Many problems are easier to avoid than to straighten out -- academic misconduct is one example.  Mary Beth Mackin, Assistant Dean of Student Life, talked to our class about issues that come through her office.  While she presented a great deal of important information (Thanks Mary!), I felt academic misconduct represented one of the areas that I wanted to create an understanding with this year's Project ASSIST Summer Transition Program students.

After class, Ms. Mackin gave me permission to post the content from one of her handouts (Thanks again, Mary!).  In keeping with my intention of helping students keep "found items found," I am presenting an outline of this section of her presentation.  I hope that providing quick and easy access to this information might help someone decide if a given course of action is really in their best interest.  

Choose to Make a Difference:  Avoiding Academic Misconduct

Academic integrity and honesty are critical values at UW-Whitewater.  Adopting such integrity enriches your education and demonstrates the kind of person you are.  More importantly, committing academic misconduct has serious penalties and could get you suspended or expelled from all schools in the UW system.  Think about the impact that would have on your future!  Even if your punishment is not that severe now, future employers will certainly think twice about hiring a cheater.  That being said, many students have not thought about academic misconduct or how to avoid it.

According to the UW System Academic Misconduct code, the following behaviors constitute academic misconduct:

1.  Seeking to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation.  This may include:

• Buying a term paper from another person or from a website
• Submitting another's work without proper citation (ask your faculty member!)
• "Cutting and pasting" material from websites or other sources
• Submitting any work or papers (or portions of work) done by anyone other than yourself without proper citation
• Writing part of a paper or project by yourself and using part of someone else's work without proper citation
• Submitting even the ideas of another without proper citation.  Even if you change the words around, it's still plagiarism.

2.  Using unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise.  This may include:

• Submitting a paper or project in one class that you submit in another class or "recycling" your papers or projects
• Making up data in a paper or project
• Using notes or cheat sheets
• Working on a paper or project with other people

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3.  Forging or falsifying academic documents or records.  This may include:

• Putting your name on academic work that you did not do
• Submitting work that contains false or "made up" information
• Lying or providing false information on any departmental or university form, or signing another person's name
• Signing into a class or exam for another student or having another student do so for you.

4.  Impeding or damaging the academic work of others.  This may include:

• Changing someone else's academic work (papers, answers, lab work, computer work, etc.)
• Accessing another person's computer work
• Accessing or damaging another person's computer, accounts, or files
• Stealing or damaging another person's papers, books, computer disks or work

5.  Engaging in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's academic performance, which may include:

• Taking a test for another person
• Having another person take a test for you
• Submitting a paper or project that is not completely your work (without proper citation)
• Working on a paper or project for someone else
• Working on a paper or project with someone else
• Copying another person's work or answers
• Using "cheat sheets, notes, electronic devices or other methods or unauthorized information
• Providing test questions to another person
• Obtaining test questions from another person
• Stealing examination or course materials

6.  Assisting other students in any of these acts.  This means that even if YOU are not the person who turns in the inappropriate work, you may be held responsible for being involved in another's academic misconduct.

YOU are responsible for your won academic integrity and "I didn't know" is not an excuse.  If you're not sure about something, ask your faculty member about it before doing it.

Make your UW-Whitewater education the most it can be.  Choose to take the high rods.  Choose to make a difference!

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