‘Twas the night before a big final and all through the dorm, students were considering cheating. After reading the LSU Code of Student Conduct, those students may start thinking otherwise.
What is the LSU Code of Student Conduct?
The Chancellor’s Office issues the LSU Code of Student Conduct, which outlines everything from administrative procedures to student’s due process rights. The code includes a section outlining 18 specific examples of student academic misconduct.
What is academic misconduct?
“‘Academic Misconduct’ includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to give an unfair academic advantage to the student, or the attempt to commit such an act,” the code states.
What should a student taking finals really watch out for?
Using “wandering eyes” and sharing information are probably the oldest tricks in the book. What students may not know is even if someone is cheating off you, you can be charged with collaboration.
Buying, copying, seeing, giving away or otherwise obtaining an unadministered test is blatantly against the code. Bribing another person to do so is no better.
Besides mainstream methods of misconduct such as these, the code also gives examples of less popular forms of cheating.
Substituting for another student or allowing someone to substitute for you is academic misconduct.
Altering a grade or being an accessory to such an act is another action banned by the code.
If a student is about to be issued a code violation, it is not a good idea to try to get the instructor to give you an “F” or any other arrangement instead. That would be against the code, too.
What can the University do if I get caught?
Code violations can result in several disciplinary sanctions. The least severe is a warning probation.
This indicates “the student has been notified that he or she has engaged in unacceptable behavior and that further violations of the regulations may result in more severe disciplinary actions.”
The probation period can range from one semester to the remainder of the student’s University enrollment and will not be recorded on the student’s official transcript.
The next punishment is disciplinary probation. The student may be required to report to the dean on a regular basis. “Further violations will result in consideration of suspension,” the code says.
Disciplinary probation will be recorded on the student’s official transcript but may be removed after the probationary period’s end.
The greatest punishment is separation from the University.
A student may be separated for a definite or indefinite amount of time or may be permanently expelled from the University. Upon separation, the student may not step foot on campus without prior written authorization of the vice chancellor for Student Life and Academic Services.
Once I graduate, they can’t do anything, right?
The University’s ability to punish does not stop at graduation.
“Revocation of the degree and withdrawal of the diploma may be imposed when the violation calls into question the integrity of the work required for the degree,” the code says.