Attendance at York Senate meetings has dropped significantly in the last three years.
According to a chart released in the Senate meeting minutes, the percentage of members attending meetings has dropped by 13 per cent.
The Senate, which is responsible for academic policies like standards of admission and graduation requirements, has seen a large decrease in attendance at meetings, specifically from members from the Faculty of Education, Osgoode Hall Law School, and the Faculty of Fine Arts.
“We do not always know why some senators let their attendance slip: some have conferences, exams, illness or other issues,” says Harriet Lewis, university secretary and general counsel. “Some don’t see anything on the particular agenda that they wish to weigh in on.”
Lewis says in June 2004, it was decided that any elected senators who missed three consecutive meetings would have their seats declared vacant and would be replaced.
A member of the Senate, Martin Lockshin, believes attendance may be dependent on the controversial issues on campus and last year’s low attendance may be attributed to a lack of controversy.
“I think that people attend more when they think there are going to be discussions on controversial matters,” says Lockshin, who attended June’s meeting, but was unable to attend the September meeting because it fell on a Jewish holiday.
According to a survey taken on July 2013, 80 per cent of Senate members cited interest as a reason for attending meetings, while only 56 per cent of Senators felt it was their duty to attend.
The survey also noted most members who attended five or fewer meetings did so because they had reviewed documents and had no concerns.
Although the drop in attendance has not been seen across all faculties, Laura Okoski, a second-year psychology major, still thinks students are disadvantaged by the drop in attendance and that it’s unfair for only a few members be present to make decisions.
“These people should be on top of their game [by] keeping current on things [discussed at meetings],” says Okoski, who also believes senators are allowed to miss too many meetings and the number should be lower than three.
Senate meetings occur near the end of every month throughout the school year and are open to students.
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
