Student FAQ

Academic/Administrative Inquiries

Plagiarism is the submission of work that is not your own, and it is extremely serious. For a detailed outline of what plagiarism is and what penalties are involved if you have been caught submitting work that is not your intellectual property please refer to the Brock University Academic Integrity Policy.

  • The processing of cases of plagiarism is governed by the Brock University Academic Integrity Policy, click HERE to visit the Brock Academic Integrity Department resource page. It is also important to note that cases of plagiarism are no longer allowed to be processed at the departmental level. This means any case of plagiarism must according Brock Academic Integrity policy be reported to the Registrar’s office. The following is a brief summary of an inquiry into a suspected breach of academic integrity:
  1. The instructor informs both the Deparmental Chair and the Registrar’s office if they suspect academic misconduct in their class. The Registrar is notified because a hold is put on the student’s record so that he or she can not drop the class until the issue is resolved. The instructor provides the Chair with all information, background, evidence pertaining to the incident.
  2. The Departmental Chair then schedules a meeting at which both the instructor and the student are present.
  3. Once the meeting has concluded the Departmental Chair decides whether the evidence presented supports a charge of academic misconduct or not. If the Chair does not feel there is enough evidence to support this, the matter is dropped. If the Chair concludes there was an instance of academic misconduct then he or she will decide whether the situation merits either an academic penalty or an “educative action” (e.g. rewriting the paper). In either instance the file is then forwarded to the Dean’s office for further review and action.

If you wish to dispute a mark, an Academic Suspension, Academic Debarment, Academic Requirements and Decisions, or Charges of Academic Misconduct you can do this by visiting the Office of the Registrar, either on the web or in person.

VISA Majors:
Visual Arts majors requesting course overrides are to contact Monika Lederich at mlederich@brocku.ca with their student ID number, the course(s) and section # that they wish overrides for. When the override is processed the student will be notified by email.

Concurrent Education Students And Non-Visa Majors:
Concurrent Education students and all von-VISA Majors must email the Visual Arts academic advisor, humanities.advising@brocku.ca with their student ID number, the course(s) they want, the sections they prefer (if applicable) and a short description of why they want to take the course. Students are then prioritized based on their program of study, year of study (those closest to graduation of course are the highestpriority), and reason for wanting the course.
humanities.advising@brocku.ca
Office: MC A313 Phone: 905-688-5550 x5279 Adviser for Canadian Studies; Classics; Dramatic Arts; English; Interactive Arts and Sciences; Studies in Arts and Culture and Visual Arts.

Yes (although currently the position of Visual Arts department is not occupied). The student representative attends Departmental Faculty/Staff meetings functioning as a liaison between students and faculty. They are available to help students with problems or questions and inform them of news, Department policy, or changes that might affect them. The representative is a member ex-officio of the Festival of the Arts Committee and provides leadership in organizing the VISA Juried Student Exhibition. They may be appointed to other Departmental committees as necessary. The student representative is encouraged to take the initiative where all student activities are concerned and to form student committees to advance student events and interests.

Facilities access, hours of operation & lockers.

Open studio access:
During academic sessions all Visa studio spaces (with the exception of the MWS411 Cutting/Build rooms and MWS147 Medialab) are available for use by Visa students outside of scheduled class times 24 hours a day and seven days a week during academic sessions.

Access protocols:
~ students continuing work in any Visa studio after 10:00 pm, or when entering the building week nights after 10:00 pm or on weekends must notify the MIWSFPA security detachment @ extension 6300 or by visiting the security kiosk in MWS161.
~ only Visa students are permitted in Visa studios during scheduled class times or open studio access times.

Proxy card studio access:
Like all other Brock students you will need a Brock ID card, however given that the MIWSFPA has a unique proxy card system that allows students to swipe into certain studio spaces you need to ensure that when you request your Brock ID card that you specify that you are a Visual Arts major and that you need a proxy card for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts. For more information on procuring your MIWSFPA proxy card please visit the Brock Card office HERE.

If you have any problems with proxy access to any of our studio spaces please contact:

Max Holten-Andersen or Arnold McBay

Visual Arts students enrolled in studio courses (painting, drawing and sculpture) are assigned a locker for the duration of their studies at Brock. Students no longer enrolled in studio courses will be required to vacate their locker. Locker deployments are managed by the Visual Arts Department Facilities Coordinator and inquiries can be made in MWS413A. Students are required to supply their own lock and Brock University is not liable for the loss of any items stored in these lockers.

During Fall/Winter session:
Visual Arts Department Art Stores: MWS413
Monday > Friday 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday > 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
>> Special note for winter 2024: Starting January 15 Art Stores Monday hours for duration of winter 2023 semester will be 4:00 to 8:00 pm.

