Senate Minutes of the Meeting of September 19, 1997

As approved at the October 17, 1997, meeting of Senate.

Copies of Exhibits and Appendices are available from the University Secretariat, Room 290, Stevenson-Lawson Building.

The meeting was held at 1:00 p.m. in Room 224 of University College.

SENATORS: 69

J. Adams, A. Allahar, M. Armstrong, D.E. Baer, A. Belcastro, D. Bevan, F.P. Cass, S. Castiglione, M. Cheesman, W.R. Code, M. Cole, R. Corless, R.P. Coulter, T.C. Craven, J. Crimmins, P. Davenport, L. Dos Santos, C. Down, F. Dreyer, G. Eramian, D. Fairbairn, M. Floryan, B. Garcia, T. Garrard, W. Gibson, E.E. Gillese, J.M. Good, R. Hawkins, R. Hillman, T. Hessel, R. Hudler, N. Huner, D. Jacobson, C.-Y. Kang, W. Kennedy, D. Kuntz, C. Lanfranconi, R. Lipson, T.C.Y. Lo, S. Lupker, L. Mansinha, G. McCarthy, J. McKay, K. McKellar, R.Y. McMurtry, M. McNay, K. McQuillan, D. Muñoz, P. Neary, A. Oosterhoff, A. Pearson, A. Prabhakar, T. Rajan, C. Seligman, D. Semotiuk, J. Sheasby, S. Singh, J. Snyder, J.L. Stokes, M. Symsyk, J. Thorp, R. Toft, J.K. Van Fleet, E. Visentini, C. Walsh, A. Weedon, L. Weiner, L. Whittaker, R. Wilson

Observers: T. Kennedy, E. Nabrotzky, R. Parks, H. Roos, R. Tiffin

S.97-164 Welcome to New Senators

Dr. Davenport, on behalf of Senate, welcomed to their first meeting several new Senators, including those elected to replace Senators who have resigned and others who fill new places on Senate as a result of the recent reallocation of Senate seats.

S.97-165 Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting of June 19, 1997, were approved with the inclusion of the following amendment (shown in italics) to S. 97-143, page 14, second sentence:

"The Ontario Association of Education, working with the Education Quality and Accountability Office, have organized ...."

S.97-166 Application Centre Fee Distribution [S.97-162]

Dr. Kennedy, Academic Colleague to COU, recalled that at the last Senate meeting Mr. Parks asked for information on the amount of funding Western receives from the Ontario Universities Application Centre and the formula by which Western's share is determined. For the year 1996-97, Western received $436,000 from OUAC. This amount was determined by a formula comprising two components:

(1) 50% comes from the pool of funds created by the $50 application fee paid by applicants, distributed according to the institutions' share of government grants

(2) 50% is determined based on the number of applications to Western received by the Centre.

S.97-167 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

[See also Appendix 1 - Not available for the Internet copy of these minutes.]

The President's Report included information on the President's Priorities for 1997-98 and Planning for the 1998 -99 Budget.

S.97-167a President's Priorities for 1997-98

The President's priorities for 1997-98 include:

Setting Directions: Leadership in Learning

Putting Academic Priorities First: Supporting Excellence in Teaching and Research

Ensuring Open Administration and Effective Communication

Strengthening Ties with the External Community

Dr. Davenport provided brief comments on the following three priorities:

Student recruitment:

Student recruitment this past year was remarkably successful due to the efforts of faculty and staff. Preliminary data indicate substantial increases in first-year undergraduate enrolment from Canada and abroad and in full-time graduate enrolment. Enrolment Contingent Funding will continue which facilitated the provision of additional first year classes and helped sustain the recruitment effort at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Faculty and staff:

New faculty appointments have been made as a result of the provision in the 1997-98 Budget and the Special Faculty Recruitment Initiative. The development of a new relationship with the Faculty Association is ongoing, and improved development opportunities for the staff are being explored.

Research:

The building of an infrastructure will allow better support for researchers on campus and allow Western to compete more effectively for external funding, including those funds associated with centres of excellence and similar large-scale collaborative projects. Western is learning to cooperate more effectively in joint research with the private sector, and to spin off research into local businesses.

