On Nov. 14, the McGill Senate met to discuss student disciplinary cases during the 2011-2012 academic year. Interim Dean of Students Linda Starkey presented the Committee on Student Discipline’s (CDS) annual report.
The Senate also heard a presentation by Vice-Principal Research and International Relations Rose Goldstein on how McGill could expand its funding for research.
The Report
The CSD report notes that the total number of allegations was slightly higher this past academic year—427 compared to 408 in 2010-2011. The non-academic allegations made against students increased by 48 per cent, from 193 to 286.
“This increase can be attributed to improved reporting of e-mail harassment or inappropriate use of McGill posting sites, the growing number of residence spaces, and the campus atmosphere last year,” the report said.
Last year, several students faced disciplinary allegations after McGill Security Services videotaped students at protests on campus, including an occupation of the James Administration Building’s sixth floor. Science Senator Moe Nasr questioned the role of McGill Security Service within the disciplinary procedure at McGill, specifically with regards to cases where students express political opinions on campus.
According to Starkey, the mandate of Security Services is not to accuse a student of violating a specific protocol, but to report alleged violations to a disciplinary officer.
“I’m not aware that the notion of student politics is a factor [in what Security Services reports to a disciplinary officer],” she said, noting that the only time that someone from Security Services would mention political leanings in a case is when describing words on signs used by students on campus.
Catherine Lu, an associate professor of political science, expressed concern over whether there was equity in CSD’s punishments.
“There were different penalties that came out of similar offenses,” Lu said. “What needs to be done institutionally to correct this for the future?”
In response, Starkey explained that CSD does not issue standard sanctions, and that every case is heard and assessed individually.
Several students attended the Senate meeting to observe Starkey’s presentation. Some held a large red sign that read ‘McGill’s Committee on Squashing Dissent.’
“We are here because the University’s rules and procedures related to student discipline are interpreted and applied inconsistently and with bias against known student activists,” read a flyer that the students distributed at Senate.
Research Funding
Senators also voted to endorse McGill’s new Strategic Research Plan (SRP) for 2013-2017. The plan is intended to improve McGill’s research capabilities. An SRP is required for many external funding programs, such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The previous plan was adopted in 2006.
Almost 75 per cent of McGill’s current research funding comes from both the federal and Quebec governments. Presently, McGill is the second-ranked university in research intensity, according to the Tri-Council Agencies, the federal agencies which provide a majority of research funding in Canada. Goldstein said the new plan aims to diversify research funding, and should help McGill surpass the University of Toronto as the top-ranked University for research intensity.
“We need to reorganize funds if we are going to be competitive in the next few years,” Goldstein said. “Provincial and federal pools are not growing … we need to diversify.”
Several senators expressed concerns over the SRP’s logistics, including the source of the potential new funds. According to Goldstein, McGill plans to launch a Business Engagement Centre to reach out to new businesses for funding.
Brendan Gillon, associate professor of linguistics, expressed concern that dependency on external organizations like private businesses for funding might affect the topics chosen for research, and that McGill may consequently see less curiosity-driven research.
Senate also passed a motion to broadcast their sessions on the internet for a one-year trial period, starting in January 2013. These broadcasts will only be available to members of the McGill community, and will be accessible through a password-protected login.
The Ad Hoc Committee on the Recording and Transmission of Senate Meetings brought this motion forward with the intention of making Senate meetings more accessible to the McGill community.
“We want to have engagement from the broad university community,” Chandra Madramootoo, chair of the committee and dean of agricultural and environmental sciences, said.
