In compliance with Ontario’s Essential Services Order, Senate met remotely on March 25, 2022. Here are the highlights:

New First-Year Grading Policy

Senate approved a new First-Year Grading Policy, presented by the Senate Committee on Curriculum Admissions and Studies Policy.

Drawing from the compassionate grading practices adopted during the past two years as a result of the pandemic, the new grading policy applies to all students entering their first year of studies at Carleton with no previous postsecondary enrolment, for the first two terms of registration in a Carleton undergraduate program.

Under the new policy, any F or UNS grades earned in any course will be automatically converted to NR (No Record). Any passing grades earned in any course may be converted to CR (Credit), at the request of the student, to a maximum of 2.0 credits over the two terms.

New Collaborative Specialization in Climate Change

Senate approved the introduction of a new Collaborative Specialization in Climate Change to the MA in History program, to take effect from Fall 2022.

Research Update

Dr. Rafik Goubran, Vice-President (Research and International) provided Senate with an annual update on Carleton’s research activities. Research is a key pillar of the university’s success and plays a vital role in Carleton’s reputation and ranking. Overall, Carleton’s research funding and impact continues to grow at a rapid rate, with annual research funds now reaching $97.4 million, an increase of 79% since 2018.

Draft Student Mental Health Framework 2022-2026

Following the Listening Phase of the Student Mental Health Framework (SMHF), a draft version of the updated plan was developed to reflect a more holistic and campus-wide approach to student mental health and well-being. The streamlined framework highlights four areas of focus: Student Engagement, Building Skills and Strengthening Resilience, Coordinated Student Support Services, and Campus Culture of Wellness. Each area of focus is designed to be interdependent of the others while working together to facilitate the framework’s overall objectives.

An implementation and evaluation plan and a reporting and review process will be added to ensure that all recommendations receive ongoing feedback and that there is transparency and accountability with students, faculty, and staff. Feedback on the draft continues to be accepted here.

Senate Membership Ratifications

Senate ratified the appointment of twelve new faculty members for three-year terms, and five new undergraduate students for one-year terms, beginning July 1, 2022.

Faculty Members:

  • Douglas Howe (Computer Science)
  • Edward Cyr (FED)
  • Lynn Marshall (FED)
  • Christopher Smelser (FED)
  • Christian Viau (FED)
  • Lisa Moffitt (School of Architecture)
  • Jeni Armstrong (FPA)
  • Matthew Pearson (FPA)
  • Kevin Graham (Science)
  • Root Gorelick (Science)
  • Pamela Wolff (Science)
  • Howard Nemiroff (Sprott)

Students (Undergraduate)

  • Sean Maguire (FASS)
  • Aaron North (FASS)
  • Davin Caratao (FPA)
  • Jennifer Ramnarine (FPA)
  • Taina Roberts (FPA)

Senator Spotlight: Olga Baysal

Olga Baysal is an Associate Professor and a Graduate Director (Admission and Recruitment) at Carleton’s School of Computer Science. In addition to her position on Senate, Baysal has served as Acting Director of the Carleton University Institute for Data Science (January-July 2021) and was an Assistant Professor from 2015-2020.

Baysal established and currently directs the Software Analytics (SWAN) research group. Her research interests span a wide range of software engineering, including empirical software engineering, AI for software engineering (AI4SE), human aspects of software engineering, and more. Learn more about Olga Baysal

Next Meeting of Senate

The next Senate meeting is April 22, 2022 at 2 pm. The full meeting schedule, associated meeting materials and minutes are available on the Senate website. Meeting minutes are posted once they are approved at the subsequent meeting.