What do these amendments mean? In a nutshell, we voted to adjust the terms of senators-at-large and the executive officers so that those execs who so desire may run for senator-at-large positions. As things stood before the meeting, the officers-elect wouldn't take office until E-term. Now, they'll assume their positions at the third Senate meeting of D-term.
Speaking of officers-elect, congratulations to them: Cathy Connelly (President), Kirsty Reidy (Vice President), Chizzy Uchendu (Secretary), and Greg Snow (Treasurer). Also, congratulations to the new senators-at-large: Jason Mickey (incumbent), Jeremy Olszewski, and John Pieper.
SGA would like to thank those students who voted in this year's election. In total, there were 353 voters, 181 electronically and 172 on paper. While this is less than ten percent of the total undergraduate student enrollment, the number of people voting in SGA elections continues to rise.
Now, on to this week's topic: academic dishonesty.
With fifteen minutes left in your [insert appropriate class here] final, you come across a question involving a calculation which you can't do in your head. Of course, as these things tend to go, you lent your calculator to your roommate and forgot to get it back for this test. What do you do? The person in front of you has one! Unfortunately, just as you lean forward to ask him for it, you notice a cheat sheet taped to the inside of the case. So much for that; you don't want to risk getting caught with it.
Unfortunately, it seems the TI-81 and TI-85 are especially suited for cheating. Not only can one program text and formulas into the memory, but one can also conceal crib sheets inside the case, something I've noticed many times, both in high school and here at WPI.
Is cheating a problem here at WPI? The Committee on Student Advising, chaired by Professor Kent Rissmiller, would like to know just that. The issue has been raised by Janet Begin Richardson, Dean of Student Life and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, and the student members of CSA.
Most colleges and universities have an honor code to discourage students from cheating, but WPI does not. The premise of such a code is that, if every student has to sign his or her name to indicate that he or she is aware of the consequences of cheating, incidents of dishonesty will decrease. The Student Judicial Policies and Procedures Handbook lists the following as acts deemed as academically dishonest:
What do you think? We'd like to hear your opinions and pass them along to the CSA. Cathy Connelly, president-elect of SGA, is currently our representative to the committee, and she would like to hear your opinions via email, swathy@wpi.
If you have any issues which you'd like to see SGA address, email sga@wpi. Next week's article will go over what we are doing about the Maple program here at WPI.