After arguing for more than an hour, Sens. John Michelli and Emad Maghsoudi dropped their hand-calculator bill after the Senate last Monday amended the measure on a 21-4-6 vote.
Michelli said he was shocked about the action.
“I was both surprised and disappointed when the Senate decided to strike,” he said. “I did not see the amendment coming, though the Senate had every right to do so. It is a shock to the system to no longer have control over something that you are trying to accomplish.”
The calculator proposal would have allowed students the use of TI-89s on math and science exams. Michelli said the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Applied Mathematics prohibits the use of graphing calculators with computer-algebra systems on a test, but it does allow the use of less powerful calculators such as TI-83s.
Michelli and Maghsoudi said they designed the measure because of their personal experiences with math classes.
“In my first math class at VCU, I found out two days before an exam that I was not allowed to use my TI-89 because it could have given me an unfair advantage on some of the questions,” he said. “Had my mother not mailed me my brother’s TI-83 that night, I would not have had a calculator for that exam and as a result would have failed.”
Michelli said VCU’s Honor Code pledge was another reason he supported the bill.
“When I sign the Honor Code, I am swearing upon penalty of expulsion that I did not cheat,” he said. “Thus, it is a double standard to require me to sign the Honor Code while not trusting me to use my calculator responsibly.
“This is an injustice because it forces cases like myself to go out and spend a hefty sum for an extra graphing calculator when I already have one that is suitable. Students were being treated unfairly, and I thought that the Senate would be able to do something about it.”
During the April 11 meeting, Sen. Jessica Lee opposed the bill.
“I know that were supposed to trust each other, but we can’t,” Lee said. “We have laws against murder and people still kill each other. We have laws against stealing- that doesn’t mean we don’t lock our doors. I think we should trust professors on this one. Changing the entire system and allowing everyone to cheat is not fair if people use them for the wrong reasons.”
Chairman Matthew Haynes disagreed with Lee.
“Any public or private institution has an honor code highly enforced by students themselves,” he said. “It’s what makes the quality of higher education exactly what it is. It’s a place where people go to learn and not cheat and honor codes are enforced by everyone. That’s why we design the honor codes, and that’s why we want the Honor Code.
“That’s why we’re trying to put weight behind the Honor Code and take the next step in our path down the road to change the way things are at this school. The Honor Code gives credit to the school and quality to the university — it’s important to enforce this.”
Sen. Alexander Marra told Michelli and Maghsoudi that calculators should be left to the discrepancy of professors.
“It sounds like your bill came about because you had to buy another calculator,” he said. “That is annoying, and that’s not cool. But if I were you I would have a bill, which would talk about making professors outline what type of calculators they want you to use before you enroll for the class. I think it should ultimately be up to the department what type of calculators to use. Students don’t tell professors what type of history books to buy.”
Michelli said that he and Maghsoudi won’t forget about the bill, even though they do not have any future plans to reintroduce it in the Senate.
“That is not to say that we will give up this issue. If we can’t get the Senate to support us, then we will find another way to accomplish our goal,” he said. “Emad and I are very stubborn in this regard, and the SGA has more ways to solve problems than just through legislation.”
In other business last Monday, Sens. Megan Shandelson and Maghsoudi presented another bill: the Senate Representation Act that calls for electing more than 25 senators per semester to keep a full Senate. Shandelson said some SGA Senators were removed from office or resigned this semester, so the number of SGA Senators now total 36. Shandelson and Maghsoudi want to keep 50 senators at all times, and they expect the bill to be voted on later this month.
“The Senate is a representative body,” she said. “If we don’t have a full Senate than we can’t represent the student body like we need to.”