Brett Fairbairn (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

TRU SENATE

‘Transparency is satisfied’; TRU alters Senate procedure with regards to agenda timing

Mar 26, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A procedural change for the Thompson River’s University (TRU) Senate is garnering headlines in Kamloops. During Monday’s (March 25) regular meeting of the TRU senate, university president and chair of the senate Brett Fairbairn outlined his reasoning behind making a procedural change to how and when the public and media view agendas.

Where previously senate agendas were published with full supporting documents one week prior to meetings, now a basic agenda will be posted a week out, followed by the additional information and reports three hours before the meeting begins.

“I would say transparency is satisfied by the fact that everything that goes to our public senate meeting is shared with the public and I’m not sure reporters having it to report on a week ahead of time is crucial for transparency,” Fairbairn told CFJC News on Tuesday.

In particular, Fairbairn took aim at how his own president’s report to the senate was being used.

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“The reports that I write for senate are written for the information of senators and I want them to be the first ones to have an opportunity to talk about it,” said Fairbairn. “It does detract a bit from the senate meeting if it has been in the media a week ahead of time. And that really is just about the fact our senate meeting is a deliberative assembly.”

TRU Senator Juliana West, a member of faculty of education and social work raised a concern about the move, and what it means for transparency at the university.

“I’m certainly hoping that the media coverage is going to raise enough interest among university members so that this appears again on senate and there is a robust conversation about the implications of this,” said West.

Fairbairn did state his role as chair is to follow the lead of senate, noting procedural changes like everything else is always open for discussion.

In general, he felt the work of the senate at the meetings should make up the news stories and not the reports themselves.

“What we strive for is that collegial deliberation. Collegial means people in a room together, listening to each other, hearing from each other, to me that is essential to what it means to be collegial in a university setting,” stated Fairbairn. “The more things are displaced into media, into email, into other media, the less that is desirable for good governance.”

The next senate meeting is scheduled for April 22.