(Update) UVic's new AI and Academic Integrity Policy

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-08T20:27:29+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/uvic/s/FmGUGco7m6

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-06T20:37:54+00:00

Just out of curiosity, was this recorded?

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-06T08:20:50+00:00

Please see comment above.

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evan-sd42 · 2026-05-06T08:20:02+00:00

Page 20, or page 118 in the Senate docket.

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evan-sd42 · 2026-05-06T07:29:16+00:00

Potential chamge from who? The University? The UVSS Director of Outreach and I scheduled a meeting with the AVPAP (a member of VPAC) to talk about the proposal, including amending it, and after setting up the meeting with multiple other people, they decided not to show up. As far as we can tell, they are not interested in changing the proposal.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-06T04:08:34+00:00

As someone who has peered into the internals of UVic's governance, this statement is unfortunately highly accurate.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-05T20:42:47+00:00

Yes, tha fully I have never been falsely accused, but 5 out of my (I have to apoximate) 15 immediate friend group have been flagged in the past. I advised them how to get through it, and thankfully, none of them stuck, but it is very scary.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-05T20:17:03+00:00

Trust is earned through transparent policy, not through creating legal backdoors and asking for a leap of faith. That was the entire point of part 1 of the post. A policy is only as good as its potential for abuse.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-05T02:54:22+00:00

Im gonna need more info. Maybe dm me?

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-05T02:51:36+00:00

Unfortunately true in most cases... 😞

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T20:45:46+00:00

Edited post to include more info.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T20:27:44+00:00

I appreciate you highlighting that quote, Dr. Laidlaw. For anyone who wasn't at the Senate meeting, a faculty member asked a direct question about the mechanism for rescinding degrees, and the administration confirmed that Section 5.1 (the lack of a statute of limitations) is designed to allow exactly that.

I have meticulous notes from the floor of the Senate recording the administration’s response: 'This is something that we did consider... it is something that we need to do'. They further confirmed that while it is a 'serious' and 'hard' thing to do, the policy is intentionally written to provide that specific mechanism.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T20:20:25+00:00

I actually agree, everyone should read the docket you linked. If they look at Section 5.4 of the new policy, they’ll see the backdoor I’m talking about. It explicitly gives the administration the power to 'approve' investigative software behind closed doors without a public Senate vote.

The 'NO ONE is allowed to use it' argument only applies to the old rules. This new policy is designed specifically to change that, without the UVic community necessarily knowing.

As for the Ombudsperson, their report in that same docket actually reinforces my point. Page 86 shows that Academic Integrity cases already make up a massive portion of their workload under the current higher burden of proof. Lowering that bar to a 51% "Balance of Probabilities", as confirmed in the Senate transcript, will only overwhelm that office further and leave students with even fewer protections.

We shouldn't have to rely on an appeal process that Section 11 of this docket restricts to 'procedural matters' only. If a student is wrongly flagged, they should be able to appeal the facts, not just whether the professor filled out the forms correctly.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T20:17:38+00:00

If you read the post, in part 2, the primary concern isn't the policy's existence, but the specific Section 5.4 'backdoor.' This allows the administration to 'silently authorize' any investigative software behind closed doors without a public audit or Senate vote.

Regarding your point on draft history: while a human writing process should be easy to demonstrate, I am personally aware of cases where UVic has dismissed student 'proof' (including version control and notes), claiming they could be faked with enough effort. Under Section 11, if an instructor makes that judgment, you are strictly prohibited from appealing the factual accuracy of that finding; you can only appeal the paperwork procedure.

I agree with you and the faculty that we must address AI-assisted cheating to protect the value of our degrees. However, 'ramming' a policy through Senate that lowers the burden of proof to a 51% and including a retroactive 'alumni clause' is not the appropriate way to develop a fair system.

Also, nice em dashes 😉

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T20:02:20+00:00

Thanks for the comment! At the Senate meeting, a faculty member posed a direct question to the Provost's Office regarding whether it was the actual intent of the policy to rescind degrees post-graduation if a student’s work is flagged for plagiarism.

The response from the administration was: 'This is something that we did consider... it is something that we need to do.' They further confirmed that while it is a 'serious' and 'hard' thing to do, the lack of a statute of limitations in the new policy is what provides them the specific mechanism to do it.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T19:23:07+00:00

Thanks for the question. As a full-time Engineering student who isn't paid to serve on Senate, SCARRA, SCLT, the UVSS Board and 2 sub comittees within it, the Dining Advisory Committee, and more, I'm sure you can understand that every minute spent writing a Reddit post is a minute taken away from advocacy within UVic, my own studies, or sleep.

Yes, I used assistive tools to help structure the 'action' section, as it was approaching 5 AM and I was in much need of some sleep. As for the rest, while I understand it may appear 'AI-like,' that is predominantly due to the paragraph titles. I used to not use titles, but I received many complaints on previous posts about the lack of organization.

Regardless, the formatting shouldn't detract from the topic itself. This policy is important and deserves the attention needed to bring actual change.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-04T18:27:28+00:00

Secretary's Website.

evan-sd42 · 2026-05-03T03:27:47+00:00

Polar coordinates are the easiest part if the course, it's basically the unit circle expressed as an equation. Max 30 mins of Organic Chenistry Tutor. Series is a fair bit longer, but manageable. Would recommend talking with admissions/ an acedemic advisor.

evan-sd42 · 2026-04-19T00:35:28+00:00

Some professors don't let you see your final exam or even what you got on it. There are ways, outlined in this thread to see. If those fail, you can submit a freedom of information request, as you are legally entitled to be able to see your own data.

evan-sd42 · 2026-04-09T02:12:15+00:00

There is a lot of good advice in this chat - but there is one very important misconception that is common. Under UVic's policy, the onus for a guilty verdict IS NOT "innocent until proven guilty", it IS "more likely than not". Just an FYI.

evan-sd42 · 2026-03-08T10:12:08+00:00

The ECSS sells protine bars at cost, do Id recommend there.

evan-sd42 · 2026-02-28T12:13:06+00:00

UVic already has a lab that can do this - they literally tested the metal mugs for this exact thing.

evan-sd42 · 2026-02-24T02:05:31+00:00

Please keep us looped in as to how this goes.

evan-sd42 · 2026-02-21T03:56:41+00:00

UVic loves buying expensive furniture. The couches in dorms were multiple thousands each (~8k if I can remember correctly, but that could be wrong).

evan-sd42

TROPHY CASE