It’s that time of year again, when the snow starts flying and nights at the library become more popular then Open mic nights at the Gorsebrook. You might be starting to feel a lot more stress and anxiety than usual. Don’t worry, there are lots of simple ways to keep your stress level in check and fly smoothly through exam season into the holiday season. It’s already the last week of classes, and final exam dates are fast approaching. Some people may even be doing big final presentations and Lab exams this week on top of preparing for final exams. The first official day for formal exams is December first and most exams are finally wrapped up by December 17th.
Make sure you manage your time well! If you have a bunch of exams in only a few days, start studying well in advance. This will keep you from cramming last minute or not doing as well as you’d like. Get lots of sleep over the next few weeks. Sleep is important for retaining information and not passing out on your favorite Calculus textbook by 8pm. Avoid putting off your studying and then putting in a couple all-nighters instead. While you are studying, eat well, lots of healthy fruits and vegetables, and drink lots (of non-alcoholic beverages). If you normally drink coffee or other caffeine, keep on doing it. If you rarely ever do, don’t start. It won’t help you to chug three energy drinks and power study. Plan out your study schedule in advance, stick to it, and don’t cram!
Make sure you stay on your study schedule. It’s also important to take breaks and find things you like doing to relax yourself. Take a break and get outside, go for a jog (watch the ice!), or get to the gym. If exercise isn’t your thing, try reading something else other than your psychology textbook, or bake your room mates cookies. If you have a routine, it’s probably a good idea to stick to it.
There are definitely some good things to do while you are studying. If it helps you, study in groups or with someone else in your class. If you’re better off studying alone, get to the library early and find a quiet place. Profs are usually available, between all the marking that they have to do, to go over class material or a previous midterm. There are also lots of resources on campus to help you deal with stress and anxiety. Check out Student Services and Counseling services on the fourth floor of the student centre. There is a Chaplaincy office on the first floor of Loyola and a meditation/prayer room on the second floor of Loyola.
Don’t worry, it will all be over soon!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
SMU press release on CRAM
For Immediate Release
October 10, 2008
Students, bookstores found national roundtable to fight costs
Students announced this week the formation of the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM), a nation-wide initiative of campus bookstores and students’ associations from 21 schools across nine provinces. The organization will work to ensure Canadian students have access to affordable and relevant academic materials of the highest quality.
CRAM was formed in response to a growing crisis of rising costs and decreasing quality in Canadian educational materials. The Roundtable brings together, for the first time, campuses from across the country to address this issue. Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association (SMUSA) and the SMU Campus Bookstore are two of the founding members of CRAM.
“The costs of textbooks have been rising steadily over the past few years,” said Adam Harris, Vice President Academic Affair for SMUSA. “These costs, which have risen at a rate well above inflation during the last 10 years, are negatively affecting students. We have not seen an increase in quality or a significant change in the content to warrant such a price increase.”
The decision to form the Roundtable stemmed from discussions held in the winter of 2008 to develop a collective approach to the crisis in academic materials. This original discussion included post-secondary student groups and campus bookstores from across Canada. Momentum to address this issue continues to grow.
“Tuition costs are just one piece of financial burden students face,” said Alex Lougheed, University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society Vice-President Academic and co-spokesperson for CRAM. “Increased costs of academic materials are a major financial burden yet to be addressed.”
CRAM launched their national website Oct. 8, which includes their key principles. “This website will provide a forum for stakeholders to share experiences, solutions, and resources for campus-level efforts,” said Pamela Weatherbee, University of Calgary Vice-President Academic and co-spokesperson for CRAM.
In December 2008 CRAM will meet for a national conference in Toronto. At this conference, CRAM will continue building their organization and discuss critical areas such as faculty choice in textbook selection, alternative delivery methods, and strategies for controlling price inflation. Adam Harris will be representing Saint Mary’s students at this important meeting.
To learn more about CRAM, please visit http://www.theCRAM.ca, or contact Adam Harris directly by phone (902) 496-8710, cell (902) 880-0308 or e-mail vpacademic@smusa.ca
October 10, 2008
Students, bookstores found national roundtable to fight costs
Students announced this week the formation of the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM), a nation-wide initiative of campus bookstores and students’ associations from 21 schools across nine provinces. The organization will work to ensure Canadian students have access to affordable and relevant academic materials of the highest quality.
CRAM was formed in response to a growing crisis of rising costs and decreasing quality in Canadian educational materials. The Roundtable brings together, for the first time, campuses from across the country to address this issue. Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association (SMUSA) and the SMU Campus Bookstore are two of the founding members of CRAM.
