A Letter to All Students
Dear Students,
As we approach the end of the
term and the beginning of final assignments and exams, I wish to appeal to your
sense of responsibility and fairness. As Assistant Vice President for Academic
Affairs, one of my responsibilities is to oversee the student academic
misconduct process. What constitutes Academic Misconduct is outlined in
the Student Handbook. The majority of academic misconduct charges fall
into two categories:
Cheating:
... which is the unauthorized use of books, notes, aids or
assistance from another person with respect to examinations course assignments,
filed service reports, class recitations or possession of examination papers of
course materials whether originally authorized or not. Any Student helping
another cheat may be found guilty of academic misconduct.
Plagiarism:
...consisting of the deliberate use and appropriation of another's
work without any indication of the source and the passing off of such work as
the student's own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials
taken from another is guilty of plagiarism. Any Student helping another to
plagiarize may be found guilty of academic misconduct. (Student Handbook p.
136)
Students
who are brought up on charges of academic misconduct face possible penalties
that range from failure of the course to expulsion. So far this academic year
15 students have been suspended after being found responsible for academic
misconduct.
The reason I bring this up is that most of the students who commit academic
misconduct are normal people with a set of values and principles. What happens
is that, under the pressure to meet deadlines and get a good grade, they will
succumb to a weakness of the moment--they look on someone else's exam, they cut
and paste sources from the internet and then pass off the material as their
own, they conspire with another student to provide unauthorized answers to an
exam.
Most of these students know that what they are doing is wrong, that it is not
fair to their fellow students, that it subverts the quality of their education,
as well as undermines the academic mission of FIU. Most simply resort to a
“survivor mentality,” believing "It's either do misconduct or
fail the assignment/course." How many times during a misconduct hearing
have I heard this rationale. This is not an option;
it is only one for people who believe that the ends justify the means.
I want to believe that most of the students whom I have sanctioned are not evil
or sociopathic, that they simply succumb to
unacceptable behavior in what seems, at the moment, to be a crisis.
On
Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and
imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and
respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect
the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to
demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected
to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for
themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the
University.
Pledge
As
a student of this university:
I will be honest in my academic endeavors.
I will not represent someone else's work as my own.
I will not cheat, nor will I aid in another's cheating.
All students are deemed by the University to
understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they
will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as
outlined in the Student Handbook.
As
you face the pressures of the term’s end, I wish to caution you that, if
you are tempted to do academic misconduct; if someone else offers you a copy of
a test or you solicit unauthorized help from someone else; if the internet
provides you with a quick way out of the pressures of an assignment,
Don’t do it.
I wish you good luck in your
academic endeavors,
Kenneth E. Johnson
Assistant Vice President
Academic Affairs