What are committees at Bishop’s?
Committees at Bishop’s come in five different categories:
- University Board Committees
Most committees at Bishop’s are standing committees, meaning that it is in our bylaws that these committees should and need to exist, and they are permanent.
The exceptions to this rule are the Ad-Hoc Committees. These committees are struck (initiated) in order to fulfill a specific role in the university that is not necessarily permanent. These committees will exist for a listed amount of time or until their purpose is fulfilled, at which point they will be disbanded.
If you have any questions about these committees please feel free to contact the chair of the Appointments Committee, currently at srcpres@ubishops.ca, or visit the Bishop’s page!
SRC Committees are student-led committees that look to serve the general student body and help with any issues students might encounter. These committees are permanent standing committees of the SRC as outlined in the SRC constitution.
Listed below are all current SCR Committees:
Gaiter Grants Committee (GGC):
This committee serves to allocate funds reserved for the SRC to clubs. Clubs are allowed to send in a form to the Director of Finance and request funding for any activities they strive to accomplish, and the members of this committee distribute these funds according to the guidelines and requirements set in place. For more information contact srcdfo@ubishops.ca.
Membership:
- Director of Finance (As Chair)
- Three Elected Board Members
Appointments Committee:
This committee reviews the required memberships on certain committees and reaches out to members of the BSR and SRC to ask and fill out required positions on each committee.
Membership:
Green Levy Committee:
Dive into sustainability with the Green Levy! This unique opportunity allows students to secure funding for community-benefiting and eco-friendly projects. The Green Levy empowers students to make a positive impact on campus and beyond.
By applying to the Green Levy students are supported by Sustainable Development Interns, the Student Representative Council (SRC), and the university’s Sustainable Development Advisor.
Membership:
- Sustainable Development Student Intern (Co-chair)
- SRC Environmental Sustainability Representative (Co-chair)
- Sustainable Development Advisor
- SRC Manager of Operations and Services
Residence Student Life Committee:
This committee is responsible for looking after and representing on-campus students and their concerns.
Membership:
- VP Student Life ( as chair)
- First-Year representative
- Health and Wellness Representative
- 3 representatives from Residence Life
- General Manager or Designate
Mental Health Committee:
This committee is in charge of organizing events relating to mental health and promoting mental health awareness on campus. For more information contact srcwellbeing@ubishops.ca.
Membership:
- The Mental Health Representative (As Chair)
- Minimum of three non-BSR members
- Any and all students! Above are the minimum requirements
EDI Committee:
The purpose of this committee is to have important discussions regarding the diverse challenges faced by People of Colour; religious groups; LGBTQIA2S+; neurodiverse and/or students with disabilities; low-income backgrounds; mature students; other underrepresented groups.
Membership:
- Equity Representative (Co-Chair)
- Ethnic Diversity Representative ( Co-Chair)
- VP of Student Life or President ( as decided by the Appointments committee)
- International Students Representative
- Indigenous Students Representative
- Representatives from various student groups
Club Conflicts and Appeals Committee:
The Club Conflicts and Appeals Committee meets after a club approaches them with a concern about a decision made regarding themselves. Any decision made by the BSR regarding clubs that they feel is unjust can be appealed through approaching the General Manager. The membership to this committee is confidential.
Mental Health and Awareness Week Committee
This committee works towards organizing and promoting the mental health and awareness week on campus.
Membership:
- VP of Student Life (As Co-Chair)
- Manager of Student Services ( As Co-Chair)
Finance Committee:
The purpose of the SRC Finance Committee is to study and report on matters related to SRC management, operations and mandates in a financial matter. This committee will help make decisions in regards to purchasing, internal operations (such as the Gait), and other SRC related matters. This committee is being formed to address the number of larger financial decisions that need to be made within the SRC which should have a committee that is educated and informed to give their opinion on how to handle these situations. The committee will have to approve/deny financial proposals above $2000. The committee will report to the BSR. For more information contact srcdfo@ubishops.ca.
