Sustainability Strategic Plan 2013-2016
The Board approved the Sustainability Strategic Plan, which will work to support social, economic, and ecological sustainability at the University and in the community.
The Plan expresses SFU’s recognition that our society cannot continue “business as usual,” and states, “SFU is an evidence-based institution and the science is abundantly clear: human-caused climate change is real and evidence of environmental degradation is widespread and obvious.”
The Plan will encourage the university to apply a “sustainability lens” to all aspects of the university, and its goals include creating enhanced opportunities for student, staff, and community involvement in sustainability operations as well as making sustainability a key research priority.
New bus exchange at SFU Surrey
The plans to create a new bus exchange at SFU Surrey are in the option analysis stage; negotiations are currently underway with adjacent property owners for the possible acquisition of additional property. The planning study — conducted with SFU, Translink and the City of Surrey — should be completed by the end of June.
Parking
In the hopes of relieving the anxiety caused by the loss of parking stalls on the Burnaby campus this summer due to the UniverCity expansion, a new Parking Plan is being prepared for the Fall semester.
The Plan will include reduced prices for ‘indoor’ parking with a special reference to Discovery Park, which is located below G Lot. ‘Outdoor’ parking will be priced higher in an attempt to discourage overuse of lots like E, which is near a busy transit location
The Sustainable Mobility Advisory Committee is hoping that “pricing will alter behavior,” encouraging students and staff to use parking spots further away from campus in return for a lower expense.
The Committee has stressed the importance of ensuring that all parking lots and stalls get maximum use, discussing the possible elimination of reserved stalls. “We are confident that there will be enough spots, provided they are used properly,” spoke Dr Pat Hibbitts, VP Finance & Administration.
Less thefts
Program & Policy Development recently followed up on the effectiveness of SFU Burnaby’s “Leave it, Lose it” theft prevention campaign. At the event debrief, PPD announced that Campus Security experienced a decline of 30 per cent in reports of theft between April 2012 and April 2013.
More professionals in the classroom
In the most recent round of bargaining with the Faculty Association, the University agreed to the creation of the new rank of Teaching Professor and the expansion of the existing category of Clinical Faculty to encompass a broader range of practitioner faculty.
The new system will allow Associate Professors and Senior Lecturers to be promoted into the tenured rank of Teaching Professor. This rank will be reserved for exceptional staff whose scholarship related to teaching and learning has attained national or international recognition.
In the past, Clinical Faculty — professionals (including researchers) from agencies outside of the University — have been limited to health care and health science specialists, but the category will now be expanded to include practitioners in other fields such as teaching and business.
