ETHOS
OCTOBER 2014
A Monthly Publication of the International Center for Academic Integrity Featuring Summaries of Integrity News + News from the Center
Quote of the Month “The right thing to do and the hard thing to do are usually the same.” -Steve Maraboli
North Carolina Academic Fraud Went on for Years amid Lax Oversight, Report Finds By: Sharon Terlep
The Wall Street Journal
10/22/2014
Academic fraud that allegedly went on for years within a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill department frequented by athletes was carried out largely by two administrators, but thrived amid lax oversight and silence, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report from former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein, who was hired by the university, examined how students—many of them top-tier athletes—were able to take no-show courses in the school’s African and Afro-American studies department, earning passing grades and helping to ensure their academic eligibility to compete. It is the most detailed look yet at the scandal that has clouded the school’s reputation for top-flight athletics and academics, largely because the two people at its center, former department chairman Julius Nyang’oro and retired administrator Deborah Crowder, began cooperating with Wainstein after criminal charges against them were dropped this year. “It is a case where you have bad actions of a few and inaction of many more,” school chancellor Carol Folt told reporters. “It is shocking and people are taking full responsibility.” Folt said Wednesday that nine employees have been terminated or disciplined in connection with the probe. She declined to elaborate, in accordance with the school’s personnel policy. Nyang’oro’s lawyers have said he did nothing wrong. Crowder’s attorney said this spring that she “believes that it is important for the full and unvarnished truth to come out.” The Orange County district attorney’s office dropped criminal charges against both of them after they agreed to cooperate with Wainstein’s investigation. The latest inquiry comes about two years after one by former Gov. Jim Martin found similar problems going back to the 1990s, including lecture classes that didn’t actually meet…
Visit http://online.wsj.com/articles/report-details-academic-scandalat-north-carolina-1413997202 for the complete article!
Plagiarism Costs Degree for Senator John Walsh
From the Director Kennesaw State University hosted the 2nd Annual Southeast Regional Conference this week. Highlights included discussions of technology, pedagogy, and ideology from the perspectives of faculty, students and staff, as well as an extremely touching tribute given by keynote speaker (and ICAI co-founder) Jim Lancaster, on the significance of his integrity mentors including Elizabeth Kiss, Gary Pavela, and Donald McCabe. Given the quality of the presentations, feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but one comment made privately at the conclusion of the event will stick with me for a long time. One recurring topics of discussion over the two days was reframing the perception that we “shouldn’t have to teach college students about integrity” in terms of our responsibility to teach students things they need to know. Multiple speakers and participants brought it up, and I touched on it in the closing session, noting that we would lose many capable students if we refused admission to those who weren’t already perfectly prepared. “I was one of those students,” said the woman who approached me afterward. “Thank you for saying that. If I’d had to know all of those rules beforehand, I couldn’t have gotten in, and I wouldn’t be here today.” What a powerful illustration of the incredible potential of educative, developmental, proactive approaches to integrity.
~Teddi Fishman
officer. The determination was made by an academic review 10/10/2014 board composed of faculty members at the college, in Carlisle, Pa. “The college followed the same proceedings as with every The Army War College rescinded the master’s degree of Senator student or graduate,” Ms. Kerr said. John E. Walsh on Friday, determining that Mr. Walsh, a Montana Democrat, plagiarized his final paper there in 2007. Mr. As with others who have had their degrees revoked, she said, Mr. Walsh’s name will be removed from the bronze plaque Walsh, a retired colonel in the National Guard, withdrew from listing the school’s graduates, which is a focal point of the this year’s election in August, weeks after The New York Times campus. In a statement, Mr. Walsh indicated that he would not reported that he had copied large portions of the paper he resign before his term expires this year. But for the first time, submitted as a requirement to graduate from the War College. he acknowledged and apologized for his actions… “The Army War College commandant notified Mr. Walsh on Oct. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/us/politics/plagiarism10 of the final decision to revoke his status as a graduate of the costs-degree-for-senator-john-walsh.html?_r=0 Army War College,” said Carol Kerr, the school’s public affairs By: Jonathan Martin
The New York Times
Announcements
Upcoming Events! Virginia Academic Integrity Working Group University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, Virginia November 1-2 http://vaiwg.umwblogs.org
Free MOOC! Academic Integrity: Values, Skills, Action Online through The University of Auckland Starting November 10 https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/acad emic-integrity
HETL 2015: Reaching the Summit Orem, Utah January 20-22, 2015 https://www.hetl.org/events/2015hetl-sote-utah-conference/
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Faculty Shares Concerns about A Look Inside Notre Dame’s Cheating in Online Exams Erin Petenko 10/13/14
DailyTargum.com
One attempted cheater at Rutgers University took a bathroom break during an exam. Thanks to the phone in his pocket, he looked up the answers on Sakai. His mistake? He did not realize the teaching assistants could see him logging in. Many students are accustomed to the sight of an exam room — identification checked at the door, seats assigned and scattered across the room, exams of varying colors to indicate various question sets — all methods to keep test-takers’ eyes on their own paper. But as more classes and exams move online and students gain increased access to technology with smartphones and other devices, the question arises: How can professors prevent cheating in the modern era? Melissa Backus, assistant director of Academic Integrity, said most students that come through her door claim to have practiced poor time management or had an emergency that prompted them to cheat. “The majority of students do come clean, and a lot of students tell us they were stressed and had no other option,” she said. She said plagiarism and cheating compose 90 percent of academic integrity incidents. Violations like academic sabotage, stealing or fabrication of research form the other 10 percent… Full Story: http://www.dailytargum.com/article/2 014/10/faculty-shares-concerns-aboutcheating-in-online-exams
The International Center for Academic Integrity grants permission to duplicate and distribute this newsletter physically or electronically, so long as it is duplicated and/or distributed in its entirety and without alteration. Please note that this publication features summaries of and links to original works that are subject to copyright protection. ICAI does not claim ownership or credit for any original works found within.
Honor Code Process
Chris Hine Chicago Tribune 9/29/2014 Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said to expect a resolution this week for the five football players entangled in the school's prolonged academic fraud investigation. As outlined in the school's honor code, however, the process may take even longer. But the five are expected to have their hearings in front of "honesty committees" this week in accordance with Notre Dame's honor code. Here's a look at the hearing process. What are honesty committees, who serves on them and why is this taking forever? An honesty committee is a group established either at the department level or the college level that investigates issues of academic dishonesty. For instance, the history department may have its own honesty committee while the College of Arts and Letters, which the history department falls under, would also have its own honesty committee. After a written report of a violation, the chair of the honesty committee decides if there is enough evidence to warrant a hearing. In general, each honesty committee has two faculty members and three students. There can be a graduate student, but the honor code seems to prefer having undergraduate non-senior students serve on the committees. The school's honor code mandates that the majority of honesty committee members be students… http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/co llege/ct-notre-dame-honor-code-spt0930-20140930-story.html Welcome New ICAI Members in October 2014! Monica Foote - Long Island Business Institute Mario Morrow – Education Achievement Authority of Michigan Irene Salinas – Texas Tech Health Sciences Center Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
This publication is sponsored by:
Ethos Staff:
CAI-L@clemson.edu
Aaron Monson:
Editor/Writer
Teddi Fishman:
Executive Editor