Honor Pledge Violations (AUGUST 2000-JULY 2001)

The following violations of the Honor Pledge occurred at Kansas State University.
Most recent occurrences are listed first.

MAY

Case #2000/2001-55--Two juniors and one sophomore with no prior history of Honor Pledge violations are alleged to have participated in plagiarizing. One student allegedly plagiarized an Internet source while one of the other two students provided unauthorized aid to the other student on a take-home exam. The student who allegedly plagiarized the Internet source did not respond to a request to attend an Honor Council Hearing Panel and was assigned an XF for the course. The other two students had their case heard before an Honor Council Hearing Panel which decided that both should be required to take the Academic Integrity course during the fall 2001 semester. If they pass, their course grade will be restored. If they do not pass, both will receive an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. Case Closed.

Case 2000/2001-54--Three sophomores, two juniors and two seniors with no prior history of Honor Pledge violations are alleged to have forged attendance sheets. During the semester, the instructor became suspicious that some students were signing in for absent students and as a result began keeping separate attendance records. The instructor has turned the case over to the Honor Council for adjudication. An Honor Council Hearing Panel decided that due to ambiguous and conflicting evidence, including the instructor's syllabus which did not clearly explain how attendance factored into the final grade, that the students involved were not guilty, though clearly attendance sheet fabrication was occurring. (Violations of the Honor Pledge must involve breaches in academic areas. Misconduct, such as forging another's name on an attendance sheet will be adjudicated through K-State's judicial branch of Student Life. An exception to this procedure occurs when the syllabus clearly states what percentage of the final grade (academic work) is based on attendance.) Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-53--A senior student studying abroad was informed by classmates that another senior student had plagiarized the first student's original work and posted it on the internet as original work on the 2nd student's web page. The student admitted plagiarizing and removed the work from the web page. The department head wrote a letter of reprimand to the guilty student's file. The senior student studying abroad has requested an Honor Council Hearing Panel to review the case to decide whether the department head's letter of reprimand was sufficient punishment. Should the student be found guilty of a second Honor Pledge violation, the result could be suspension or expulsion from the university. An Honor Council Hearing Panel met and decided in addition to upholding the previous sanctions imposed by the Department Head, that the student be required to successfully pass the Academic Integrity Course and to write letters of apology to the student whose work was plagiarized as well as to the Department Head. In addition, the student was to submit a five page essay on ethical behavior with respect to the student's major field of study. The student complied with all sanctions in the allotted time given. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-52--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized an internet paper and turned it in as original work. The assistant professor suspected the paper was not original, typed in a sample sentence in a search engine and found the original paper. The student remorsefully acknowledged the Honor Pledge violation. The assistant professor decided to give the student a zero for the assignment which resulted in a significantly lower grade for the course and also informed the Honor & Integrity System Director of the sanction. Should the student be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous sanction which could result in suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-51--Two seniors with no prior history of Honor Pledge violations turned in final exams, part of which seemed remarkably similar and unlike the responses from any other members of the class. Both students denied collaboration but the associate professor was not convinced and turned the case over to the Honor Council for investigation and adjudication. Honor Council Case Investigators interviewed the Associate Professor and both students and determined that the students did not collaborate and did their work independently. The Case Investigators recommended the case not go to an Honor Council Hearing Panel and the Director agreed and so informed the Associate Professor. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-50--A sophomore with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation by plagiarizing a classmate's essay as part of the second exam and turned it in as original work. The student was given a second chance to re-write the exam but failed to live up to the additional stipulations of that opportunity. The assistant professor decided to request the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity course; the F will remain permanently on the transcript although the course may be repeated for an additional grade, used to figure the grade point average. The student chose not to appeal appeal. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-49--Four seniors and two juniors, all with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation were found to have plagiarized final papers. The assistant professor skillfully and stealthily unearthed the sources each student used, including one paper which had fourteen web sources and another with thirteen. The assistant professor decided to grade only that part of each paper which was original and lower each final grade accordingly. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-48--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation was found by a GTA to have violated the "code regarding the use of a cheat sheet" and given a zero for the final exam resulting in a D for the course. The student's name will remain on record in the Honor & Integrity System office. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-47--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation was alleged to have used crib notes during a final exam. The assistant professor had requested the student be assigned an XF. The student had appealed the sanction. The case was investigated prior to a hearing before an Honor Council Hearing Panel. An Honor Council Hearing Panel decided that clear and convincing evidence did not exist and the student was found not guilty of an Honor Pledge violations.Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-46--A junior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation admitted to "looking at a neighbor's final exam." The student admitted the Honor Pledge violation and as a result, the graduate teaching assistant decided to lower the student's final grade by one letter grade and report the incident to the Honor & Integrity System Director. Should be student be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous violation which could result in suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-45--A sophomore with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation admitted to copying test answers from another student's final exam. The assistant professor decided to assign the student a zero on the final exam and report the incident to the Honor & Integrity System Director. Should the student be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous sanction which could result in suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-44--Two sophomores with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation turned in identical take-home final exams and were accused by the associate professor of unauthorized collaboration. Honor Council Case Investigators interviewed the Associate Professor and the two students and determined that there was insufficient evidence to send the case to an Honor Council Hearing Panel. The Case Investigators noted that the class involved a number of group projects which gave the students the impression collaboration was permissible. In addition, the Associate Professor admitted not verbally instructing students to not collaborate on the take-home exam, nor were there instructions to that effect on the exam itself or in the syllabus. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-43--The same senior from Case 42 is alleged to have plagiarized a computer program obtained through the WWW. The associate professor has requested the student be assigned an XF. The student had ten calendar days to appeal.The student did not enroll for fall semester class and did not respond to repeated requests to contact the Director regarding the appeal process. The Director withdrew the appeal request and requested the Registrar to assign a second XF for the course. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-42--A graduating senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation allegedly plagiarized a class project based on a solution from a previous semester. The assistant professor requested the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The student will have ten calendar days to appeal.The student did not enroll for fall semester class and did not respond to repeated requests to contact the Director regarding the appeal process. The Director withdrew the appeal request and requested the Registrar to assign an XF for the course.Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-41--A graduating senior was noticed by another student in class to be using crib notes during an exam. The observing student notified the instructor of what was noticed and also asked the instructor to allow the informing student the opportunity to confront the student who was observed cheating on the exam. The informing student confronted the cheating student who became angry but later admitted the Honor Pledge violation and confessed to the instructor. The instructor decided to assign a zero for the exam and lowered the student's final exam accordingly. The instructor also filed an Undergraduate Honor & Integrity System Report with the Honor & Integrity System office. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-40--A junior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation was observed by an associate professor to be copying exam answers from a junior student seated directly in front in the next row in a large lecture hall with stadium seating. Although it appeared that the student in front was seated in a manner which helped the student behind observe the exam answers, the student denied assisting the student seated behind. The assistant professor decided to request that the copying student receive an XF but that the student who appeared to be assisting not be charged. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason was an Honor Pledge violation. The X can only be removed by passing the Academic Integrity course; the F remains permanently on the transcript although the course can be repeated for another grade which is used to figure the grade point average. The student did not appeal and an XF was assigned for the course.Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-39--a sophomore and a graduating senior both plagiarized the same Internet source and independently handed their papers in as original work. The assistant professor immediately recognized the papers as plagiarized; the subject matter was an area of specialization. The assistant professor requested both students be assigned an XF. The F indicates failure in the course, the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The X can only be removed from the transcript by successfully passing the academic integrity seminar; the F remains permanently on the transcript although the course can be repeated for another grade which is used to figure the student's grade point average. The students did not appeal. The graduating senior's graduation was postponed. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-38--A junior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation allegedly plagiarized the work of another student and handed it in as original work. The student admitted basing the assignment on the work of another student but claimed most of the assignment handed in was original. The associate professor determined that the student was unable to answer even basic information about the assignment and turned the matter over to the Honor & Integrity System for adjudication. The student has also been alleged to have gained unauthorized access to the electronic account of another student in the class and plagiarized that student's work. Case Investigators interviewed the Associate Professor Reporter as well as three student witnesses before interviewing the Alleged Violator with the evidence they had uncovered. At that point the Alleged Violator decided to withdraw the appeal of the XF. The Director requested the Registrar assign an XF to the student's transcript. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-37--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized the design work of another project team and tried to pass it off as original work. The team whose work was plagiarized happened to hear the student's oral presentation, recognized elements of their work and reported it to the assistant professor who decided to assign a zero to the student for that project and inform the Honor & Integrity System of the Honor Pledge violation. Should an Honor Council Hearing Panel find the student guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, the Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous sanction which could lead to suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-36--A freshman with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation fabricated an email about the death of an uncle to avoid taking an exam. The student could provide the professor no evidence of the death and at first blamed a roommate for the fabricated email. Later the student confessed and the professor decided to turn the matter over to an Honor Council Hearing Panel to decide a sanction. The Hearing Panel decided to sanction the student with a zero on the exam and the requirement that the student enroll in and pass the Academic Integrity course. They also urged the student to seek academic assistance from the university. The professor volunteered personal aid in contacting appropriate university resources in student services. Case Closed.