Membership:
- Four members of the student body at large
Sexual Culture Committee:
The Sexual Culture Committee works to promote sexual culture, safe sex, sexual violence provention and healthy attitudes towards sex on campus, as well as works towards organizing and promoting any events regarding the topic.
Members:
- Any Member of the SRC (Open to all students)
Ad-Hoc Committees of the SRC are struck to serve a specific purpose for the university however will not be necessary permanently. This could be to initiate a project that would be too much work for one person alone, to organize a student service, or to temporarily address issues regarding student life.
Listed below are all current Ad-Hoc Committees:
Menstrual Equity Committee:
The Menstrual Equity Committee works to promote accessible menstrual equity products on campus, to educate the greater community on menstrual equity, as well as serves as a meeting point for all menstrual equity projects at Bishop’s. This includes the current Menstrual Equity Program, which is working towards attaining free menstrual products in all bathrooms on campus.
Membership:
- VP of Student Life (As Chair)
- Health and Wellness Representative
- Environment and Sustainability Representative
- Any Student of the SRC Through Application (Open to All Students)
Gait Renovation Consultation Committee:
The Gait Renovation Consultation Committee’s goal is to draft and create a renovation plan that will then be submitted to administration and then be the basis for architectural plans for the future renovation of the Gait. For more information, contact srcdfo@ubishops.ca.
Membership:
- One member of the student body (accepted through interview process)
Safedrive Committee:
The Safedrive Committee is working towards establishing a service that will be able to drive home students at night from late classes and library sessions, as well as from Gait nights, promoting safe partying around campus. The goal of this project is to offer students a safe and responsible way of getting home from on campus.
Members:
- SRC President (Acting as Chair)
- Environmental Representative
Environmental Policy Committee:
The Environmental Policy Committee has been struck to review and rewrite the environmental policies of the SCR, as well as then write a knowledge translation page in order for the new policies to be more accessible to the general student population. For more information contact either srcstu@ubishops.ca or srcenviro@ubishops.ca.
Members:
- The Environmental and Sustainability Representative (As Co-Chair)
- VP of Student Life (As Co-Chair)
- Two Members of the Student Body at Large
- One Student Representative from the Sustainability Office
University Committees are standing committees of the university which serve to aid the greater school community in a variety of different topics. Typically chaired by a member of the university, it is common to have membership from the student body or the SRC on these committees. There is only one University Committee that includes a member from the SRC, however if you would like to find out more about the other University Committees, click this link:
Listed below are all current University Committees:
Campus Dining Committee:
This committee is responsible for the dining policies of all on campus dining locations found here:
https://www.ubishops.ca/wp-content/uploads/Campus-Dining-Policy-April-20-2011-2.pdf
This includes Dewies, the Purple Pod, and the Library Cafe, among other things. This committee is also in charge of working with our providers for all food on campus.
Membership:
- The First-Year representative
- The Mental Health representative
- The On-Campus representative
- Open to any student through contact with the chair.
Senate Committees can be composed of senators of the university, school faculty, students, and the academic senators of the BSR. They are in charge of different academic related aspects of the school. Most senate committees contain at least one student representative in the form of either a student senator or otherwise, however if you are interested in looking at all Senate committees including the ones without as well as a more in depth description of the committee’s function, they can be found here: https://www.ubishops.ca/about-bu/bishops-university-leadership-and-vision/governance-and-administration/senate/senate-committees/
In order to be a part of these committees normally you must be nominated first by the senate or SRC, or through your membership of the BSR as a student senator be assigned the position.
Below are listed all Senate Committees that contain a student representative:
Academic Review Committee:
The Academic Review Committee is in charge of hearing and assessing any complaint brought forth by students regarding an academic decision made by a professor, dean, or any other faculty member.
Membership:
- Two Senate faculty members
- One academic officer of the University
Academic Integrity Committee:
The Academic Integrity Committee’s goal is to assess concerns of academic integrity and review the procedures and processes for responding to it.
Membership:
- One member of faculty from each of the four Divisions and the School of Education
- Two full-time students, appointed by the SRC
- One graduate student, appointed by the SRC
- One academic officer, selected by the Principal.
