The following violations of the Honor Pledge occurred at Kansas State University. Most recent occurrences are listed first. For definitions to some Honor & Integrity System terms used below, please access this web site link: TERM
This site was last updated on November 19, 2009
November
Case #2009/2010-019-A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in falsification. Specifically, the student submitted an assignment that clearly demonstrated a command of language not previously demonstrated by the student. The paper was compared to works submitted prior to, and after the composition had been submitted. There exists distinct differences in the papers. When confronted the student indicated a tutors assistance had been used. However, the student was unable to read the composition when given the opportunity. It should be noted the composition was written in a foreign language. The student was sanctioned with a zero on the assignment and required to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-018-A Freshman is alleged to have plagiarized work posted by two other students. Specifically, the students were required to participate in an on line discussion. The posts were available for all members of the class to see prior to posting their individual responses. Upon grading the posts, the instructor noted that one post appeared to be similar to previous posts. Upon closer examination the instructor discovered the student had copied two different paragraphs from two different students who had posted earlier in the day. The Research Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-017-A Sophomore and a Graduate Student are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on a laboratory practical assignment. The instructors noted suspicious behavior on the part of the graduate student and following the lab assignment another student reported to the instructors that the Sophomore had allowed the Graduate Student to look at the students recorded answers during the lab practical assignment. The Graduate Teaching Assistants have sanctioned the students with a zero on the assignment. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-016-A Freshman is alleged to have committed an Honor System violation. Specifically, the student allowed another person to take an in-class exam in place of the Freshman. When confronted by the instructor the following class period, the student admitted to the violation. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a zero on the exam. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-015-A Graduate student is alleged to have plagiarized while writing a response to one question for the students doctoral preliminary exam. Specifically, the student submitted the responses and upon reading, the major professor noted an exceptionally well written response to one question. Upon checking that question, the Professor noted that the entire response had been copied from a website. The doctoral committee sanctioned the student with failure on the exam without the opportunity for a redo. This essentially is considered a dismissal from the graduate program in that particular department. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-014-A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. Following the submission of the paper, an outside reader alerted the instructor to the fact that the paper may contain plagiarism. Upon further examination the instructor noted several suspicious passages. A search of Internet resources quickly identify multiple sources from which sentences and paragraphs were copied wholesale into the body of the paper. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-013-A Senior is alleged to have engaged in the use of unauthorized aid on an in-class exam. Students were allowed the use of a 3 x 5 notecard during the exam. Instructions for the exam expressly prohibited the use of any notecard with a greater surface area than that found on a 3 x 5 card. At the conclusion of the exam the instructor required all students to submit the notecards with the exams. The senior submitted a 4 x 6 notecard. The instructor noted the student had access to the use of more surface area than all other students. Prior to the exam an electronic communication was sent to students stating that the use of a notecard containing a surface area greater than that of a 3 x 5 notecard would constitute an honor system violation. The instructor sanctioned the student with a warning. Case Closed.