Dr. Davenport commented on possible obstacles to achieving his priorities:

Ensuring accessibility is a key issue facing all Canadian provinces, but it is more acute in Ontario.

Student recruitment efforts are threatened by the absence of a new student loan plan; a new plan must include new measures and new money to deal with rising student debt. September 1998 is the expected target for the implementation of a new student loan system.

All priorities are threatened by continued underfunding of Ontario's universities, which rank last in the country in funding per capita and 33% below the average of the other nine provinces in terms of government grant per student.

It is vital that additional grant and tuition resources be available to the University to address the decline in staffing which is hurting the quality of teaching and support given to students and the quality of research which faculty can offer.

Dr. Davenport concluded that his top priority and that of the Western community must be to work together in solidarity to preserve and enhance the achievements and values that define Western.

The President invited questions about his priorities for 1997-98.

Asked if Western's output or productivity is 33% lower because funding is 33% below the average of the universities in other Canadian provinces, Dr. Davenport made the following observations:

It is difficult to measure a university's output, but a measure often used is head-counts. Western is most productive if one counts the number of students educated per dollar of government grant.

Western is above average if one considers all other revenues, including tuition fees and private revenues.

Western's share of national research funds has been falling over the years. Calculating research grants over operating budgets or research grants over government grants, Western is at or near the top.

Quantitative measures indicate Western is producing; however, a problem exists with quality. Western is not able to offer the class sizes desired, not able to hire new professors in key areas of research and teaching, and not able to bring in curriculum changes.

Dr. Davenport observed that because we live in a knowledged based economy, the governments -- provincial or national -- will be able to realize the goals they have set out in terms of job creation, growth and healthy society, only by investing in universities.

The following concerns were presented on behalf of graduate students relative to improving the quality of graduate education and supervision:

50% of the graduate departments do not offer summer courses for graduate students despite the fact that full tuition is charged for the summer term

most supervisors leave during the summer months which sometimes causes students to take more time to complete their degrees than would otherwise be the case

there is inadequate assistance to graduate students in making employment networking connections

The Dean of Graduate Studies advised that many programs have a policy that stipulates that no courses will be offered during the summer as the summer term is viewed as a time when graduate students engage in full-time research and utilize the same level of resources used during the fall/winter terms. There is no intention of reopening the policy regarding tuition fees for graduate students. The Faculty of Graduate Studies has a placement program but most graduate programs are too small to offer formal placement activities focussed on their particular program.

S.97-167b Planning for the 1998-99 Budget

Dr. Davenport outlined budget planning for the 1998-99 budget which included the following points:

Planning guidelines, which describe the nature of the annual planning process, will be issued to the administrative and academic units at the end of September.

The financial outlook for 1998-99 is uncertain. No information is available concerning the government grant, tuition fees, nor student assistance.

The Smith Commission argues that Ontario universities should be brought up to the Canadian average in grants per student; this would require an infusion of about $460 million. COU will continue to lobby the government to meet this target over a five year period.

The Smith Commission provides the government with an operational method for partial deregulation of fees with the universities allocating 30% of the fee revenue back into student aid and student loans which relates to the accessibility issue.

As in previous years, the preliminary budget targets will need to be adjusted as the year proceeds.

To set a context for the preparation of the 1998-99 budget relative to government funding based on enrolment, Dr. Davenport presented preliminary data on Western's new full-time, first year students from secondary schools with the use of overhead slides, copies of which are attached as Appendix 1. The slides covered the following: Average Entering Grade, Proportion with Entering Grades of 80% or more, Proportion from other Canadian Provinces, and Proportion of International Students.

ENQUIRIES

S.97-168 Undergraduate Enrolment Target

Concern was expressed that the first year undergraduate enrolment of over 4,000 this year contravenes a 1993 Senate resolution and Leadership in Learning, both of which cite a first year enrolment target of 3,750. Dr. Davenport explained that Western recruited aggressively in the expectation that recruitment would be competitive in light of a forecast of enrolment decline. Also, as a result of government 's withdrawal of BIUs by eliminating Additional Qualification students in Education and international students from the BIU base, there was a concern that Western would fall below the funding corridor and as a result suffer a cut in the government grant. Recruitment efforts were more successful than expected, in that more students accepted Western's offer of admission than had been the pattern in years past. Dr. Davenport agreed to convey the concern to the Provost who is scheduled to make a presentation on student enrolment at the October or November Senate meeting.

