Getting into Stanford University is a lot like winning the lottery. The odds are definitely against incoming applicants, as only 5% of them are accepted every year. This is for good reason because Stanford is prestigious in a myriad of ways. The institution has a strong athletic program that breeds Olympians, it a leader in scientific research, and graduates who became successful off the Stanford name continue to liberally give back to the university.
With that said, there is nothing that can ruin the dream of being a Stanford graduate like an academic integrity violation. The school doesn't look too fondly upon students who are determined guilty of academic dishonesty. In fact, the school is in the middle of a cheating controversy, as an increased number of students have been found to have engaged in cheating. Consequently, the repercussions for such charges are harsh, to say the least.
In this article, we'll address how Stanford handles academic dishonesty and why you need a student defense attorney to assist you throughout the disciplinary process.
Stanford University's Honor Code
The Honor Code is the university's stance on academic integrity. This code is unique because it was not imposed upon students by the administration or faculty. It was written by students who assumed its responsibilities at their own request. The Honor Code dictates the university's expectations of students and faculty in establishing and maintaining the highest standards in academic work.
The Honor Code is an undertaking of the students, individually and collectively:
- That they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in classwork, in the preparation of reports, or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading;
- That they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others, as well as themselves, uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor Code.
The Code emphasizes that the administrators nor faculty don't suffer when the Honor Code is violated, honorable and conscientious students do. Hence it is in their best interest to make individual and collective efforts to see that the highest standards of honesty are always maintained.
Violations of the Honor Code
Examples of conduct that have been regarded as being in violation of the Honor Code include:
- Copying from another's examination paper or allowing another to copy from one's own paper
- Unpermitted collaboration
- Plagiarism
- Revising and resubmitting a quiz or exam for regrading with the instructor's knowledge and consent
- Giving or receiving unpermitted aid on a take-home examination
- Representing as one's own work the work of another
- Giving or receiving aid on an academic assignment under circumstances in which a reasonable person should have known that such aid was not permitted
Stanford University's Disciplinary Process
If a student must endure Stanford's disciplinary process, they will go through the following phases:
- Bringing a complaint to the office of student conduct
- Resolving a complaint by mediation
- Investigating a complaint
- Filing charges by the university against a student
- Resolving charges by the university against a student
- Resolving charges by voluntary agreement to sanctions
- Resolving charges by disciplinary hearing
- Appealing the decision of a hearing panel
- Imposing sanctions on a student
- Fulfilling sanctions imposed by the university
Sanctions
Most of Stanford's disciplinary cases are Honor Code violations; of these infractions, the most frequent arise when a student submits another's work as his or her own or gives or receives unpermitted aid. Violating the Honor Code is a serious offense, even when the violation is unintentional.
The standard sanction for a first offense includes a one-quarter suspension from the university and 40 hours of community service. In addition, most faculty members issue a “No pass” or “No credit” for the course in which the violation occurred. The standard sanction for multiple violations is a three-quarter suspension and 40 or more hours of community service.
Appeals
Only respondents may appeal the hearing panel's findings of responsibility and/or recommendation of sanction(s). An appellant must submit any appeal to the Disciplinary dean in writing within 10 days after the Hearing Panel has rendered its opinion. The appeal must state in detail the specific grounds upon which it is based.
Have You Been Accused of Violating Stanford's Honor Code? You Need Representation
An academic misconduct violation can jeopardize the academic and professional goals you or your college student have set. If you value the investment you've made into your education and your professional future, contacting a skilled student defense attorney is a must. Attorney Joseph D. Lento has helped students who've acquired serious academic misconduct charges recover from these allegations, and he can do the same for you. Contact him today for more information.
