MAPS History

June 27, 1977: Changes to part-time degree studies prompts McMaster Students Union (MSU) Ombudsman/Researcher John Bartkiewicz to send an open letter to part-time students. He calls for establishment of a steering committee to develop an independent organization to represent the interests of McMaster's part-time students.

 

September 1977: A steering committee is established.

 

October 1977: The Silhouette reports that a referendum among part-time students [held October 3-6] resulted in unanimous support for part-time students forming their own student organization.

 

November 1977: The University sponsors mailing a letter and questionnaire from the steering committee to part-time students. A response rate of 5.8% is received. Of those 88% were in favour of the formation of a part-time students association and 83% enclosed a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of the steering committee.

 

February 1978: The steering committee submits a brief on part-time students to the President's Ad Hoc Committee on Student Services.

 

June 2-4, 1978: Steering committee representatives attend the 1978 annual conference of the Canadian Association of Part-Time University Students (COPUS) in Winnipeg.

 

June 14, 1978: Dr. Martin Johns, coordinator of part-time degree studies, writes to University president Dr. A.N. Bourns to share the conclusions of he and other COPUS conference delegates. He recommends that the president encourage the steering committee in its work.

June 21, 1978: The Steering Committee sends a formal proposal for the establishment of MAPS to President Bourns and requests start-up funding from the University.

 

1978-79: Maxine Hartley Bartie is hired by the University, and a central office is established in Gilmour Hall, to assist the steering committee with its work.

 

October 1978: The first issue of The Link is published.

 

January 26, 1979: The Steering Committee writes to President Bourns to provide an update on its progress and attaches a draft constitution and budget for MAPS.

 

February 13, 1979: The MSU's legislative body, the Student Representative Assembly, votes to support formation of an association for all part-time students at McMaster. (78M, page 9)

 

March 1979: A referendum among 4,631 part-time degree, certificate and MBA students approves the formation of a self-supporting association. Support for formation of an association and implementation of a $0.75 per academic unit fee is 85% and 80%, respectively.

 

April 6, 1979: MAPS president Helen Flaxman writes to Manny Zack, assistant President Bourns, and requests that the University formally recognize MAPS and agree to collect student fees on behalf of the new organization.

 

April 15, 1979: MSU president Roger Trull writes to the McMaster University Board of Governors to offer a "letter of support" for the formation of a part-time students organization at McMaster. He sets out a number of conditions set by the SRA.

 

April 20, 1979: MSU president Roger Trull writes to the Steering Committee to advise that on April 17, the SRA amended the conditions it set for MSU support of establishing a part-time students organization to require that the MSU continue to receive fees from part-time students enrolled in "day" courses.

 

Spring 1979: With the support of Stuart Winn '81, the president of the McMaster Alumni Association, a MAA-sponsored reception for part-time students is held in the Great Hall of the Alumni Memorial Building. The reception is the founding general meeting of MAPS and includes the election of the first MAPS Council. MAPS moves into its first permanent office, KTH 102.

 

May 8, 1979: The McMaster University Board of Governors formally recognizes MAPS and agrees that the University will collect, on MAPS' behalf, a per unit MAPS membership fee.

 

August 17, 1979: MAPS and the MSU enter into a memorandum of agreement relating student association membership for part-time students. Students registered in 1-17 units of degree studies in an academic session, exclusively in night courses, will be members of MAPS. Students registered in 1-17 units of degree studies, at least one course of which is taken in the day, are members of the MSU. All certificate students are members of MAPS. An option exists for degree students to transfer their membership from one organization to the other.

 

September 1979: The newly implemented membership fee collected by the University funds Maxine's continued employment, now by MAPS itself, as a staff person to assist part-time students.

 

1980: MAPS completes its first 5-year course availability study.

 

January 1980: MAPS inaugurates "Wine & Cheese Nights" as student-instructor mixers.

 

October 1981: University president Alvin Lee accepts a recommendation from Dean of Social Sciences Peter George that the University provide one-time bridge financing for the purpose of hiring a part-time secretary for MAPS and expanding the publication of The Link.

 

January 1982: MAPS office hours are extended from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Monday to Thursday) and 10-2 on Friday. Previously, the office opened at noon.

 

January 1982: Senate votes to remove student representation, including a designated part-time student seat, from the Board-Senate Committee on Long-Range Planning. Re-styled the Board-Senate Committee on Academic Planning, only faculty and administrators are included. MAPS joins the MSU, the Union of Graduate Students, and the Alumni Association in opposing the change.

 

February 1982: MAPS treasurer John Simmons is one of seven candidates for the undergraduate seat on the University’s board of governors.

 

October 1982: MAPS' council considers and rejects legal incorporation.

