Senate calls for dialogue on student protests

At its April 20 meeting, Concordia’s Senate unanimously passed two motions concerning the impact of the ongoing student protests against increased tuition fees.

The first acknowledged grave concerns with the continuation of the student protests and the long-term consequences for all members of the university community and government. Stressing the need for dialogue, Senate urged all parties to enter into discussions to resolve the situation. The motion will be conveyed, on behalf of Senate, to the Quebec premier by Concordia President Frederick Lowy. 

The second motion called for the deans and higher administration to continue dialogue with student representatives and chairs of academic units where the strike has most affected students in order to work on a satisfactory conclusion to the term.

Update on preferred name project
Vice-President, Services, Roger Côté provided an update on plans to address concerns raised on behalf of transgender and non-gender-conforming students. Modifications to the university database will be implemented starting in September 2012.

The purpose of these changes is to allow transgender and non-gender-conforming students to request the use of a preferred first name on  internal university documents and reports, thereby respecting  their gender identity.

Starting this fall, students will be able to request the use of a preferred first name for use on Moodle, class lists, exam lists, grade reporting lists, the student record (including the removal of the gender field on the student record itself), internal correspondence and documents, and student ID cards. This  change will not impact official transcripts, or other academic documents intended for the Ministère de l'Éducation, des Loisirs et des Sports, which requires use of a legal name.

Côté explained these modifications are the result of requests to the Office of the Registrar and ongoing discussions with Gabrielle Bouchard of the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy. Côté mentioned that further administrative and process adjustments may be needed after the changes are implemented to improve our practices.

Academic Plan
Senate tabled a motion proposed by the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee outlining the mandate and composition of a newly created Academic Plan Reporting Committee as a standing committee of Senate.

As the university’s primary governance body with respect to academic matters, Senate is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the Academic Plan. In keeping with that responsibility, members had requested the establishment of a standing committee to provide oversight on the plan’s implementation process. The motion was tabled pending further elaboration of the committee’s role.

The Academic Plan was approved earlier this year by both the Board and Senate, and provides a road map for the university’s academic priorities, aligned with the strategic directions in the university’s Strategic Framework.

Senate Code of Ethics
Senate tabled a motion presented by the Ad Hoc Committee mandated in December 2012 to establish a code of ethics for members of Senate and its committees.

The motion presented a code of ethics and conduct, as well as the creation of an Ethics Committee to ensure compliance with the code. The motion was tabled pending further elaboration of the role of  the committee in enforcing the code, and its composition.

Other updates
Members of the Advisory Search Committee for the Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, have interviewed short-listed candidates and expect to announce public presentations shortly.

Next meeting
The next meeting of Senate, the last for the 2011-12 academic year, will be held May 18, 2012.

Related links:
•  Academic Plan
•  Senate