The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) council meeting held on Oct. 22 narrowed in on recent concerns raised about Carleton’s e-proctoring services and provided further updates about CUSA’s emergency hardship fund.
E-proctoring privacy concerns
In her report to the council, CUSA president Kathleen Weary outlined the university’s response to recent privacy concerns raised by students over CoMaS, the school’s e-proctoring software of choice.
“We know that there have been a lot of student groups that have reached out to us asking for more clarity and concerns over their privacy,” Weary said.
Students whose professors will be using the service will receive an email from the university, she added.
When asked to comment about the service, Weary clarified only 6 per cent of Carleton students will take e-proctored exams, most of whom are in engineering or computer science.
Weary added the service has been used by both departments for a number of years as an optional service for students who couldn’t make it to exams in person.
“The university wants to make clear that if you do not consent to certain e-proctoring systems that they will find a solution for you,” Weary said.
Emergency hardship fund
Weary and Jacob Howell, CUSA’s vice-president (finance), both reported on the union’s newly launched emergency hardship fund in their reports.
The fund, announced earlier this month, is financed by the earnings from the Capital Collective clothing line.
Howell said CUSA has received 203 applications and has granted 54 of the applicants with funding, consisting of grants which range from $200 to $600.
Weary said the introduction of the hardship fund, one of the campaign promises of the elected slate, is “more timely than ever.”
So far, CUSA has committed $19,200 to students through the hardship fund, just below half of their $40,000 budget for the initiative.
Applications are still open and are reviewed by a selection committee made up of two CUSA staff members, CUSA councillors and Howell.
Increased student workload, compassionate grading
CUSA said it continues to advocate for students alongside the Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) regarding concerns of increased workload as a result of the shift to online school.
Weary said university administration has communicated students’ concerns with the faculty.
“We agreed with the administration that this message would be communicated to professors and deans and that they would reassess what they would do for the remainder of the fall semester,” Weary said, adding that changes are slated to be made for the winter semester.
As part of CASG’s efforts to implement short-term grading reform, CASG president Matt Gagné said he will bring forth three different motions to alleviate the weight of the current academic year on students.
The three motions—which call for all failed courses to be automatically converted to an unsatisfactory (UNS) designation, all punitive academic performance evaluations be delayed for another year, and a 0.5 credit satisfactory (SAT) designation for the fall semester—will be presented at an upcoming senate meeting.
“We’re confident especially now that we have the support of the senate committee of [curriculum, admissions and studies] policy that all three are going to pass,” Gagné said.
Executives have also been preparing for the upcoming CUSA election with the hiring of three electoral officers and are discussing what changes will have to be made to translate into an online election.
Featured image by Laura Blanchette.