October
Case #2009/2010-012-A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. The student submitted a paper for a given assignment. Upon grading the instructor found that the majority (all but five sentences) of the paper had been copied and pasted from two different Internet sites. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-011-A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. The student submitted a paper for a given assignment. Upon grading the instructor found that the majority (all but six sentences) of the paper had been copied and pasted from two different Internet sites. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with an XF in the course. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-010-A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration during the completion of a project submitted for grading. Specifically, the instructor indicated two identical drawings were submitted for a class project. The drawings contained identical errors and subjective interpretations which strongly suggest one student copied from another. The Assistant Professor has sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignment and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-009-A Senior is alleged to have engaged in the use of unauthorized aid on a midterm exam. While proctoring the examination the instructor noticed the student making an unusual amount of movement. Upon further observation she noted the student continued these movements. Approximately five minutes prior to the end of the exam the instructor approached the student and noticed a piece of paper on the floor by the student's feet. Upon examination she noted the paper contained information relevant to the exam and was typed in a extremely small font. Following the exam the student approached the instructor in her office and informed her that the student did not have time to study and had prepared the "cheat sheet" prior to the exam. However, the student claimed to have dropped the paper at the beginning of the exam and stated that it was not used during the examination. The Instructor sanctioned the student with a 25% reduction on the midterm examination and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-008-Eighteen students (2 Freshman, 10 Sophomores, and 5 Juniors) were alleged to have plagiarized a solutions manual when submitting four assignments. The instructor noted incorrect consistencies within the students papers. Upon consultation of the solutions manual the faculty member was able to identify four problems, in four different assignments, that were incorrect or missing information within the solutions manual. Upon checking the student homework the faculty noted three students had the same solutions as the manual for all four problems, ten students had the exact same answers for three problems, an five students had the same response as the solutions manual on two of the problems. The Professor sanctioned the students with a zero on each of the assignments for which it is documented they plagiarized from the solutions manual. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-007-A Junior and a Senior were alleged to have collaborated on outside assignments resulting in identical submissions for two assignments. The instructed noted both assignments submitted by the students were identical. Given the nature of the assignments and stated that given the nature of the assignments there is no reasonable way the assignments could be identical. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the students with a zero on both assignments. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-006-A Senior is believed to have engaged in plagiarism. While grading submitted papers the instructor noted two papers that were similar in content, style, and formating. Upon closer examination the instructor believes the Sophomore (Case #2009/2010-005) copied the paper from the Senior. Due in part to the ambiguity associated with how the student from Case 005 acquired the paper, the instructor has requested an Honor Council investigation into the Seniors involvement in this incident. If found responsible for this violation the Instructor has recommend the student be sanctioned with an XF. If no complicity is identified the Instructor recommends the student be exonerated and the earned grade for the paper be assigned. The student contested the allegations and after a case investigation was completed and the student from case 2009/2010-005 admitted all responsibility, this case was dropped. Case Dropped.
Case #2009/2010-005-A Sophomore is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism. While grading submitted papers the instructor noted two papers that were similar in content, style, and formating. Upon closer examination the instructor believes the Sophomore copied the paper from the other student (see Case #2009/2010-006) The Graduate Research Assistant/Instructor sanctioned the student with an zero on the paper and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.
September
Case #2009/2010-004-A Sophomore and a Junior are alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration on an assignment submitted for grading. While grading the assignment the instructor noted similarities in the formating of the assignments. Upon closer scrutiny the instructor noted four distinct and incorrect components of the assignment. Given the type and location of the errors the instructor identified that the students had collaborated on the assignent. The Instructor sanctioned the students with a zero on the assignment. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-003-A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration. The student submitted an assignment which was similar to one submitted by another student. Upon investigation the instructor discovered the student from Case 003 acknowledged copying the idea from the Freshman and submitting the work as original. Additionally, the student presented a topic to the class for which no verbal citation was given nor did the student submit a work cited page. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a zero on the assignments and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Pending.
Case #2009/2010-002-A Freshman is alleged to have engaged in plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration. The student submitted a assignment which was similar to another students paper. When confronted by the instructor the student indicated that upon arriving unprepared to submit the assignment the student look at the paper of anther student and copied down the other students idea for submission as original work. Additionally, the student presented a topic to the class for which no citation were noted. The student failed to provide citation either orally during the presentation or in writing with the submitted presentation notes. The Graduate Teaching Assistant sanctioned the student with a reduced grade on the assignments and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.
Case #2009/2010-001-A Senior is alleged to have engaged in unauthorized collaboration. The student was observed looking at other students papers during an in-class quiz. The two students around the Senior were moved during the middle part of the quiz. Upon completion of the quiz, the students papers were compared. The students responses on the first part of the quiz exactly match the student on the Senior's left. The responses on the third part of the quiz exactly match the responses of the student on the right of the senior. Examination of the Seniors paper after the two students were moved, showed the Senior received 4.5/18 points on the remaining portions of the quiz while the Senior scored a 9.5/10 on the sections completed while the students were in close proximity to the Senior. The Assistant Professor sanctioned the student with a zero on the quiz and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. The student did not contest the allegation. However, this was the second violation for this student. A mandatory hearing was convened, the hearing panel considered both violations and recommended to the Provost that this student be suspended from the university for 1 year. In addition, the panel sanctioned the student with an XF in the course and the requirement to enroll in and successfully complete the Development and Integrity course. Case Closed.