2008 Woodie Awards
34 punished for cheating in MBA class
9 students face expulsion, 15 will receive suspensions
By: Shuchi Parikh
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: News
Last update: 4/30/07 at 11:47 AM EST
Last update: 4/30/07 at 11:47 AM EST
In the largest cheating incident in the history of the Fuqua School of Business, 34 students in the daytime class of 2008 face penalties for violating the Fuqua Honor Code in a required first-year course.
Charged with collaborating on a single take-home exam in the third quarter of their first year, nine of the convicted students face expulsion for "extremely severe violations," and another 15 students will receive a one-year suspension and a failing grade in the course for "severe offense," according to an e-mail sent to the Fuqua community last Friday.
In accordance with Honor Code policy, the University Judicial Board must keep the details of the case confidential, including the students' names.
"We treat allegations of Honor Code violations very seriously and have established procedures in place to consider such allegations," Fuqua Dean Douglas Breeden said in a statement issued last Friday.
The Judicial Board also found 10 students guilty of "minor offenses." Of the 10, nine will receive a failing grade in the course, and one charged with a lying offense will receive a zero on the assignment.
Before issuing the penalties, the Judicial Board reviewed 22 separate cases involving 38 students in the Masters of Business Administration program, officials said.
Four of those students were found not guilty of cheating violations.
"The Judicial Board deliberated at length over a period of several weeks before determining these penalties, seeking to balance the integrity of the Honor Code with the realization that no one among us can ever be faultless in our lives," Gavan Fitzsimons, chair of the Fuqua Honor Committee, wrote in the e-mail to Fuqua students and faculty Friday.
The penalties go into effect as of June 1. Before that date, the convicted students can appeal the Judicial Board's decision.
Michael Hemmerich, associate dean for strategy and institutional research at Fuqua, said he expected most of the convicted students to appeal.
"[The] appeal process which will continue for about one month," he said. "The students involved have the same status as other students, and they'll be taking their courses and final exams in the upcoming week."
Charged with collaborating on a single take-home exam in the third quarter of their first year, nine of the convicted students face expulsion for "extremely severe violations," and another 15 students will receive a one-year suspension and a failing grade in the course for "severe offense," according to an e-mail sent to the Fuqua community last Friday.
In accordance with Honor Code policy, the University Judicial Board must keep the details of the case confidential, including the students' names.
"We treat allegations of Honor Code violations very seriously and have established procedures in place to consider such allegations," Fuqua Dean Douglas Breeden said in a statement issued last Friday.
The Judicial Board also found 10 students guilty of "minor offenses." Of the 10, nine will receive a failing grade in the course, and one charged with a lying offense will receive a zero on the assignment.
Before issuing the penalties, the Judicial Board reviewed 22 separate cases involving 38 students in the Masters of Business Administration program, officials said.
Four of those students were found not guilty of cheating violations.
"The Judicial Board deliberated at length over a period of several weeks before determining these penalties, seeking to balance the integrity of the Honor Code with the realization that no one among us can ever be faultless in our lives," Gavan Fitzsimons, chair of the Fuqua Honor Committee, wrote in the e-mail to Fuqua students and faculty Friday.
The penalties go into effect as of June 1. Before that date, the convicted students can appeal the Judicial Board's decision.
Michael Hemmerich, associate dean for strategy and institutional research at Fuqua, said he expected most of the convicted students to appeal.
"[The] appeal process which will continue for about one month," he said. "The students involved have the same status as other students, and they'll be taking their courses and final exams in the upcoming week."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 42
there goes the honor code
posted 4/30/07 @ 1:14 PM EST
How weak is this. Either you got an honor code and ANY violation of it is a TOTAL offense, or you pansy around. This weakens the entire honor system at Duke. (Continued…)
Repost
posted 4/30/07 @ 1:39 PM EST
I most respectfully disagree. I have sat on the ethics committees of a number of professional organizations to which I belong, and these distinctions in punishment sanctions are entirely appropriate. (Continued…)
grad student
posted 4/30/07 @ 2:28 PM EST
And Fuqua wonders why they can't seem to crack the top 10 business school ranking reliably every year...
Crazy
posted 4/30/07 @ 2:59 PM EST
Holy crap!
A real move against cheating.
This makes me want to go back to school.
Please, be more than a one-time occurence.
Gary Packwood
posted 4/30/07 @ 3:55 PM EST
Take Home Exams/Projects
OK.
Now you can join the rest of the civilized MBA world and toss out ...take home exams/projects.
They have never worked and you KNOW you're going to have a problem. (Continued…)
Me
posted 5/01/07 @ 10:26 AM EST
These young people have grown up in a culture of corruption. As Enron and the Bush admin have shown, slime rises to the top.
Pooch
posted 5/01/07 @ 11:26 AM EST
I'm glad these fuckers got caught. We don't need any more corrupt assholes in the business world. Cheaters never win.
Phil Bittle, Sr.
posted 5/01/07 @ 2:35 PM EST
Given that the Business Section of any newspaper in America is beginning to look like the latest issue of POLICE GAZETTE ... I thought business school was where one went to learn how to cheat. (Continued…)
Kareem
posted 5/01/07 @ 2:42 PM EST
Re: Pooch
I think you're looking at the problem from the wrong angle. Do you think you can get to the top of the buisness world by playing by the rules?
As Freakonomics points out in the section on bagel sales, people at the top are MORE likley to cheat than us average grunts. (Continued…)
Paul
posted 5/01/07 @ 2:51 PM EST
Whenever you have to start teaching ethics in grad school, you know you're in for it.
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