Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology Student Association
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Opening:
The meeting of the BPKSA was called to order at 1:30pm by Megan in room K9622.
In Attendance:
Megan, Elaine, Caleb, Emily, Erina, Matt, Kirstin, Debbie, Lorenzo, Jimmy, Alam
Open Issues:
1) SFSS Updates
-Deepak Sharma had to resign as SFSS President as he did not meet eligibility requirements so Larissa Chen the VP will act as the president for the time being
-ongoing talk about creating an alcohol policy with the current recommendation being to remove the 15% gratuity for catering and add a 30% cap on core funding for alcohol
2) Undergraduate Survey Discussion
-Angie will be meeting with us next week so we further discussed the points we would like to bring to her attention and as brainstormed some possible solutions
Main Discussion Points:
-job preparedness (most people are unsure what they can do with their degree)
-update the website career lists, develop workshops in partnership with Brenda Badgero the career advisor
-inconsistent grading schemes
-can we introduce percentages to help us be more competitive with other schools?
-clarification and more transparency from profs about whether or not we are graded on a curve and the 92% A+ guideline
-more practical and lab-based classes are needed
-introduce a practicum component in BPK 241
-introduce a wet lab skills course that also included a practicum component once the basic skills were taught (this could be another option for BP students besides BPK 407, 301)
-issues with course registration and limited seating capacity
-we could update the BPKSA website with an historical course offering page to show when certain courses are normally taught, include a section where we recommend taking certain classes together which complement each other (may be problematic and create larger waitlists), include a section where we categorize different courses into “content, theory, application/practical” so students can try and pick a more balanced course load
-some issues came up regarding specific courses:
-BPK 311 is not taught as in depth as one would expect a 300-level course to be
-BPK 326 lecture material can be a week behind lab material, would be better if the two were more coordinated and the lab manuals could use updating with more clear diagrams
-BPK 304 needs to be encouraged to be taken earlier on in your degree
-received a lot of positive feedback on BPK faculty, staff and teaching assistants
-it may help engage students further if the profs talked about their research background in lecture or helped showcase the practical aspects of the material we are learning
-when profs are teaching a class in teams it can be disruptive when the expectations for exams/assignments are not consistent
-may be beneficial to advertise self-directed co-ops as students may be able to establish new connections for the BPK department and provide more opportunities for future BPK co-op students
3) BPK Orientation
-in discussing how long degrees are taking students now and the reputation about certain BPK courses that exist we brainstormed some ideas to help incoming first years
-could try and re-introduce the cohort program
-at orientation could provide students with more specific BPK-related advice on what your typical day/week/semester would look like
-try and give them specific study tips and strategies to help them survive certain courses
-could also ask recent graduates/alumni who are now working in the field, attending grad school, etc. to come and speak about their experience in BPK and give the students advice (ie. Shaila, Steven, Brent, Christina – could be helpful to invite people that may end up being the students TA’s)
-check in with these students at the end of their first semester to see how it went and provide tips to improve their second semester experience if they need them
Adjournment:
The meeting of the BPKSA was adjourned by Megan at 2:45pm in room K9622. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 1:30pm in room K9622.