Dr. Travis Fridgen

Dear Students,

Happy New Year and welcome back to classes this semester. We are two full weeks into the semester, and I hope you are all building upon the successes you had in the Fall semester.

I realize that classes look a lot different than you are used to as we continue in this remote teaching and learning environment. I assure you that all our faculty and staff in the Faculty of Science are doing their best and are committed to supporting you in your academic endeavours. I know that you will also put forth your best efforts for a successful semester by taking advantage of the opportunities your instructors have provided to you, such as virtual office hours, help centres, tutorials, and additional resources on Brightspace. I encourage you to contact your instructor or TA if you are having problems with course material.

If you have more general concerns about your program of study, please do contact the academic program officer in your department or your academic advisor. The university also has resources to help you cope, and I urge you to look at all the supports that are offered through Student Life. There is also the Academic Success Centre that has lots of supports to help you be successful in a virtual learning environment.

Just recently we have identified group study spaces for students. You can book blocks of four hours for group study by registering seats through this link.

The Faculty of Science will host a virtual town hall for 1st year Science undergrads on February 9th from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and a second town hall for all Science students on February 12th from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. You can find more information here, including how to ask questions at these forums.

Student Responsibilities

I know that the vast majority of you are conducting yourselves with the highest of academic integrity and are learning the material and are getting the most out of your courses. You must remain vigilant about your academic integrity and not be tempted to take the easy route and cheat in your courses. At Memorial we experienced a substantial increase in academic misconduct cases in the Fall 2020 semester. I am disappointed that this was also true of the Faculty of Science, where there was a reported increase in academic misconduct cases handled at the Department level, as well as an increase in cases sent to the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies. All students are expected to be familiar with Memorial’s policies related to academic misconduct which includes (but is not limited to) cheating, impersonating another student, plagiarism, theft of examination papers or other material, use and distribution of stolen material, copying some else’s work or allowing someone to copy your work, submitting false information, and bribery.

By adhering to our high standard of academic integrity you will protect the excellent reputation of Memorial and its programs. Please review the information related to academic misconduct in the University Calendar, and ensure your own behaviour meets the standard that we expect of all university students.

As another reminder, all students are expected to abide by the Student Code of Conduct at all times. This includes avoiding verbal harassment, bullying, intimidating, or threatening language, both in person and virtually through online communications, such as email or social media.