April

Case #2000/2001-35--Three freshmen with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation, each separately turned in as original work, papers which had been plagiarized from the Internet. The Instructor decided to give each student a zero for the assignment and report the incident to the Honor & Integrity System Director. Should either of the three be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous sanction which could lead to either suspension or expulsion from the University. The students did not appeal the sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-34--A student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized material from the Internet on two essay assignments. The Associate Professor confronted the student, instructing the student that this was still plagiarism. The student was asked to rewrite two completely original essays. The case has been documented with the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-33--Two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation, each separately turned in as original work, papers which had been plagiarized from the Internet. The Associate Professor decided to turn the case over to the Honor Council for adjudication. An investigation resulted in a recommendation to the Honor & Integrity System Director that a Hearing Panel should be convened. The Hearing Panel found all students in violation of the Honor Pledge and decided to sanction three student with an XF. The Hearing Panel decided to recommend to the Provost that the fourth student, who did not show up for the hearing, be suspended and assigned an XF for the course. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-32--Two students with no prior history of Honor Pledge violations were caught fabricating attendance sheet lists and also with collaboration on a class test. Both students were confronted by the Instructor and admitted what they had done. The Instructor decided to assign both students an F for the course and to document the case with the Honor & Integrity System Director. This case will be kept on file in the Honor & Integrity System Office. If the students are found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation by an Honor Council Hearing Panel, the Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous violation which could result in suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

March

Case #2000/2001-31--A student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized a paper from the Internet. The Assistant Professor was suspicious and located the original paper from the Internet. The Assistant Professor requested the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the transcript although the course can be repeated for another grade which would be used to figure GPA. The X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity course offered annually. The student did not appeal the sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-30--Two students with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation turned in similar papers in the same class. The assistant professor suspected either unauthorized collaboration or one student plagiarized the work of the other student. The Assistant Professor decided to give both students a zero for the assignment and formally document the incident to be placed on file in the Honor & Integrity System Office. Should either student be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation by an Honor Council Hearing Panel, the sanction could likely be either suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2000-2001-29--A professor using the Class Talk system noticed that questions to the class were being answered by "empty seats." The professor inquired and discovered that one student was providing answers for two absent students. An Honor Council Case Investigation revealed that the student answering the questions had been asked by one of the other students to "cover for me." When confronted by the Professor, the student who was present admitted violating the Honor Pledge by providing unauthorized aid. One of the students not present was not charged with an Honor Pledge Violation. The other student who was not present denied the allegation and claimed before an Honor Council Hearing Panel that "cover for me" meant taking notes although the student who was present admitted to not taking any notes. The Honor Council Hearing Panel, noting some discrepancies in the testimony of the two students, decided that the student who was not present was also guilty of an Honor Pledge violation, receiving unauthorized aid. Both students were sanction with a 50 point reduction in participation points for the class and a requirement they enroll in and pass the Academic Integrity Course. If either or both fail to do so, their grade in the course will be changed to an XF. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-28--A student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation made a photo copy of another student's lab assignment and turned it in as original work. The Assistant Professor noticed the duplicate labs and confronted both students, one of whom admitted lending the lab to the other who photocopied but claimed the completed lab was mistakenly left at home. The Assistant Professor, after consulting with both students, decided to assign the student who copied a zero for the assignment and warned the other student about providing "unauthorized aid. The Honor & Integrity System Director wrote a letter of warning to the student who copied. If the student is found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the previous sanction, which could result in suspension or expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

