The new Policy has been a while in the making. Back in May last year, Academic Senate approved an Academic Integrity Values Statement, developed by a student-led working party. The statement frames academic integrity at Macquarie in terms of active engagement with five interconnected values:

• Honesty
• Respect
• Trust
• Responsibility
• Support

Following this, a Working Group was established to embed these values into a new policy. Students had significant input, including through a Student Advisory Group comprising undergraduates, postgraduates, international students, student mentors, and MUIC representatives, all contributing their thoughts.

The resulting policy is designed to underpin and safeguard academic integrity by articulating Macquarie’s shared values and principles, and by providing students and staff with information regarding the application of those values and principles.

The HDR representative on the Student Advisory Group, Louise Kaktins, said that the new Academic Integrity Policy will help students. “Being honest in academic work is so important, and all students should be concerned about this. If your peers are not doing the right thing, it affects everybody,” she said.

How does this impact you?

As a student of the University, you are expected to live and promote a culture of academic integrity – because academic integrity is everybody’s business!

To help you understand and uphold academic integrity, you should complete the Academic Integrity Module on iLearn. It covers:

• what ‘academic integrity’ is and why it’s important
• acceptable and unacceptable academic behaviours at university
• what plagiarism is and key strategies to avoid it
• your responsibilities in relation to academic integrity and your rights under the Macquarie University Academic Integrity Policy.

Photo Credit: Iain Brew

But did you know that any member of the University community, including students, can provide input to the meetings or observe them if they wish?

The next Academic Senate meeting will be held at 9.30am on Tuesday 10 April in the Senate Room, 16 Wally’s Walk. If you would like to observe this meeting, please contact the University Secretary at senate@mq.edu.au.

To find out more, or find out how to catch up on what happened at the last meeting, go to the Academic Senate’s webpage.

For the Term of Office 1 June 2018 – 31 May 2020

Notice is given under the Macquarie University By-Law 2005, Schedule 1 and Academic Senate Rules 7(4)(a-d) for the election by students of the University of:

• one student member from each of the Faculties of Arts, Business and Economics, Human Sciences, and Science and Engineering enrolled in an undergraduate program;
• one student member from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
• two student members enrolled in a postgraduate coursework program; and
• one student member enrolled in a postgraduate Higher Degree Research program

Each nomination must be submitted on the prescribed form available on the Election forms and FAQs page.

The nomination form must be signed by two students eligible to vote in the election, one as proposer and one as seconder. The nomination form must be endorsed with, or accompanied by, the written consent of the nominated candidate.

Each undergraduate nomination for Academic Senate should indicate the Faculty in which the candidate is to stand for election. A candidate may not be nominated for more than one Faculty. For postgraduate nominations (coursework and Higher Degree Research), candidates may be enrolled in any Faculty.

Candidates may submit with their nomination a statement not exceeding 150 words relating to their candidacy and a passport-size photograph for circulation to voters.

Gail White
Executive Director, Student Engagement and Registrar
Returning Officer

All nominations, statements and photographs must be submitted to the Returning Officer: election@mq.edu.au by Friday 6 April at 3.00pm.

Among the Senate members are a very special group of students who are elected by their fellow Macquarie students to represent them in Senate decisions.  We caught up with Simon Populin, who’s coming to the end of his second term as a student member, to learn more about his mysterious Senate powers.

So, being a member of Academic Senate sounds pretty intense. What does it actually involve?
Well, the main requirement is attending Senate meetings, which happen seven times a year.

As a member, you can also sit on the various Senate committees and working groups. This is where your real influence is, and it’s definitely worth being on them. I’m on the Disciplinary Committee, which considers real cases of alleged student misconduct, and I also sat on the committee that developed the University’s new assessment policy. It was great to be able to bring the student view to the committee’s discussions, so that they could understand how each of the proposed changes would impact students.

What’s the time commitment for a student Senate member?
I usually take an hour or two to prepare for Senate meetings – going over the agenda and reading any discussion material that is particularly relevant. The bigger time commitment is with the committees – the assessment policy committee involved two full days of drafting work followed by multiple meetings in the months following.

Like any commitment, you’ve just got be good at managing your time. But you do have control of how much you want to get involved.

What are the Senate meetings like? Is there a lot of disagreement? I think a lot of people imagine the Senate to be quite adversarial. There’s occasional disagreements for sure, but overall it’s incredibly collegial and there are some really interesting discussions that happen there.  I was particularly impressed by how Kevin Jameson [Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)] led a discussion about the Academic Senate response to the plebiscite on same-sex marriage. Despite the range of views, it was incredibly respectful and civil.

I think students would also be surprised at how open the Senate – and the University’s leadership team is in general – is to hearing the student view. We’re not just there for lip service. They’re also increasingly finding ways to consult students as part of their processes, through things like student focus groups, which is great.

What have you gained from being a member of Senate?
Senate meetings give you a great insight into how a boardroom works. You learn how to make a good case, or present an argument, in a room full of influential people. You become more comfortable in that kind of environment.

It’s also been good to get a better understanding of how the University works, and to know who’s who in the University Executive. When you see a problem or issue, you’re able to bring it to the attention of the right people.

What advice would you give to students who are considering nominating themselves for Senate?
You’ve got to be in it for the right reasons. Like all student representative positions, it should be approached as an act of service to your fellow students, although you can get a lot out of it personally as well.

