MINUTES – Nov 26, 2014

Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology Students Association

Meeting Minutes

Wednesday November 26, 2014

 

 

Opening:

The meeting of the BPKSA was called to order by Loryn at 1:30 pm in TASC II 7540

 

In Attendance:

Loryn, Kirsten, Debbie, Josh, Garveen, Betty (MBB Student Union President), Matt, Sam

 

àDepartment Meeting Update

  • Steven attended the BPK department meeting and reported back to Loryn; the following is what was discussed:
    • Enrollment:
      • Short term solutions (already applied):
        • Added more spots to classes offered in Spring 2015
          • 10 spots to 402, 8 seats to 444, 5 spots to 446, “undetermined” number of spots to 415,
        • Added 310 online, BPK 421 (taught by Dr. Peter Ruben) added as a course
        • BPK 448 will be offered in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 rather than just Spring 2016
      • Long Term solution (recommendations; in the works)
        • Want to stagger the sabbaticals of BPK Faculty since 4 members of the faculty are leaving next year
        • Want to increase the minimum CGPA that needs to be sustained to stay in the department; at 2.2 right now
        • Add more 4th year courses with the arrival of new faculty
        • Offer more 4th year courses and decrease 3rd year class offerings
        • Improve projections for upcoming enrollments to allot course availability accordingly
        • Increase enrollment sizes of upper division classes

àthis would detract the qualitative aspects of many of the courses (e.g. 412 debate, 446 presentations) that are in part what make the courses so great and popular and hence is considered a very last resort

  • Want to add a prerequisite of min. 90 credits required for upper division courses

àonly impacts as many as 2 seats every semester and requires a significant investment to adjust the descriptions in the course calendar. Hence not a popular choice amongst the faculty

  • Offer more lecture based upper division courses with a more flexible enrollment

 

  • Undergraduate Department Committee Updates
    • Include BPK 207 include in the BPK minor
    • Chemistry 282/283 as an option for Biomedical Physiology majors

 

  • Physiology Course Committee Update
    • Add BPK 30X (presumably 307) to upper division courses
      • Course will be offered as an elective to KIN majors, but a requirement for Biomedical Physiology majors
      • 305 will be kept the same with more emphasis on the cell, and will still include vascular, cardiovascular, and respiratory physiology
      • 306 will have more Neurophysiology and will include skeletal and dense connective tissue
      • 307: Renal, GI, Reproductive, Immunology, Endocrine Physiology
      • 305 will be a co/pre requisite for 306; 306 co/pre requisite for 307, 305 prerequisite for 307
      • Need to adjust for BPK 407; more on this will be decided later
      • Spring 2017 for new 305 and 306; Fall 2017 for 307

 

 

àCouncil Meeting Update

  • SFU Residence Repairs:
    • Louis Riel building and Tower (where a lot of 1st and 2nd years live) are in desperate need of repairs
    • Louis Riel has mold issues; the repairs aren’t covered by the BC Residential Tendency Act since it has been revoked due to the UBC incident of graduated students still continuing to live on residence despite graduating
    • Want to have repairs done on the Louis Riel Building which has been standing for 50 years
    • Also want to replace the Towers or repair them
      • Repairs or replacements will increase residence fees
    • SFSS wants to bring awareness to this issue and use MLA’s to pressure the government into putting the students living in on campus residence back under the BC Residential Tendency Act
  • Need new compass card testers again; SFU has been volunteered to partake in the testing
    • Need an equal mix of guys and girls to take part
    • Need to not have experience with the compass UPASS and cannot have participated in the test conducted in August
    • Deadline to sign up for participation is tonight
    • There is a reward
    • Email vpservices@sfss.ca if interested

 

àCareer Night Update

  • Profiles have been sent in to Matt and he will coordinate with Sabrina
  • PT & BCIT still needed to be confirmed; Loryn will talk to Cheri or Darleen about this
  • Grant applications have been sent to Dr. Glen Tibbits and Dr. Claire Cupples (will contribute $500 each)
  • 2 labs for tours; Dr. Tom Claydon will email out professors to see who is interested
  • Rooms have been booked for the breakout sessions

 

àNew SFSS Council Representative

  • Debbie is going on co-op next semester; need a new SFSS Council Representative
  • Sam volunteered to be the new SFSS Council Representative
  • An anonymous vote was held with Betty Ly as the counter
  • Sam was voted to be the New Council Representative for SFSS

 

àClothing

  • Sam’s friend’s lungs design is a hit; will send it out to the BPKSA Executives so all can have a look

 

àGeek Week

  • Betty Ly: President of MBB Students Union
  • Wants to do Geek Week from January 26-30 in the AQ
  • Week-long event with free food
  • 1 DSU/day will showcase the their department
  • Activities geared to DSU; Xbox connect to do dance moves in a BPK Fashion
  • Each DSU will contribute $300: $30 from core, $270 from grants; Betty will send out the budget details to Loryn once it has been drafted

 

àProject Pulse

  • All day on February 7th at UBC,
  • Representatives: Joyce for Biomedical Physiology (Loryn is back up), Deepak for Behavioural Neuroscience rep is Deepak, Sam for Kinesiology (potentially)
  • Loryn will send emails of representatives to the organizer who would coordinate with them

 

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned by Loryn at 2:30 pm in TASC II 7540. This was officially the last meeting of the BPKSA for Fall 2014.

 

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