Provost Anthony Masi held a retreat with some McGill student leaders on Feb. 27, to discuss the portfolio of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) (DP-SLL). Student leaders identified their ideas and concerns for the position, which were briefly addressed in the Board of Governors meeting on March 13.
The retreat followed a meeting in December, where student leaders formally presented Masi with their concerns regarding the role. Discussions like this are part of the Provost’s ongoing project to revise the portfolio of the DP-SLL.
“This year, the Office of the Provost has been conducting the systematic, comprehensive constructive review of the scope and structure of the Student Life and Learning (SLL) portfolio in order to identify the most effective ways to deliver services that further enhance the student experience at McGill,”
the provost wrote in an email to the Tribune.
Masi also emphasized that the review is not of the current DP-SLL Dr. Morton Mendelson’s performance but only of the position he fills. As McGill’s first DP-SLL, Mendelson’s term was originally set to expire in 2011, but he accepted a two-year extension of the position in an agreement with the university last summer.
“[This decision was] to allow for a comprehensive review of the portfolio and to allow the university sufficient time to launch an advisory committee to help search for his successor once that review was completed,” Masi wrote.
Masi and student representatives from the EdUS, EUS, PGSS, MACES, MCSS, MUS, MUSA and SSMU discussed areas of possible improvement or clarification within the portfolio during a six-hour meeting. They spent the bulk of the time discussing student consultation, the administration’s hierarchies, and frustrations over the recent limitations to the use of “McGill” in student groups’ names.
Josh Redel, EUS President and SSMU President-elect, said that while student life at McGill has always been important, the position DP-SLL was created only seven years ago. As a result, the last few years have been a test for what works and what does not.
At the meeting in December, student presidents gave Masi a document outlining concerns with the DP-SLL’s portfolio and possible areas for improvement.
“Looking at the university’s mission and what their goals were when they created the position, [the Provost] called us back for this retreat with a set of questions to ask us,” Redel said.
Redel pointed out that while the role has garnered a lot of negative attention, Mendelson has completed a number of projects on campus that have had dramatic impacts on student life, such as the Service Point, which opened in 2010.
A major point of contention in the discussions was the dual-function of the DP-SLL, as the point-person between both the administration and students. While students argue that the DP-SLL holds a somewhat conflicting role, Masi said that the two roles are compatible.
“The Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) does, at times, refuse requests from student groups and communicates limitations or constraints that they face,” Masi wrote. “Nonetheless, the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) still advocates for students’ interests. These functions are not contradictory.”
“The Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) is not a disciplinary officer and doesn’t play any role in the administration of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures,” he added.
Andre Mayrand, VP Internal of MCSS, sought to ensure that in a revised role the deputy provost would have a greater presence among students.
“Students should know what his job is and students should have access to go talk to him if they need help,” Mayrand said.
The provost will invite student leaders to comment on his final report sometime in the next month. According to Redel, applications for the revised DP-SLL role are scheduled to open sometime late this summer.
SSMU President Maggie Knight gave assurance that students will participate in the hiring process of the next DP-SLL. She said that student representatives will be included on the advisory committee that handles the applications, just as student representatives sit on the principal’s advisory committee.
“What we are trying to do is figure out the final reshaping of this role,” she said. “It has grown a lot and in different ways.”
