Honor Pledge Violations (AUGUST 2007-JULY 2008)

The following violations of the Honor Pledge occurred at Kansas State University. Most recent occurrences are listed first. For definitions to some Honor & Integrity System terms used below, please access this web site link: TERM

Reporting Stage: An instructor or student has notified the office of a pending report.
Notification Stage: The Director writes a letter of notification of allegations, sanctions, and the opportunity for student to review the case file.
Mediation Stage: Conversations about which OPTION is best for instructor/student.
Case Review Stage: The student comes into the Honor office to review the case file.
Investigation Stage: Honor Council members investigate the case.
Hearing Stage: Honor Council members hear the case.

This site was last updated on Wednesday , September 17 at 2:15 pm

Case #2007/2008-100 - A Graduate Student admitted to stealing a building master key and entering a faculty members office for the purpose of photographing the final exam. The student, using the photographs, copied the exam into the notes to be used while taking the exam. The student was unaware that the professor later identified an error in the exam and rewrote the exam and answer key. The student's submitted paper included the error. The student originally concocted a story indicating the exam was found by a copy machine in the library and was copied as a part of the notes while preparing for the exam. When informed of the error in the exam the student admitted to the theft of the key and entering the office of the professor. The student also admitted capturing the exam with a cell phone camera. As a part of the sanctions for the violation the student was required to retake the exam. The student failed the exam and is repeating the 4th year of the program. The student was also sanctioned with community service for the remainder of the time the student is attending K-State. Additionally, the student is no longer eligible for employment by the university for the duration of the time the student attends K-State. Any future violation of K-State policies will result in the student's expulsion from the university. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-099 - A Junior is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism on a class assignment. While grading the assignment the instructor noted the a use of technical language not previously demonstrated by the student in previous assignements. Upon conducting a search of the listed references the instructor located a website that had been plagiarized. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the DI course and to re-do the assignment by the end of the spring 2009 semester. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-098 - A Senior is alleged to have electronically accessed unpublished KEYs to homework problems assigned to be graded. The instructor, working with technical support personnel, was able to document that the student accessed unauthorized material on KSOL on at least three separate occasions. Further evidence of the violation can be seen in the work submitted by the student which is almost an identical copy of the solutions KEY. The Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the homework portion of the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-097 - A Junior is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism when submitting two abstracts at the end of the semester. While grading the papers the instructor noted the writing style was not that which is typically exhibited by an undergraduate student. The instructor conducted a "Google" search which identified two Internet sources that contained exact wording as that used in the papers. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-096 - A Senior is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism after submitting a paper containing no works cited page. Upon reading the submitted paper the instructor noticed the paper was not written in a style normally used by the student. Using a Google search engine the instructor was able to locate three sources from which the paper had been copied without appropriate attribution. In some cases the content of the paper appeared to be cut-and-pasted from the websites and in other cases the student modified some of the phrasing and substituted synonyms for key words. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-095 - A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism while completing two assignments. For the first assignment students were required to review a video and evaluate the presenter. The student worked with two other students to complete the task. When the student submitted the paper it contained distinct similarities to the content contained within the papers submitted by the other two students. The student admitted to the instruct that the paper was copied from that prepared by the other two students. In addition, when the student was acting as a second evaluator during a class workshop, the student simply paraphrased the comments of the first evaluator. No original thought or ideas were expressed during the evaluation process. As a result, the Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on both assignments and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-094 - A Sophomore and a Junior are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration during the final exam for a course. The students were witnessed by a proctor glancing at each other's exam response sheet during the test. At times one student was witnessed pointing out answers to the other student. The proctor was positioned in the back of the room and notified the test administrator. The test administrator then watch closely and witnessed the students engage in similar behavior. At this point the test administrator separated the individuals. Upon consulting with the course coordinator the Instructor met with the students to discuss the situation. One student denied engaging in the behaviors. The other student acknowledged "wondering eyes" during the test but was adamant that the intention to cheat was not existence during the test. The instructor sanctioned the students with a grade reduction on the exam, 50% deduction from the earned points, and is further requiring the students to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed .

