Salma Mahmodi
Hi! I’m Salma! I started working for the Student Advocate Office (SAO) during my first quarter at UC Davis, where I was a volunteer case advisor learning about the misconduct process at UC Davis. Throughout my time in SAO, I have had the opportunity to work alongside other fellow case advisors and form a community that I can rely on. As a current case advisor, I guide students through the conduct process, which has sharpened my understanding of the options available to those referred to Student Conduct and Integrity (SCI). I am dedicated to helping the student body and ensuring that every student has access to our resources on campus.
The Language Barrier: Some students referred to SCI experience language barriers that hinder their ability to confidently attend informal/formal hearings. This linguistic barrier also prevents students from fully understanding their rights when attending meetings with the Student Advocate Office. Language should never be an obstacle one encounters when trying to understand their rights or fully engage in the conduct process. In order to better support students facing these barriers I would accommodate by…
- Promoting the usage of built-in tools offered by some meeting platforms
- Partnering with the International Student Representative and external entities to pilot a translator program
- Allow for coordination beforehand by updating intake form/ sending informational emails
Proactive Steps: Many students at UC Davis believe that traditional AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, are the only tools that can constitute AI usage. However, this is a common misconception as students can be referred to Student Conduct and Integrity (SCI) for a multitude of reasons, including for the usage of Grammarly and Google Translation tools. In reality, AI usage exists on a much broader spectrum and includes tools that many students may use in their daily lives. Due to a lack of clear guidance, some students may unintentionally misuse these tools. In order to bridge the informational gap surrounding what constitutes AI usage I hope to…
- Present to incoming first year students and discuss the different options available if a student were to be referred; an open forum allowing room for discussion and thoughts
- Advocate for a first-year seminar that covers topics such as the usage of AI and assesses the performance of students in an in-person writing workshop
Clarifying Policies: As policies surrounding AI usage continue to evolve, uncertainty and inconsistency across departments and instructors have become increasingly prominent. Since expectations can vary across different instructors, many students are uncertain about the thresholds that can result in a violation of the code of conduct at UC Davis. While it may be up to the discretion of the professor to refer a student to SCI at any given time, I hope to give students a better understanding of the standards followed by departments and professors by…
- Connecting with all departments to gain a better understanding of the guidelines they must follow during the referral process (major indicators/TurnItIn percentage rates)