February

Case # 2000/2001-27--Two students with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation turned in similar test answers which aroused the suspicion of the instructor. The two students were friends and sat together in class. When confronted, both students denied collaboration on the test although each separately gave conflicting accounts. The instructor decided to write each of the students a warning letter and provide a copy to the Honor & Integrity System Director. The letters will be placed on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Should either student be found guilty of a future Honor Pledge violation, the letters will be made available to an Honor Council Hearing Panel prior to sanctioning. Later, the Instructor decided not to document the case with the Honor & Integrity System Director; the Instructor decided both students had been sufficiently warned and would not likely risk violating the Honor Pledge in the future. The student's names will not be on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-26--A junior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation is alleged by a roommate to have been submitting plagiarized papers in classes which were written by a family member. The Director of the Honor & Integrity System dismissed this case for lack of evidence. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-25--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation falsified written evidence claiming to have successfully completed Red Cross/First Aid certification which is a prerequisite in the student's major field of study. The deception was compounded when the student was found to have attempted to impersonate Red Cross personnel in a call to the student's major professor's office. Various KSU supervisors and instructors will receive notification of the student's "lack of professionalism and inappropriate ethical behavior." In addition, this incident will remain on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Should the student be accused of a second Honor Pledge violation, prior to deciding on a sanction, the Honor Council Hearing Panel Chair will be notified of this previous incident which could result in suspension or expulsion from the University. Case Closed.