S.97-169 International Students

Asked about the availability of scholarships for international students, Dr. Davenport advised that there are increasing sums of money from private donations, including the donations received last year from the student groups, that are available for international students.

Concern was expressed about international students who are not eligible for the Dean's Honor List because they have received credit for courses taken elsewhere and are thus required to take only compulsory courses at Western. Professor Cass, Chair of SCAPA, advised Senate that SCAPA is presently reviewing this issue.

S.97-170 Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Dean McMurtry asked what AUCC's position is on the changing and positive dynamic of the federal budget. The projection for the deficit this year was originally $17 billion; it then moved to $10 billion maximum and now many observers are calling for the deficit to disappear. In the last quarter, for the first time since the early seventies, Canada, federally, had a surplus of $300 million. Many are lobbying on behalf of business, for example, to receive more money from the government while others are making presentations for tax cuts. Dr. Davenport said that AUCC has three firmly identified priorities: student aid, research, and federal support for internationalization. AUCC will continue to lobby the government for increased investment in these areas.

S.97-171 Teacher Evaluations

Professor Baer asked for clarification about the processing of teacher evaluation scores over the summer given that many faculty have heard that there may have been processing errors. He asked if the original error rate is known for the first scanning of the forms, if an independent random audit was performed to determine what the subsequent error rate was when Work/Study students keyed in the data, and whether it can be verified that data input was accurate. He also asked for clarification as to the use that will be made of students' handwritten comments that were subsequently keyed into the computer. It had been the understanding of faculty that the comments were for the benefit of the instructors and not for central data collection purposes.

Dr. Davenport agreed to take Dr. Baer's questions under advisement, but he appealed to Senators to provide him or the Secretary of Senate at least 24 hours advanced notification of enquiries of this type in order that their questions may be more effectively answered at the Senate meeting.

OPERATIONS/AGENDA COMMITTEE [Exhibit I]

S.97-172 Senate Membership: Student Constituencies

On behalf of the Operations/Agenda Committee, it was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by L. Weiner,

That, pursuant to Senate regulations for the Filling of Vacancies, the Senate seat held by Jerry Topolski, elected representative for the undergraduate Faculty of Social Science constituency, be declared vacant as a result of his resignation, and that Helen Simpson, a Social Science student and runner-up in the At Large constituency during the last election, be elected to complete Mr. Topolski's term (to October 31, 1997).

and

That the following be elected to Senate to serve to October 31, 1997, to fill seats created in the recent restructuring of Senate:

Undergraduate Students:

Megan Symsyk (Affiliated Colleges) Sam Castiglione (At Large)

Graduate Students: Darryl Jacobson

CARRIED

S.97-173 Election Procedures: Nominations of Representatives of Faculty

It was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by M. Cheesman,

That Senate Election Procedures with regard to nomination forms submitted by representatives of Faculty be revised to remove the reference to Divisional Committees in the Faculty of Graduate Studies:

Procedures

The Secretary of Senate shall, within the first three weeks of September each year, call for nominations of candidates to represent the academic units.

The nomination of a candidate shall be on a prescribed form available at the Office of the Secretary of the Senate. Such form shall be signed in one of the following ways:

a. by 10 members or 10%, whichever is the lesser, of the members eligible to vote in the academic unit or constituency to be represented;

b. by the Nominating Committee of the Council of that unit through the Chair of the Nominating Committee

Nomination forms signed only by the Chair of a Nominating Committee or, if the Chair is unavailable, the Dean, shall be valid when the Chair or Dean is reporting for the Committee.

The agreement of the nominee to be a candidate for election shall be shown by the signature of said nominee on the nomination form or in an attached letter. Any person nominated, who might not be available to sign the nomination sheet, shall be permitted to notify the Secretary of Senate by mail of his/her intention to be a candidate up until the final date for nomination call.

