Policy 5401 February Update

Policy 5401 February Update

Following the January 31, 2024 community consultation deadline, the FSA is waiting to see how Education Council (EdCo) moves forward with edits to the Policy 5401. Based on last year’s proposed attendance policy changes, which are still in the draft stage following significant community feedback, we imagine that it will take some time for the policy working group to move to the next stage. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep members informed.

Dates for EdCo/ Board of Governors meeting cycle:

These meetings are open to the BCIT community. Any policy change would first be voted on at EdCo and subsequently go to the Board of Governors (BoG) to be voted on. Ask your School’s EdCo Rep to monitor the upcoming agendas for these meetings. You can find EdCo meeting packages here.

• February 27th Board of Governors: Policy 5401 won’t be on the agenda, however Policy 5012 may be — stay tuned!
• March 20th EdCo  / April 3rd BoG (agendas TBD)
• May 1st EdCo / May 28th BoG (agendas TBD)
• June 5th EdCo / June 24th BoG (agendas TBD)

Next Steps:

In addition to the monitoring of any progression of Policy 5401 through BOG/EdCo, the issue of consultation on this policy is an ongoing topic for the FSA Labour Relations team and the FSA Board. Please follow the FSA Friday Bulletin and FSA Blog for regular updates.

Remember, BCIT’s obligation to consult with Departments did not end with the EdCo consultation deadline of January 31. We encourage Departments to continue to discuss this matter in Department meetings and to ensure your manager knows where you stand.* If you need more information and data from BCIT to support your discussions, such as data backing up BCIT’s justifications for the proposed policy changes, you can ask your manager. Hopefully, your manager will be an ally in your discussions. And, if your diplomas include courses taught by other Departments (including so-called “Service Departments”), remember to reach out to those Departments at some point in this process.

Suggested steps for Departments

• discuss and assess the feasibility, pedagogical soundness, and potential impacts of the proposed cuts to the minimum credit count for diplomas
• send feedback to BCIT via your manager
• request information, data, and further consultation from BCIT
• keep FSA in the loop by emailing an update to fsa@bcit.ca

Endnotes

*Your immediate manager (usually the Associate Dean) is a member of your Department but other non-FSA employees are not. Your immediate manager should be invited to participate but they have no special powers or privileges when it comes to Departmental collegial decision making. They are one member and hold one vote amidst the total Department collective. The Dean is not a member of your Department, although they could be invited as a non-voting guest. Learn more about Departments and Department meetings.