Case #2007/2008-093 - A Graduate Student is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an outside assignment. The student was given an assignment to write about a location in such a way that a person reading the assignment could feel that they were in the location described. The submitted paper contained writing at a level that was far beyond that demonstrated by the student on previous assignments. The instructor requested that the Honor System initiate and investigation to determine if the student received unauthorized aid on the assignment. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-092 - A Junior is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. The student was required to submit an additional assignment due to a question related to an allegation of unauthorized collaboration on a submitted project. The student submitted a paper that was distinctly different in writing style than what the student had previously submitted during the semester. The instructor conducted a quick Internet search and was able to locate several sites from which material had been plagiarized. The Instructor sanctioned the student with an XF and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course offered through the Honor System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-091 - A Senior is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration while completing an in-class exam. Two different versions of the exam were distributed to students. The student in question submitted responses that were appropriate for the version of the exam possessed by the student in the next row but did not match the exam the student was given at the beginning of class. The instructor sanctioned the student by requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course offered through the Honor System.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-090 - A Junior is alleged to have plagiarized while completing a proctored exam. The student was taking a make-up exam for the fall 2007 final in the course. The student arranged for a proctor for the exam and the proctor was approved by the instructor. The student took the exam under close supervision of the proctor. However, once the exam was graded it was noted the student had plagiarized information from multiple web sites. The student explained that the notes taken during class were insufficient to prepare for the exam and the student studied from available information located at various web sites. The student then memorized the information and used several "word for word" items when completing the exam. The instructor noted that no references were cited on the exam and stated that the student had indeed represented others work as her own. The instructor sanctioned the student with a warning. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-089 - A Senior is alleged to have plagiarized while completing a take-home final exam. The student was asked to use in class lectures and reading assignments as the source for responding to the essay portion of the exam. However, upon receipt of the exam the instructor noted that the responses were almost entirely comprised of plagiarized text from three separate websites. The instructor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-088 - A Senior is alleged to have plagiarized while completing a paper for class. The student submitted a paper containing a material taken directly from an Internet source and failed to use quotation marks or to cite the source. As a result, the Instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and is further requiring that the student enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-087 - A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized while completing a paper for class. The student submitted a paper containing a works cited page. However, the student made no attempt to use in-text citation where needed. There was not distinction between directly quoted material, paraphrased material, and original work. As a result, the Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and is further requiring that the student enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-086 - A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized while completing a paper for class. Although the student did cite several sources, the instructor stated the student failed to distinguish direct quotes from original work. No attempt was made to use quotation marks to indicate the work of the sources. As a result, the Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and is further requiring that the student enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-085 - Two Freshman are alleged to have submitted the same paper for an assignment. The students were asked to attend a presentation and submit a short report on the presentation topic. The students submitted two papers identical in format and wording. The format was exactly the same, including error. The final paragraph of both papers was centered rather than alighned right as it should have been. The Assistant Professor santioned the students with a one letter grade reduction in the course grade and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity Course. One student chose to contest the violation report while the other student accepted the report as filed. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-084 - A Junior is alleged to have plagiarized while completing an assignment. The student submitted a paper containing plagiarized portions from the website wikapedia.org and from the primary source reader for the class. While the material from the source material was cited the student neglected to offset the directly quoted passages with quotation marks. The material from the website was not cited. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a reduced grade on the assignment and is requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-083 - A Sophomore is alleged to have plagiarized while completing an assignment. Students were required to submit reviews of works of art viewed throughout the semester. Upon receiving the reviews the instructor noted that one students reviews seemed to use "Hollywood" language and descriptions. Upon searching the Internet using key words from the review, the instructor was able to find two reviews that were copied directly from the Internet. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an official warning through the Honor System and is requiring the student to re-do the assignments. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-082 - A Sophomore is alleged to have plagiarized while completing an on-line assignment. Each member of the class was to have read an article and provided a short review. The reviews were then posted to an on-line message board. The student in question is alleged to have copied another student's post, on two occasions, and posted the reviews as the student's own work. The instructor discovered the first instance and prior to filing the Honor System report discovered the student had repeated the act for another review. The Instructor has sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course offered through the Honor System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-081 - A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized by submitting a paper in which more than half of the contents were copied directly from the reader assigned as the text for the course. The student did attempt to make footnotes and change the wording in the first part of the paper but as the paper progressed these attempts were abandoned. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a reduced grade on the assignment and an official warning from the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-080 - A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized by submitting a paper containing multiple paragraphs copied from a published article. Specifically, the instructor became concerned due to the level of writing proficiency demonstrated in the paper. The level was much greater than that demonstrated by the student throughout the semester. Upon investigation the instructor discovered the plagiarized article. The instructor sanctioned the student with a warning and the requirement to redo the paper. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-079 - A Junior is alleged to have plagiarized by submitting a paper containing numerous lines copied from various Internet sources. Specifically, the instructor became suspicious of the contents of the paper and conducted an Internet search using the Google search engine. The paragraphs were found to have been pasted from the various sites with no attempt at attribution. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-078 - A Junior is alleged to have plagiarized by submitting a paper containing multiple paragraphs copied from various Internet sources. Specifically, the instructor became suspicious of the contents of the paper and conducted an Internet search using the Google search engine. The paragraphs were found to have been pasted from the various sites with no attempt at attribution. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-077 - A Senior is alleged to have copied answers from another students test response sheet. The instructor for the class witnessed the student copying the answers from another student throughout the testing period. Upon receiving the test for grading, he compared the two test forms and found that both students missed the same three questions. It should be noted that the students each had a different form of the exam. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the exam and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-076 - A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration during a test. Specifically, the instructor witnessed the student look at another student's exam and then record answers on his own exam. Upon receiving the scantron forms, the instructor compared responses and found that of the 50 responses all but three were exactly the same. Of the three different responses the student who is alleged to have copied answers did not provide a response to one of the questions. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a zero on the exam and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course offered through the Honor System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-075- A Graduate Student is alleged to have plagiarized another student's paper. The paper submitted for grading was submitted in a previous semester by another student. The Graduate Student aquired the completed assignment and modified it slightly prior to submitting it for grading. When confronted the student admitted to the act of copying the students assignment and stated that adequate time was not provided to be able to complete the assignment. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-074- A Graduate student is alleged to have acquired four papers completed by another student in a previous semester for the purpose of plagiarizing the student's work. The student modified the papers slightly and submitted them as original work. The instructor confronted the student who admitted to the act but stated the reason for the action was related to difficulties encountered by the student related to coursework and also cited a language barrier as a reason for these actions. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a grade cap of B in the course, the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course, and is further requiring the student to re-submit the four papers for re-grading. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-073- A Sophomore and a Freshman are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration while completing a library assignment. Specifically, the instructor stated the students submitted identical papers for grading. The only difference in the two papers was the name at the top of each paper. The papers contained identical layout and font style and size. The students claimed to have worked together to increase their chance of a better grade. The instructor clearly stated that this assignment was an individuals assignment and was not to be done in collaboration. The Instructor sanctioned the students with a reduced grade on the assignment and an official warning through the Honor System Office. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-072- A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an in-class quiz. Specifically, the instructor reported handing out two versions of an in-class quiz. When the alleged violator submitted the quiz for grading it contained responses to the other version of the quiz. When asked if the AV copied off of the student sitting in the next seat the reply was, "I can not remember." The Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the quiz and an official warning through the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-071- A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism while completing a paper. Specifically, the instructor stated the student submitted a paper which contained no in-text citations or reference list. Upon conducting an Internet search the instructor quickly located a site containing several sentences that has been used in the paper. The instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-070- A Senior and a Junior are alleged to engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an in-class quiz. Specifically, the instructor reported witnessing the students looking around the room and at each other's papers several times during the quiz. The reported indicated that one of the students was witnessed to have look directly at the other's paper and quickly write something on the student's own paper. The Reporter indicated that the students were working on the same portions of the quiz at the same time throughout the quiz time. Both students turned in the quiz within five minutes of each other and there were distinct similarities in the responses on both quizzes. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the students with a zero on the quiz.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-069- Fourteen students were alleged to have received unauthorized aid during the completion of a homework assignment. When the homework was being examined by the GTA in charge of grading it was noted that a nonsensical response was given to one of the homework problems by 14 students. The response matched that demonstrated in the Instructors Solutions Manual but did not represent the solution strategy demonstrated by the instructor. The instructor had included a statement prohibiting the use of the solutions manual as an aid in completing homework. Eleven of the students have acknowledge using the solutions manual and are not contesting the allegation. Three students have denied using the manual. Two of these students are contesting the allegation. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-068- A Freshman was alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. Specifically, the student was required to post an article review in an on-line format. This occurred in a large class setting in which numerous posts were made. The instructor was notified by a student that the Freshman had copied an original post and placed her name on the new post. The instructor explicitly stated that this was not permitted. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-067- A Junior is alleged to engaged in plagiarism while completing a paper. Specifically, the instructor stated the student copied several sections of text nearly identically from a web site and failed to attribute the text to the site. The instructor filed the case as an option 2 and requested an Honor Council investigation. The Reporter has recommended the sanctions of a zero on the assignment and has required the Junior to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Investigation Pending. Upon investigating the circumstance surrounding the allegations the Case Investigators recommended the case be heard by a Hearing Panel. The panel found that sufficient information did exist to find the student responsible for the allegations. The panel acted upon the recommendations of the Reporter and sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-066- Two Freshman are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an outside assignment. The two Freshman submitted identical papers for grading. The AVs did acknowledge working on the assignment together and stated they did not understand the definition of unauthorized collaboration. The GTA sanctioned the students with a zero on the assignment and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed .

Case #2007/2008-065- A Junior is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an assignment. The Junior worked on the assignment with the AVs from Case 063 and 064. The Junior is alleged to have requested the AV from Case 064 send the AVs completed assignment through email. Once the AV received the paper the AV is alleged to have changed the name on the paper and submitted it as the AVs product. The AV denies participating in this activity and claims the papers are similar simply because the AVs all worked on the papers at the same time. The GTA sanctioned the Junior with a warning, the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course, a zero on the assignment, and a cap on the course grade of a B. Case Closed .

Case #2007/2008-064- A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an assignment. The Freshman completed the assignment along with the AVs from Case 063 and 065. The AV from 065 then requested the Freshman send the paper through electronic mail to the AV from case 65 so that the 065 AV could check to make sure the assignment had been completed correctly. The name was replaced on the paper and submitted it for grading. The AV admitted to sending the paper to the other student. The GTA sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and an official warning through the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-063- A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an assignment. The paper submitted by the Sophomore was similar in content and format to a paper submitted by another student. The GTA sanctioned the student with a warning from the Honor & Integrity System. The student contested the allegations and requested an investigation by the Honor Council. Two Case Investigators were assigned to the case. Upon speaking with the instructor and the student they determined that sufficient information did not exist to support the allegation and recommended the case be dropped. Case Closed.