CARRIED

S.97-174 University Council on Animal Care

It was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by Y. Kang,

That the composition of UCAC be amended as follows:

Four members elected by Senate, two of whom shall not be bioscientists, and none of whom are members of the Animal Use Subcommittee

Two individuals from outside the University Community, neither of whom is a member of the Animal Use Subcommittee, to be appointed by the President and Vice-Chancellor

CARRIED

S.97-175 Animal Use Subcommittee

It was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by Y. Kang,

That in the case of the Animal Use Subcommittee, the Senate approve an exception to the Senate By-Law VI.6. which states "The Chair of a Senate Committee, Council or Board shall be an ex officio member of its subcommittees", and that the Chair of the University Council on Animal Care be removed from the membership of AUS, and

That the composition of the Animal Use Subcommittee be revised as follows:

DELETE: Chair, UCAC, who shall be Vice-Chair

One faculty member from University Hospital, appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of University Hospital

One faculty member from Victoria Hospital, appointed by the Vice-President Research/Academic of Victoria Hospital

ADD: Two faculty members from the London Health Sciences Centre, appointed by the Vice-President Research and Innovation. One member must be from University Campus and one member from Westminster Campus.

CARRIED

S.97-176 Senate Nominating Committee

It was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by D. Semotiuk,

That the composition of the Senate Nominating Committee be revised as shown below:

Eight members of Senate, elected by Senate, at least one of whom shall be a graduate student, and at least one an undergraduate student. Not more than two members from a single academic unit. The Faculty of Graduate Studies is not considered an academic unit in this context.

There will be three Alternates who are members of Senate, one of whom is a student, to attend meetings when regular members are unable to attend.

Ex officio: President & Vice-Chancellor

Provost & Vice-President (Academic)

Vice-President (Administration)

Secretary of Senate (non-voting)

The Chair and Vice-Chair shall be elected annually by the voting members of the Committee.

CARRIED

S.97-177 Composition of SCUP

It was moved by J.L. Stokes, seconded by G. McCarthy,

That the composition of SCUP be amended to add the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies as an ex officio member of the Committee.

CARRIED

S.97-178 Order of Convocation - Fall 1997

The order of Convocation for Fall 1997 as follows was provided for information:

Thursday, October 23, 1997 - Afternoon [3:30 p.m.]

Faculty of Graduate Studies Richard Ivey School of Business Faculties of Applied Health Sciences*, Dentistry*, Education, Engineering Science, Kinesiology*, Law, Medicine*, Music, and Nursing*

Friday, October 24, 1997 - Morning [10:00 a.m.]

Faculties of Arts and Science and Brescia, Huron and King's Colleges

Friday, October 24, 1997 - Afternoon [3:30 p.m.]

Faculty of Social Science Faculty of Part-Time & Continuing Education*

* Note: Students graduating in the Fall will not have taken courses in the new merged Faculties and will therefore graduate with the former Faculty name.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP [Exhibit II]

S.97-179 Nominating Subcommittee - Senate Representative from the General Community

A. Pearson was elected to the Nominating Subcommittee - Senate Representative from the General Community to replace J. Thorpe who has resigned (term to September 1999).

S.97-180 Council of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning

D. Fairbairn was elected to the Council of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning as a representative from the General Community (term to June 30, 1999).

S.97-181 Honorary Scrutineers

S. Farnell was elected to serve as an Honorary Scrutineer for Senate Elections (term to September 1999).

S.97-182 Senate Committee on Academic Policy and Admissions (SCAPA)

G. Leckie was elected to SCAPA to replace J. MacKinnon who has resigned (term to December 31, 1997).

S.97-183 Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA)

The following were elected to SRBA: Sony Singh, Jamie VanGulck, Larissa Primeau (undergraduates; terms to November 30, 1997), and M. Speechley (faculty; term to November 30, 1998).

S.97-184 Senate Sabbatical Leave Committee (SSLC)

The following were elected to SSLC: A. Weedon, K. McQuillan, and A. Schneider (terms to September 1998).

S.97-185 Senate Sabbatical Leave Appeal Committee (SSLAC)

The following were elected to SSLAC: W. Avison, C. Lanfranconi, and S. Rich* (terms to September 1999). [* = recent experience on the Senate Sabbatical Leave Committee.]

