June 12 Senate meeting highlights

Highlights from the June 13 McMaster Senate meeting:

First-year enrolment will increase this fall

University Provost Ken Norrie informed members that McMaster would be prepared to accept 336 more students this year than predicted in its 1999 Senate enrolment forecast. Norrie says the University is prepared to accept this additional number of Level I students with the proviso that McMaster receives: 1) full average cost funding for the additional students and 2) more funding for capital projects. This figure includes 100 Level I engineering students that the Engineering Faculty accepted this year and will continue to accept. The remaining 236 students will be distributed in the social sciences and humanities Faculties. The projected fall enrolment now stands at 4,389. Projected Level I enrolments for the years 2003 and 2004 have also been revised as follows: 4, 728 and 4,363.

Student Code of Conduct revised

Students caught using or possessing cannabis beginning in September will face a $130 fine. The measure is part of a revised Student Code of Conduct approved by University Senate. “This year there were more incidents of possession of cannabis,” says vice-president academic Fred Hall. “This upward trend will need to be closely monitored to determine whether educational programs will need to be put in place to address this issue.”

However, McMaster Students Union President Evan Mackintosh opposes the method in which students will be penalized. In a recent article in the Hamilton Spectator he said instead of fining students, educational sanctions should be imposed. “We don't have a problem with disciplining the use of an illegal substance, that's not an issue for us. What we're talking about is methods of discipline,” he saio. Alcohol-related offences continue to be the highest proportion of offences on campus.

Policy addresses needs of aboriginal students, health care system

In addressing the health care needs of aboriginal people in Canada, McMaster will attempt to enrol more aboriginal students into its health science programs. A new policy approved by Senate (Admission of Aboriginal Students to the Health Science Education Programs) reflects the desire at the national, provincial and local university levels to increase aboriginal enrolment in health professional programs. Currently, aboriginal people are underrepresented in the health professional workforce.

Each health sciences program will review and modify its admissions process to facilitate the admission of aboriginal applicants. In presenting the Undergraduate Council recommendation to Senate, Fred Hall, associate vice-president academic, remarked that every other faculty of medicine has something that allows for access for aboriginal students.

The McMaster policy will remain in place until June 30, 2007. Under it, very specific actions will be taken to bring aboriginal students into the health sciences. A mentoring process and the establishment of a special committee of aboriginal representatives are among the planned actions. Hall says McMaster won't be using a quota system. Initiatives will focus on getting people to a level playing field so they are judged equally with other applicants.

Pilot policy introduced for home-schooled applicants

Home-schooled applicants have increased substantially at McMaster. “Previously we would expect one or two requests per year,” states an Undergraduate Council report presented to Senate this month. “Since 2001, we have seen this jump to one or two requests per week.”

As a result of this increase in home-schooled applicants, the University has approved a pilot policy for home school admissions. The policy identifies three options for admission of such applicants.

Associate vice-president academic Fred Hall remarked that the McMaster initiative is a “pilot policy to see whether we can figure out a way of judging these students and placing them appropriately in programs.” The policy will be reviewed at the end of two years.

Hall says these students are currently excluded from eligibility for awards — as grades are required to compete for scholarships offered.

More parents in Ontario are opting for home schooling, a trend which has resulted in the the Ministry of Training, College and Universities allowing universities to claim home schooled students as eligible for operating funding grants.