ASFC 2013-6M
Arts and Science Faculty Council
Meeting of October 25, 2013
Present:
J. Locke, Interim Dean and Chair; D. Brind’Amour, Secretary; D. Stewart, Recording
Secretary; M. Barker; G. Brown; E. Buzzetti; J. Camlot; J. Capobianco; Y. Chaubey; M.
D’Amico; D. De Guerre; R. DeMont; J. Didur; K. Fast; J. Fiorentino; M. Gasher; D. Greene;
M. Hale; N. Jaffary; P. Jerajian; C. Jourdan; P. Joyce; C. Kalman; M. Kenneally; S.
Keymaram; I. Kraulis G. LeBlanc; L. Lequin; F. Levi; M. Mendell; B. Nelson; C. Nikolenyi;
G. Rail; R. Schade; R. Schmid; M. Sharma; D. Sivacilar; T. Smith; J. Stolow; R. Storms; F.
Tremblay; L. Turcescu; T. Vo-Van
Regrets:
C. Bourassa; L. DiTommaso; L. Duong; D. Dysart-Gale; S. Gagnon-Laberge; P. Gulick; D.
Kapa; J. La Georgia; T. Lorigiano; O. Marquis-Harvey; A. McCulloch; D. Morris; J.
Occhionero; D. Parillo; V. Penhune; R. Roy; S. Sarik; C. Silva; K. Ullah Bottar; J. Vaccaro
Guests:
C. Acland; B. Freedman; D. Wershler
Documents Circulated and/or Considered at the Meeting:
ASFC 2013-6M-D
ASFC 2013-6M-E
ASFC 2013-6M-F
ASFC 2013-6M-G
ASFC 2013-6M-H
ASFC 2013-6M-I
ASFC 2013-6M-J
ASFC 2013-6M-K
ASFC 2013-6M-L
ASFC 2013-6M-M
1.
Media History Research Centre Proposal
Elections and Ratifications
Major Graduate Curriculum, Department of Applied Human Sciences (AHSC-13)
Major Graduate Curriculum, Department of Applied Human Sciences (AHSC-14)
Major Graduate Curriculum, Department of History (HIST-16)
Major Graduate Curriculum, Department of Political Science (POLI-27)
Major Undergraduate Curriculum, Department of Études françaises (FRAN-19)
Major Undergraduate Curriculum, Department of English (ENGL-20)
Reports from the Associate Deans and Directors
Reports from Other University Bodies
Call to Order
Interim Dean Locke called the meeting to order at 9:46 a.m.
2.
Approval of Agenda
Interim Dean Locke indicated that there would be some changes to the order of agenda items as key
guests had not yet arrived.
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3.
It was moved and seconded (Rail/Buzzetti) that the agenda be approved.
Carried, unanimously
Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting held September 27, 2013
The minutes of the closed session held May 10, 2013 note Dr. L. DiTommaso as both present and
absent. This will be corrected to accurately reflect Dr. DiTommaso under regrets only. T. Lorigiono
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was not present at the September 27, 2013 meeting. Ms. Kraulis noted the correct spelling of her name
for the record.
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4.
It was moved and seconded (Kenneally/Schade) that the Minutes be approved.
Carried, unanimously
Business Arising from the Minutes
There was no business arising from the Minutes of the Meeting held September 27, 2013.
5.
Remarks of the Interim Dean
The Interim Dean expressed her thanks to all who participated in Homecoming events and attended
the public lectures. She indicated that the Shuffle was a great success and raised a significant amount
for scholarships.
The Faculty is accepting recommendations for honorary doctorate recipients. The current bank of
candidate names is low and we must consider that the Faculty honors four individuals each academic
year, three at the spring convocation and one in the fall. All recommendations should be sent to the
Faculty’s Honorary Doctorate Committee, to the attention of Dr. John Capobianco or Dr. Arpi
Hamalian. An email reminder will also be issued in the near future.
Dr. Mendell inquired as to whether previously-submitted nominations were retained for future
consideration and was informed that this is the case.
6.
Consent Agenda
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6.
It was moved and seconded (Rail/Schade) that the Consent Agenda be approved.
Carried, unanimously
Announcements
Dr. Didur announced that the department of English is hosting a Writers Read event on October 28,
2013 at 7:00 p.m. in H-767. This year’s event is a performance-oriented visit with Christian Bök,
featuring Tanya Tagaq, who will perform the traditional Inuit art of throat singing, and Jaap Blonk,
who uses electronics in the performance of his poetry and music. Other events are scheduled for
March 14 and 28, 2014. Information is available on the Writers Read web site.
Dr. Mendell noted that Concordia University, through the Karl Polanyi Institute, is one of four
founding organizations that created the Centre for Knowledge Transfer, a thirty-member umbrella
group that supports social economy. The Government of Québec has announced that it will provide
$2.3 million in funding over the first three years to get the centre up and running and will provide
funding in the amount of $750k per annum in perpetuity thereafter.
Dr. Lequin announced that an evening of literary analysis will be held on November 18, 2013 at 7:00
p.m. in the Samuel Bronfman Building to honor the 100 th anniversary of Amié Césaire, widely
regarded as one of the fathers of the Black movement in Francophone literature and an influence on
many Québec poets in the 1960s. The Québec Minister of Culture and Communications, Maka Kotto,
has confirmed his presence at the event and a federal government representative might also attend.
Information on the event will soon be available on the Études françaises web site.
