Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) Mona has agreed to recommend that the University Council consider permitting full time as well as part time students in the Faculties of Humanities and Education, Pure and Applied Sciences and Social Sciences to pay per credit for all courses taken as part of the degree programme. F&GPC, Mona is also recommending that Council review the policy governing the relationship between full or part-time registration and the calculation of fees.

The decision was taken at the regular monthly meeting of the Committee, held on Monday, January 17, 2005 in the Council Room of the Senate Building at Mona.

F&GPC, Mona agreed that a small sub-committee would review the matter and prepare a policy paper for presentation at the F&GPC meeting to be held in March. Members of the sub-committee are the Deputy Principal, the Campus Registrar, the Campus Bursar, the Deans of the four Faculties at Mona, the President of the Guild of Students and the representative of the Mona Association of Postgraduate Students. The sub-committee will examine the University’s policy regarding full or part-time registration and its relationship to the calculation of fees. Following this review, F&GPC, Mona will make its submission to the governing University Council in an effort to resolve difficulties being faced by students at the Mona Campus.

F&GPC, Mona agreed that in the meantime, the existing regulations for part-time registration and the payment of fees would remain in force until the matter is addressed by the University Council.

Strategic Transformation Team
F&GPC, Mona approved the establishment of a Strategic Transformation Team to catalyse the implementation of the recommendations that have emanated from the Task Force which was set up to assess the strategic challenges confronting the Mona Campus and develop a ‘coherent and urgent response to these challenges’.

The terms of reference of the Strategic Transformation Team are as follows:
- Prepare a Plan of Action by May 2005 for work to be undertaken over the two year period June 2005 to July 2007
- Engage in on-going dialogue and continued advocacy with the Campus and University communities, and, where appropriate, external stakeholder and user groups to cement the fullest possible engagement in the transformation process
- Develop a momentum towards the urgent and dynamic implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force
- Prepare policy papers on the implementation of key recommendations
- Engage with leadership of the Campus and its important committees and units, by invitation, to participate in deliberations and decision-making
- Review implementation action plans at all levels of the Campus
- Communicate regularly to the Campus and the University communities on the outcomes of the implementation programme and also provide interim reports to Academic Board and F&GPC, Mona at their regular meetings.

F&GPC, Mona endorsed the membership of the Strategic Transformation Team as follows: Professor Kenneth Hall (Chairman); Professors Frederick Hickling, Ishenkumba Kahwa, Trevor Munroe, Verene Shepherd, Barbara Bailey, Yvette Jackson and Alvin Wint with the Office of Planning and Institutional Research serving as Secretariat to the Unit.

Health Policy
F&GPC, Mona approved the revised policy on HIV/AIDS and agreed that this was the first step in the development of an overall health and wellness policy for the Mona Campus. It was agreed that the Health Centre, in collaboration with the Health Services Committee, would undertake the task of developing the overall health policy.

Student Revolving Loan Scheme administered by the UWI (Mona) and Community Cooperative Credit Union
F&GPC, Mona noted that the demand for loans under the revolving student loan scheme, (which was in the first instance made available to Jamaican undergraduate students with amounts owing for 2003/04) has been slow to date. The Scheme is now opened to the general student population. The loan criteria have been modified and now permit loans of up to J$50,000 where repayment is to be by way of salary deductions.

Parking Lot at Mona Visitors Lodge
F&GPC, Mona approved the proposal for construction of a parking lot for patrons of the Mona Visitors’ Lodge. The parking lot will provide for overflow parking that cannot be currently facilitated by the smaller parking lot at the entrance to the Lodge. This parking lot will accommodate 90 vehicles and will be located behind the Lodge, between the Nursery and the Ruins.