 

November 1982: MAPS submits a brief to the University's Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Timetable in response to a request for comment and advice on the new slot timetabling system introduced in 1982-83.

 

July 1983: Judy Worsley ’79 succeeds Maxine Hartley as MAPS’ executive assistant.

 

February 1984: MAPS unveils its new logo. Designed by MAPS council member Bert Gaskell, three joined chevrons symbolize the integration of three major components of a part-time student's life: home, work, and education.

 

1984: MAPS establishes the Martin W. Johns Award, named in honour of the former director of part-time studies who helped found MAPS. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the interests of part-time students. Dr. Johns is the first recipient.

 

October 1984: MAPS makes a formal submission to the Bovey Commission (Ontario Royal Commission on the Future Development of Universities in Ontario).

 

Spring 1985: The full-time position of executive assistant is re-styled executive director.

 

May 1985: With MAPS-MSU negotiations at an impasse, the University asks each organization to submit a brief on membership/fee issues, to be evaluated by the Registrar for consistency of definition, ease of implementation, and financial impact. MAPS and the MSU submit their briefs on May 30 and July 30, respectively.

 

August 21, 1985: The University responds with its analysis of the proposals submitted by MAPS and the MSU.

 

November 1985: The first annual MAPS Awards Dinner honours the achievements of part-time students and the people who support them in their studies.

 

February 14, 1986: A new memorandum of agreement concerning membership and fee assessments is signed by MAPS and the MSU, replacing the agreement signed in August 1979. Effective May 1986, all degree students registered in fewer than 18 units in an academic session will be members of MAPS (previously only evening students).

 

March 1986: MAPS makes a presentation to the Council of Ontario Universities Presidents Tour hearing on universities.

 

August 26, 1986: The MAPS Council establishes the Centennial Awards to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the University’s charter (1887). The annual awards are to be presented to individuals who have overcome significant obstacles to pursue their studies or who contribute to the community outside the classroom.

 

Fall 1986: With the help of a federal government SEED grant, MAPS publishes its first annual handbook. The book is edited by Mark Walma '87 (sports editor of The Silhouette in 1985-86, to return to McMaster in 2004 as director of Human Rights & Equity Services).

 

October 1986: Full-time staff in the MAPS Office is expanded to two positions.

 

October 15, 1986: MAPS' Council votes to endorse the university centre project in principle and participate in a campus-wide capital funding referendum, subject to appropriate representation for MAPS on planning committee(s).

 

November 1986: The first Centennial Award is presented at MAPS’ Awards Dinner.

 

January 1987: In a referendum, MAPS members approve an increase in membership fees of 10 cents per unit and 50 cents per certificate course to fund membership in COPUS. (Referendum result: 154-7)

 

1987: MAPS holds its first annual retreat to make long-term plans.

 

June 19-21, 1987: More than 60 representatives of part-time student associations from across Canada come to McMaster as MAPS hosts the annual COPUS conference. MAPS board member Andrée Roy-Miles is elected COPUS vice-president (external) for 1987-88.

 

August 16, 1987: The MSU’s Student Representative Assembly grants ex-officio (non-voting) status to MAPS and the GSA. The status is restyled Observer in 2004.

 

Fall 1987: MAPS publishes its first course-availability study, confirming anecdotal evidence of a declining number and variety of courses available in evening sections to part-time students. Copies are provided to the University's senior administration and deans of the Faculties.

 

February 1988: A new academic session from February to July is introduced, primarily to meet the needs of part-time students. The number of summer day courses offered is reduced.

 

1988: Class representative system introduced and the first annual summer barbeque is held.

 

October 1988: In a referendum, MAPS members approve a five-year fee levy of $2.50, per six unit course, to establish a bursary endowment and support expansion of Mills Memorial Library. A total of $250,000 is ultimately contributed by MAPS to support these components of the University's $90 million Centennial Campaign (1987-90). The fee is levied from September 1989 to August 1994. The gift is allocated $100,000 to endow bursaries and $150,000 for the expansion of Mills; two rooms in the library are named for MAPS in recognition of the gift.

 

1988-89: MAPS council members Catharina Jager '89 and Mo Shepherd '86 are elected as President and Ontario Coordinator, respectively, of COPUS.

 

1989: MAPS commissions a marketing research study on part-time students completed and presents the results to the University administration.

 

May 1990-January 1991: Bruce Misch '89 is acting executive director during Judy Worsley's maternity leave.

 

July 1990: MAPS' treasurer recommends to the board that MAPS' membership fee be reviewed on an annual basis.

 

August 1990: MAPS receives representation on the newly established University Centre Planning Committee (UCPC). The Committee tenders an interim report in September 1991 and a final report in October 1996.

