I am writing in response to the column titled, “Cheaters lessen value of all University of Florida degrees,” published on March 21. First and foremost, the author of this particular column made several accurate statements: Cheating is wrong, and anyone caught cheating deserves to face the appropriate consequences.
But that is precisely the point that needs to be illustrated. The 97 students who were found to have “irrefutably” cheated are being held accountable through the appropriate procedures the university has adopted for these types of situations, as outlined in the Student Conduct Code.
The author of the article claims that the university’s administration is indifferent and apathetic toward cheating and that these incidents of cheating are not being referred to the Dean of Students Office and Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (SCCR).
He goes on to say that “these students will not be expelled. Nor will they be referred to the Dean of Students or the Student Conduct Committee if they admit to cheating. As long as they admit to cheating, they will not even fail the course.”
It appears that there has been a misunderstanding about the conduct process. Per university policy, a faculty member may not take any form of academic action against a student for an alleged Honor Code violation without reporting the incident to the Dean of Students Office. Doing so would violate the student’s right to due process. While not all 97 students will appear before the Student Conduct Committee, all 97 students have been referred to SCCR and the Dean of Students Office and are going through the conduct process.
First-time Honor Code offenders at UF have the option to resolve the incident with the course instructor through the faculty/student resolution form, and a majority of the 97 implicated students have chosen this option. That is not to say that they are not facing the consequences of violating the Honor Code. They are.
The instructor of the course has recommended that students who admit to cheating receive a 0 percent on the exam and a 5 percent course grade reduction, resulting in 75 percent being the highest possible grade for a student who cheated can earn in the course. Any decisions made by the Student Conduct Committee and Dean of Students Office will heavily weigh the instructor’s recommendation, which is consistent with university policy.
Furthermore, any student found responsible for violating the Honor Code will have that violation on his or her student records, and all students who are found responsible or admit responsibility will have to report this violation on graduate and professional school applications.
As stated on the SCCR website, “Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution is dedicated to encouraging responsible community conduct, educating the UF and Gainesville community, and implementing disciplinary action in situations where violations of the Student Conduct Code have occurred…Through the disciplinary process, it is our aim to help students understand the impact their behavior has on the global community and to assist them with making future decisions that lead to personal and professional success” (This can be found at www.dso.ufl.edu./sccr).
The students, faculty and staff members who serve on the Student Conduct Committee take their responsibility to uphold the Student Conduct Code very seriously and volunteer a significant amount of their time to ensure that students are given a fair resolution for any alleged violation of university policy.
In honoring the educational and restorative philosophy of the student conduct process at UF, expulsion is considered a last-resort consequence for a violation of university policy. Careful consideration is given to both an individual’s intent and his or her impact on others and the community when making decisions regarding a student’s future at UF. The decision-making body must also weigh the intent and the impact of each sanction given to a student. While some may think that expulsion is the easy answer to academic misconduct, the impact of that sanction on an individual’s future reaches much farther than UF and has the potential to impact that individual for the rest of his or her life.
If you still feel UF could do more in dealing with Honor Code and Conduct Code violations, you may contact the Dean of Students Office for more information about the Student Conduct Committee or myself, at saahilpa@dso.ufl.edu, about the Honor Code Administration. I strongly encourage you to join the Student Conduct Committee and/or the Student Honor Code Administration through which you can take a larger part in the Student Conduct processes of the university and ensure that your voice is heard.
Saahil Panikar is the executive director of the Student Honor Code Administration at UF.