Academic Appeals Committee:
This Committee is responsible for taking up the concerns of students brought forth by the Academic Review Committee, explained further in this page. The Appeal Committee takes the report of the Academic Review Committee if the senate decides that further insight is needed.
Membership:
- One faculty member who is not a member of Senate
- One student who is not a member of Senate named by the SRC
- One Academic Officer of the Senate
- Two alternate members, one faculty member and one student
Senate Ad-Hoc Committee On Reconciliation and Decolonization:
This Committee works to develop opportunities for Indigenous students at Bishops as well as improve the culture at Bishop’s for these students and foster cross-cultural learning opportunities at our school.
Membership:
- Five faculty members (One member from each school/division)
- One student named by the SRC
- One student member of the Indigenous Cultural Alliance
- The Indigenous Student Support and Liaison Officer
Experiential Learning Committee:
This committee works to develop and promote opportunities for experiential learning at Bishops, as well as distribute funds equally and impartially to students or organisers of such opportunities.
Membership:
- One representative for each Division
- One Student Services representative
Senate Ad-Hoc Committee for the EWP/Writing Centre:
This committee works to evaluate and assess the possible implementation of more writing intensive courses for students across all programs at Bishops as well as a potential new graduation requirement in writing. They also work to recommend the allocation of funds to the writing centre.
Membership:
- The Vice-Principal Academic
- The Coordinator of the EWP Writing Centre and one other member
- One representative from each division and school of the University
- One student representative
Senate Committee On Graduate Students:
This committee’s goal is to support the development of graduate programs at Bishops, and to promote and advocate for graduate programs across campus.
Membership:
- Vice-Principal Academic & Research (Chair)
- Director of Research and Graduate Studies
- Graduate program coordinators (or delegate) from Divisions/Schools with graduate programs
- One graduate student from a course-based program enrolled at Bishop’s University named by the SRC
- One graduate student from a thesis-based program enrolled at Bishop’s University
named by the SRC
Senate Committee On Prizes:
This committee reviews opportunities for new scholarships and prizes to be awarded to students, as well as recommends to the senate the winners of existing and said new scholarships and academic prizes.
Membership:
- One member of faculty from each Division/School
- One student nominated by the SRC
Senate Committee On Statistics:
This committee works to maintain an inventory of all statistics courses offered on campus as well as the use of statistics within these courses, and will work to encourage ways to improve the teaching of statistics and encourage research collaboration in this field on campus.
Membership:
- All faculty teaching statistics courses or their designates
Senate Committee On Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services:
This committee meets annually to review and identify gaps in services to students with disabilities and to make recommendations to the senate on improvements when necessary.
Membership:
- Manager of Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (Chair)
- One Coordinator of Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services
- One Coordinator of Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (alternate)
- Two faculty representatives
- One full-time student nominated by SRC
- One part-time student nominated by SRC
- The Dean of Student Affairs
- The Director of English Writing Proficiency Program
- One consultant specifically invited
- One student user of Accessibility and Accommodations Services
Senate E-Learning Committee:
This committee works to provide guidance on the use of technology in learning at Bishops, and to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at Bishop’s remotely. It also works to ensure that proper IT services are available and accessible to students and faculty in need of assistance.
Membership:
- The Associate Vice-Principal, Continuing Education (Chair)
- One faculty member from each of the Divisions and Schools
- One undergraduate student
- One member of the contract faculty
- A representative of Information Technology Services
- The Manager of Student Accessibility and Accommodations Services (or their delegate)
Senate Library Committee:
This committee works to advocate and assess any needs the library might face as well as to update the senate on any concerns regarding the library.
Membership:
- One Librarian elected from professional Librarians
- One member of faculty from each division or school
- A representative of Champlain College, elected by the SECCL (faculty union)
- Two students, named by the SRC
- Two Champlain College students
Senate Life-Long Learning Committee:
This Committee will bring to Senate recommendations for strategic and tactical planning as well as policy and organization for the Bishop’s Centre for Life-Long Learning.