ACADEMIC POLICY AND ADMISSIONS [Exhibit III]

S.97-186 Admission Requirements Faculty of Science

On behalf of SCAPA, it was moved by P. Cass, seconded by Y. Kang,

That the entrance requirements for the Faculty of Science be changed to:

(a) credit in OAC1 English, OAC Calculus and one of OAC Algebra and Geometry*, OAC Biology, OAC Chemistry, or OAC Physics;

(b) average marks in the above OAC courses plus the best three other OAC courses must be 75% or higher;

(c) the OSSD must be obtained.

* OAC Algebra and Geometry is strongly recommended because it is a prerequisite for calculus courses needed in many Science programs.

CARRIED

S.97-187 Release of Information Concerning Scholastic Offences

It was moved P. Cass, seconded by J.L. Stokes,

That the Procedures for Handling Scholastic Offences (S.4329, S.95-11, S.95-147, S.95-177) with regard to the Release of Information Concerning Scholastic Offences, be revised to read as shown below:

Release of information concerning scholastic offences

The letter informing a student that he or she has been found to have committed a scholastic offence, and the penalty or penalties imposed is a confidential document. Copies will be sent only to involved parties (instructor, Chair, designate, Dean of faculty in which the course was taught and the Dean of the student's home faculty). In the event that the penalties imposed are to be reflected in the student's academic record, a copy will be sent to the Registrar. If a student transfers to another faculty or to an affiliated college of this University, that faculty or affiliated college may request that the offence record be transferred to the Dean's Office of that faculty or college. The letter informing the student of the penalty shall also indicate that the offence record may be sent to another Faculty or affiliated college within the University should the student transfer from one to another.

In addition to the exception noted above (i.e., for students transferring between undergraduate faculties) information may be released with the express permission of the student or if required by a court order. Under all other circumstances, the information contained in a student's offence record shall be considered confidential. Unless the offence is to be recorded on the student's transcript, no information about the student's offence record shall be provided to any person or institution outside the University. To provide consistency in the application of this rule, the existence of a student's offence record shall not be revealed to Faculties within the university that normally require completion of an undergraduate degree prior to admission (e.g. Business, Education, Graduate Studies, Law, Medicine & Dentistry).

Professors Floryan and Hawkins stated that the policy conflicts with policies of various professional societies that expect their members to report to the society unethical behavior of professional members. Dr. Davenport asked that SCAPA consider the issue of professional societies' expectations vis-à-vis this policy.

The question was called and CARRIED.

S.97-188 UWO Teaching Awards: Regulations and Guidelines

It was moved by P. Cass, seconded by S. Singh,

That effective for the 1997-98 competition, the regulations and guidelines for nominations for teaching awards be revised to read as outlined in Exhibit III, Appendix I.

CARRIED

S.97-189 Undergraduate Scholarship/Prize/Award Conditions

Senate was informed that SCAPA approved on behalf of the Senate the Terms of Reference for new scholarships, bursaries and awards shown in Appendix 2 to these minutes. These will be recommended to the Board of Governors through the Vice-Chancellor.

S.97-190 Eligibility Requirements for OSOTF Awards

Senate received for information the OSAP residency guidelines which also apply to students receiving OSOTF-funded students awards, detailed in Exhibit III, page 5.

UNIVERSITY PLANNING [Exhibit IV]

S.97-191 Faculty of Graduate Studies Policies

S.97-191a Alternate Thesis Format

On behalf of SCUP, it was moved by S. Singh, seconded by W. Gibson,

That students be permitted to submit their theses in either the traditional format, a manuscript format, or a mixed format which combines aspects of the traditional and manuscript formats, as detailed in the amended sections of the Guide for the Preparation of Theses, attached as Exhibit IV, Addendum, Appendix 1.

Dean Weedon clarified that the proposed guidelines are very clear that a thesis would not be a piece-meal collection of reprints; bridging chapters are required.

The question was called and CARRIED.

S.97-191b Policy on Time Limits for Completion of Graduate Degrees

It was moved by S. Singh, seconded by A. Weedon,

That the time limit for degree completion in the Faculty of Graduate Studies be changed as detailed below:

CALENDAR COPY

However, all degree programs must be completed within a period not exceeding, in the case of the master's degree, two years beyond completion of the residence requirement, and in the case of a doctoral degree, a period not exceeding four years beyond completion of the residence requirement. For students who transfer from a master's program to a doctoral program without completing the master's program, a maximum of seven years from the first day of registration in the master's program will be given to complete the doctoral degree. This is based on: one year residence requirement for study at the master's level, two years residence at the doctoral level, and four years post-residency. For students who enter a doctoral program directly from an honors bachelor's degree, the maximum time limit for degree completion is seven years. Under special circumstances, these time limits may be extended upon request to the Dean.

