No cheaters expelled from UW last year

Despite a school policy that allows for dismissal, no students were expelled for cheating at the UW during the past school year.

Between September of 2003 and the end of June, the UW prosecuted 36 cases of cheating on exams, according to numbers provided by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Of the 36 cases, 26 resulted in warnings -- meaning the student was notified that a repeated offense would lead to stricter punishment. Eight of the 36 ended with probation and none resulted in a suspension.

Gus Kravas, vice provost for student relations, said the number of punishments handed down by the University distorts the reality of academic misbehavior.

"These numbers can be misleading," said Kravas. "The vast majority of interventions occur between the instructor and the student."

Kravas' office investigates cases from the College of Arts and Sciences, which enrolls about 25,000 of the UW's 40,000 students.

His office, he said, investigates about 200 cases of academic misconduct -- which include both plagiarism and cheating -- a year.

An instructor who catches a student cheating can only lower the grade on the assignment or exam in question. However, the UW can apply formal sanctions of its own.

An investigation into a cheating allegation usually begins when an instructor confronts the student, Kravas explained. At this stage, the instructor and the student may work out an informal agreement -- the student either admits to the charges or the instructor may drop the allegation.

In either event, the case is never documented.

If an agreement is not reached, the case will be sent to a representative from the different schools and colleges.

An informal investigation is launched. If the student is not exonerated, the case is sent before a review committee.

The investigation becomes formal at this point and the student has the right of due process and can appeal the University's eventual official decision.

As a rule of thumb, Kravas said, a warning or probation is given after a student's first violation. The second violation usually results in suspension for a quarter or more, and the student could be expelled after a third violation.

According to Donald McCabe, a leading researcher on academic misconduct and the founder of the Center for Academic Integrity, the number of students formally punished by an institution always understates the problem.

This goes for many schools, not just the UW, McCabe said.

"Based on what students are admitting, the numbers are low," said McCabe during a call from his Rutgers University office. "Faculty may be reluctant to get involved or students may be good at cheating."

McCabe said about 20 percent to 22 percent of college students admitted to cheating at least once in the past year.

More than half of college students admitted to plagiarism, according to McCabe.

Kravas suggests several ways to combat academic misbehavior, which include stopping fraud before it starts.

"I am proud of the instructors who are vigilant in monitoring exams and written assignments," Kravas said. "By being vigilant, the impulse to cheat can often be nipped in the bud."

McCabe suggests honor codes as the ultimate deterrent.

"We need to be promoting integrity -- not fear of being caught," said McCabe. "A big part of reducing the problem is developing trust between faculty and students."

McCabe's number-one recommendation: giving students a voice. He hopes students can learn from the review process and won't resort to cheating again.

Kravas shares similar views.

"We want to provide students every opportunity to learn from their experiences," said Kravas. "But also, students need to learn that there is a price to be paid for misbehavior."