Faculty-Student Committee

Membership

The Committee will consist of

• Two members of the faculty appointed by the Associate Chair (Academic Division);

• the Director of Graduate Studies;

• Three graduate students elected by the student body each representing one of the following groups:

- one student in the first year of the MA program;

- one student in the second year of the MA program or who has not yet passed the first PhD oral exam (i.e., who has not yet defended her or his PhD proposal);

- one student ABD.

Student members will be nominated and elected by the student body, with each student being eligible to vote for all three positions. The Committee will be chaired by a member of faculty other than the Director of Graduate Studies; it will appoint its own secretary. Committee membership will be determined at the beginning of each academic year.

Terms of reference

The Committee will seek to

• discuss issues referred to it relevant to the design and delivery of the Graduate Program and its component parts save where prevented by matters of confidentiality;

• generate ideas for developing the Program;

• provide a forum for airing all other concerns pertaining to graduate students in the Department.

It will be empowered to offer opinions and make recommendations. Voting will not normally be necessary; if the Committee has divergent opinions or recommendations, all will be reported accordingly.

Reporting

The Committee will report to the meeting of the Academic Faculty on the one hand, and to the graduate student body on the other. At least two weeks prior to any meeting there will be a call for agenda items. Minutes will be taken and distributed by way of the Department’s grad.fac list; they will also be retained in the Department as a matter of record.

The Committee (and its constituencies) will realize that not all its recommendations will necessarily lead to direct action. Equally, however, the Committee (and its constituencies) can reasonably expect regular reports on the status of its recommendations and any consequences thereof.

Frequency of meetings

The Committee will meet once per semester, normally in the week prior to Fall or Spring Break. Extraordinary meetings may be called by the Chair on petition from any two members of the Committee.

Review

The Committee, its terms of reference, and its manner of operation will be reviewed at the end of the second academic year of its operation.

rev. 10 September 2003