Spring/Summer: Third week of April > end of August.
By appointment only, please contact Arnold McBay at amcbay@brocku.ca or ext. 5046

Fall/Winter session: By appointment only during the hours below (see Visa Facilities Coordinator in MWS413).
Monday to Friday > 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday & Sundays > 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Access protocols to the Cutting/Build rooms:
~ only Visa students who have received safety/equipment training as part of a Visual Arts Department course in which workshop processes will take place may use these spaces.
~ failure to abide by the rules of safe-practices as part of training may result in loss of Cutting/Build room privileges.

Visual Arts Equipment Kiosk: MWS229C – Hallway Gate
Monday to Friday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm | 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday & Sundays: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The kiosk has audio-visual equipment for the exclusive use of Visual Arts students. The equipment is tracked using the main Library’s system, and students are contacted and fined when equipment is overdue. Borrowers must show their student card and agree to liability for repairing or replacing any broken or missing equipment signed out in their name.

Students borrowing equipment must familiarize themselves with the Visa Equipment Lending Policy which outlines details such as overdue fines, borrowing times etc. Click HERE to download this document.

The Learning Commons: MWS229
Monday to Friday: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday: 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The Commons is a quiet study space on the second floor that is open to all Brock students. There is a variety of seating to suit solo or group study sessions as well as two Apple workstations.

Large Format Printer: MWS325

Mondays 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm (September – April)
Thursdays 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm (September – April)

The VISA Large format print room is equipped with a state of the art Epson large format printer and scanner, two Mac editing stations and a 4’ x 8’ photo trimming/cropping work table.

Digital Media Lab: MWS147

Drop-in Hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays:
11:00 am – 3:00 pm (September – April)

The Department of Visual Arts has a state-of-the-art audiovisual production studio, with industry-standard recording and video equipment. The studio is designed for small to mid-size audiovisual productions, ideal for pedagogical needs and individual projects. The Digital Media Lab Studio features:

~ 4K Blackmagic video cameras and accesorie
~ Green screen infinity wall
~ Animation stands
~ Professional studio microphones for all applications
~ Acoustic isolation panels
~ Professional lighting system

Visa Darkroom: MWS143

Mondays: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (September – April)
Thursdays: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm (September – April)
Saturdays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (September – April)

MW143 Darkroom & breakout space features:
~ handicap accessible darkroom equipped with 16 Beseler enlarger stations
~ breakout room for meetings and lectures that also features two computer stations equipped with two professional grade Epson digital photo printers and a Panasonic digital projector for demonstrations and lectures.

Visual Arts Gallery: MWS159 (main floor, west lobby).

Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm (September – April)
Thursday through Saturday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm (May – June)
Closed July and August

The Visual Arts Gallery is a student-focused non-professional art gallery. Regular programming includes guest artists, student curated exhibitions, student independent study exhibits, exchange exhibitions with other institutions, etc. For more information regarding submissions and our gallery mandate click HERE to visit the Visa Gallery web page.

Read here for more information about university residence, meal plans, transit, and parking options when you are a student at the MIWSFPA.

Students new to our department should review the orientation video below for a quick recap of Visa operations, art materials, facilities and resources. Additionally, as you will be using the Visual Arts Department Art Stores a brief information video on how to do a materials transaction is featured here as well.

First Year Art Stores materials transaction video

Studio Fees, the Art Stores & Art Supplies

Some courses have a studio/materials fee in addition to the tuition. These fees are deposited to departmental accounts used to purchase course related materials which are disbursed to you in-class by your instructor or from the department Art Stores in room MW413. All items procured for courses using studio fees are requested for the course by the instructor.

No. Although the majority of your supplies are provided there are certain special materials you will need to acquire on your own. This is more often the case in advanced level studio courses.

You will be informed by the Facilities Technician when your fee has been used up.

All fees are used up for the purchase of supplies. Even though you may still have a fee amount remaining during the semester your fee money exists in the form of art supplies on the shelves. Unused Art Stores credit has no cash value and you can use up your remaining fee by purchasing supplies.

No. All art supplies are procured for use by current students enrolled in specific courses, as such the Visual Arts Department Art Stores is not open to the public or alumni.

Personal Safety

For support and information regarding sexual assault and harassment, please visit asaferbrock.org

Visual Arts Student Awards

John Bott Memorial Scholarship
Warren Hartman Bursary
Arthur Houston Prize in Life Drawing
L. Amy Kerr Book Prize
Sylvia Osterbind Prize in Art History
Dr. Marion B. Smith Prize in Fine Arts
Harpweaver Prize for Visual Art
Senior Scholarship in Visual Arts
VISA Endowed Awards/Scholarships
VISA Faculty Award
VISA Soiree Scholarship
Visual Arts Scholarship