Introduction:
An Honor Review Board was convened on December 10, 1997 in Room 2114 Mitchell Building to investigate a situation arising from Dr. Alfred Hitchcock's CHEM 103 course during the Fall 1996 semester. Mr. Bobby Brady is charged with violating section 1(d) of the Code of Academic Integrity: plagiarism. Specifically, Mr. Brady is accused of taking an examination of another student in order to submit it as his own work. The incident occurred on October 6, 1997. Mr. Brady admitted responsibility for the incident.
The Honor Board consisted of Camille Rajpat (undergraduate student), Nancy Zhao (undergraduate student), Paolo Ugolini (undergraduate student), Dr. Betty Rubble (faculty member), and Dr. Fred Flinstone (faculty member). The Presiding Officer was Sara Dillier (undergraduate). Mr. David Mitchel was the community advocate. Mr. Brady (respondent) and Dr. Hitchcock (referring party) were also present.
Findings of Fact:
- Mr. Brady stated that he submitted his own examination to his teaching assistant, without his name on it. He then went to another TA's desk area, shuffled through tests that had already been turned in, and took the exam belonging to Ms. Pebbles, another student in the class. Mr. Brady chose Ms. Pebble's exam because it was written in pencil. He attempted to erase her name and place his name on the exam when he was stopped by Mr. Bedrock (teaching assistant).
- Mr. Brady stated that he had struggled with the workload in the class for several weeks and studied for the exam, but realized that if he did not do well soon he would fail the class. He said that he decided to take another student's paper ten minutes before the examination period ended.
- Mr. Brady expressed regret for his actions and stated that he had not realized how his actions would affect Ms. Pebbles. He observed, "In a way, I'm glad this happened because I probably would have continued cheating if I hadn't been caught."
Determination of Responsibility:
The Honor Board unanimously determined that Mr. Bobby Brady is responsible for violating Section 1(d) of the Code of Academic Integrity.
Sanction Recommendations:
Mr. Mitchel, the community advocate, recommended that Mr. Brady receive an "XF" for CHEM 103.
Mr. Brady believed that he should receive an "F" in CHEM 103. He believed that this penalty would teach him a lesson and would deter him from repeating his actions in the future.
Sanction:
The Board unanimously determined that Mr. Brady should receive an "XF" for CHEM 103. By a vote of 3-2 the Board also determined that Mr. Brady should be suspended from the University for one semester, beginning in the Spring 1998 semester. This suspension should be noted on Mr. Brady's transcript while it is in effect.
Sanction Rationale:
The Board unanimously agreed that this was a serious instance of academic dishonesty and merited a sanction more severe than the standard. Mr. Brady's actions could have harmed Ms. Pebble's grade in the course. The Board did not believe that Mr. Brady understood the impact of his actions on this other student. Further, one Board member believed that Mr. Brady's actions were premeditated and merited a severe sanction on that basis alone.
Respectfully submitted,
Sara Dillier
Presiding Officer
December 19, 1998
