The Grad Insider Issue 6, April 2003 A newsletter published by the Student Academic Services division of the Faculty of Graduate Studies New Administrative Procedures in Progress for Doctoral Exams Last December, FoGS formed a committee to review the administrative procedures (not policies) of the Final Doctoral Exam process with the goals of enhancing communication between all parties involved, and improving the service provided to doctoral candidates and their departments. The committee formulated several recommendations which were circulated to allow the university community the opportunity to provide feedback. Dr. Ann Rose, Associate Dean of Student Academic Services and Chair of the Final Doctoral Oral Exams Administrative Procedures Committee, in coordination with the Acting Director of SAS, Debbie Lin, and the newly appointed Doctoral Exams Coordinator, Teresa Jones, has recently reviewed the comments and has incorporated these into the committee’s list of recommendations. Here is a summary of the new administrative procedures for Doctoral Exams. Some have already been implemented while others are still in the development stages: 1. Implement an on-line tracking system – All parties involved would have password access (with differing levels of accessibility depending on the party) to a centralized web-based system which would track forms, external examiner’s reports, exam dates etc. 2. Develop an optional web-based meeting scheduling system to assist all parties with scheduling the doctoral exam. 3. Post a form on the FoGS website with a check-list of items that need to be submitted in preparation for the final doctoral exam. 4. Doctoral Exams may be postponed upon consultation with the Chair and Supervisor if the External Examiner’s Report has not been submitted 3 days in advance of the exam. 5. Upon receipt of the External Examiner’s form, FoGS will contact students to encourage them to attend a Doctoral Exams Orientation Session, to provide them with instructions for all other steps leading to the exam, and to provide a list of useful resources available to them. 6. A FoGS staff member will greet candidates and examining committee members approximately 15 minutes before each exam. 7. A FoGS staff member will be responsible for computer equipment set-up for doctoral exams. 8. FoGS will offer three daily time slots for exams. 9. FoGS will ensure to adequately staff the Doctoral Unit to cover the additional duties outlined in these recommendations. 10. FoGS will continue to send External Examiners a cash honorarium. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who submitted comments in response to the recommendations. Together we can continue to improve the service we provide for our graduate students. Story of the Month Fake Transcripts: the Real Story Prospective students have been forging academic documents for decades. But in recent years, the internet has caused a proliferation of forged transcripts, bogus diplomas and fictitious reference letters. Universities world-wide have become anxious with good reason. For as little as $75 US, anyone can easily obtain fake transcripts, letters of recommendation or degree certificates "designed to look 100% authentic." Hundreds of overseas businesses (many in China) use elaborate techniques to accurately mimic any institution’s academic records. If they don't have a particular template on file, they will be happy to create one. Many of the transcripts are printed on safety paper, otherwise known as non-reproduction or tamper-proof paper. The paper is designed so that when it is copied a hidden word such as COPY or VOID is revealed, just like the paper many Universities use for authentic transcripts. The businesses also specialize in creating watermarks that are identical to ones used by universities. Best of all, students can choose their own GPA! As a finishing touch, the high quality 'novelty' transcripts come with an embossed seal or registrar's signature as necessary. They can even be sent in sealed envelopes to the institution of your choice. However, many of these businesses refuse to produce fake medical degrees. The Bangkok Journal reported a case where a woman died due to a mistake made with regard to her medication. It was later revealed that the nurse accountable had purchased a fake degree and in fact had no medical experience. Under the guise of selling 'novelty' diplomas and transcripts, companies such as Back Alley Press, FakeDegrees and Closed College (just to name a few) are released from any legal responsibility as buyers must agree to indemnify the particular company from any legal proceeding resulting from misrepresentation as the products are meant for novelty purposes only. North American laws forbid production of this type, but in China the laws are more lenient. At UBC, in the last three years, there have been at least 24 cases where prospective graduate students have been caught submitting forged documents. In five of these cases, students submitted forged reference letters. Of the total 24 incidents, 16 applicants would require a study permit, 6 were permanent residents in Canada, and 2 were Canadian citizens. The production of fake transcripts and degrees has become a multi-million dollar industry composed of savvy companies who continuously improve the technologies in order to create the most authentic looking transcripts. If a Department suspects that a document submitted in support of an application has been altered or falsified in any way, the applicant's file should be sent immediately to FoGS. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |2 The Dean of Graduate Studies reserves the right to withdraw the application and/or offer of admission (whether registered or not). Applicants who have submitted falsified records to UBC or another university will not be considered for admission at any time in the future. UBC shares the names of applicants who submit falsified documentation with the Association of Universities and College of Canada (AUCC), and Canada Immigration (the latter in the event the student requires/required a study permit to enter Canada). For a breakdown of forgery cases by degree type, see the statistics in this issue. Awards Update Preparing Students for Scholarship Competitions The fall round of competitions for UGF, NSERC and SSHRC are still six months away, but it is just about the right time to help your students prepare for these competitions. Research Proposals 1. Notify your students starting their masters or doctoral programs in September 2003 and encourage them to start thinking this summer about the research that they may be interested in pursuing. They may not have well-formed hypotheses or research proposals as of yet, but they may already be interested in a particular topic or line of questioning. By starting to think about their research now, the research proposals that they will write in the fall would be much stronger and probably even be competitive with those of current graduate students. 2. Encourage your current students to summarize the research (if any) they’ve undertaken this academic year, in preparation for writing their research proposals for the coming academic year. Many award application forms ask students to describe their current research and how this relates to or affects their future research. 