March

Case #2007/2008-062- A Junior is alleged to have submitted a paper for grading that contained plagiarism, falsification, and unauthorized collaboration. The GTA assigned to the course noticed, upon grading the paper, that unauthorized references were cited within the paper. Upon contacting the student, the GTA was informed by the student that the student was aware sources were used which were not supposed to be used to reference the paper. In addition, the GTA investigated two library books cited by the student. The GTA discovered the citation information used in the paper was from the KSU on-line catalogue description of the book and not the book itself which contains different information. This brings into question the validity of the information cited from the books themselves. The GTA has attempted to have the student come in for a meeting but the student has not replied to the request. The GTA has sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and an official warning from the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-061- Two Freshmen are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration. Specifically, the two students submitted an assignment that contained identical responses. The students claimed to have used the same resources to complete the assignment; however, the instructor noted this would not account for the similarities in wording and format. In addition, since only portions of the sources were used it is unlikely the students would have selected the same portions to be used. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the students with a zero on the assignment, the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course, and the requirement to make a presentation to a future class on the importance of Academic Integrity. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-060- A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration during an in-class exam. The instructor indicted the student was seen looking at another students exam. The instructor engaged the student by making eye contact on two separate occasions and standing by the student for 2-3 minutes during the exam. When the instructor returned to the front of the classroom, the student continued to look at the exam of the student in the next chair. Approximately 30 minutes into the exam the instructor approached the student and requested that the student move to an area where no other student sat. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an official warning through the Honor & Integrity System and informed the student that in future testing situation the student may not sit close to other students. Case Closed.

January

Case #2007/2008-059- A Senior was alleged to have plagiarized another students work. While grading a final project, the instructor found a paper that contained another students name and work. The student contested the allegation and indicated the inclusion of the document was an oversight. The Hearing Panel found that although the submission of another student's work was an oversight, the student did submit the work for a grade. The submission of another student's work, unintentionally, still constitutes plagiarism. The Hearing Panel found the student responsible for an act of plagiarism and upheld the sanction. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment, a one letter grade reduction on the course grade, and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-058- A Senior was alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration by providing an electronic document to fellow students. The student contested the allegations and requested an investigation on the part of the Honor Council. The Case Investigators found that the student did admit to sharing the document but did not believe the sharing of the document was outside the boundaries of collaboration as outlined within the class. A Hearing Panel found that the student was working within the boundaries of expected behavior on the part of class members. They found that the actions of the student, while not in-line with the expectations of the instructor, were in line with the pedagogy of collaboration as outlined by the college. The panel found the student not responsible for the allegation and recommended that the instructor, department, and college closely examine the outlined expectations related to collaboration and attempt to define this concept in a way that dissolved the confusion experienced by multiple students within the class. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-057- A Junior is alleged to have submitted a paper in which direct quotes were used but not cited appropriately. The student had demonstrated appropriate knowledge of proper citation on previous papers. However, upon reviewing the fourth paper of the semester the instructor noted that direct quotations were used but not identified as such by the use of quotation marks. In addition, an in-text citation was used but did not directly follow the direct quote. The Assistant Instructor is requiring the student to re-write the paper with a grade cap of 85%. In addition, the student is required to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-056- A Junior was alleged to have submitted a paper containing inappropriately cited material resulting in plagiarism. Specifically, the student was given feedback on previously submitted papers indicating the need to cite material appropriately. On the fourth paper of the semester the student consistently used inappropriate citation methods and failed to identify direct quotations combined with in-text citations. The Assistant Instructor assigned the student the task of rewriting the paper using appropriate citation techniques. The grade for the paper was capped at 75%. The instructor is also requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-055- A Senior was alleged to have failed to provide in-text citations for paraphrased material while preparing a review paper for class. Specifically, the instructor indicated the student was given feedback on two previous papers as to proper citation methods and cautioned against failure to appropriately cite paraphrased material. Upon receiving the fourth paper, in which the student failed to cite material, the instructor filed the violation report alleging the student plagiarized the content of the paper. The Assistant Instructor sanctioned the student by requiring the student to rewrite the paper with a grade cap of 75% on the assignment and to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-052-53-54- Three students (Two Sophomores and a Junior) were alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration while preparing a take home project. The instruction packet contained instructions indicating the project was to be done individually. Upon reviewing the completed project the instructor noted that the three projects turned in by the students were remarkably similar. The Professor sanctioned the students by placing a grade cap of a C on the final grade for each of the students. The students did not contest the allegation. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-051- A Senior is alleged to have plagiarized portions of article reviews while completing an Annotated Bibliography Assignment. The Associate Professor noted several instances where the student copied and pasted from the sources without adequate attribution. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