Membership:
- The Vice-Principal Academic and Research or designate
- The Registrar or designate
- The Coordinator of the BU Life-Long Learning Centre or designate
- One faculty member from each Division and School
- One undergraduate student named by the SRC
- One graduate student named by the SRC
Senate Nominating Committee:
To nominate in an open, fair, and democratic manner the names of individuals willing to be appointed to Senate Committees.
Membership:
- One faculty Senator from each division
- One contract faculty Senator
- One full-time student Senator
- One part-time student Senator
- One Librarian other than the University Librarian
Senate Planning Committee:
This committee works to ensure that all programs continue to be offered at Bishops and operate within the allocated budgets, as well as work to reduce costs of academic programs offered in a way that allows academic restructuring to yield high-quality programs that will attract students.
Membership:
- One faculty member from each Division/School
Senate Program Academic Review Committee:
The main purpose of program review is the continuous improvement of the academic programs at Bishop’s University with respect to their quality and breadth of offerings.
Membership:
- Vice-Principal Academic & Research (Chair)
- One faculty member nominated by each Division/School
- One student nominated by the SRC
Senate Research Committee:
This committee works to encourage, develop, promote, and support research at Bishops.
Membership:
- Vice-Principal Academic and Research
- One representative from each division/school
- Director of Research and Graduate Studies
- Two Student representatives (one undergraduate and one graduate), as named by the SRC
Senate Research Space Committee
This committee works to maintain an inventory of available research space on campus and what it is in use for, to revise recommendations for priority on research spaces, and to allocate these spaces based on their criteria.
Membership:
- Vice-Principal Academic and Research
- Director of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies
- Five faculty nominated by Senate Nominating Committee
- One student actively involved in research named by the SRC
- Vice-Principal Finance and Administration or delegate
- Director of Buildings and Grounds
Senate Teaching Evaluation Committee:
This committee works to oversee that the procedures and the instruments for student teaching evaluations are evaluated and revised or updated as needed.
Membership:
- One faculty member from each Division/School
- One part-time faculty member
Senate Timetable Committee:
This committee recommends the construction of a timetable system to the senate based on a list of their criteria.
Membership:
- Faculty member from each of the five Divisions
- Staff member from the Records Office
Board of Governors Committees:
The Board of Governors is responsible for the overall management of the affairs of the University. The majority of the Board of Governors Committee’s (BOGC) membership has internal and external governors. Internal governors are representatives of the university and external governors are external representatives from the greater community. However, there are certain committees that include members of the SRC (of which every student is a part of).
Listed below are all the Board of Governors Committees that include student membership, however, there are other committees not on this list that you can find on the Bishop’s University website through this link: https://www.ubishops.ca/about-bu/bishops-university-leadership-and-vision/governance-and-administration/board-governors/committees-of-the-board-of-governors/
The Responsible Investments Committee:
The Responsible Investments Committee helps to look after university investments.
Membership:
- One Executive of the BSR (Board of Student Representatives)
Joint Taskforce on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion:
This committee has been implemented to help work on different EDI initiatives for the university and for the Board of Governor EDI projects.
Membership:
- An external member and an internal faculty member of the Board of Governors
- A faculty member of senate
- One manager (named by the Manager’s Council)
- The VP Academic and Research or a designate
- The Associate VP of Human Resources or designate
- A representative from the Indigenous Student Support Services
- A representative of the EDI office
- A faculty dean or VP Student Affairs
- A Representative of the Bishop’s University Pride Alliance or Gender Equity Club
- A Representative of the Caribbean and African Student Association
- A Representative of the Indigenous Cultural Alliance
Committee on Life at the University:
This committee is in charge of recommending policies regarding student life at the university to the Vice-Principal of Student Affairs, while also advising the Vice-Principal on the annual Student Affairs budget.
Membership:
- The student member of the Board of Governors, as Chair;
- The Vice-Principal of Student Affairs;
- Two student service directors named by the Vice-Principal of Student Affairs; and
- Three students named by the Students’ Representative Council.
Champlain and Bishop’s Joint Committees
WUSC
WUSC is a Canadian non-profit organisation that works to support incoming refugee students and helps integrate them into campus. You can contact them through email at WUSC@ubishops.ca
Membership:
