Copying on an Exam
A Teaching Assistant reported a sophomore to Student Judicial Affairs for
copying and/or collaborating during an exam. When meeting with the Judicial
Officer, the student stated that he was taking medications, which caused the side
effects of twitching and nausea. The student stated that the TA might have
misinterpreted the behavior as cheating. Due to the lack of evidence that the
student was cheating, the professor agreed to the recommended actions of the
Judicial Officer. Since this was the student’s first referral, he was given an
Administrative Notice, which is not a disciplinary action but is a formal notice of
University policy related to academic integrity. If the student is later referred for
and found in violation of the University policy that he was officially put "on notice"
about, the disciplinary sanction that he would receive would likely be effected by
the fact that he had previously received the Administrative Notice.
Plagiarism
This senior was referred to the office of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for
plagiarism on a final paper. The professor reported the student due to her lack of
citations and the fact that she had copied portions from an online source. Once
the professor noticed the plagiarism in the paper, he quickly contacted the
student. When in conference with the student, she stated that she was in a rush
to finish the paper and apologized for the lack of citations. The professor stated
that the student showed remorse and asked the professor how to prevent
plagiarism in the future. However, the professor still reported the student for
plagiarism, as he is obligated to do under the Code of Academic Conduct. In
her meeting with a Judicial Officer, the student apologized and said that she
made a mistake. Since this was her first violation, she was given the sanction of
a Censure. A Censure is a written notice or reprimand that the student violated a
University policy and that if repeated, further disciplinary action would be taken.
Failure to Follow Procedures
A junior was referred to SJA for failure to follow directives during a math
placement exam. At the end of the exam, the Teaching Assistant called time and
told the students to stop working on the exam and turn it in. This student failed to
stop working on the test and stated that she did not stop because no one warned
her before time was called. She also claimed that when she asked if she could
continue, no one answered so she thought it was okay. Continuing to work after
time is called is a violation of the Code of Academic Conduct because it is
unfair to other students. Since this was the junior's first referral, she was given
the sanction of Disciplinary Probation for one year.