December

Case #2007/2008-050 -A Sophomore is alleged to have plagiarized a paper for class. The student failed to provide any in-text citations or a works cited page. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-049 - A Sophomore is alleged to have plagiarized a paper for class. Specifically, the student failed to use sufficient in-text parenthetical citations. The student did include a works cited page and therefore the instructor did not feel there was an attempt to be dishonest. However, the student did fail to adequately attribute the text within the paper to the proper sources. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a warning and further recommended the student consider taking a course that would help the student to engage in more scholarly research. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-048- A Senior is alleged to have plagiarized multiple sources while writing a paper. Upon receiving the paper the instructor conducted a simple search using Wikipedia and Google. The search located several passages that were copied from these sources without attribution. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper and the outline. In addition, the student’s grade was capped at a D and the student is further required to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. The student chose not to contest the allegations and accept the report as filed; the reporter’s sanctions will be upheld. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-047- A Sophomore is alleged to have submitted a paper containing limited reference. In addition, the listed on-line references were inaccessible when the instructor attempted to check the sources. The Professor stated failure to cite sources properly or at all constitutes plagiarism and has sanctioned the student with a zero on the paper. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-046 - Ten students submitted projects that contained similar introductory statements. The students were a part of two teams who were working on a team project. The case was filed as an Option 2 in which the faculty member requested that the Honor System investigate the situation. Prior to the investigation enough information was discovered to identify three individuals who worked on the parts of the project that were similar. The allegations against the other seven individuals were dropped. Upon further investigation it was discovered that two of the individuals completed the project 48 hours prior to the third person began working on the other teams introduction. The Case Investigators discovered that information left on the desktop of one computer was not erased when the first team logged out of the terminal. They hypothesized that since this information was created 48 hours prior to the creation of the other document then the second document was indeed the copy. A hearing panel agreed with the information found by the case investigators. The hearing panel found two of the individuals not responsible and held the third individuals accountable for copying the work of the other team. The Hearing Panel sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-045- Two students submitted an on-line final exam containing the exact same responses on both exams. The students incorrectly answered 12 questions with the same incorrect responses. Upon investigation the Graduate Teaching Assistant discovered both students submitted their exams at the exact same time. The instructor sanctioned the students with a zero on the exam.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-044 - An Instructor alleged that a Freshman engaged in plagiarism on an essay written for class. The student was required to revise a submitted essay. Upon receiving the revision the instructor noted the student had elected to change the topic. The instructor also noted the revised paper contained diction and style that were not representative of the work previously submitted by the student. The instructor conducted and Internet search and located an essay onwww.echeat.com from which the submitted essay was copied. The instructor sanctioned the student with and XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-043- A Sophomore is alleged to have made false statements regarding a submitted assignment and to have plagiarized the assignment in question. Specifically, the instructor did not receive the student’s paper when the assignment was collected. Upon contacting the student for confirmation, the student indicated the assignment had been submitted. The student sent the instructor an email containing a word document the student claimed was what was submitted on the day the assignment was due. However, upon checking the properties tab, the instructor discovered the document was created 55 minutes prior to the time he received the email attachment. The property tabs also showed the document had been edited for a total of 52 minutes. Thus the document was created, edited, and completed only 3 minutes prior to arriving in the instructor's in-box. Additionally, the instructor conducted an Internet search and discovered that large portions of the paper had been plagiarized from the SparkNotes Internet site. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-042 - A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized while preparing a paper for class. Specifically, the instructor stated the paper failed to utilize the assigned sources and contained a wide variety in writing styles. The instructor located three sources on the Internet from which the student had copied large sections. The instructor confronted the student who explained his writing style. The instructor noted that two of the plagiarized sources were included in the works cited section of the paper but the paper failed to contain in-text citations. The instructor warned the student to avoid the standard writing style utilized during the predation of the paper in the future. The Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-041 - A Senior is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism while submitting an assignment for grading. Upon receiving the paper the instructor noted the student failed to utilize the assigned sources and the paper contained inconsistent writing styles throughout. Upon conducting an Internet search the instructor located several sources that were copied while writing the paper. The student failed to attribute the material to the source. The instructor confronted the student about these findings. The student acknowledged plagiarizing the sources and attributed the act to a lack of time and ability to complete the assignment. The Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-040-A Senior is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an in-class exam. Specifically, the student was observed by another student and the instructor consulting two note cards located on a binder during the examination. The student alerted the instructor who watched the student closely during the remainder of the exam. The student was seen by an additional student putting the note cards away following the exam. The instructor sanctioned the student with a grade cap of a D in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course offered through the Honor & Integrity System. The student contested the violation report. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-039-A Sophomore submitted a research paper without in-text citations. The Assistant Professor clearly stated in the syllabus that failure to provide proper references or in-text citations constituted a violation of the Honor Pledge. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. The student did not contest the allegation. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-038-A Freshman was alleged to have plagiarized while completing a paper for a course assignment. The instructor became suspicious when the student submitted the third paper in the course. The instructor noted significant improvement in the student's writing style and organization. Upon grading the paper, the student received an A. the next assignment was submitted by the student later in the semester. Upon consulting an Internet search the instructor located two web sites that were copied extensively within the paper without the use of adequate attribution. