Plagiarism is not an art
A senior was referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for plagiarizing a paper in her art class. The instructor discovered that the student had lifted an entire page of her essay from a website. Although the student did have a citation, it was incomplete and did not indicate the section of the website that the student had copied the information from. An informal meeting between the student and a judicial officer revealed substantial confusion on the student’s part about proper citation and use of sources. The student had also filed for graduation prior to being referred. As a result, she was given a censure, which is an official letter of reprimand stating that should the student violate university policy on a separate occasion, it would likely result in probation, suspension or dismissal from UC Davis – or, if the student was set to graduate, a delay of graduation. In addition, the student agreed to read a booklet about when and how to cite properly.
Friends don’t help friends trespass
A junior was referred to SJA for trespassing on university property. The student and her friends had just finished moving into a new apartment when, looking for something to do, they drove to the Tercero construction site. One member of the group decided to investigate the area and while she was inside, the others observed police entering the construction site. Another student used her cell phone to text message a warning to the student inside the construction area. This same student (and the subject of this report) then drove the group away from the construction area once it became clear that police had caught the student inside. The texter/driver agreed to the sanction of disciplinary probation and 15 hours of community service for assisting her friend in unlawful activity.
Cheating: we don’t have an app for that
A first-year was referred to SJA for allegedly using unauthorized materials during an exam. Prior to an exam in his Italian class, the students were all told to put away cell phones and any notes that they might have had. The instructor noticed one student put his cell phone into his pocket. Approximately 15 minutes into the exam, this same student asked to use the restroom. After he had been gone for a minute or so, the instructor remembered that he had the cell phone in his pocket and became suspicious. In an informal hearing with a judicial officer, the student adamantly denied using the cell phone while outside of the classroom and said that he had forgotten it was even in his pocket. The student received an administrative notice, which is not a disciplinary sanction, but rather a written record notifying the student of university rules.
CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS are compiled by members of Student Judicial Affairs.
