Senate heard discussions about the university’s demographic data, awards, enrolment levels, and an overhaul of the AWR
Photo by Hugo Wong.
The full agenda is available for review here.
The meeting started with a motion to approve the minutes of the last Senate meeting on Jan. 9. After a student senator said their questions were not adequately represented in the minutes, approval of the meeting minutes was deferred.
UVic President Qwul’sih’yah’maht, Robina Thomas addressed the end of the illicit substances decriminalization pilot in B.C. and reaffirmed UVic policy that students will not face consequences if they call for help, even if they used or possess illegal substances. She also noted the hiring of the new vice-president Indigenous, Dr. Angela Jaime, as well as the United Way Plasma Car Race fundraiser and Vikes basketball games.
Following these remarks, the Better Data Project — a UVic initiative that “focuses on enhancing the collection, management, and use of demographic data across campus to inform inclusive action” — gave a presentation. During the presentation, they said they aim to take a holistic approach to understanding the campus community through demographic data, focusing on concerns such as intersectionality.
Some senators raised questions about how exactly the data would translate into action, while others suggested additions to the questionnaire, such as caregiving status.
With no items under correspondence, Senate moved on to proposals and reports from Senate committees.
A proposal was introduced to approve appointments to the 2025-26 Senate standing committees. Michael Caryk, interim director of campaigns & community relations for the UVSS, reported that Griffin Foster resigned from the UVSS, which will affect the UVSS’ Senate committee appointments he held.
Another Senator commented on “awkward developments” in the UVSS and said he had heard concerns from representatives of clubs about allegations of “intimidation” and other “inappropriate behaviour” within the student union.
A senator responded that, since UVic is a separate organization from the UVSS and cannot intervene in its governance, discussion of this issue would be tabled. Senate then approved the standing committee appointments.
Next, the Senate Committee on Awards reported that they will develop a standardized framework for student awards, including a review of inclusive language and identity-based criteria in alignment with prior Senate feedback.
The committee spokesperson also presented a memo to Senate about upcoming changes to Indigenous-specific awards at UVic following the passage of the Indigenous Citizenship Declaration (ICD) policy in fall 2025.
Senate approved, and recommended the Board of Governors also approve, the new and revised awards listed in the agenda, excluding the Purple Squirrel Award for Academic Diversity, which was set aside after discussion for further clarification.
Moving on to 2026–27 Cycle 1 curriculum submissions, Senate approved the curriculum changes recommended by the faculties and the Senate Committee on Curriculum for inclusion in the May 2026 academic calendar.
Senate also authorized the chair of the Senate Committee on Curriculum to make minor changes and additions that would otherwise delay submission of items for the academic calendar.
A presentation on enrolment projections reported that UVic is on track to meet overall enrolment targets, but faces a constrained and competitive international-student environment. To make UVic more appealing, the university is guaranteeing scholarships and housing in many acceptance letters. The presenter said the university is seeing a lot of interest from the U.S., where they’ve deployed a dedicated recruiter, as well as significant interest in countries like Korea, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The presentation showed domestic undergraduate enrolment continues to climb since 2018/19, whereas international undergraduate enrolment has steadily declined.
A motion was introduced regarding enrolment projections for 2026-27. Following discussion, Senate approved the motion and will recommend that the Board of Governors also approve a recommended enrolment level of 20 300 full-time enrolments for the 2026-27 academic year.
Senate then discussed a consultation on the proposed Core Writing & Research Requirement (CWRR). An Academic Writing Requirement (AWR) working group is working on a proposal to replace the AWR with a CWRR. The working group was not, however, bringing forward a proposal to replace the AWR at this Senate meeting, but was rather seeking feedback from Senate.
The presenters said the current model is unsustainable due to structural limitations and sought Senate engagement on a new requirement. The proposal aims to address issues such as the growing number of students who have already satisfied the AWR prior to arriving at UVic, many students not completing it in their first year, and of shared learning outcomes at a university-wide level.
Dr. Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey said the proposed replacement emphasizes six “university-level core competencies” — such as active reading and listening, digital literacy, and critical thinking — while keeping writing central.
A senator raised questions about students already competent in writing and research, supporting students whose strengths lie elsewhere, and whether a pass-fail system for the CWRR would be fairer than grading in relation to how scholarships are awarded.
A lengthy discussion followed about implementation, technical details, and data collection to track the success of the potential requirement. Senate will continue the discussion at future meetings.
Senate approved the 2025-2035 10-year sessional calendar, with concerns raised about how constrained the fall term is for class days.
Senate also approved the academic important dates for May 2027 through December 2027 for submission to the May 2026 undergraduate and graduate academic calendar publications.
Senate then approved the 2026-27 meeting dates and other important dates.
The meeting adjourned following a reminder from Thomas about Black History Month events, resources, and UVic initiatives.