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a grade cap of C in the course, the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course, and is further requiring the student to rewrite one of the papers in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-037-A Senior was alleged to have engaged in falsification of data collected throughout the semester. At the end of the semester the student submitted a detailed multiple page paper containing an analysis of meeting that were to have occurred throughout the semester. Given that the meetings never occurred, the instructor identified the paper as a falsification of collected data. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-035/036 -Two Freshman are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on during a laboratory final exam. During a performance final exam the students were witnessed talking with each other about their responses to the questions. The instructor warned the students by stating that talking was not tolerated during the exam. The instructor recommended the students separate. The students did not heed this recommendation. Following the verbal warning the students were witnessed by the faculty member and both of the graduate student assistants, communicating verbally in an inconspicuous manner. In addition they were seen looking at each other’s and several other student’s placing cards, answer to questions, and answers to problems. In addition, the instructor indicated that several times during the semester the students were observed looking at the other student’s quizzes, exams, and/or trying to talk about judging classes or written questions about the classes. This behavior was witnessed by the instructor and his graduate student assistants. He indicated the students were warned more than once during the semester that this behavior was unacceptable. As a sanction the Professor has assigned one student with an XF in the course. The other student has been sanctioned with a warning and is further being required to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Both students contested and a hearing panel found them both responsible and upheld the Reporter’s sanctions. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-034-Two Freshman were alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on two extra credit assignments. The instructor graded the two papers only to discover the papers contained similarities. Specifically, both papers contained exact sentences and paragraphs containing almost identical sentences. The only difference in the paragraph was that minor changes were made to insert words or change phrased to appear different. The Graduate Teaching Assistant has elected not to sanction the students but to report the violation to the Honor & Integrity System. The students are included in the database of Honor Pledge violators. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-033- Two Sophomores and a Senior were alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on a final exam. The students were sitting in a group while taking the exam. Upon grading, the instructor noted that all students received the same grade. Upon further examination the instructors discovered that the students all missed the same questions and provided the same wrong responses to the questions. The Graduate Teaching Assistant had no information to indicate who copied from which paper and therefore did not assign a sanction to the three students. Two students did not contest and their portion of the case is Case Closed. One Alleged Violator did contest the allegation. The student met with Case Investigator. Upon investigation the Case Investigators recommended that the case against the student be dropped for lack of information. Therefore, the case was dropped and all identifying information related to that one student was removed from the database. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-032-A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized signficant sections while preparing an outline of a paper to be presented to class. Specifically, when the student submitted the paper the instructor noted a difference int he format of the paper and the required outline format. In addition, the instructor noted a difference in writing style and grammer usage between the outline and previously submitted assignments. When confronted with the suspicions of plagiarism, the student apologize for putting the instructor through this ordeal. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with the requirement to enroll in and succesffully complete the Development and Integrity course, a reduced grade on the assignment, and is further requiring the student to write a letter of apology to the class that also addresses the idea that plagiarism undermines the honest work of others. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-030/031- During the summer semester of 2007 students were required to submit a paper for class. The paper was checked for plagiarism by a plagiarism detection program (www.MyDropBox.com ). The paper was stored in a database to be checked against future papers submitted for the same course. During the Fall 2007 semester a Senior submitted a paper for the same assignment in the course. The paper was submitted and compared with the existing database of previous papers for the course. The report stated that numerous portions of the submitted paper (fall 2007) were plagiarized from a paper submitted during the Summer 2007 section of the class. The Assistant Professors of the course sanctioned the student with an XF. The Assistant Professors have also filed a report (31) asking the Honor & Integrity System to investigate the Senior whose paper was plagiarized. They have recommended a sanction requiring the Senior to enroll in the Development and Integrity course. Following an investigation of this situation the Case Investigators determined that sufficient information did not exist to proceed to a hearing. The case was dismissed.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-027 through 029-A Sophomore and two Juniors were alleged to have plagiarized while writing and submitting papers for a class assignment. The instructor required students to submit the papers electronically. Upon receipt of the papers the instructor ran them through the MyDropBox plagiarism detection program. The program indicated several instances of plagiarism, including direct quotation without the use of quotation marks, failure to attribute the material to an outside source, falsified citation information, and failure to provide any citation information for the papers.As a result the instructor has sanctioned all three students with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-026-Two Sophomores were alleged to have falsified statements in an attempt to avoid late penalties for turning in an assignment late. Specifically, the students made false statements related to luggage that did not arrive on time. The students stated they worked on the assignments while out of town and upon returning realized the assignments were in their luggage which did not arrive when they did. Each student sent an email requesting additional time based upon the circumstances. Upon investigation the instructor found a witness who saw the students working on the assignment after it was due. When confronted both students acknowledged the falsehoods and stated they concocted the story in order to avoid late penalties. The instructor reduced the grade on the assignment by 15% and further required the students to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-025-An Instructor alleged that a Sophomore engaged in plagiarism on an exam-- a take home examination that was alarmingly similar and at times the same as one of another classmate's. The student allegedly borrowed notes from a sorority sister and took the test and made a copy of it. The student admitted to the violation. As a result, the Instructor assigned the student with a zero on the written portion of the test, a cap of a B in the course, and is further required thaenroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity class offered through the Honor & Integrity System. Case Closed.

