Summary of the Graduate Affairs Committee meeting Dec 6, 2012.

Present: Stephen Cook (GAC Chair), Wayne Enright,
Celeste Esteves (Grad Office), Yashar Ganjali, Ken Jackson,
Allan Jepson (Grad Chair), Vinod Vaikuntanathan

Regrets:  Steve Easterbrook, Nosayba El-Sayed

The Grad Chair presented three issues for discussion:

1.  Transfer and breadth credits, from previous graduate studies:

Many students are concerned that we do not count courses taken
elsewhere for breadth toward our degree requirements.  
For example a student completing a BSc here in computer science may
have taken enough cross-listed courses as an undergraduate to
complete our MSc breadth requirements, but none of those courses will
count for breadth according to our current rules.  The case can be
made that our current breadth rules do not properly reflect our
intended definition of breadth.
    The GAC supported the idea of changing our policies to allow
some courses taken elsewhere to possibly count for breadth here.
This will probably require reintroducing committees to evaluate
courses taken elsewhere.  There is little support for the more radical
idea of introducing qualifying examinations for breadth.

2.  Assisting students without a supervisor.

We need a policy to deal with students without supervisors.
If a student loses an advisor for any reason, this needs to be
reported to the grad office as soon as possible, preferably by both
the student and the advisor.  The department has a responsibility to
help the student find another advisor.   We should consider making
a rule to the effect that any student who is unable to find an advisor
for a year should be encouraged (or possibly required) to leave the
program.

3.  Workplace harassment.

The department needs to raise awareness of workplace harassment
issues, and to develop procedures to deal such incidents as
they arise. The latter should include a clear method of how, where, 
and when students should report such incidents, and how the department 
should follow through.