On April 23, 2008, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) ruled against a student for academic dishonesty. The student plagiarized by using sources from several websites that were not properly referenced in his paper for a Leadership III course. During the hearing the student admitted to plagiarism.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook, “Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, unauthorized exchange of information or use of material during an examination, unauthorized transfer of information or completed work among students, use of the same paper in more than one course, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, and other unethical behavior. Disciplinary action will be taken against perpetrators of academic dishonesty”
Sanctions:
- The student will receive a failing grade for the Leadership III course.
- The student is required to present a written apology to his lecturers reflecting on lessons learned.
- The incident would be on their student file for reference in the event of another AJC case.
The AJC hopes that others learn from this case and avoid making the same mistake. The AJC would especially like to advise students of the following:
- Learn how to reference properly and seek help and clarification from lecturers on referencing.
- Avoid procrastination and begin assignments early.
- Visit the Writing Center for help on referencing and writing papers.