November

Case #2007/2008-024-A Graduate student was alleged to have submitted an assignment that contained responses to questions and data from a previous semester. Upon reviewing the responses the GTA alerted the instructor that some questions were answered that were not asked this semester. Upon reviewing the submitted responses the instructor noted that the responses were consistent with those from the previous semester which utilized a separate data set. The student contested the allegations due to the fact that the student could not get on KSOL for the class for a few weeks and had used another student's data and question sheet from a previous semester. With this plausible information, the hearing panel found the student not responsible. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-023-A Freshman was alleged to have plagiarized while preparing and submitting a paper for class. Specifically, the instructor became suspicious that the wording contained in the paper did not sound like the words previously submitted by the student. Upon searching the Internet the instructor was able to locate several Internet sites from which statements had been directly lifted from the site. The instructor then sent an email to the students asking for verification that the wording was actually the students. The student claimed the wording was the students. The Instructor then filed an Honor Pledge Violation report alleging the student to have plagiarized Internet sources without adequate attribution. The Instructor has sanctioned the student with an XF. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-022- A Junior was alleged to have engaged in unauthorized aid by using an electronic device during an in-class test. Specifically, the instructor noted the student repeatedly referring to the electronic device during the test. When the instructor approached the student the instructor examined the device. The device displayed information in a foreign language with which the instructor was unfamiliar. The instructor indicated directions were given several times indicating all electronic devices are prohibited during testing situations. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a warning. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-021-A Junior was alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration when preparing and submitting an assignment. The assignment on contained answers that were identical to another student’s paper. Further, the responses included answers that were not in the text and ones that were incorrect. The Professor sanctioned the student with a reduced grade on the assignment.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-020-A Freshman was alleged to have submitted an assignment containing exact responses as those submitted by another student. The responses included material that was not found in the textbook and multiple similar incorrect responses. The Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-019- A graduate student was alleged to have falsified lab data and used unauthorized aid in a class. Specifically, the instructor indicated the student cheated on an exam, falsified results for the first course project, unethically obtained another student’s data without the student's knowledge and submitted the data as the results for a second project, and falsified results for the final examination in a class taken during the spring semester of 2007. The Associate Professor had submitted the allegations in the forma of an OPTION 2, sending the case to the Honor Council for investigation and adjudication. The student came in for a case review and went back to speak with the instructor, admitting all behavior. The instructor decided to amend the report to an OPTION 1, taking care of the sanctioning portion of the case. The Associate Professor sanctioned the Graduate Masters student with a C in the prior course and an XF in this semester's course. The student is also to take the Development & Integrity course next semester. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-018- A Senior was alleged to have submitted an assignment containing plagiarized portions from several Internet sources. The student used a large number of secondary sources from the Internet and failed to provide adequate attribution. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-017- A Freshman was alleged to have submitted an assignment containing plagiarized sections from an Internet source. Upon reviewing the submitted assignment the Instructor was concerned the wording used within the paper was not consistent with that generally used by the student. Following a search using the Google Search Engine, the instructor was able to locate a web site containing a paper which used the same sentences and structure as the paper. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is further requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-016-A Freshman was alleged to have engaged in a breach of academic integrity by submitting a quiz after the call for papers. Specifically, the instructor gave a surprise quiz in class. At the appointed time the instructor called for the papers to be submitted. The student failed to submit the quiz at that time. Following class while the instructor was engaged in advising another student the alleged violator placed a completed quiz paper in the stack of papers that had been collected by the instructor. After the students left the room, one student returned to report witnessing the alleged violator placing the quiz in the stack of papers. Upon checking for the paper in the stack the instructor found the students paper. The instructor knows for a fact the student did not submit the quiz when time was called. The witness corroborates this with the report of seeing the alleged violator place the paper in the stack at the end of class. The Associate Professor has sanctioned the student with an XF in the class. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-015-A Graduate student was alleged to have found another student's annotated readings and notes and used those notes to prepare a paper for a project. The student acknowledge the act and did not contest the violation report. The Associate Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and is requiring the student to enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

