Altering an Exam
Student Judicial Affairs recently resolved a case involving a junior who altered an exam and submitted it for a re-grade. The student created a new version of the exam based on the original and made substantial modifications to the answers. Because of the striking differences between the two versions of the exam, the professor was thoroughly convinced that the student had altered his test. The student soon admitted to academic misconduct and agreed to 20 hours of community service along with the sanction of Deferred Separation until graduation. Deferred Separation means that a student can continue to attend school unless he or she engages in academic misconduct again.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
A first-year student was referred to SJA for suspected plagiarism on an essay. After reading the paper, the professor noted that the student used language well above the level typical of a first-year undergraduate and referenced texts that were not discussed in class. Although the student maintained that the essay was her own work, the professor remained skeptical. Upon reviewing other assignments that the student wrote and further discussing the issue with her, both the professor and the SJA officer agreed that the student did not plagiarize the paper. Subsequently, charges against the student were dropped completely.
Dismissal
A senior, one quarter away from graduation, was dismissed from the University for both academic and social misconduct. The transfer student had been referred to SJA six times, five of which took place since January of this year. The student had engaged in misconduct that entailed theft from the bookstore, copying another student’s homework assignment and turning it in as her own, providing false information on a scantron, and copying during an exam on three separate occasions. The SJA officer initially thought to place the student on suspension and delay her graduation, but as the third referral was pending, the student had received two more referrals (one for cheating on an exam, the other for copying homework), which prompted the judicial officer to believe that dismissal would be the most appropriate sanction.
The Campus Judicial Report is compiled by student members of the Campus Judicial Board. Additional information about SJA and the Campus Judicial Board may be found at sja.ucdavis.edu.XXX
