The Arts and Science Students Union (ASSU) launched a petition last Monday demanding that Faculty of Arts and Science governing bodies have at least 40 per cent student representation.

The demand was spelled out in further detail in an 11-page document circulated by ASSU to its 40 constituent course unions on Monday afternoon, a response to the Faculty’s Task Force on Governance in the Faculty of Arts and Science. The Faculty of Arts and Science is the largest faculty at the university, with more than 23,000 students.

“Greater student representation on these committees would bring real diversity to the Faculty’s governing bodies,” said ASSU president Yaser Habeeb. “So far, we have had a positive response from the Graduate Student Union and the Students’ Administrative Council,” said Noaman Ali, ASSU executive member.

Thus far, the main obstacle to ASSU’s efforts is the faculty’s unwillingness to consider ASSU the authentic voice of the faculty’s students. Some in the faculty apparently view ASSU as a lobby group rather than a legitimate representative body.

Under the current arrangements, some faculty committees such as the academic standards committees have no student members, while others have a mere 25 per cent student membership. In some cases, the student members on these committees are simply chosen by the faculty without any accountability to the student body.

“Undergraduate students are very underrepresented currently in the Faculty of Arts and Science and this is a good time to address that, since the Faculty is currently undergoing reorganization,” said Preethy Sivakumar, an undergraduate who was involved in drafting the ASSU response to the Task Force.

At press time, thirty-two faculty members and approximately one hundred and thirty students had signed the petition.

In addition, several faculty members have signalled their support of increasing student representation. Professor Charles Keil, director of Cinema Studies, has promised a letter of support in favour of ASSU’s proposal. Innis College, where Cinema Studies is based, has parity between students and faculty on its governing bodies.

“My view is that students should know how decisions are made and should be consulted about decisions that affect their lives at university,” said Professor Emeritus Michael Donnelly, who served as associate dean of the faculty several years ago.

The Task Force on Governance, which will receive the ASSU response and petition on Monday, will discuss faculty governance in a closed meeting on Monday. It is expected to pass its final recommendation on governance reform at that time. The Task Force is chaired by Professor Joan Grusec and is composed of faculty, staff, and students.

“Students need to be viewed as being more than a token voice within the Faculty,” states the ASSU response to the Task Force. The ASSU proposal would change the makeup of the committees to 40 per cent student members, with several ASSU organizers viewing parity with faculty members as their long-term goal.