October

Case #2007/2008-014-A Sophomore was alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an in-class test. The student arrived late for the test and did not hear a listening portion during the first part of the test. However, the student answered the multiple choice portion of the test for that section. The Professor indicated that since the student was not present for that portion of the test there is no way the student could have known the correct answers. The student contested the allegation and after a case investigation and hearing, Honor Council panelists found that there was not enough information to find the student in violation. The student was cleared of any misconduct.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-013-A Sophomore was alleged to have submitted an assignment containing plagiarized sections from multiple Internet sources. The plagiarism was identified because the students submitted a paper that failed to address the assigned topic or use the assigned sources. When confronted the student acknowledged the plagiarism. The Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-012-A Junior was alleged to have submitted an assignment containing plagiarized sections from multiple Internet sources. Upon receiving the paper the Professor identified the plagiarized sources through an Internet search. When the Professor confronted the student the student acknowledge the plagiarism. The Professor sanctioned the student with an XF in the course.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-011- Two Freshmen were alleged by an Instructor to have collaborated and handed in the same paper--plagiarism. The students were warned and reported. Their names are now in the Honor & Integrity System office database. Another violation could result in suspension or expulsion.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-010-A freshmen was alleged to have attempted to bribe a GTA to change a failing grade to a passing grade. The GTA reported this attempt to the GTA coordinator who subsequently filed the Honor System Violation report. The student sent the bribery statement in an email to the GTA. The student attempted to offer the GTA a sum of $500 to change the grade. The email statement was sent to the Honor System office along with the report. The GTA coordinator requested an investigation be conducted by the Honor Council. After a thorough investigation, the Case Investigators reported back to the Director. Both the GTA coordinator and the student came to the conclusion that the act had happened and the student realized the gravity of the situation, especially that like conduct away from the university may have resulted in a felony conviction. The student was assigned to write a letter of apology and to successfully enroll in and complete the D&I course in the spring 2008 semester. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-009-Case closed by Director. Case Closed.

September

Case #2007/2008-008-Two Seniors were alleged to have submitted the same assignment for class. While grading the papers the grader discovered two identical papers. The grader reported this fact to the instructor who confronted the students. The students acknowledged working together on the assignment and printing two copies to be submitted. The instructor notified the students of the expectation for individual work in the future. The instructor issued a warning to the students.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-007- Two Sophomores were alleged to have submitted the same assignment for class. Upon grading the assignments a GTA recognized the similarities in the submitted work. When questioned by the instructor the students acknowledged working on the assignment together and printing two copies to be submitted. The Instructor informed the students of the expectation for individual work on the assignment. The instructor issued a warning to the two students and clarified future expectations for class assignments.Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-006-A Freshmen was alleged to have submitted an assignment that was taken from a web site without adequate attribution. Upon reviewing the assignment, the instructor noted that the level of writing surpassed what the student had demonstrated in class. Upon searching the Internet the instructor was able to locate a website containing all of the sentences the student included in the assignment. The student added nothing to the writing and did not provide citation information. As a result the instructor assigned a reduced grade on the assignment with the possibility of resubmitting the assignment with a reduced grade. In addition, the instructor required the student to enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-005-A Senior was alleged to have plagiarized from two Internet sources when the student submitted a report for grading. The instructor noted distinct differences in grammar and writing style between separate sections of the report. Upon further investigation the instructor found two web sites, using the Google Search Engine, from which paragraphs had been copied verbatim without adequate attribution. The student denied the allegation. As a result the Instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and further required that the student enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. The student did not contest, however the student was brought before a hearing panel due to this being a second Honor Pledge violation. Since the student had not taken the D&I class with the first violation, an additional sanction of an XF was placed on the second violation. The graduating Senior will have to repeat the course because it is a necessary course for the curriculum. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-004- A Sophomore was alleged to have stolen a copy of an exam given in class. The student was observed by another student taking two copies of the exam. The student placed one copy in a backpack and completed one copy. The second student informed the instructor via electronic mail within the hour following the exam. The student was called in for a meeting and acknowledged taking the exam. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a zero on the exam and required the student to enroll in and successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-002 and 003-Two Freshmen were alleged to have presented an in-class report containing distinct similarities in two different sections of a course. The similarities were too close in nature to have been random occurrences. The reporter, working with the other instructor, attempted to investigate the issue but was unable to make progress toward determining the circumstances surrounding the similarities. Therefore, the GTA filed an Honor System Violation Report asking the Honor & Integrity System to conduct an investigation. After a thorough investigation of the two incidences, the Reporters and Alleged Violators of both violations agreed to the allegations and the sanctions given. Both students received a 0 on the assignment and must successfully complete the D&I course. Case Closed.

Case #2007/2008-001- A Freshmen was alleged to have been observed, by several students and the instructor, flipping through and examining, notes held under the desk. The student was confronted and the notes were taken away from the student and returned following the quiz. Since this case was reported as an OPTION 2, two Honor Council Case Investigators conducted interviews with both the Reporter and the Alleged Violator. The CIs determined that there was enough information to send on to a hearing. Two faculty and three student Honor hearing panelists reviewed the information and decided an Honor Pledge violation had occurred. They further sanctioned the student with an XF and the successful completion of the D&I Case Closed.