The Honor Council found a freshman in a social sciences course responsible for seeking unauthorized assistance on an assignment. The professor reported that two students submitted the same photo for an assignment that required them to photograph part of their daily routine. In a full hearing, the student admitted to submitting the same photo but thought it did not violate the honor code because both students were engaged in the same activity. However, the instructions for the assignment clearly stated students should capture and submit their own photos using their own devices. Due to the insubstantial value of the assignment, the Honor Council recommended a reduced sanction of a zero on the assignment, an overall one-letter grade deduction, a verbal warning and an educational program.
The Honor Council found a senior in a science course responsible for plagiarism in a group assignment. In an administrative hearing, the student agreed that a portion of the assignment appeared to be plagiarized, explaining that the affected portion of the assignment was completed by a different group member. The Honor Council determined that each member of a group is responsible for the entire work submitted, regardless of how the group chooses to divide the tasks, and thus recommended the sanction of a zero on the assignment and a verbal warning.
The Honor Council found a senior in a humanities courses responsible for plagiarism. The professor reported that the student’s work was highly similar to an uncited online source. It matched the argument and organization of the source while only substituting certain words with synonyms. In an expedited hearing, the student said they did consult the online source but did not cite it because they were paraphrasing. Due to the substantial value of the assignment and the extensive uncited paraphrasing, the Honor Council recommended the standard sanction of an F in the course, a one-year Honor Code probation and an educational program.
