Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the university president and vice-chancellor Joanne MacLean as the chair. They are responsible for making decisions on everything academic: approving new courses and programs, approving changes to programs, setting entrance requirements, and setting the academic calendar. The Board of Governors, which looks at the business side of the university, is advised by Senate on matters of mutual interest.
All at the university are welcome to attend Senate’s public meetings, held once a month. Senate makes decisions that impact the daily lives of both students and faculty. This article will recap the main agenda items of the Senate meeting on Friday, January 21, 2022.
Grading System Policy Discussion
Any policy that belongs to the Senate is reviewed in a five-year period or sooner if there is a reason that is raised by a member of the community. The Grading System policy essentially speaks to the grading system used by UFV. When this policy was last amended, it introduced a standardized percentage scale to go with the letter grade. When initially reviewing the policy in the last Senate meeting on Dec. 21, some concerns and questions brought up were that it doesn’t address bell curve grading or whether there should be a median or average grade for a class.
Senators discussed the idea of considering competency-based learning rather than a binary credit or no credit grade. Some senators asked how it is possible to reflect the entirety of student outcomes on an official record and if there are other ways to measure academic performance. One senator mentioned that the policy would benefit from considering what academic concessions should look like for students who are facing severe disruptions to the semester.
Academic Continuity Update
James Mandigo, provost and vice-president of academics, spoke on the return to in-person learning and explained what guides the university’s decision making process in regards to COVID-19 protocols. UFV follows the COVID-19 Return to Campus Guidelines developed by a committee of experts from the post-secondary and health sectors.
On Dec. 21, Dr.Bonnie Henry sent out a letter to all post-secondary institution presidents with the recommendation of returning to on-campus instruction. It was decided that it is not an appropriate health response to switch back to online learning since educational settings are low-risk environments for COVID-19 transmission and the absence of on-campus activities and in-person classes has been associated with worsening mental health outcomes for students.
Winter Exam Schedule
The Office of the Registrar moved the motion to adjust the exam period date to April 19 to 27 because of the semester’s delayed start. This would reduce the number of days for the exam period from ten to eight days, and allow for just four days between the Winter and Summer semesters.
During a discussion over the motion, a representative from SUS brought up students’ anxieties over the short period of time between exams and the beginning of next semester. However, there are concerns over pushing back the beginning of the summer semester to allow for a longer break, but this would only delay the beginning of the Fall semester in turn.
The senate ultimately voted to move the winter exam schedule to April 19 to 27.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
