Q&A CHATS: Tristan Pinnock
Have you ever gotten an academic breach letter and panicked? Or maybe, you wanted to appeal a final grade but didn’t know who to speak to or where to start? We knew exactly who to call to get all the answers you have about academic integrity and appeals!
Tristan Pinnock, your former VP of Academics and Equity, sat down with us to chat about what he learned in his role and how he can support you at Sheridan. The hope is to make academic integrity and appeals assistance easier to understand for all Bruins!
Whether you’re looking for tips on how to avoid academic breaches or find yourself curious about what exactly the SSU VP of Academics and Equity does, this blog is for you!
Get to Know Your VP of Academic Integrity
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“I help students by giving them a break down of various aspects of our academic life or referring them to the appropriate resource to have their question answered. Specifically, I help students to understand the academic appeal process. This means explaining how appeals work, when an appeal can be made, where to direct your academic appeal and how to properly fill in the appeal form. I also provide support for students if they require someone to sit in on a meeting they have. I wouldn't be able to speak on your behalf but I can be there to act as a channel of support if the student is feeling overwhelmed about the meeting.”
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”The most surprising thing I've learned so far while in this role is how many diverse situations students experience throughout a semester. I have noticed that I have personally become more empathetic to the plights of other students because of how many different scenarios I have seen. If you think you're being kind to your fellow student, be kinder. We are all going through it in one way or another.”
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Equity and Academics are important to me because I feel like they go hand in hand in post secondary education. Someone could definitely look at this role as very draining and policy heavy but from my perspective, I find it very rewarding. Getting an email from a student expressing how thankful they are I was able to assist them is one of the best feelings because as a student myself, I know how stressful it can be to seek support. Its very important for me to support students Sheridan Life in this aspect because it is something every single student can relate to, regardless of program or classification. There are many helpful people within the Sheridan community who have help to enhance my experience and I want to continue that for other students as best I can while I am apart of the student body.
Advice for students:
“What advice do you have for students with accessibility accommodations/ concerns to prevent academic integrity breaches?”
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“For first-year students, the best piece of advice I could give is if you feel like something could get you into trouble. Don't guess, seek out someone who knows. There is no harm in contacting your professor or Academic Advisors before handing work in, this is what they're here for!”
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“It’s not the end of the world by any means. Especially if it is the first sanction, the key is to remember this is a learning opportunity more than it is a punishment. Whether you are a first year student, international student or a student that is about to graduate, you are never alone in your journey here. Reach out to channels like Student Advisement, or the Academic Integrity Remediation Specialists, they will be able to not only guide you on what to do next but also how to prevent yourself from ending up back in that situation.”
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“For international students, I would suggest to set up an appointment with a representative from the Academic Integrity Office at the beginning of your semester. Prevention is often better than cure and I believe that applies in this case. By taking the proactive step of connecting with the Academic Integrity Office early, you greatly lower your chances of committing a breach because you were unaware of a policy.”
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“Keep the right people informed and don't be afraid to ask questions. At the beginning of each semester, let your professors know that you have AL accommodations even if you don't plan on using them. This helps to keep everyone on the same page. Accessibility accommodations are meant to enhance your experience as student not make the post-secondary journey harder! “
Resources, Guidance & Appeal Support Links:
A few resources that I continue to refer back to can be found on Sheridan Central.
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The Academic Integrity Office offers details on what academic integrity is and how to get in contact with representatives for support.
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Sheridan's Tutoring Services can be found on Sheridan Central and highlights the different types of tutoring support offered and how students can go about receiving those services.
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“The Academic Integrity Remediation page is another resource that will provide a lot of great additional information. This goes over the remediation process as well as what to expect when you have received a sanction. “
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Citation and Reference Specialists offer citation support to help students with developing referencing skills. Having quality referencing education not only helps students avoid academic integrity infractions, but encourages them to become informed on how to maintain integrity in their research and writing. Students can book an appointment with a Citation Specialist through https://sheridan.tutorocean.com.
As far as contact information goes, the number one point of contact for any academic information is the Academic Integrity Office. They can be reached at aif@sheridancollege.ca and will be happy to help out.
5 Things Every Bruin Should Know About Appeals
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For me, academic integrity is striving to keep your moral values at the front of anything you put forth for your academic journey. This means honesty, fairness, respect and responsibility always come first.”
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When I think of a breach, I think of a notice from the college that you have done something that breaks academic policy.
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Think of it as a penalty for breaking a rule. At Sheridan, we have 6 levels that range from an official warning to expulsion.
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There are 6 types of sanctions that Sheridan students can face and appeal. This ranges from Level 1 to Level 6.
Level 1 sanction is typically an official warning from the college, followed by either a grade 0 for an assignment or the ability to rewrite if the circumstance allow for it.
Level 2 sanction is an automatic Grade of F in the course.
Level 3 sanction gives you a TM on your transcript, which stands for Course Termination.
Level 4 sanction is an Administrative Withdrawal. This means that you will be pulled from your program without receiving a refund.
Level 5 sanction is a Suspension. This means that you cannot register to attend any Sheridan program for up to three years. This will result in a TM mark on your transcript.
Level 6 sanction is Expulsion. This is a lifetime ban from Sheridan with no possibility of enrolment in any future programs.
Whether it is a level 1 sanction or a level 6 sanction, students have the ability to appeal the respective sanction within 5 days of the notice being given to the student.
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GPA or Grade Point Average, is the cumulative average of your grades throughout the time in your program. The reason that this cannot be appealed is because your GPA takes place over your entire time at Sheridan and not just a particular semester.
A graduation decision takes place when a student applies to graduate once they believe they have satisfied their program requirements. The reason a graduation decision can be appealed while your GPA cannot is because your GPA is the total of your time here at Sheridan, while a graduation decision can revolve around one course, depending on the circumstances.
Few final thoughts…
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Final grade appeals can only be submitted once the final grade has been posted to my Student Centre. So this means that the semester has to finish before you can accurately file a final grade appeal.
An academic decision appeal can be filed anytime before the deadline date. Academic Decisions can be put in place during various parts of the semester, which allows for the submission times to be more flexible.
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When thinking of "good evidence" for submitting an appeal, always keep the word relevant in mind. Anything that you are submitting for the appeal has to relate back to what you are appealing. For example, if you are appealing on medical grounds then good evidence may include a note from your doctor or receipts of prescriptions.
If you were to appeal on Procedural Error grounds, good evidence might include messages on slate between you and the professor. At the end of the day, good evidence really depends on what is most relevant to the point of your appeal.
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DON'T PANIC. Seriously, I know that probably sounds cliché but your first breach is a learning opportunity. Breaches happen and the best way to move past them is to take the correct remediation steps to prevent them for the future. This means that you should be looking to file an appointment with the Academic Integrity Remediation (AIR) team within 45 days of receiving your breach.
And that wraps up our Q&A chat! If you have more questions about our appeals assistance, or want to reach out to to us directly for support, visit thessu.ca/academic-appeals. Stay tuned for more blog posts and resources to help you make the most of your academic Sheridan Life!