Senate Initiatives

   In response to the recommendation of the Rules Committee, the Faculty Senate has established an Ad Hoc Committee On Student Plagiarism (ACOSP). One consequence of the rapid growth of the internet is that students can rapidly find information on nearly any topic and paste it directly into assignments for academic courses. Another consequence is that students can easily present for academic credit documents which they discover or purchase online. The issue of student plagiarism is further complicated by the growing number of students from other countries and cultures who enter our classrooms with conceptions of intellectual property rights and responsibilities significantly at variance with common practice in the United States.

   In response to a motion adopted by the Graduate Council, the Faculty Senate established an Ad Hoc Committee on Online Learning (ACOL). The growth and demand for online instruction, both through UMASS ONLINE and through technologically assisted enhancement of regular classes, has raised academic and administrative issues which merit sustained and focused attention from the campus community. (See the draft report Ensuring Quality in Online Higher Education Courses by Andrew Churchill.)

Councils

Academic Matters
Academic Priorities
Athletic
Campus Physical Planning
General Education
Graduate
Health
International Studies
Program and Budget
Research
Research Library
Status of Diversity
Status of Women
Student Affairs and University Life
Undergraduate Education
University Relations and Advancement
University Service, Public Service and Outreach

Committees

Admissions and Records
Committee on Committees
Rules
University Computer and Electronic Communications
University Press
University Writing

Ad Hoc Committees