MCGILL UNIVERSITY SENATE Senate – Minutes of the meeting of September 19, 2017 Minutes Tuesday, September 19, 2017 17-18:01 Minutes of the meeting of Senate held on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. in the Robert Vogel Council Room (Room 232, Leacock Building) PRESENT Gore, Genevieve Richard, Marc Allison, Paul Gyakum, John Ritchie, Fiona Anderson, Isabella Harpp, David Robaire, Bernard Animesh, Animesh Hastings, Kenneth Rogowska, Edyta Anjum, Fatima He, Qi Yue (Secretary) Arseneault, Louis Kaartinen, Mari Saroyan, Alenoush Bajeux-Besnainou, Isabelle Larson, Erik Sladek, Robert Bartlett, Joan Larsson, Hans Snider, Laurie Beauchamp, Yves Leckey, Robert Spiousas, Ignacio Bede, Jacqueline Lefebvre, Alice Starr, Lisa Bernard, Daniel Lenetsky, Jed Steinhauer, Karsten Buddle, Christopher Liboiron-Ladouceur, Odile Stifani, Stefano Campbell, Angela Lowther, David Theodore, David Cavanagh, Chelsea Maciasz, Eva Tojiboeva, Muna Cook, Colleen Maioni, Antonia Tremblay, Michel Crago, Martha Manfredi, Christopher Voudouris, Nellie Damha, Masad Mansdoerfer, Richard Walsh, Anna Di Paola, Antonia McCullogh, Mary Jo Waters, Natalie Doucette, Elaine McKenzie, Jeffrey Weinstein, Marc Dyens, Ollivier Mikkelson, Gregory Winer, Laura Eakin, Gael Nalbantoglu, Josephine Yalovsky, Morty Eidelman, David Ndao, Momar Younan, Jocelyne Elstein, Eleanor Nichol, Jarrod Youssef, Salma Fortier, Suzanne Niezen, Ronald Walsh, Anna Fussmann, Gregor Oke, Isabelle Zhou, Shufeng Geitmann, Anja Potter, Judith Zorychta, Edith Gold, Richard Quitoriano, Nathaniel Goodridge, Lawrence Ravenscroft, Brenda REGRETS: Lisa Barg, Stephane Bayen, Nicholas Dunn, Jim Engle-Warnick, Nahal Fansia, Amir Fawzy, Peter Grütter, James Gutman, Terence Hébert, Tina Hobday, Amanda Holmes, Alex Kalil, Amine Kamen, Lucyna Lach, Gillian Lane-Mercier, Marcelo Lannes, Jacob Lavigne, Bruce Lennox, Margaret Levey, Michael A. Meighen, Guy Mineau, Jim Nicell, Michael Nwabufo, Ram Panda, Dilson Rassier, Nigel Roulet, Jerome Savaria-Carriere, Erin Shor, Ada Sinacore, David Stephens, Ahmer Wali. Senate – Minutes of the meeting of September 19, 2017 SECTION I 1. Welcoming Remarks The Chair began by welcoming returning, re-elected and new Senators to the first Senate meeting of the 2017-2018 governance year. She thanked Senators for their engagement and commitment to the University. She reminded Senators that guests and spectators are welcome to attend and observe Senate meetings. Regarding the use of electronic devices, the Chair noted that their use is permitted for viewing meeting documents, but that the Senate Rules of Procedure prohibit the recording of sound or images, and the communication or posting of Senate deliberations. Finally, she reminded Senators that, in accordance with the recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Livestreaming of Senate Meetings, a recording of the livestream would be accessible on the Senate webpage until the meeting minutes are approved at the following meeting. 2. Memorial Tributes for Chancellor Emerita Gretta Chambers and Professors Zafer Ali-Khan and Eleanor Stubley The Chair read the following memorial tribute for Chancellor Emerita Gretta Chambers, which Senate subsequently unanimously approved: McGill University is deeply saddened by the passing of Gretta Chambers on September 9, at the age of 90. Funeral services were held this past Saturday at Church of Saint Léon in Westmount, with a reception at Redpath Hall. McGill has lost one of its great champions. Gretta Chambers was born on January 15, 1927, in Montreal. She graduated from the University with a BA in Political Science in 1947, at a time when very few women pursued degrees. In the 70 years that followed, she kept her finger on the pulse of the University, and worked tirelessly to make it a better place. Gretta Chambers played many roles in the life of the University. She was one of the first co-chairs of the McGill Middle East Program, now called the International Community Action Network, a project built on the belief that human rights and social justice are essential for creating peace. She taught at the Faculty of Education. She served on our Board of Governors, and enriched the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Research Institute with her wisdom and insights. And, of course, she proudly served for eight years as the University’s Chancellor. Always the trailblazer, she was the University’s first woman Chancellor. It was a role that she dove into. She embraced every opportunity to learn about all corners of the University and its people. She was particularly focused on students and their experiences. Long after her term as Chancellor had ended, Gretta’s presence at Convocation ceremonies could be counted on. It was wonderful to see her radiating such selfless joy for everything that the graduates had achieved, and excitement for all the places that their educations were going to take them. For Gretta, knowledge opened up worlds. Page 2 of 11 Senate – Minutes of