 

1990: A reunion dinner for current and former MAPS board members is held to mark the 10^th anniversary of MAPS' establishment.

 

January 16, 1991: The MAPS board approves a $0.25 per unit increase in membership fees, effective September 1991. The board also decides to pursue relocation in the proposed new student centre, rather than space with part-time degree studies and CCE, to be located in Togo Salmon Hall.

 

1991: Part-time students gain full access to the Ombuds Office when MAPS becomes a funding partner, with the MSU, in the operation. MAPS' participation in the funding arrangement ceases in 1997, however, when a reorganized office is established and jointly funded by the MSU and the University, all members of the campus community gain access to the Ombuds service.

 

1991: The first MAPS Bursaries are awarded from MAPS' contribution to a bursary endowment under the University's Centennial Campaign.

 

July 1991: Judy Worsley resigns as MAPS executive director effective July 25. She is succeeded by Bruce Misch on August 6.

 

September 1991: The University implements a 1% "collection levy" on student fees collected on behalf of student organizations. Provision is made to exempt fees for donations to McMaster University (eg. fund raising campaigns, shared cost initiatives).

 

October 24, 1991: MAPS president Sharon Bell and MSU president Dylan Jones make a joint presentation to the McMaster University Board of Governors concerning the need for a student centre.

 

February 1992: 88% of respondents in a mail-in ballot referendum vote to withdraw MAPS from membership in the Canadian Organization of Part-Time Students (COPUS).

 

Spring 1992: MAPS executive member Antoinette DiRe-Somo '98 is treasurer of COPUS until MAPS' official withdrawal from the organization in June.

 

September 1992: MAPS protests the imposition of a mandatory $3.84 per unit Student Athletic Fee payable by part-time students that was implemented by the University without consultation with MAPS. The University apologizes for not consulting, but refuses to repeal the fee. Part-time students overwhelmingly oppose paying for facilities most of them do not use.

 

Fall 1992: MAPS receives representation on the President's Committee on Athletics & Recreation.

 

September 1993: The Student Athletic Fee increases to $4.17 per unit.

 

January 1994: The Link reports that the Provost's Advisory Group to Initiate Change (PAGIC) has directed the University's student affairs departments to develop budget scenarios that would reduce University budget support to non-instructional student services by a third or two-thirds. Increased student fees are cited as the likely response to University budget cuts. An editorial in The Link states "all students must ensure that there is no taxation without representation" as it calls for accountability to students in design and delivery of these services.

 

March 1994: Certificates of appreciation for service are presented to retiring board members.

 

March 31, 1994: COPUS is formally dissolved.

 

July 1994: The MAPS board considers and rejects legal incorporation for the second time.

 

July 1994: The Government of Ontario institutes a policy requiring consent of senior order student governments to increases [new or increases on existing] supplementary fees.

 

November 15, 1994: The MAPS board agrees to placement of a notice about the Legacy Campaign (financial gifts to the University by graduating students) in the January 1995 issue of The Link provided it is clear this is a University-sponsored initiative.

 

January 19, 1995: MAPS agrees to "top up" its contribution to The Centennial Campaign from its retained earnings. The five-year fee levy had come $23,765.99 short of its goal of $250,000.

 

March 1995: MAPS seeks to have a glassed-in bulletin board installed outside its office.

 

April 10, 1995: Sheila Smith '90 succeeds Bruce Misch as MAPS' executive director.

 

November 10, 1995: MAPS president Antoinette Somo participates in the convocation ceremony that formally installs Dr. Peter George as McMaster's 6^th president. It is the first time MAPS has been invited to participate in a presidential installation.

 

January 17, 1996: Roger Trull '79 (executive director, university advancement) and John Mavrak '87 (director of the University Centre Campaign, January 1995 - June 1996) make a presentation to the board seeking MAPS' participation in the capital fund raising drive.

 

February 1996: In a referendum, MAPS members reject a proposal for a new fee to underwrite a Accident and Prescription Drug Insurance and Eyewear Coverage Plan. The plan, from which individual MAPS members would have been able to opt-out, would have involved an annual fee of $40.44 plus applicable taxes (allowing for increases of up to 10 percent per year). Part-time degree students oppose the proposal 2:1, while certificate students vote opposed 3:1.

 

March 13, 1996: The MAPS board approves establishment of the MAPS Gold Medal, to be awarded to the part-time student with the highest Cumulative Area Average on graduation. The first presentation is made at Convocation in June 1998.

 

May 15, 1996: University president Peter George, Roger Trull '79 and John Mavrak '87 make a presentation to the board seeking MAPS' participation in the capital fund raising drive.

 

June 18, 1996: The MAPS board calls a university centre capital fee referendum and endorses the Yes Side.