The above policies apply to students who have not completed their residency requirements by May 15, 1997.

Ms. Roos stated that graduate students are concerned that times to completion are often very much affected by external pressures such as faculty supervision, inability to access faculty and required materials. She asked how the policy addresses this so that the burden is not placed on the student. Professor Singh stated that the time outlined in the recommendation is beyond the residency requirement and if a student has further concerns, the Faculty of Graduate Studies would deal with those on an individual basis. Ms. Roos said that a policy implemented in August 1996 provided that the onus is on the student to meet all deadlines and that no extensions would be given. Dean Weedon clarified that the guidelines that came into effect in August 1996 dealt with thesis submission deadlines in any one given term but were not deadlines for the completion of the degree. This policy is being put in place to encourage timely completion of the entire degree program.

In response to a question about internship years, Dean Weedon stated that the period of internship is counted towards the time to completion of the degree, but if a student cannot complete the degree within the seven year time frame because of an internship problem, then the Faculty of Graduate Studies would review the circumstances.

The question was called and CARRIED.

S.97-191c Policy on Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses

It was moved by S. Singh, seconded by Y. Kang,

That Senate approve the following policy on undergraduate students taking graduate students:

Undergraduate students who wish to take graduate courses as part of their undergraduate programs must get approval.

Procedure for applying to take a graduate course:

The undergraduate student completes and signs a Special Permission Form and requests approval and signatures from the course instructor and the Dean of the undergraduate student's home Faculty. The request is next considered by the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies. If approved, the Registrar's Office will enter the course on the student record.

Principles in operation to consider these requests:

The undergraduate student must have a strong academic record, preferably with an "A" average in the last 10 full academic courses. Students accepted to take a graduate course must be made aware that the requirements in a graduate course and the standards expected are significantly higher than those in an undergraduate course. Normally, no more than one full graduate course (or its equivalent) will be permitted during the undergraduate program. Each request will be assessed on an individual basis.

The graduate course cannot be used as a credit for a program in which the student is not registered, i.e., the course credit is not transferrable if the student subsequently is admitted to a graduate program.

CARRIED

S.97-192 Policy on Courses for Special Graduate Students Who are Not Degree Candidates

It was moved by S. Singh, seconded by A. Pearson,

That Senate approve the following policy for Courses for Special Graduate Students who are not degree candidates:

Special students who are not working towards a degree normally register as part-time students and enrol in no more than 2 graduate courses per term. Such enrolment is normally limited to 3 terms and students so enroled are not eligible for funding. If such students subsequently wish to enter a degree program, the program may request advanced standing for these previously taken courses up to a maximum of 20% of the courses for the degree program. Such courses must have been taken in the past 3 years and cannot have been used for admission purposes or for credit towards another degree. No residency credit is given for the time spent as a special student.

CARRIED

S.97-193 Electronic Formats for Graduate Theses

The Chair of SCUP reported that electronic thesis formats are becoming acceptable at other institutions. SCUP has endorsed a recommendation of the GPPC that Western explore these possibilities to permit broader accessibility of thesis information. Should proposals result from this investigation, they will be submitted to GPPC, SCUP, and Senate.

S.97-194 Graduate Scholarship/Prize/Award Conditions

Senate was informed that SCUP approved on behalf of Senate the terms of reference for new scholarships, bursaries, prizes and awards as shown in Appendix 2 to these minutes. These will be recommended to the Board of Governors, through the Vice-Chancellor, for approval.

S.97-195 Faculty of Graduate Studies Credentials Process

Senate received for information a report of a Faculty of Graduate Studies subcommittee that reviewed the cycle of membership in the Faculty. The report has been approved by the Council of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Details were provided in Exhibit IV, addendum, p. 4.

Senate also received the Report of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Credential Process for the Academic Year 1996-97, detailed in Exhibit IV, Appendix 3.

