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Queen’s Climate Action Plan challenged at Senate
At the start of the March 22 Senate meeting, Principal Daniel Woolf said the recent influx of letters the Senate received about a fall reading week proposal had been submitted too late for consideration.
The letters were referred back to the Senate Committee on Academic Procedures (SCAP), the body that had put forward the fall reading week proposal as a notice of motion – a formal notice that the motion will be put forward at the next Senate meeting in April.
Provost Alan Harrison, meanwhile, presented the official Operating Budget for 2016-17 to Senate. The budget will assume a projected total revenue of $524 million for the year as of May 2016 – an increase of $22.5 million from 2015-16.
Queen’s Climate Action Plan
All the questions asked during the question period for Principal Woolf’s report pertained to the Queen’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).
Senator Emily Hill told the Senate meeting that while the initiative should be environmentally friendly, the report fails to go “above and beyond”. Hill then compared CAP to “Chinese Communism” due to the report’s lack of insight and imposition of mediocre environmental remedies.
Senator Ariel Salzmann criticized the report for focusing only on the school’s electrical use and failing to address issues in the agricultural sector. Salzmann raised concerns regarding food waste on campus and making vegetarian options more accessible to students.
The issue of faculty representation in the creation of CAP was brought up by Senator Margaret Pappano, who said she believed that not enough faculty and staff provide input into CAP.
Queen’s Learning Outcome Framework as a notice of motion
The Senate Committee on Academic Development (SCAD) put forward a notice of motion for the Queen’s Learning Outcome Framework. The framework will guide the development of learning outcomes in courses and programs in alignment with existing program-level outcomes and accreditation requirements.
Jill Scott told Senate that a working group had met for approximately 16 months and had held broad consultations, including two surveys, numerous focus groups, faculty boards, Senate and AMS Assembly.
The motion is expected to be placed on the agenda for the April Senate.
All three motions passed
Senate approved:
- The scheduling of a special Senate meeting to take place on March 7, 2017 as part of Queen’s 175th anniversary celebrations.
- The introduction of a Certificate in Media Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science effective Sept. 1, 2016.
- Renaming the “International Centre Constitution” to the “International Centre Council Terms of Reference”.
All the motions passed swiftly and unanimously.