On 25 April 2017, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) ruled on a case of plagiarism in a Social Theory course.
The AJC concluded that the student, a member of the Class of 2019, was guilty of plagiarism, after finding that a portion of the paper was from another source. While this infraction was initially presented as an informal resolution case, it was escalated to the AJC as a second offence, and ruled on accordingly.
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. – Section 7.4
After deliberating, the AJC arrived at the following sanctions: The student will receive a failing grade for the course.
Advice to the Ashesi Community
The AJC encourages the Community to remember that careless work and a lack of academic integrity will have serious repercussions and affect the wider community. The AJC would like to further remind the Ashesi community of the following:
- Student should submit work that is wholly theirs.
- Students should take a great deal of responsibility in ensuring that work submitted is a true reflection of their capacity.
- Students should make use of Ashesi resources such as the Writing Centre when their work needs to be reviewed.
- Students should be aware of previous informal resolutions; repeat offenders will come straight to the AJC.
Academic honesty is very important at Ashesi and is central to our mission. We trust that the Ashesi Community will learn and grow through these experiences.