S.97-196 Annual Report on the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies Appraisals of Graduate Programsat The University of Western Ontario

Senate received for information the annual OCGS report on graduate programs at Western, dated July 1997, detailed in Exhibit IV, Appendix 4.

Referring to the category "Good Quality with Report" contained in the Annual Report on the OCGS Appraisals of Graduate Programs at the University of Western Ontario, Mr. Armstrong asked what steps are taken to ensure that departments maintain good quality programs if there are indications that problems could develop over the subsequent seven years. Dean Weedon replied that the category "Good Quality with Report" means that the department must report back to the Faculty of Graduate Studies by a certain time, normally two years, on actions the department has taken, such as a program of remediation to alleviate the problems mentioned by OCGS.

S.97-197 Provost's Statistical Summary: Faculty Appointments by Gender

The Provost's Statistical Summary, detailed in Exhibit IV, was provided for the information of Senate.

Professor Seligman pointed out two sections in the report which he believed to be incorrect. The first appears on page 4, second sentence, in the section entitled "Comparisons of new Appointments at UWO with other Ontario and Canadian universities":

"Over the years 1993/94 to 1995/96, women received 35% of the new appointments at Western (including limited-term, probationary and tenured positions), while the average at other Ontario and Canadian universities was 38% and 41% respectively."

Professor Seligman stated that, based on data contained in Table 2 (page 5), this should read: "...1993/94 to 1995/96, women received 40.2% of the new appointments at Western..."

The second problem area cited is at bottom of page 5:

"Overall, it appears that the rate at which women are hired into new appointments at the Assistant Professor level at The University of Western Ontario is slightly lower than at other universities in Canada, but exceeds the percentage of new women PhD's graduating from Canadian universities and is somewhat higher than their representation in the applicant pool."

Professor Seligman suggested that the adjective "somewhat" is inappropriate based on data in the report. On page 3, the report shows that in 1994-95 22% of the applicant pool was women and 33% of the new hires at Western were women. On page 4 it is shown that in 1995-96, women represented 21% of the applicant pool and 43% of the new hires at Western were women. He contended that rates of 50% and 100% warrant an adjective other than "somewhat".

Professor Lupker suggested that the labels on Figures 2 and 3 are not quite accurate, and he agreed to provide the Secretary with his suggestions for new labels.

Dr. Davenport agreed to report these suggested revisions to the Provost. The report will be amended, as appropriate, before it is forwarded to the Board of Governors.

Dr. Muñoz observed that there must be evidence that the pool of female applicants must be significantly different from the pool of male applicants, otherwise it would appear that Western discriminates against male applicants. Dr. Davenport responded that, based on his experience in searches, about 80% of applicants for a position do not meet the qualifications for the job. In his view, rather than counting applications received and grouping them by gender, it is more meaningful to compare the rate at which the University hires the two genders for entry-level positions with the rate at which the two genders are graduating with doctoral degrees in recent years.

Professor Cheesman asked if there are data measuring the rate of promotion or the time to promotion for male vs. female in faculty appointments. Dr. Davenport advised that the Office of Institutional Planning and Budgeting conducted a cohort analysis that begins with faculty hired in the mid-eighties and tracks them as to when and if they were promoted. Dr. Davenport will ask the Provost to bring this information to Senate.

Responding to a question about pay equity between men and women in comparable positions, Dr. Davenport replied that two significant pay equity adjustments have occurred at Western, one involving staff and one involving faculty. The Secretariat can provide copies of those reports upon request.

HONORARY DEGREES COMMITTEE [Exhibit V]

S.97-198 Honorary Degree Recipients - Autumn Convocation 1997

Dr. Davenport announced that the following persons will be honored by conferment of honorary degrees at Autumn Convocation 1997: The Honourable Hilary Weston, LL.D., jure dignitatis, 3:30 p.m., Thursday, October 23, 1997; Peter Gzowski, LL.D., 10:00 a.m., Friday, October 24, 1997; Richard (Rick) Hansen, LL.D., 3:30 p.m., Friday, October 24, 1997.

S.97-199 ANNOUNCEMENTS & COMMUNICATIONS [Exhibit VI]

Announcements and communications appear in Exhibit VI.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m.

P.D. Davenport, Chair J.K. Van Fleet, Secretary