 

August 1996: MAPS hosts a one-day conference, at McMaster, for part-time student associations in Ontario to consider forming a provincial organization for part-time students.

 

November 6, 1996: MAPS (together with the Graduate Students Association and MSU) is granted formal Observer status at Senate.

 

December 1996: In a referendum, MAPS members approve a five-year levy ($2 per academic unit, $6 and $12 for certificate courses) to support capital costs of a University Centre at McMaster. The vote was 362 to 288 (55.7%) with 22.9% of the 2,840 eligible voters casting ballots. Up to $500,000 will be contributed under the levy, which will be in effect from September 1997 to August 2002.

 

1996: The University accepts MAPS' proposal for a three-year Work Study Program pilot project. The program is underutilized during the pilot period; however, the University's Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office continued to offer the program. There are about 2 MAPS students per year that are successful securing part-time work.

 

1997-99: MAPS is represented by Sheila Smith and David Moore '00 on the University Centre Steering Committee, the Site Study D Group, and the Working Group on Governance.

 

April 1997: MAPS (together with the GSA and MSU) is granted formal Observer status at the Board of Governors.

 

October 1997: The McMaster Association of Part-Time Students Incorporated is established as a non-share capital corporation established under the Ontario Corporations Act.

 

June 1998: The first annual MAPS Gold Medal is presented at Spring Convocation.

 

August 1998: The first annual "Are You Ready for University" seminar.

 

Fall 1998: MAPS begins sending a representative to regularly attend meetings of the MSU's Student Representative Assembly. MAPS was accorded non-voting ex-officio speaking rights on the Assembly in 1988.

 

September 1998: MAPS membership fees increase from $3.75 to $4 per academic unit. It is the first increase since 1991.

 

February 1999: MAPS makes a $50,000 contribution to the McMaster Student Opportunity Trust Campaign, endowing a bursary fund in hour of the Association's 20^th anniversary in 1999. The provincial government provides a matching $50,000 to the endowment.

 

February 1999: MAPS is a founding partner signatory to the University Centre governance agreements. Through these agreements with the MSU and the University, MAPS receives representation on the University Centre User Committee (to advise the architects) and the University Centre Board of Management (the board of directors of the separate corporation established to manage the Centre).

 

July 1999: MAPS undertakes associate membership of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA).

 

September 1999: Sheila Smith advises the MAPS board of directors that she will retire as executive director at the end of the calendar year.

 

November 1999: Past members of the MAPS board are invited to an expanded version of the annual awards dinner marking MAPS' 20^th anniversary. The event is held at the Scottish Rite in downtown Hamilton and includes screening of a video commissioned to mark the anniversary.

 

January 2000: Jackie Osterman '80 succeeds Sheila Smith as MAPS' executive director; however, Smith continues as MAPS' appointee on the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) Board of Management.

March 2000: MAPS executive director Jackie Osterman is among the speakers at the official ground breaking ceremony for McMaster's new $35 million University Centre.

 

April 2000: A mail-in ballot referendum among MAPS members approves, by a 4 to 1 margin, a proposed Administrative Services Fee. The compulsory fee ($0.87 per unit in the first year) replaces user fee charges (for life) for deferred exams, letters of permission, transcripts, notarizing fees, tuition receipt replacement, fee certification, and Registrar's certification.

 

September 17, 2000: The SRA grants MAPS a representative on the SRA’s Ad Hoc Committee on University Centre Naming. One of the three options recommended by the Committee, “McMaster University Student Centre,” is later endorsed by the MAPS board and subsequently approved by the MSU’s Student Representative Assembly (November) and the McMaster University Board of Governors (December).

 

January 17, 2001: On the recommendation of an ad hoc board sub-committee, amendments to MAPS' corporate bylaw (adopted in 1998) are approved by the board. The changes are ratified at the annual general meeting in February 2001.

1979-1981	Helen (Flaxman) Barton
1981-1983	Harry L.D. Stearns
1983-1985	JoAnne M.C. Krakauskas
1985-1987	Sandra L. Edrupt
1987-1989	Maureen H.M. Shepherd
1989-1990	Andre Roy
1990-1992	Sharon E. Bell
1992-1994	Chris Erskine
1994-1996	Antoinette Somo
1996-1998	Glyn S. Wide
1998-2000	Joanne de Bruin
2000-2001	David M. Moore
2001-2002	Glyn S. Wide
2002-2004	Walter C. Pohl
2004-2006	Carole L. Armstrong
2006-2007	David M. Moore
2007-2008	Anna Marinelli
2008-2009	Allan G. Wong
2009-2011	Elaine Marion
2011-2013	Jeanette Hunter