December 2000--End of Semester

Case #2000/2001-24--A sophomore with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation submitted a paper as original work which seemed to the Associate Professor to be beyond the writing ability of the student. After finding the original source and confirming that the student had plagiarized, the Associate Professor asked the student to bring in the original source for the paper so that they could examine it together. The student declined repeated requests to produce the original source and the Associate Professor requested the student be assigned an XF. The F indicates failure in the course, the X indicates the reason was an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the transcript; the X can only be removed by passing the Academic Integrity course offered annually. The student did not appeal.Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-23--A sophomore with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation asked for an incomplete in a course, claiming the death of a sibling as the reason. Later the Assistant Professor discovered the student had lied about the death of a sibling. After consulting with the student and the student's family, the Assistant Professor decided the student would be best served by seeing a counselor and being held to a tight level of accountability. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-22--Two first year students handed in identical papers in separate sections of a class. The assistant professor became suspicious when a teaching style reference in the paper seemed to fit another assistant professor instead and consequently turned the matter over to the Honor & Integrity System Director to investigate. An inquiry was made of the other assistant professor who verified receiving the same paper. As a result, both students are alleged to have participated in unauthorized collaboration, a violation of the Honor Pledge. Both assistant professors decided to award a zero for the assignment and reduce the students' final grade accordingly. Both students will have a letter placed on file in the Honor & Integrity System office which documents the Honor Pledge violation. Should either student be found to have violated the Honor Pledge a second time, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be so apprized of the previous sanction which could result in suspension or expulsion from the University. Both students will have ten calendar days to appeal the decision. One student requested an appeal of the sanction. As a result, the Honor & Integrity System Director decided to appoint two Honor Council case investigators and instructed the assistant professors to change the course grades to Incompletes. The Honor Council Case Investigators discovered that one of the students had plagiarized two papers from the other student's disk and submitted it as original work. That student's instructor decided to request the student be assigned an XF; the student did not appeal that decision. The other student was found to be not guilty of an Honor Pledge violation and the instructor restored the original earned grade. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-21--A first year student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized a speech and delivered it in class as an original speech. The instructor became suspicious by references to Parliament and British law and after a brief search, discovered the original speech on the Internet. The instructor confronted the student who admitted the Honor Pledge violation. The instructor requested the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the student's transcript; the X can only be removed by passing the Academic Integrity course offered annually. The student did not appeal the XF sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-20--A first year student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation turned in a fabricated paper describing a community service project the student claimed to have attended along with a group of other students. The instructor was informed by other group members of the fabricated report and confronted the student who "readily admitted" the Honor Pledge violation. The instructor decided to give the student an F on the assignment but to not request an XF for the course. The instructor informed the Honor & Integrity System Director of the Honor Pledge violation and the student's name is now on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Should the student be found guilty of a second Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the prior sanction, which could lead to suspension or expulsion from the University. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-19--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized the work of others by writing a research paper without appropriate source attribution within the paper. Although the student claimed ignorance of how to properly cite sources in a scholarly manner, the instructor decided to assign an XF for the course. The student did not appeal the XF sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-18--A first year student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized an Internet source and submitted it as original work. The instructor was suspicious and conducted an Internet search, discovering the original source. The student confessed and showed "genuine remorse." The instructor decided to request an XF be assigned for the course grade. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason was an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the academic record; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity course, offered annually. The student did not appeal the XF sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-17--A first year student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized an Internet source and submitted it to the instructor as original work. The instructor, though at first was "delighted by the polish and sophistication" of the work, became suspicious and checked the Internet and quickly found the true source of the work. The instructor requested the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates failure for the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain a permanent part of the academic record; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course, offered annually. The student did not appeal the XF sanction. Case Closed.

Case #2000/2001-16--A fifth year student doing an internship off-campus turned in a final project which was discovered by the Internship Director to be plagiarized. As a result, the student was given an F for the course (3 credits) and received no credit for the entire internship (12 credits). Case Closed.

November 2000

Case #2000/2001-15--A first year student was caught submitting a plagiarized internet paper and attempting to pass it off as original work. The student was given an F for the course by the instructor who also informed the Honor & Integrity System Director of the Honor Pledge violation. The student's name will be kept on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Should the student be found guilty of a second Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be informed of the prior violation, which could lead to suspension or expulsion from the University. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-14--Two first year students were found to have collaborated on an assignment when only individual work was authorized. Both students received a zero on the assignment and the instructor notified the Honor & Integrity System Director in writing of the Honor Pledge violation which will be kept on file in the Honor & Integrity System office. Should either student be charged and found guilty of another Honor Pledge violation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be so informed prior to deliberating on a sanction which could lead to suspension or expulsion from Kansas State University. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-13--Two students with no prior record of an Honor Pledge violation turned in identical take-home makeup exams. The instructor requested that both students be assigned an XF for the course.The students appealed the XF request and two Honor Council Case Investigators were appointed. Following an investigation it was mutually decided by the Honor & Integrity System Director and the Reporter to withdraw the XF request due to the Case Investigator's discovery of ambiguous instructions for the assignment. Further, at the suggestion of the Case Investigators, the makeup exam was disallowed and not graded. The two students completed the course and the instructor/Reporter assigned them their earned grade. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-12--A student with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation was observed by the instructor passing an answer sheet to another student during an exam. After the exam, the instructor compared the two answer sheets and noticed that they were identical although the two students each had different versions of the same exam. When the two students did not keep an appointment with the instructor to explain their exam answers, the instructor decided to request that both students receive an XF for the course. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason was an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the students' academic record; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course offered annually. The students decided not to appeal the sanction. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-11--A freshman with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation was noticed by a test proctor to be copying answers from the test of another student seated nearby. A comparison of the two tests tended to verify what was observed. The instructor confronted the student with the evidence; the student denied the charge. The instructor decided to request an XF for the student for the course.Two Case Investigators were appointed and an investigation included interviews with the Reporter, a witness, the Alleged Violator and with the student whose test was copied. Both the Alleged Violator and the student whose test was copied denied knowing each other although the witness testified that they entered and left the room together. An Honor Council hearing panel found the Alleged Violator guilty although they reduced the sanction to an F for the test and the instructor/Reporter offered to allow the student to re-take the exam. The Hearing Panel also stipulated that the Alleged Violator enroll in and pass the Academic Integrity course. The student decided to withdraw from the university following spring 2001 semester and had not yet taken the Academic Integrity course. The professor of the course where the Honor Pledge violation occurred decided to assign an XF for the course. Case closed.