“The costs of textbooks have been rising steadily over the past few years,” said Adam Harris, Vice President Academic Affair for SMUSA. “These costs, which have risen at a rate well above inflation during the last 10 years, are negatively affecting students. We have not seen an increase in quality or a significant change in the content to warrant such a price increase.”
The decision to form the Roundtable stemmed from discussions held in the winter of 2008 to develop a collective approach to the crisis in academic materials. This original discussion included post-secondary student groups and campus bookstores from across Canada. Momentum to address this issue continues to grow.
“Tuition costs are just one piece of financial burden students face,” said Alex Lougheed, University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society Vice-President Academic and co-spokesperson for CRAM. “Increased costs of academic materials are a major financial burden yet to be addressed.”
CRAM launched their national website Oct. 8, which includes their key principles. “This website will provide a forum for stakeholders to share experiences, solutions, and resources for campus-level efforts,” said Pamela Weatherbee, University of Calgary Vice-President Academic and co-spokesperson for CRAM.
In December 2008 CRAM will meet for a national conference in Toronto. At this conference, CRAM will continue building their organization and discuss critical areas such as faculty choice in textbook selection, alternative delivery methods, and strategies for controlling price inflation. Adam Harris will be representing Saint Mary’s students at this important meeting.
To learn more about CRAM, please visit http://www.theCRAM.ca, or contact Adam Harris directly by phone (902) 496-8710, cell (902) 880-0308 or e-mail vpacademic@smusa.ca
Monday, November 17, 2008
What Is Academic Integrity Really?
Here is an article from Kim Dares, News Editor at the Journal. This article was originally published November 19th, 2008. Hopefully I cited this article about plagiarism correctly...haha
By Kimberley Dares
So chances are if you have picked up a recent issue of The Journal and bothered to even skim the perspectives page you would have seen something about academic honesty and integrity. Sure it seems like a fairly cut and dry subject, but is it really? Could it be more mysterious than you think? Probably not, but in case you were curious or need a little reminder, prepare to be educated in Academic Integrity 101.
First off, the big scary word: Plagiarism. Every semester Prof’s start class with a lecture on not to do it (at least in Arts classes), or at least point you to the page in the student handbook. Basically what it tells you is to cite everything, and trust your instincts. Don’t copy word for word, there is enough technology available that you will get caught, paraphrasing and/or summarizing is the same as copying if you don’t cite the original work. Other more obvious examples of plagiarism are, buying a term paper online, or from a classmate, or handing in the same assignment to all your Professors. If you are unsure how to properly write citations talk to your Prof, or head to the library or Writing Centre (Burke Building) where there will be lots of resources available to help you out.
Next on the docket: Cheating. Just don’t do it. If you are unsure what cheating is, maybe you should ask the person peering over your shoulder right now. Cheating is defined by the University as “attempting to secure a grade by unethical means”, also if you help your best friend cheat you could go down in flames right along with them. If you pretend to be someone else during an exam, or send someone else to write your exam, you are a cheater. If you slide your exam to the corner of your desk to let someone else get a peek you are a cheater, if you peek you are again, a cheater. Notice a pattern yet? One thing worth noting however, if you and your classmates do an individual assignment as a group (ie. Sharing answers to problems you were supposed to answer individually) the University could find grounds to call you a cheater. Sure group work is encouraged in many classes but if your Prof has specified that an assignment be done individually you should be wary of the consequences for sharing answers.
Another No-No: Falsification. If you lie about an illness, or make up sources for your research paper you could find yourself in hot water. Worse though is the falsification of personal information on admission forms or any other university documentation, including hiding the fact you attended another university before applying to SMU. The old adage “Fake it until you make it” is also a bad idea on your resume, pretending to know French will catch up with you.
The last major offense against Academic Integrity is tampering with university resources. These include library books, computers and programs as well as any official records.
What happens if you are found guilty of academic dishonesty? It depends, on the offense of course. If it is your first offense, if you can prove it was an accident or are genuinely apologetic the penalty will reflect that. The more serious the offense the more serious the penalty, ranging from repeating an assignment, a failing grade, expulsion, loss of scholarships or removal from the Dean’s list.
To ensure your academic integrity is upheld be honest. Don’t lie, don’t copy and don’t cheat. If you can follow these guidelines, the university will have no reason to question you.
For a more serious look at Academic Integrity, consult your handbook.
