Notes from UMSU council

The University of Manitoba Students’ Union holds open council meetings every second Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in UMSU Council chambers at 176 Helen Glass.

Regan Sarmatiuk Staff

Administration presentations

University of Manitoba President Emõke Szathmáry attended the Jan. 12 UMSU council meeting, along with Robert Kerr (vice president academic and provost), Elaine Goldie (vice president external), Deborah McCallum (vice president administration) and Digvir Jayas (associate vice president research), to present issues of interest to council.

Szathmáry spoke first and explained that the administration’s “perspective on having adequate resources is no different than [UMSU’s].” She added that she doesn’t have a problem with the tuition fee freeze as social policy, but that the administration differs with the students’ union in the tactics used when persuading government to make up for discrepancies between tuition fees received and government funding to date.

Kerr discussed the effect academic decisions have on the university’s budget, using the issues of enrolment management and program quality as examples. He indicated that the university is having difficulty managing demands for professional programs, noting that approximately 80 per cent of U1 students apply for professional programs, while only 50 per cent are admitted.

Kerr also said the university is currently facing some accreditation issues involving engineering and pharmacy. He added that neither program is losing its accreditation, but that budgetary concerns make it more difficult to maintain standards in professional programs in general.

Jayas then spoke about industry-sponsored research, its benefits, and its affects on academic freedom. He noted that in 2004-05, the university received $91.9 million in external research operating funds, and of this amount, $2.8 million came from industry or business sources.

Jayas noted that legal counsel reviews all research contracts and that the design and direction of the research is determined by the university to ensure that academic and ethical principles are upheld.

Speaking about fundraising, Goldie indicated that between 1986 and 2005 the university received $338.9 million in private donations, and that all gifts are accepted in accordance with the university senate’s policies. She also noted that, beginning in 2006, she will be reporting to both the senate and the board of governors regarding any gift received by the university of $100,000 or more.

McCallum concluded the presentation, speaking on the budget as well as improvements to technology, food services and parking. McCallum noted that, in terms of funding, the university’s “back is against the wall.” She said that in 2005-06, the university received a total increase of 3.25 per cent in funding, despite having indicated to the Council on Post-secondary Education (COPSE) that they needed 6.5 per cent just to maintain the status quo.

McCallum then related that the university has asked for a base operating grant increase of $18.2 million for next year (an 8.9 per cent increase) in order to avoid increasing ancillary fees.

She also highlighted that the university has recently enjoyed a successful capital funding campaign and received a loan of $75 million from the provincial government, which allowed for the completion of the new EITC building.

A question and answer period followed the administration’s presentation. Some of the issues raised were international students’ fees, the controversy surrounding the “Seeds of Change” documentary, the university’s position on ancillary fees for the next academic year, the university’s motivation for eliminating the math entrance requirement, plans for students with disabilities and the food selection that Aramark offers at the Bannatyne campus.

One councillor also asked the administration what they would do with a “magic wand” that gave them all the resources they wanted. The question elicited an enthusiastic response from the administration.

UMSU keeps an on-line archive of minutes from council meetings on their website: www.umsu.ca.

In other news . . .

After the administration left the council meeting, business as usual was conducted. The union’s plans regarding the upcoming election were discussed, as well as the implementation of a declining balance for residence students in Degrees, which UMSU President Amanda Aziz said should be in place sometime in the next few weeks.

Aziz also indicated that UMSU is currently in discussions with the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) regarding the Association’s autonomy. Aziz said that UMSU council would discuss the matter and make the ultimate decision, but that it is “on the table right now.”

Later on in the meeting, Johnny Einarsson, UMSU director of programming and promotions, provided details of the upcoming Celebration Week schedule (Jan. 21-28). For more information, see www.umsu.ca.