Case # 2000/2001-10--A senior with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation plagiarized the design work of a class example project which had previously disappeared. The instructor immediately noticed the similarity and called the student in for questioning. The student admitted plagiarizing and consequently the instructor requested the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates a failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The F will remain permanently on the student's academic record; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course, offered annually. The student decided not to appeal the sanction. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-09--A student is alleged to have altered a quiz and turned it back in to the instructor for a re-grade for additional points. The instructor determined the quiz had been altered and requested of the Honor & Integrity System Director that the student receive an XF for the course. The student has five class days to appeal the XF. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is due to a violation of the Honor Pledge. The F will remain permanently on the student's transcript; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course, offered annually. The student decided to appeal the XF request and Honor Council Case Investigators were appointed. Following the investigation, an Honor Council Hearing Panel was convened, heard testimony from the participants and decided to uphold the faculty member's request for an XF. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-08--An instructor giving an unannounced quiz noticed that a quiz was turned in by a student not in class that day. Later, the student not in class and the student who turned in the extra quiz arrived at the instructor's office to apologize for their action. The instructor requested of the Honor & Integrity System Director that both students be assigned an XF for the course. The students appealed the request to the Director, admitting their violation of the Honor Pledge but believing the sanction was too harsh.The case was investigated and a Hearing Panel convened. The Hearing Panel decided to uphold the faculty member's request for an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-07--An instructor of a lecture class using the Class Talk system for giving points to students who participate in class discussion noticed that answers to questions were coming from empty seats. Further inquiry revealed that two students in class were responding to questions for two students who were not in class. The instructor turned the case over to the Honor & Integrity System for investigation and adjudication. An Honor Council Hearing Panel decided two of the students were each guilty of an Honor Pledge violation and sanctioned with a 10% reduction in class participation points. Each were required to write a three-page paper on academic integrity to the Honor & Integrity System Director. A third student was found guilty of an Honor Pledge violation and was also sanctioned with a 10% reduction in class participation points and required to write a letter of apology to the instructor. Because the student was found to be lying to the Hearing Panel, the student was also required to enroll in and successfully pass the Academic Integrity course. Charges were dropped for a fourth student due to lack of evidence.Case Closed.

October 2000

Case # 2000/2001-06--A faculty reported that two students turned in identical sections of a homework assignment which required an entirely personal response to a question. When the faculty confronted the two students, one admitted loaning a disk to the other student and contritely admitted that to be "unauthorized aid," and a violation of the Honor Pledge. The student who copied the disk made excuses and claimed that it wasn't "such a big deal."The faculty decided that the student who loaned the disk was naively innocent but decided to let an Honor Council Hearing Panel decide on the sanction for the other student. A Hearing Panel was convened and decided the student should receive an XF for the course. The student decided to appeal because the faculty member was inadvertently not informed of the hearing and did not appear. The student believed that the faculty member's testimony regarding class participation and attitude since the incident might be a factor in the Hearing Panel's decision. The Honor & Integrity System Director allowed the appeal on the basis of procedural irregularities and convened a new Hearing Panel. This time the faculty member was invited and testified as to the positive contributions the student was making in the course. The Hearing Panel consequently decided that the sanction should be a zero for the assignment rather than an XF, although the student was also required to successfully pass the Academic Integrity Course by the conclusion of spring 2001 semester or the grade for the course would be changed to an XF. Case Closed.