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Dr. Tremblay noted that during the months of October and November, CUPFA will be hosting micro
talks to celebrate Campus Equity Week. The first micro-talk was held on Tuesday, October 22 and
was attended by the Provost and the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning.
Dr. DeMont announced that the Athletic Therapy program in the Department of Exercise Science is
one of only seven accredited programs in Canada and was recently re-accredited for an additional
four-year term.
7.
Question Period
Dr. Rail opined that things are not going well with the Ethics Office and that it is taking too long to
have research applications approved. She has received similar comments from other researchers and
questioned if something could be done to improve matters. Dr. Brown stated that this has been
brought to the attention to all the Associate Deans of Research, who meet regularly. The Office of
Research is in the process of hiring staff for the processing and ethics approvals portfolios. Dr.
Jamieson commented that, in the interest of expediting requests, graduate student projects should be
sent to the Ethics Office as soon as the projects are ready.
Dr. Rail commented that talking is not enough, and that something drastic is needed. The one
individual in the Ethics Office who knows what is going on is leaving Concordia for a position at
NSERC. She, too, is dealing with Simone de Beauvoir students in-house so as not to burden the Ethics
Office. She expressed a strong concern that the knowledge held by the one staff person is not being
communicated to the other staff members. Council members commented on the lack of consultation
from academic units on the hiring for these staff positions. A problem is a lack of expertise; some staff
members in the Office of Research know less than the faculty members they are advising. It was also
noted that it is not a fair statement to say that no one else in the Ethics Office knows what is going on.
Dr. Stolow mentioned that the tri-council agencies would like to move all low-risk projects from
ethics consideration and asked if Concordia could be involved to accelerate this. Interim Dean Locke
proposed that this conversation be taken to a higher level and stated that she would bring this
forward for discussion with the Provost at their next meeting.
8.
2013 Concordia Centraide Campaign – Me Bram Freedman, Vice-President, Development and
External Relations, and Secretary General
This is the fourth year that Me Freedman is spearheading the Centraide campaign. This year’s goal is
to raise $190,000. The campaign period runs from October 14 to November 15; email reminders will
be issued during this period. Additional fundraising and community-building events include bake
sales, pasta lunches, a raffle and a closing lunch. A document outlining the communications schedule
and event dates was circulated to Council members.
Me Freedman commented that the number of individual donors has been steadily decreasing, from
353 to 292, over the last three years. Centraide is the United Way in Québec; it supports 350 agencies
in the Greater Montreal Area and helps build capacity for the vulnerable. Even though Concordia is
strongly community engaged, it ranks at the bottom amongst the four Montreal universities in terms
of donor support. On-line donations are easily facilitated; payroll deductions are the easiest way to
contribute. This year, Me Freedman indicated that he would like to see an increased participation rate
from faculty members; the staff participation rate is quite good.
Dr. Nikolenyi stated that it would be helpful to have the list of supported agencies. Me Freedman
said that the Concordia/Centraide web site includes information on the various agencies, video
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vignettes and other important information. He concluded by encouraging Council members to
discuss the Centraide campaign with their colleagues.
9.
Media History Research Centre ASFC 2013-6M-D
ASFC 2013-6M-13
It was moved and seconded (Brown/D’Amico) that the Media Research Centre be
approved as a Faculty of Arts and Science Research Centre in accordance with
the Faculty of Arts and Science Guidelines for Faculty Institutes and Centres
(approved ASFC 23 September 2011). Carried, unanimously
Speaking privileges were accorded to Drs. Charles Acland and Darren Wershler, co-directors of the
Media History Research Centre. Dr. Wershler commented that the centre is the research formalization
of working relationships between various institutions across Canada. Concordia has a density and
expertise in the area of media history; Concordia researchers have a proven history of funding.
Research centre status will provide opportunities for graduate student training and outreach to other
universities. Dr. Acland added that the centre builds on a significant track record of successful grant
and research projects, collaborations and concrete research production in this area. The centre will
provide visibility for Media History – there is nothing else like this in Canada.
To the question of the Media History Research Centre’s connection to the Centre for Oral History and
to CEREV, Dr. Acland responded that there is not a specific intersection, however, it is hoped that
connections will be built, drawing in more members from other centres that have a historical focus.
The hope is to offer something distinctive and open to participation.
10. Other Business
Dr. Didur inquired if it would be possible to invite the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, to an
upcoming Council meeting to speak on curriculum innovation. More information is needed on what
needs the program is meant to serve.
It was asked if the timeline concerning the new Master’s SSHRC selection process could be moved up
by a month to allow for time to contact and recruit potential students. The current timeline gives a
competitive edge to other schools in terms of securing students. Dr. Nelson stated that he would
bring this to the attention of the School of Graduate Studies’ Associate Dean, Recruitment and
Awards, Luca Caminati for follow-up.
Dr. Nikolenyi informed Council members of a distressing break-in and robbery of laptop computers
that recently occurred on the 12th floor of the Hall Building. Security has been advised and will take
additional measures to patrol the area. This is a good reminder to watch our belongings.
11. Notices of Motion
There were none.
12. Next Meeting of Council
The next meeting of Council could potentially be November 29, 2013 with Steering to be held on
November 19, 2013. The agenda needs to be determined before dates are confirmed.
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13. Adjournment
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It was moved and seconded (Sharma/Schade) that the meeting be adjourned at
10:30 a.m. Approved unanimously.
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