3. If your current students were enrolled in courses this year and were not undertaking research, advise them to consider the new theories they learned this year and how they may use these in their research next year. Letters of Reference 1. Encourage your incoming students to let their potential referees know that they will be called upon (again!) to provide letters of reference in the early fall. Because most awards agencies require that letters of reference be written on specific forms, referees should not be asked to actually write the letters at this point. 2. There may be students in your department who are starting their graduate programs in May 2003. Advise these students to get to know their faculty supervisors as well as other faculty members in the departments. By building academic relationships with faculty members, students will help their faculty members to write good letters of reference for them. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |3 3. The advice above should also prove helpful and useful to students who have been in program for a few years now. Advise these students to provide their faculty members with updated CVs so that up-to-date letters of reference can be generated for them. Faculty Members Encourage your faculty members to plan to: 1. Work closely with the students they supervise on their research proposals and applications. Feedback from faculty members will help students to focus their research proposals and write clearly and concisely, with the least amount of jargon. 2. Write letters of reference for their students. By helping their students with their research proposals, faculty members would be able to provide better insight into their students’ research plans and academic interests in their letters of reference. Finally, there may be masters students in your departments who may be thinking of proceeding to UBC doctoral programs in academic year 2004-05. Please encourage these students to think through their options this summer, so that they can make a well-timed decision on whether or not to submit an awards application this fall. Statistics Falsified Documents in Graduate Studies Applications The graph below shows a breakdown by degree of falsified documents received by the Faculty of Graduate Studies in the years 2000 through 2002. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |4 FAQ Our Experts Answer Your Questions Q. What options are available to applicants who do not meet the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements for admission into a graduate program? A. Students may take additional course work to increase their GPA. There are two ways this can be done. In both cases, fees are paid on a per-credit basis and cannot be counted towards the graduate degree. 1. A student may take senior level courses as an unclassified student at UBC or any other recognized institution by applying through the undergraduate office. We advise students to check with the graduate department he or she will be applying to for guidance on suggested courses to take. When the student applies for admission into a graduate program, the credits earned as an unclassified student will be used to calculate their GPA, and are part of the basis of admission with their undergraduate degree. 2. If a department strongly supports an applicant who does not meet minimum GPA scores, they may recommend the student for qualifying admission. This can be done using the same procedures as a normal recommendation (submitting Recommendation for Admission form, transcripts, letters of reference etc. to FoGS), and also including a list of courses the student will be taking. The credits earned during the qualifying year will be used to calculate the student's GPA and will be used as a basis of admission into a graduate program. While a student is registered as a qualifying student, he or she is not considered a graduate student. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |5 Q. Can credits earned as an unclassified student be counted toward a graduate degree? A. It depends. If the unclassified credits were used to calculate the student's GPA as a basis of admission into a graduate program, then they cannot be counted towards the degree. Otherwise a student registered in a graduate program may be permitted to have up to 12 credits in eligible courses either at UBC as an unclassified student or at another university to be counted toward a University of British Columbia graduate degree. These transfer credits cannot have been counted towards any other program. Only courses in which at least a B standing (74% at UBC) is obtained will be considered for transfer. Tips & Tricks To avoid delays in processing time, please remember to include student numbers on all forms and memos! The application fee is now $90 CAD or $56 US D. Please ensure that your departmental websites are updated to reflect the new fee. For graduation info, check out: www.graduation.ubc.ca To check graduation application status, log onto SISC or advise students to check themselves using the Student Service Centre (SSC). Upcoming Events Grad Secretaries Brown Bag Lunch: May hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |6 Please join us for a lively discussion of a variety of topics related to graduate students. It will give you the perfect opportunity to meet new people and interact with other graduate secretaries. Bring your own lunch, and we will provide coffee and tea! Date: Wednesday May 14, 2003 Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm Location: Room 203, Graduate Student Centre Please RSVP by Monday, May 12, 2003 Contact person: Leanne Coughlin e-mail: [email protected] Phone: 827-5262 Announcements New Doctoral Exams Unit Coordinator Although Teresa Jones has been in an acting position since last November, we are pleased to announce that as of April 1, Teresa is now the Coordinator, Doctoral Exams Unit for the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Teresa first joined the Student Academic Services team in June 2002, and since then has proven to be an essential part of our team. Congratulations Teresa! Important Dates & Deadlines April 14 - May 2 April examinations period. April 22 2002-03 Winter Session grades available on Student Information System. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |7 April 25 Deadline: departments to notify FoGS that major papers have been submitted and all requirements met for non-thesis master's degrees for May graduation. Deadline: submit master's and doctoral theses to FoGS for May graduation. April 30 Last day to submit Appointment of External Examiner form for doctoral students intending to Graduate in November 2003. May 5 Summer Session, Term 1: first day of classes for terms running from May 5 to June 13, and May 5 to July 25. Student Information Systems remains open for Summer Session registration. May 7 Deadline: payment of May installment of tuition fees. May 9 Deadline: withdrawal from most three-credit courses starting May 5 without having a "W" recorded on student's academic record. May 16 Deadline: withdrawal from most six-credit courses starting May 5 without having a "W" recorded on student's record. Please visit the online university calendar for a complete list of important dates and deadlines. Issue 6 | April 2003 Page |8