September 2000

Case # 2000/2001-05--A faculty reported to the Honor & Integrity System Director that a student turned in a plagiarized paper from the internet. The faculty requested that the student be assigned an XF for the course. The F indicates a failure for the course, the X indicates the reason was a violation of the Honor Pledge. The F will remain permanently on the student's transcript; the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course, offered annually. The student decided to appeal the sanction. During the course of the investigation, the student claimed ignorance of how to properly document sources. Those claims were substantiated by two other faculty members who were familiar with the student's academic progress in the PILOTS program. Both faculty agreed to provide immediate tutoring for all students enrolled in PILOTS and the involved student agreed to learn how to properly cite sources and to help teach those skills to the other PILOTS students. As a result, the faculty who originally requested an XF agreed to allow the student to drop the course providing the student write a letter to the Honor & Integrity System Director which acknowledges the internet plagiarism and confirms that the student now understands how to correctly document internet sources. Should the student be accused of another alleged violation of the Honor Pledge, an Honor Council Hearing Panel will be apprized of that information which could result in the student being suspended or expelled from the University. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-04--A sophomore with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation allegedly plagiarized another student's original work by copying the work backward. The instructor requested that an XF be assigned the student for the course. The F means failure in the course; the X means that the reason was because of an Honor Pledge violation. The F remains a permanent part of the transcript, the X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course, offered annually. The student decided to not appeal the sanction. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-03--A first year student alleged his roommate found and plagiarized his take-home assignment. The student confronted the roommate with his suspicions; the roommate admitted plagiarizing but also said, "It's no big deal." The student reported the incident to the Honor & Integrity System Director who assigned two Honor Council Case Investigators to the case. During the Honor Council Case Investigation, the faculty member, whose class the alleged plagiarizing occurred, requested that the allegation be dealt with within the class so that class morale could be maintained. The investigation was suspended but the student later reported that the issue was never dealt with in class by the instructor. Although disappointed with the outcome, the student expressed satisfaction with Honor Council support and claimed to have "learned a lot" from the process. Case Closed.

Case # 2000/2001-02--Two first year students with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation turned in exams with identical wrong answers which were also out of sequence. The students had sat next to each other during the exam. The instructor became suspicious and decided to turn the case over to the Honor Council for investigation. Two Honor Council Case Investigators interviewed the Reporter and the two Alleged Violators and then recommended to the Honor & Integrity System Director that the case NOT proceed to a Hearing Panel. The Director agreed with the recommendation. The two Alleged Violators both had three years of the foreign language in a level one foreign language class and both admitted to talking and not paying attention at the start of the oral exam and both wrote the correct answers but identically out of sequence as a result. Case Closed.

July 2000

Case #2000/2001-01--A sophomore and a freshman with no prior history of an Honor Pledge violation allegedly collaborated on a take-home project. The instructor specifically stated on the take-home project that students were to work independently. While grading the project, the instructor noticed many same answers on the two projects and called the students in to ask for an explanation. Both students denied collaboration and the instructor decided to turn the case over to the Honor Council. One of the students later returned and confessed to the instructor but claimed the other student was innocent. Honor Council Case Investigators were appointed and interviewed the Reporter, a Witness and the two Alleged Violators and concluded that the case should go to an Honor Council Hearing Panel. The Alleged Violator who admitted guilt was sanctioned with an XF by the instructor. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is because of a violation of the Honor Pledge. The X can only be removed by successfully passing the Academic Integrity Course; the F remains permanently on the transcript. The other Alleged Violator was charged with unauthorized collaboration on a homework assignment and before a Hearing Panel, admitted guilt. After lengthy deliberation, the Hearing Panel sanctioned the Violator with a zero for the assignment which resulted in the course grade being lowered from an A to a C. In addition, the violator is to successfully pass the Academic Integrity Course by the end of this academic year or the course grade will be changed to an XF. Case Closed.