Copying on an exam
A teaching assistant reported a sophomore to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for copying and/or collaborating during an exam. When meeting with the judicial officer, the student stated that he was taking medications, which caused the side effects of twitching and nausea. The student stated that the TA might have misinterpreted the behavior as cheating. Due to the lack of evidence that the student was cheating, the professor agreed to the recommended actions of the judicial officer. Since this was the student’s first referral, he was given an administrative notice, which is not a disciplinary action but is a formal notice of university policy related to academic integrity. If the student is later referred for and found in violation of the university policy that he was officially put “on notice” about, the disciplinary sanction that he would receive would likely be affected by the fact that he had previously received the administrative notice.
Plagiarism
A senior was referred to SJA for plagiarism on a final paper. The professor reported the student due to her lack of citations and the fact that she had copied portions from an online source. Once the professor noticed the plagiarism in the paper, he quickly contacted the student. When in conference with the student, she stated that she was in a rush to finish the paper and apologized for the lack of citations. The professor stated that the student showed remorse and asked the professor how to prevent plagiarism in the future. However, the professor still reported the student for plagiarism, as he is obligated to do under the code of academic conduct. In her meeting with a judicial officer, the student apologized and said that she made a mistake. Since this was her first violation, she was given the sanction of a censure. A censure is a written notice or reprimand that the student violated a university policy and that if repeated, further disciplinary action would be taken.
Failure to follow procedures
A junior was referred to SJA for failure to follow directives during a math placement exam. At the end of the exam, the teaching assistant called time and told the students to stop working on the exam and turn it in. This student failed to stop working on the test and stated that she did not stop because no one warned her before time was called. She also claimed that when she asked if she could continue, no one answered so she thought it was OK. Continuing to work after time is called is a violation of the code of academic conduct because it is unfair to other students. Since this was the junior’s first referral, she was given the sanction of disciplinary probation for one year.
Members of the office of Student Judicial Affairs compile the CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS. Additional information about SJA and the Campus Judicial Board may be found at sja.ucdavis.edu.
