OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. OCTOBER 11, 2006 ARTS 17 Turnitin.com - Continued Studies, however big or small, do need transparency. So while it is noted that there was seemingly some hard thinking (which might suggest that there are a lot of things to consider when being asked questions like question 3), the results seem to be one-sided for those who have heard of it or for those who had the time for a brief description to ponder over. Total faculty/staff surveyed: 37, Ques- tion 1: Have you heard of TurnltIn. com? Yes: 15 (40.5%), No:22 (59.5%). Question 2: Have you made any moves to get TurnltIn.com implemented? Yes: 0 (0%), No: 17 (100%) Question 3: Recent research I’ve conducted through asking about TurnltIn.com with CI- PPIC and Don Munton of UNBC as well as utilising my own research through US law and EFF notes on te- cent privacy law changes suggests that, through American law, students privacy may be compromised because this is a US based company and would therefore fall under US law. Such concerns may include, but not limited to, anti-terror- ism efforts of the US and the potential misuse of such legal provisions. Despite this and other probable problems, do you think that this is a small enough concern to go ahead and use the service to fight plagiarism? Yes: 3 (17.6%), No: 11 (64.7%), Don't Know: 3 (17.6%). Students had some thoughts on the issue as well. One student asked what would constitute as cheating? Would cheating consist of collaborating with other students to get an assignment done? How much cheating is really cheating (i,e. looking for the answer to a minor question in the textbook). One person suggested that it might be the difficulty pushed onto students at larger campuses given that there's more ptessure to do well in the face of com- ‘petition. The CTV article said that-the survey was done in 11 campuses across Canada, were these just larger campus- es? As with the professor survey, this is the full results of the students survey. Total students surveyed: 38, Ques- tion 1; TurnItIn.com-is a database that compiles millions of essays to fight pla- giarism. The idea is that the professors sends all the students essays into the database for a fee which the campus pays. One pro is that it levels out the playing field for all students against those who choose not to do the work, One con is that this is a US based com- pany which also puts in the question of ptivacy given that all your work would be subject to US surveillance laws. Do you think TurnItIn.com should be util- ised here? Yes - 10 (26.3%), No - 27 (71.1%). Don't Know (2.6%) Question 2: Have you heard of TurnItIn.com be- fore this survey? Yes — 5 (13.2%), No — 33 (86.8%). Do you cheat? Yes — 1 (2.6%), No — 37 (97.4%). Do you think cheating is necessary? Yes - 1 (2.6%), No - 37 (97.4). A study on CTV sug- gests that 56% of undergraduate stu- dents cheat by their first year [Authors note: Yes, I know that should have read ‘by the end of their first year’ For those that asked, I said that I meant that]. Do you think: a) That sounds about right: 23 (60.5%) b) That the number is too high: 11 (28.9%) c) that’s a low percent- “ce . . ..this survey shows entirely different results.” age: 3 (7.9%) d) Dont know: 1 (2.6%) One may raise question over the blunt- ness of the question‘Do you cheat?’ The reason that the question was framed the way it was is because CTV posted a video asking a strikingly similar ques- tion (‘have you ever cheated? to which they seemingly got a unanimous yes from) The reason why it wasn't identical was because it would fit in line more to the CTV on-the-spot’ survey. The next question (‘Do you think cheating is ne- cessary?’) was framed that way because of the media coverage on this insinuat- ing that not only do students admit to cheating, but actively boast about it. If such a cultural problem’ existed, these results would likely show it (to which they clearly don't) Of course, there is the other aspect of possibly being on TV and the results would be skewed (if you were offered to be on national TV where all you had to do was admit to cheating, it would be entirely possible a student would go for it) One other in- teresting note that while more students were inclined to agree with the statistic, this survey shows entirely different re- sults. No UNBC dean was reached in time for the publication of this article. Is TurnltIn.com even needed at UNBC? According to the statistics gathered, not many even want the service. While it has started some debate over concepts surrounding the service including if a Canadian version would. be favourable enough to be implemented, TurnItIn, com doesn't appear to have any pres- ident or need to outweigh the cons to be implemented. — NIC WALLER STAFF WRITER ‘ I ride the bus up to the university every day, and I often sit and reflect as I listen to music pumping out through my headphones, Lately, I've been thinking about how many other riders are also wearing head- phones, and just how silent it gets when the music stops. As personal music play- ers such as iPods become more perva- sive, people have a tendency to become Sociology and Independent Films ack Thereof RRR HRRE Ree eee HG ieee ae geomtig The Last Kiss; one of many movies you've yet to see, thanks toa lack of In- dependent films in Prince George COLE HEWLETT STAFF WRITER Have you ever seen a preview for a movie and couldn't wait to see it in the- atre? So you wait until the release date comes around and you find out all too late that it's not coming to the theatre. Well maybe you don't have this prob- lem because you come from a bigger Poetry ‘JESSE HABER CONTRIBUTER Artspace was filled with odeous