved without debate. - A motion by Professor Mendelson asking that the University Admissions Committee look into the gender composition of the student population was vigorously debated and approved by a close margin. - A motion by Professor GowriSankaran asking the Board to refer to the Academic Salary Policy Committee a request to develop guidelines regarding the communication of decisions related to anomalies was debated and approved. 4. The 347th report of APPC - APPC recommended and Senate approved a motion that all course outlines should include the following statement: "McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism, and other academic offenses under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information)." - Senate received a report from the University Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid. It was noted that $1,114,500 have been added to the endowment for scholarships and fellowships since the last report. This was a short meeting. (7) MEMBERS' QUESTION PERIOD 507.1 In response to a question from Prof. Harpp concerning the lack of implementation of Senate-mandated assigned seating for exams, Associate Dean Mendelson said that this regulation was very difficult to enforce. Prof. Harpp was invited to attend a meeting of the Academic Committee to discuss the issue. (8) OTHER BUSINESS 508.1 Dean Shaver announced that a lecture by Prof. Mark Aronoff, Deputy Provost, SUNY at Stony Brook, would be held on February 14, 2003 at 3:30 p.m., in Leacock 232. He said that the lecture would be on the implementation of the Boyer Report at SUNY Stony Brook. The topic concerns the integration of research into undergraduate teaching programs. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.