November 18, 2002

Monday, November 18, 2002

Cheating up, plagiarism down
Also coming to the senate meeting
A fast and a feast today, and more
Pixels in the big picture

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

Dramatic meteor showers expected tonight

Cheating up, plagiarism down

A total of 308 student disciplinary cases -- mostly involving cheating -- were handled at UW last year, compared to 186 in the previous year, says a report that's headed for UW's senate tonight.

"Cheating", such as "excessive collaboration" on an assignment or peeking at notes during an exam, accounted for 236 cases in 2001-02, more than twice the total of 117 in 2000-01. Among them was the incident of a student who went to the washroom during a test and "was found with course text and notes", according to the report of the University Committee on Student Appeals.

Faculty of arts guide: "How to Avoid Plagiarism"
University Committee on Student Appeals, case summaries
The student who went to the washroom was suspended from UW studies for a year, becoming one of 21 students receiving suspensions for a term or longer. Nobody was expelled from the university last year (there was one expulsion the previous year).

Besides cheating, categories of offence include plagiarism (54 cases in the past year), misrepresentation (13, many of them involving co-op documents), "unethical behaviour" (3) and "misuse of resources" such as computing accounts (2).

Despite the increase in discipline cases, only a tiny number of UW students are involved, says Jay Thomson, kinesiology professor and chair of the appeals committee. He points out that just 17 of this year's cases involved students who had been involved with the disciplinary system before. And he adds that while 308 students offended, that means more than 20,000 didn't.

"When you look at the large numbers we have, and the pressures we put on our students, I'm just amazed there isn't more of it," says Thomson.

He said there may not actually be more cheating going on -- it may just be that faculty members are taking it more seriously and reporting offences to the associate deans, rather than doing "little side deals" for informal discipline with students who are caught misbehaving.

Also coming to the senate meeting

The UW senate meets at 4:30 this afternoon (Needles Hall room 3001) and likely won't be finished quickly, as the agenda runs more than 130 pages. Besides the report from the University Committee on Student Appeals, here are some of the key items for "discussion", "decision", or "information", or just "tabled" for attention later:

Before the senate meeting, at 3:30, the long-range planning committee will meet in the same room. Its agenda: "role and operation of SLRP . . . future meetings".

The review of graduate studies at UW done earlier this year by Toronto provost (and UW dean-in-waiting) Adel Sedra. (Background.)

The annual report of the University Appointments Review Committee, which notes that 71 proposed faculty hires were screened last year.

The monthly "environmental scan" by president David Johnston.

The report of the provost's task force on female faculty recruitment, as described in the Daily Bulletin over the past few days.

The review of the UW library done in preparation for the hiring of a new University Librarian. (Background.)

Wording changes to Policy 45, about appointment of deans, to make sure that every nominating committee includes both men and women.

Proposed creation of an Integrated Centre for Visualization, Design and Manufacturing, drawing on architecture, mechanical engineering and other departments.

A new version of UW's "response to the challenge" set out in the federal white papers on innovation. (Background.) (The National Summit on Innovation and Learning is taking place in Toronto today and tomorrow -- coverage from the Star.)

Academic calendar dates for 2003-04 -- classes would start September 8 (fall 2003), January 5 (winter 2004) and May 3 (spring 2004).

A bylaw change that would give the undergraduate council, a committee of senate, more authority to approve curriculum changes.

"Reactivation" of the parks option that formerly existed in the department of recreation and leisure studies but was eliminated last year.

In closed session at the end of the meeting, the senate is expected to appoint UW's next chancellor, taking over from industrialist Val O'Donovan, whose term is coming to an end.

A fast and a feast today, and more

While the Muslim Students Association sponsors a "campus-wide fast" today, another religious group is inviting all comers to tuck into a free meal. Today brings the once-a-term "langar" sponsored by the Sikh Students Association.

Math student Parambir Singh Keila writes that the langar "provides a free vegetarian meal to all regardless of colour, religion, caste, or creed. Also, it's an opportunity for the campus community to learn more about Sikhs, Sikhism, and participate in a function that's at the core of Sikh values. Langar, or community kitchen, is an important part of the religious practice of Sikhs. The community kitchen is meant for providing food to all devotees, and visitors. It is a symbol of equality, fraternity and brotherhood. It is here that the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the kings and the beggars, all share the same food sitting together on the same row. The food for Langar Day is prepared by students and families at the local Gurdwara (place of worship for Sikhs)." The event runs at midday today in the multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre.

