SGA: Spring, fall graduates to be recognized

Sol Garcia | THE RIDER

In October, there will be an announcement concerning recognition ceremonies for those who graduated last spring and those who will graduate this fall, a Student Government Association leader said last Wednesday.

Samantha Aleman, SGA vice president for Edinburg, said she learned about this after the executive team met with Maggie Hinojosa, senior vice president for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs. 

“It’s going to be really different from traditional ceremonies,” Aleman said during the SGA meeting. 

Graduates will be able to walk onstage and invite four family members, but there will be no seating. Students will also be required to RSVP, and all tickets will be virtual, Aleman said in the Zoom meeting. 

“Students that want to sell or give out their tickets, they can’t because it’s going to have their name on it,” she said. 

Those who graduated last spring will be recognized in a recognition ceremony in November. Fall 2020 graduates will be able to pick up graduate packets, possibly via drive-thru, and their recognition ceremony will be in December, Aleman said during the meeting. 

On the Edinburg campus, the ceremonies will be at the Fieldhouse, while the Student Union’s El Gran Salón is being considered for the Brownsville ceremonies, Aleman said.

The idea of these recognition ceremonies came from Texas A&M University-Commerce’s ceremonies, Aleman said. 

“If you look through their Facebook page, you will see some of the pictures and how they kind of did it, so that’s inspiration that Dr. Hinojosa did for this ceremony,” she said. 

Rebecca Gadson, dean of students and associate vice president for Student Life, said in an email to The Rider on Monday that details of the ceremony are pending. 

“However, by mid-October, there should be information to share,” Gadson wrote. 

During the SGA meeting, Diego Martinez, a graduate research assistant for Student Rights and Responsibilities, and College of Liberal Arts Senator Janette Loera, a peer educator, gave a presentation on the Superhero Project and academic dishonesty. 

The Superhero Project is a “university-wide initiative to promote the idea that individual Vaqueros have the power to prevent high-risk behavior and harm,” according to its university web page. 

Martinez and Loera spoke about three bystander intervention skills: recognize, choose to respond and act. 

They presented the Vaquero Community Values, the Student Code of Conduct, UTRGV’s policy statement on scholastic dishonesty and acts of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or using social media to provide answers.  

“If you see [academic dishonesty], don’t be afraid,” Martinez told SGA senators. “Tell a professor. You guys are the leaders in this community, and you guys have a responsibility as well.” 

Students who are found in violation of the Student Code of Conduct will have a disciplinary record, which will be retained for seven years and is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Loera said. 

“This is something to keep in mind,” she said. “It’s something that will be with you for seven years, even after you graduate.”  

As leaders of the university, SGA senators should choose to respond to the academic dishonesty either directly or indirectly, Martinez and Loera said. 

Directly helping a friend who is engaging in plagiarism, cheating or similar behaviors can include talking to them about the reasoning behind the behavior, referring them to the proper resources, reminding them of the consequences if they are caught, discussing if it is worth their career and education and encouraging them to plan properly, take good notes and talk to their professors, Loera said. 

“These are all things that, as leaders and just as students overall, we can do to help our peers to avoid getting in trouble,” she said. 

An indirect approach to addressing academic dishonesty is telling an academic adviser, teaching assistant, professor or Student Rights and Responsibilities. Using the online reporting system, Vaqueros Report It, is another option, which allows students to stay anonymous when reporting an act of academic dishonesty or any other complaints, Martinez said.  

“If you don’t feel comfortable putting your name on, there is an option to not put your name,” he said. “Just know … if you want to get contacted back, it’s going to be a lot harder to contact you and really fix the issue sometimes.”  

The project’s third step is to act, which includes paraphrasing, citing, quoting, citing your own material if the material has been previously used and referencing, according to the presentation. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, this gave students the opportunity to use group messages more. While it is great that students remind peers about upcoming assignments, there is an issue concerning academic dishonesty, Martinez said. 

“The only thing is when it steps out of the lines to becoming cheating, going into academic dishonesty,” he said. “That’s something we saw around the end of last year … onto summer. We haven’t seen it in the first couple of weeks … but as school has already been going, we’re definitely seeing more cases.” 

Due to the increasing number of cases, the presentation added new information on what to do if there is academic dishonesty in group messages, Martinez said. 

“If you see cheating, do not respond to the messages and leave the group chat immediately,” Martinez said. 

The next step is the safest, but often the hardest, Martinez said. 

“When a student sees cheating in a GroupMe setting or WhatsApp or … Facebook Messenger … share it with a professor,” he said. “It’s not fair when you, yourself, are doing your best, you’re studying, you’re reading, doing all of the assignments, and you see someone cheating … and they get higher grades than you.” 

Loera advised the senators to avoid cheating and collusion by knowing the difference between collaboration and collusion, following the professor’s test-taking instructions, talking to a professor when there is a misunderstanding and avoiding behaviors that could be perceived as cheating.  

When Edinburg Senator at Large Victor Borrego raised student concerns about whether helping each other with homework or assignments in group messages can lead to consequences, such as expulsion, Martinez said the best thing to do is to ask a professor if that is allowed.

“Ask a professor,” he said. “They’re there for a reason. If they say yes, I’m sure those students are going to feel a lot more comfortable to speak and participate, engage in the class chat.”  

The senate also discussed the upcoming Lunch with the Deans, which will have the theme of empowerment, and the vacant positions within SGA. 

“We’ve interviewed just about everybody for legislative and executive,” Carlo Flores, vice president for Brownsville said. 

Flores reached out to one applicant but had not yet received a response. As for the position within the judicial branch, the Chief Justice is handling those applicants, Flores said.