Dear UVic Community,
On May 8th, the UVic Senate will be voting on changes to the Academic Integrity Policy in response to generative AI. We understand the hard work and time UVic has put into these changes and know about the need to uphold academic integrity. However, the presented policy poses increased risk for students while weakening key protections.
The proposed policy updates fail to protect students who rely on accessibility accommodations like text-to-speech or screen reading software. With the proposed updates, using these tools could be considered unauthorized sharing of course materials, exposing students to academic integrity violations for simply using tools that they need to engage with their courses. This creates a disproportionate risk for students with disabilities that goes against the equity plan that UVic has committed to.
The proposed updates to this policy also put too much responsibility on the decision maker. They must decide whether it is more likely than not that a violation occurred (in other words, 51%). This level of proof, combined with no explicit banning of AI detection software, leaves all students vulnerable to high levels of risk or false positives. This risk is elevated for multilingual and neurodivergent writers who make up a significant portion of the student body. Therefore, AI detection tools must be explicitly banned in policy to protect our students from false reports.
Furthermore, the explicit expansion of including alumni under this policy leaves students open to serious harm. This means that graduated students can still be punished long after they have graduated, when they may no longer have access to materials needed to defend themselves.
This will be the second time this policy is being brought to the Senate to vote on, where it was originally sent back for adjustments that have not been made. We understand the University’s desire to have a strong Academic Integrity Policy for the beginning of the Fall term, to ensure first years, newly enrolled, and incoming students have a clear understanding of how AI can and can’t be used. However, this policy update needs to consider all students and the unintended harm it could cause. We ask that all senators take further amendments into consideration, and listen to the voices of the students who will be impacted by these updates.
Sincerely,
UVSS Lead Directors
Matthew, Maddy, Tam, Mariah, and Mohan
Further Readings on AI Detection Software Impact & Reliability:
Angelier, V. (2026). The Pitfalls of AI Detection in Academic Writing Bias, False Positives, and the Need for Inclusive Assessment. False Positives, and the Need for Inclusive Assessment (March 06, 2026).
Deep, P. D., Edgington, W. D., Ghosh, N., & Rahaman, M. S. (2025). Evaluating the Effectiveness and Ethical Implications of AI Detection Tools in Higher Education. Information, 16(10), 905.
Hadra, M., Cambridge, K. & Mesbah, M. (2026). Evaluating the accuracy and reliability of AI content detectors in academic contexts. Int J Educ Integr 22,(4).
Rafiq, S., & Qurat-ul-Ain, D.A.A. The role of AI detection tools in upholding academic integrity: An evaluation of their effectiveness. (2025). Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review, 3(1), 901-915.