lyrics and soulfull confessions Tuesday, Octo- ber 19th, as the official launch of The Forestry Diversification Project (FDP) showcased 7 of its 18 writers. Several years in the making, FDP is a publica- tion showcasing the raw northern talent of some of Prince George's finest up- and-coming poets. “Tuesday night marked the first of many readings schedtiled in PG?’ city or maybe you come from a smaller town and it still plays two_of the same movies from when it opened like that 1997 blockbuster hit Titanic. But here in Prince George all we have here is one movie theater, the Famous Players down in Parkwood off 15th Ave, which has only six screens and must pick and choose what to play every week. I ran in to this problem-a few weeks ago when I was patiently waiting for The Last Kiss starring Zach Braff to come to our theater. I was so keen on seeing I asked the manger if and when it was coming to our theater. He agreed that it would be around next Friday, the re- lease date for the movie. But when Fri- day came around, Last Kiss was not up with the other movies. So I did what any irate film enthusiast would do: I wrote a very angry and frustrated letter to Cineplex Entertainment asking why any independent films dont come to Prince George. And who delegates what goes where? They replied “Unfortunately, Cineplex Entertainment is only an exhibitor of films and has little decision about when and where a movie will open. This de- cision is made by the distributor of the As the intro to the book states, “These poems are not about the forest neces- sarily. Part of diversification is thinking outside traditional associations of place. It is the celebration of art in the face of a misguided image of Prince George as a single-minded place.’ While the book has graced the shelves of the UNBC bookstore for several weeks, and now is also featured in Books. and Co., Tuesday night marked the first of many readings scheduled in PG. FDP also showcases photography done by several of its writers, including the book's cover. This anthology is not only significant for giving new writers a venue in acedemic litereature, but also for clearly representing UNBC’s motto You Our Culture of Isolation absorbed in their own world, and more detached from the one around them. _ What are all those people thinking about? Ate they too pondering the im- pact of technology on the development of modern society, or are they trying to block out noise as they prepare for im- minent midterms? Or maybe it's just a really good album that they finally have a chance to listen to after spending the whole night study- ing. Furthermore, why do I sit here and ask myself these questions when I could simply take off my headphones and ask them myself. But no, nobody ever does that. T believe that technology allows us to block people out just as easily as it en- ables us to communicate across huge distances. This contributes to the de- veloping culture of isolation we witness every day. People are talking to each other less and less. For all the time that our generation wastes talking about the latest movies and games, we really arent that good at having real discussions, and engaging in real social activities any more, This begins in elementary school when students are punished for talking during classes, even though it's been shown that the best way to learn is by talking about what you are learning. This continues straight into adulthood, where people often become office workers and live in little cubicles where they are discour- film - MGM, Paramount, Disney, etc. - and is based on where the distribu- tor feels the mevie will best perform. Smaller, independent films are usually subject to limited release in major cities, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancou- ver, where there are larger audiences and a higher chance of attendance.’ To sum it up, our demographiics dictate that we are too small of a town to have a large enough audience wanting to go see small independent films. It seems that more people are likely to go see something like Jackass 2, or The Covenant, which are perfectly good movies but are not always appealing for some who need more than just flash special effects or crude humor. However, there is an alternative for people who want to see smaller in- dependent films, every Saturday night at 7:00 and 9:30 pm at the College of New Caledonia they put on Cinema CNC. This will give you a chance to see a variety of different independent films. Furthermore if you have a desire to have more variety in movies you will either have to wait for the film to come out on DVD or move to a larger city where we would have a wider demographic. Forest of “In the North, For the North,’ draw- ing attention to the definitive and mov- ing styles cultivated in and influenced by this vast and inspiring cultural land- scape. The poets featured in FDP are; Mi- chael Armstrong, Kim Bonnell, Michael Cruikshank, Amy Dawley, Justin Fos- ter, hardy f, Earson Gibson, Heather Glasgow, Jesse Haber, richard krueger, Michal Latala, Melissa Linteris, Doug Lussier, Micheele Read, Al Rempel, Jeremy Stewart, Denielle Wiebe and Gillian Wigmore. Both the project's editor and Production Co-ordinator are professers at UNBC; Rob Budde and Lynda Williams respectively. aged. from talking to their coworkers even though collaboration often results in the best work. On the other hand, is it possible that this isolation, this personal time that people create for themselves is simply their way of reacting to a culture where just about everything we do is com- municated, formatted, recorded, and archived? Maybe it’s good for us to take some time out and really just stop to think.