Meanwhile, as Muslims observe the fasting month of Ramadan, the Muslim Students Association is inviting everyone to take part in a sunrise-to-sunset fast today. The event is a fund-raiser for the House of Friendship hostel in Kitchener, and winds up with an evening meal in the Student Life Centre once the sun goes down. More information and a pledge form for participants can be found on-line.

The computer store hosts a session at noon today (Davis Centre room 1302) about the TravelMate C100 Tablet PC, made by Acer. Tomorrow, same time but in Math and Computer room 2054, a similar session deals with Mac operating system 10.2, also known as Jaguar. There's food, if you have a reservation (e-mail noemia@uwaterloo.ca).

[Three women on panel]
Panelists at the last Women in Engineering event, "Balancing Work and Family", earlier this term.
"A newly former group of UW students and community members working on building relationships with El Salvador", sponsored by the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group, holds a session at 4:30 today in the multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre.

Speaker Geeta Vaidyanathan will address "Fostering Sustainable Livelihoods: Experiences from Rural India" in a session at 5:30 tonight (Davis Centre room 1304), sponsored by Engineers Without Borders.

The Women in Engineering Committee holds a reception tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Davis Centre lounge. Theme for the night: "Breaking the Glass Ceiling".

There will be an information session about UW's planned new Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program tomorrow at 4:30 in Davis Centre room 1302. MBET is described as "a unique program designed for students who wish to develop their business skills while enhancing their technological advantage".

Pixels in the big picture

As reported in Imprint on Friday, there's a good chance a 24/7 Tim Horton's outlet will open somewhere on campus next year. I asked Mark Murdoch, director of food services, to comment directly: "We are in the process of negotiating a new contract with Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's now requires the University to operate a full service store with our own bakery. This would add soup, sandwiches and the full bagel program to our current menu offerings. . . . We are very excited about the opportunity to move towards a full service program. It is our intention to operate a new Tim Horton's on a 24/7 basis. This service offering is in keeping with University's goal to offer more late night programming for the campus. The arrival of the double cohort next year, with younger first year students, is putting some extra pressure on this issue." Location of the 24-hour Tim's isn't absolutely settled, but the Student Life Centre is the one building on campus that's officially open (and staffed) around the clock.

Health services offered flu shots at a clinic in the Student Life Centre most of last week. That arrangement is at an end, but it's not too late to get your shot: "We still have vaccine for anyone who missed the clinic," writes supervisor Ruth Kropf. "They are welcome to come to Health Services."

UW's "Black" team has officially qualified for the World Finals of the ACM international intercollegiate programming contest in March. The team participated in the East Central North America regional competition last weekend and placed third. "Based on their performance, Waterloo Black has advanced to the World Finals of the ACM," said computer science professor Gordon Cormack, coach of the team. "Sixty-four teams advance to the World Finals, selected from more than 3,000 who participate in 30 regional competitions throughout the world." Members of the "Black" team are Gordon Chiu (undergraduate, electrical and computer engineering), Denis Dmitriev (undergraduate, computer science), and Lars Hellsten (graduate, computer science).

Detailed plans for the expansion of the Student Life Centre should be on display in the building's great hall starting today, says Brenda (Slomka) Koprowski, president of the Federation of Students. The display also includes plans for new construction at the Columbia Icefield. The two projects, to be funded by a special student fee, are about to go ahead: "There will be work done and fencing put up probably within the next two weeks," says Koprowski.

Money's still trickling in to the successful United Way campaign on campus. As of Friday, the total was at $152,620, including gifts and pledges from 466 staff and 111 retirees. Tricia Corrin in the United Way office says the employee givings work out to a 13.8 per cent participation rate (that is, 466 out of 3,372 possible donors).

Adel Sedra, soon to become UW's dean of engineering, has another line to add to his resumé. He was the recipient Friday night of the Engineering Medal for Excellence, presented by Professional Engineers Ontario. Sedra, currently an electrical engineering professor (and former provost) at the University of Toronto, "has achieved world renown as a microelectronics engineering researcher, educator, and gifted executive", the PEO said.

The UW staff association "is seeking a volunteer to fill the position of Director with the Staff Association Executive Committee", a memo said last week. "This appointment is a maternity leave replacement effective immediately, and lasts until November 2003." Interested? Barb Yantha in the staff association office (staffasc@admmail) would like to hear from you.

And here's another memo: "Renison College has a new residence wing with 34 single suites with interconnected bathrooms available beginning January 6, 2003. Accommodations are available for graduate students and visiting faculty." More information is available on the Renison web site.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
November 18, 1965: Jack Brown is appointed to the new position of secretary of the board of governors; Bruce Gellatly gets the new title of "comptroller".