WEEKLY NEWS

Privacy disregarded as Massey won’t back down on web-monitored exams

Sammy Carter (she/her) Massey admits it didn’t consult any students before implementing Online Supervised Exams which breach the privacy of students.

Massey University implemented Online Supervised Exams (OSE) at the start of the semester, monitoring if students use artificial intelligence to cheat.

Student association Te Tira Ahu Pae general president Jake Law called an urgent meeting with Massey representatives to ask them to roll back their plans, however, Massey refused.

Law said, “This is something they should have actually been willing to communicate to students before implementing this onto 2000 students who didn’t know about it. I just think that’s really underhanded.”

Law said the university admitted it had done no privacy impact assessment, no consultation with students whatsoever, no cost analysis, and no investigation into bookable exam spaces.

Students must download an app called Remote Proctor Now (RPNow) before exams, pan their webcam around their space, and have their camera and mic on throughout. The app relies on human and AI monitoring to catch students that look away from their screen or where another person is heard or seen during the exam.

Te Tira Ahu Pae surveyed almost 500 students and found 90.7% of them were opposed to OSE’s.

Disappointly, 158 students from Law’s survey said they were going to move universities because of the exams. Across the Albany and Manawatū campuses, an estimated 3,300 students in the College of Business have to take OSE’s this semester, around 2000 more students than last year.

The decision to increase OSEs was made after students had enrolled in courses, “they (Massey) expect students to just go along merely with whatever they’re planning,” Law said. OSE recordings are sent to an overseas company who check for infringements.

Law said the university admitted it can’t guarantee student privacy in terms of a hack or a breach, meaning videos or information could be leaked online.

Many students impacted are international students or Chinese students, “which is also interesting because often those students are seen, perceived as by Massey staff, as more likely to be cheating,” Law said. He had concerns OSEs were being used to target the Chinese student community.

In response to Law’s concerns, Massey University provost professor Giselle Byrnes said, “OSEs are used across a range of courses and are administered fairly and without bias to promote academic integrity across all student groups.”

Byrnes said there were several smallscale trials of RPNow since 2014, which she said returned positive feedback.

“Notably, students liked being able to sit an exam in their own environment.” Byrnes said Covid-19 and lockdowns made it necessary to use RPNow on a large scale sooner than planned in order to meet student needs.

She said, “As part of our commitment to authentic online learning, we have also been moving away from traditional examinations and promoting the adoption of more effective forms of assessment such as open-book and open-web, for some time.”

Despite the university doing no investigation, Law said it seemed very confident all students had the right technology for OSEs.

The student association’s survey said around 30% of students were concerned about being able to afford equipment.

Massey reps assured Law students who can’t afford the right technology can apply for a technology grant or emergency hardship grant. However, grants are one off up to $500, which is not enough for a high spec computer.

The student association was previously able to give hardship grants of up to $500, now it can only give grants up to $150.

Law said, “The student association can’t help because our ability to help in that regard has been taken away from us.”

After doing an interview with Stuff in April regarding OSEs, Law said the university was not happy he went to the media before going to them.

“That was really not on… they were unhappy that we went to media on it when they wanted us to go to them first. Well, they didn’t even inform us of this happening, so how could we have gone to them first?”

“How are we supposed to know to go to you about these issues when we don’t even know that these are being implemented? Like we weren’t consulted… we weren’t told that this was happening.”

Law was unhappy to know that unknown people were taking down posters opposing OSEs on the student association boards.

“Really nasty things were happening ... Only our association staff or student reps can put posters up or take posters down.”

Law said Massey reps said using OSEs was not to save money on examinators or examination rooms. The university itself did not decide to use OSEs, as any course coordinators had the freedom to decide. However, Law said Massey does have the power to ban OSEs for all courses.

Victoria University previously tried to implement OSEs in 2020, but it was ditched after student opposition. If you’re concerned you may be sitting an OSE this semester, contact your course coordinator or check your exam timetable for your examination assessment details.

Massey proposal to cut 178 jobs is “horrific”

Sammy Carter (she/her)

Massey proposes to cut 178 jobs across all colleges and campuses after already cutting 28 last year. The proposed change aims to make more efficiencies in the University and cut costs. The job cuts will affect academic admin and finance business partnering staff across all colleges.

Tertiary Education Union organiser Ben Schmidt was appalled by the proposed change, “cutting jobs and subjecting people to this horrific process is absolutely the wrong way to go. It is unnecessary.”

178 roles will be disestablished, 31 of which are currently vacant. 144 new roles will be established and open to the job market.

Schmidt called out Massey vice chancellor Jan Thomas, saying, “What the vice chancellor needs to do is actually stop cutting jobs, listen to her staff, invest in supporting them.”

“If she wants to see more efficiencies, she needs to actually talk to staff members about this and ensure they have secure work, ensure that they are fully staffed and resourced to focus on the future of the university.”

Schmidt said union members are already doing essential work in a very understaffed university, “Members are concerned, they are angry, they are disappointed. This is not the way to go.”

“Members need secure work, proper staffing, to be listened to. That is what will take the university forwards, not cutting jobs and reducing staffing.”

A Massey University spokesperson said, “As the university continues to work towards a more financially sustainable future, we need to identify improvements so that we work more efficiently and effectively.”

“Like all other New Zealand universities, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University must continue to find ways to use taxpayer money wisely”. The spokesperson said a final decision would not be made on the proposal until all feedback had been considered.

They said if the change moves to an implementation stage, all staff whose positions are disestablished would be encouraged to apply for any of the 144 new positions.

The Tertiary Education Union sent an open letter to vice chancellor Jan Thomas asking her to stop cutting jobs.