By Kimberley Dares
So chances are if you have picked up a recent issue of The Journal and bothered to even skim the perspectives page you would have seen something about academic honesty and integrity. Sure it seems like a fairly cut and dry subject, but is it really? Could it be more mysterious than you think? Probably not, but in case you were curious or need a little reminder, prepare to be educated in Academic Integrity 101.
First off, the big scary word: Plagiarism. Every semester Prof’s start class with a lecture on not to do it (at least in Arts classes), or at least point you to the page in the student handbook. Basically what it tells you is to cite everything, and trust your instincts. Don’t copy word for word, there is enough technology available that you will get caught, paraphrasing and/or summarizing is the same as copying if you don’t cite the original work. Other more obvious examples of plagiarism are, buying a term paper online, or from a classmate, or handing in the same assignment to all your Professors. If you are unsure how to properly write citations talk to your Prof, or head to the library or Writing Centre (Burke Building) where there will be lots of resources available to help you out.
Next on the docket: Cheating. Just don’t do it. If you are unsure what cheating is, maybe you should ask the person peering over your shoulder right now. Cheating is defined by the University as “attempting to secure a grade by unethical means”, also if you help your best friend cheat you could go down in flames right along with them. If you pretend to be someone else during an exam, or send someone else to write your exam, you are a cheater. If you slide your exam to the corner of your desk to let someone else get a peek you are a cheater, if you peek you are again, a cheater. Notice a pattern yet? One thing worth noting however, if you and your classmates do an individual assignment as a group (ie. Sharing answers to problems you were supposed to answer individually) the University could find grounds to call you a cheater. Sure group work is encouraged in many classes but if your Prof has specified that an assignment be done individually you should be wary of the consequences for sharing answers.
Another No-No: Falsification. If you lie about an illness, or make up sources for your research paper you could find yourself in hot water. Worse though is the falsification of personal information on admission forms or any other university documentation, including hiding the fact you attended another university before applying to SMU. The old adage “Fake it until you make it” is also a bad idea on your resume, pretending to know French will catch up with you.
The last major offense against Academic Integrity is tampering with university resources. These include library books, computers and programs as well as any official records.
What happens if you are found guilty of academic dishonesty? It depends, on the offense of course. If it is your first offense, if you can prove it was an accident or are genuinely apologetic the penalty will reflect that. The more serious the offense the more serious the penalty, ranging from repeating an assignment, a failing grade, expulsion, loss of scholarships or removal from the Dean’s list.
To ensure your academic integrity is upheld be honest. Don’t lie, don’t copy and don’t cheat. If you can follow these guidelines, the university will have no reason to question you.
For a more serious look at Academic Integrity, consult your handbook.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Don’t get caught with an “F”!
This Friday, November 7th is the last day for withdrawing, without academic penalty, from three (3) credit hour courses (i.e. designated .1), and from six (6) credit hour courses (i.e. designated .0) taught only in the first semester. While I can’t advise you on whether or not you should drop a class, it’s important that all students are aware of this academic regulation. If you feel like you are not doing well enough in the class to get the grade you are aiming for, it might be better for you to withdraw from the course than have a low mark or an “F” on your transcript. You could always make up the lost credit at another time, or retake the class again. A “W” will appear on your transcript instead, and won’t affect your GPA. If withdrawing from a class isn’t an option for you, but you still aren’t doing as well as you like, then check out the SMUSA Online Tutor Database at www.smusa.ca and find someone to give you a bit of extra help.
Also, there was a new academic regulation passed through Senate last May, but it didn’t make it in time to be included in the current edition of the Academic Calendar. It states that “instructors must provide feedback to students regarding their progress in the course prior to the final date by which a student may cancel the course without academic penalty (see regulation 16). Normally for undergraduate courses, this feedback must equal a minimum of 15% of the final grade (Regulation 4d)”. So, you should have 15% of your class mark back before this Friday! This ensures that you can make an educated decision about staying in the class or not, based on a big chunk your current performance in the class so far.
Also, there was a new academic regulation passed through Senate last May, but it didn’t make it in time to be included in the current edition of the Academic Calendar. It states that “instructors must provide feedback to students regarding their progress in the course prior to the final date by which a student may cancel the course without academic penalty (see regulation 16). Normally for undergraduate courses, this feedback must equal a minimum of 15% of the final grade (Regulation 4d)”. So, you should have 15% of your class mark back before this Friday! This ensures that you can make an educated decision about staying in the class or not, based on a big chunk your current performance in the class so far.
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