the meeting of September 19, 2017 Gretta Chambers was committed to understanding and helping her fellow Quebecers. She was a pioneering woman journalist in print and broadcast media, in both official languages. She was one of the first journalists in the Anglophone media to take an interest in French-speaking Quebec and wrote a weekly column for The Gazette from 1977 to 2002. From 1966 until 1980, she hosted a weekly CBC radio show called The Province in Print. She hosted The Editors, a weekly public affairs show broadcast on CFCF 12. Chambers was a political commentator for Radio-Canada and Radio-Québec, CBC Newsworld and CBC radio, the International Herald Tribune and CJAD, among others. She was a member of the Conseil de la magistrature du Québec, and chaired the task force on the Anglophone school network in Quebec in 1992 and the Advisory Board on English Education for the Minister of Education, Recreation and Sport. In the words of a family friend and McGill alumnus, “She was a completely class act and a pure distillation of the cultural heritages which flow through Quebec.” In recognition of Chambers’ longstanding service to McGill, and to Quebec, McGill awarded her with an honorary doctorate in 2001. The McGill Alumni Association presents annually the Chancellor Gretta Chambers Student Leadership Award to “one or more students who have demonstrated leadership qualities while contributing in a volunteer capacity.” McGill was not alone in honoring Gretta Chambers. She was an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a Companion of the Order of Canada. She was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in 1995 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016. Chambers’ other honors include the National Symposium on Official Languages Award and the Mérite Philanthropique from the Quebec Chamber of Commerce. A friend recalled visiting Gretta in the hospital about two and a half weeks ago. Gretta was sitting up in bed. The day’s newspapers were spread out before her, and she was immersed in her usual keen analysis of the world’s events. The scene was “quintessentially Gretta”: She had an exceptional thirst for knowledge and an unstoppable drive to do good. McGill will miss her dearly. Merci, Gretta. Senator Eidelman then read the following memorial tribute for Professor Emeritus Ali-Khan, which Senate subsequently unanimously approved: It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Zafer Ali-Khan, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Ali-Khan received his master’s degree in parasitology from the University of Karachi in Pakistan before earning a PhD from Tulane University in New Orleans and completing postdoctoral studies at UCLA. He became an expert in parasitology whose opinion on biopsies and specimens of lesions was highly sought by physicians across Montreal. Page 3 of 11 Senate – Minutes of the meeting of September 19, 2017 Dr. Ali-Khan enjoyed a lengthy and productive career, one that spanned 41 years of dedicated service to McGill University and to the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine. He held many titles during that time, including a turn at the helm of the Clinical Parasitology Unit at the Royal Victoria, where he served as Director from 1972 to 1978, as well as Chair of the Graduate Committee for the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, a position he held from 2000 to 2010. He retired from McGill in 2011. A passionate researcher and teacher, Dr. Ali-Khan followed his vision to gain insight into the pathogenesis and possible means of preventing amyloidosis, a chronic and often fatal disease that disrupts the normal function of organs including the kidneys, the heart and the brain. He played a key role in enhancing the lives of many graduate students, and took heart in training them in the art of research. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Ali-Khan’s children and grandchildren, whom he cherished dearly, as well as to his extended family, friends and colleagues. Dr. Zafer Ali-Khan was loved by everybody who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a true scholar and gentleman. He will be dearly missed. Senator Ravenscroft then read the following memorial tribute for Professor Stubley, which Senate subsequently unanimously approved: It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our longtime colleague Dr. Eleanor Stubley, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. Born in Brampton, Ontario, Dr. Stubley earned an undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Toronto in 1983, and became an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT) in French Horn performance in 1984. She pursued graduate work in Music Education, first achieving a MMus degree from Brandon University, before completing her PhD at the University of Illinois in 1989. Dr. Stubley came to McGill in 1988 as a University Lecturer, becoming an Assistant Professor upon receiving her doctoral degree the following year.