The letter said, “Your proposal ignores and undervalues the work of administration and finance staff who are essential to the functioning of the University, while continuing to further harm morale.”

The letter highlighted that job cuts would be a loss of Massey staff’s unique knowledge, skills and experience.

The letter said, “Massey University is facing a crisis of understaffing and overwork, impacting on the health, safety, and wellbeing of many staff – this is the crisis we need you to address now.”

Schmidt said the union had not yet received a response to the open letter. Student association Te Tira Ahu Pae general president Jake Law said the job cuts were “a loss of the knowledge and expertise that has been gathered”. He said, “It’s a difficult time to be a student or staff member at Massey.”

A final decision was set to be made in June after deliberation.

Kiwis ‘over the moon’ after Australia announces new citizenship pathway

Marlee Partridge (she/her)

The sun had barely risen in Terang, Victoria when Wellington-born Kelly Ford learned the news.

Australia announced a direct pathway to citizenship for Kiwis, a change which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief after her nightmarish experience living as a migrant.

As a Kiwi on a Special Class Visa (SCV), she was not eligible for government financial benefits when things got tough. A familiar story for many Kiwis living abroad. But from the 1st of July, New Zealanders that have lived in Australia for more than four years will be able to apply for citizenship - bypassing the requirement to get permanent residency first.

“I’m over the moon,” Ford said of the new pathway.

Prompted by the cost of living, and opportunities for her children, Ford moved to Australia from Auckland in 2014 with her 8-year-old and 10-year-old daughters.

Her first stop was the Gold Coast. Though her move to the sunshine state had been mostly positive, Ford quickly learned that living in Australia as a kiwi came with its own stresses.

In 2015, Ford contracted the Ross River virus, an arbovirus transmitted by mosquito bite.

The NSW health website listed symptoms of the virus as fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pains, rash, tiredness, or weakness. The Victorian health site said it could take up to six months to recover and there was no specific treatment.

After six months of battling the virus, Ford thought she was in the clear, her life returning to normal and allowing her to continue living the Kiwi dream.

Bad luck struck twice when Ford spent most of 2017 unwell. She suspected it was ongoing effects from the virus, but no doctors confirmed it.

Using annual leave to cover sick days, draining savings accounts, and living off a credit card, it wasn’t until 2019 that doctors finally found what was wrong.

She had Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

With her ongoing health issues forcing her to leave work, Ford said she “looked at all options and found [she] wasn’t even able to access NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) assistance”.

Ford found support in the generosity of her family and moved in with her parents in Victoria where the rest and colder climate sent her into remission, allowing her to return to the workforce.

But then came the pandemic. “We were so lucky we had essential jobs.”

Ford said she would have had to move back to New Zealand if her job hadn’t been essential.

There was an upside to it all with Ford joking about how her essential job means that if anything was to happen again, “I just have that security that I don’t have to live in with my f–ing parents again”.

Ford remains positive about the pathway as her now 19-year-old wants to study pharmacy and will be eligible for student finance once her citizenship is processed. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins had applauded the new pathway, claiming it was the biggest change to immigration policy between New Zealand and Australia in a generation.

But this new pathway comes hot on the tail of controversy surrounding the 501 deportations that saw New Zealanders who have committed serious crimes deported from Australia, even if they had not lived in New Zealand since infancy.

Previous immigration laws meant New Zealanders who had moved to Australia prior to 2001 didn’t need to apply for permanent residency first, much like the new pathway.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that New Zealanders working in Australia and paying taxes should be treated with respect and that is what this new pathway would do. “Strengthening our bonds, strengthening the relationship between our two great nations,” he said.

PM Chris Hipkins doesn’t

Disagree

Tegan Jaggard (she/her)

The coronation has been and gone but a conversation has emerged over whether King Charles should be New Zealand’s figure head.

In a post-cabinet press conference on the 8th of May, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins reiterated that New Zealand will not become a republic in his time as Prime Minister.

In a poll on Massive Magazine’s Instagram story, we asked if people watched the coronation of King Charles and if people think New Zealand should be a republic.

Out of the 118 people that answered the poll asking if they think New

Zealand should be a republic, 84% said yes.

Out of the 144 people that answered the poll asking if they watched the coronation, only 15% said yes.

I spoke to a group of second year students, who preferred not to be named, and asked them what they thought.

Referring to the royal family, one of the students asked, “what do they even do?”

Another student said, “I don’t think they do anything for us other than visit every couple years and disrespect our culture, in Camilla’s case.”

This was in reference to an incident a few months ago when Queen Camilla ignored a pōwhiri welcoming her to Westminster Abbey.

The student continued, “I honestly don’t know how they contribute to New Zealand society at all, we don’t benefit from their wealth, and they take up space on our cash.”

Another student piped up to say, “we have our own King, if Australia can replace King Charles’ face on their money with Aboriginal art, then why can’t we put King Tūheitia’s face on ours? Like we don’t even use the same currency as them, so why are they on our money?”

Though Prime Minister Hipkins called himself a “theoretical republican”, he also said, “the constitutional arrangements that we have work at the moment, and there is no pressing need for change”.

On top of that, Hipkins didn’t think that New Zealanders wanted to be a part of a republic saying, “I think it will become clear when New Zealanders are ready to have that debate, and whether there’s an appetite for it. I don’t think there’s an appetite for it at the moment.”

Leader of the National party, Christopher Luxon, didn’t think that New Zealanders wanted to be a republic at all.

In a statement he made shortly after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, he said, “I visit two or three towns in New Zealand a week, it just isn’t a topic of conversation that comes up”.