Some students might be intimidated by the Senate election process, but they needn’t be. I’d encourage people to go for it and just put their name in the hat. At the end of the day, students have limited control when it comes to how our University is run. We should do what we can to influence things and drive positive change, and making sure we’ve got good student representation on the Senate is one of the ways we can do that.

Nominations open this Wednesday 21 March for student representatives to the Academic Senate. See the official notice for information on how to nominate.

Then, in May, all Macquarie students will be invited to elect student representatives to the Senate, via a personalised voting link that will be sent to your student email.

An email with personalised voting links was emailed to all students eligible to vote last week – voting will be open for positions on the Faculty Boards of Arts, Business and Economics, Human Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences and for one position on Academic Senate.

As only two nominations were received for the two available positions on the Faculty Board of Science and Engineering, the following students have been declared elected:

• Alexander Jarominek
• Paul Hossack

If you would like to vote but can’t locate the email, check your junk mail and/or spam folder. You should not forward this voting link to anyone as you only have one chance to vote, and the link is personalised. If you have any questions contact the election team: election@mq.edu.au.

Voting to elect students to Faculty Boards and to Academic Senate is open until Wednesday, 8 November 2017.

Find out more about the elections on the website. Good luck to all nominees!

Academic Senate is the principal academic governing body of the University. For additional information regarding recent decisions, visit the ‘Activities of Academic Senate‘ webpage. To register to observe the meeting, email senate@mq.edu.au.

Below, our University Council nominees introduce themselves, but you can also catch the SRC nominees online on the website. And, most importantly, don’t forget to vote! SRC elections close on Friday 12 May, and University Council and Academic Senate elections close Friday 19 May. For more info on how to vote, click here.

Alistair

I’m Alistair! Chances are we’ve already met – either at an SRC event, a flashmob, or because I’ve yelled at you through a megaphone at Hub Hour. However, behind the hi-vis and average dance moves, is a zealous commitment to this great university. Through my involvement with the SRC, Campus Engagement, and student groups over the last six years, I’ve come to learn what it means to be a Macquarie student, and how our interests can be best represented. The student experience is shaped by University Council. As a Councillor, I will advocate for improved student wellbeing, equity and support services, be a representative for your perspective on issues such as HECS, SSAF, the redevelopment of the Campus Hub and RE:Conception, and get answers to ongoing issues such as parking. A loud and experienced voice is what you need on University Council – that’s why I’m taking the megaphone with me!

Masoud

As a student representative, I will seek to restore autonomy and accountability to the student representative bodies at Macquarie University, and I hope to bring about meaningful change and more facilities through consultation and negotiation with the university administration to diversify and enrich the student experience, including but not limited to entertainments, arts and live music. I am passionate about students’ participation in university decision-makings. For me, this is an excellent opportunity to be a part of a team that is involved not only in the current students’ life but also the bigger picture of providing a greater opportunity to push your concerns even further and make sure your voice is heard. I used to be a representative at Liaison Committee, where we had the opportunity to review new legislation and make recommendations regarding academic matters.

Viraj

Hey! I’m Viraj Singh, a second-year student keen on creating initiatives to enhance the university. I am a Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in Professional Accounting. I’ve been actively involved in giving students a greater voice as a unit representative for two semester long terms and I currently serve as the Department Representative for the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance. These opportunities have helped me understand the priorities of my fellow students and what we want out of our time here at Macquarie. I’ve helped expand the representative program and I’m currently acting on key issues that I believe will help enrich the student experience across the university. I believe I can do more, which is why I ask you to join me in this partnership with the university, by electing me as the student representative to the University Council.

Cissy

I’m running for University Council because I want to see Macquarie as a place that puts students first. I want to ensure that the student voice is heard and our experiences are valued. We currently have a problem at University. Students don’t know what’s going on – the SRC isn’t relevant to students’ everyday lives – students don’t feel as if they’re in control. The University is not clear in their communication about decisions and policies that actually affect students. If I’m elected as your University Council rep, I promise to: – Kick high school students out of the library
– Fix parking, either by reducing the number of permits sold or create more parking spaces
– Increase the amount of funding available to clubs and societies
– Campaign for the introduction of an International student concession passes.

Good luck to all nominees! You can also meet some of the SRC nominees on ampus between 8 – 12 May during the Food Truck Frenzy.

Current students working towards a qualification at Macquarie will be asked to vote for the new student member on the University Council. Depending on which faculty you are enrolled in, and whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you may also be invited to vote for positions on the Student Representative Committee (SRC) and Academic Senate.

You won’t be fined if you don’t vote, but we encourage you to get involved as the students are elected to represent you – their fellow students.

Please note the University must deliver a notice of election to the email address of each person entitled to vote at that election, so we cannot remove anyone from the mailing list.

If you would like to vote but cannot locate the email, please ensure you check your junk mail and/or spam folder. You should not forward this voting link to anyone as you only have one chance to vote, and the link is personalised.

Find out more about the elections on the website. Best of luck to all nominees!

Two vacancies also exist in the Academic Senate, and a student member must also be elected to the University Council, to ensure that independent student perspectives are considered in all strategic decision-making that affects students.

Nominations close this Thursday 13 April at 3pm. To apply, you must submit the University Council & Academic Senate nomination forms and/or the SRC nomination forms to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Registrar) Returning Officer at election@mq.edu.au by that time.