2008 Woodie Awards
Academic honesty board is on the side of the students
David Spain '08 and Kelleen O'Fallon '07
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: News
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Despite popular opinion, Saint Joseph's Academic Honesty Board isn't "out to get" students.
"The Board was set up to give students a fair trial, if they feel a professor's decision isn't correct," said Erika Guers, '07, a former undergraduate member of the Board.
The Academic Honesty Board functions as an appeals body for Saint Joseph's students. If a faculty member accuses a student of academic dishonesty in any form, that student has the ability to request a hearing with the Board if he or she feels the professor's accusation was unsubstantiated.
The Board was set up in 1982, in conjunction with the establishment of Saint Joseph's Academic Honesty Policy. It consists of 17 members, including one chair, eight faculty members and eight students. Out of the faculty, there must be two members from each of the business, humanities, social science and science or math disciplines. Also, the students portion of the Board must consist of four day students: two from the College of Arts and Sciences and two from the Haub School of Business, in addition to two students from the University College and two from Saint Joseph's graduate programs.
Bill McDevitt, J.D., Associate Professor of Management, has been chair since 1997, and has served on the Board since 1994.
McDevitt estimated that out of the approximately 80 academic dishonesty cases that are reported at Saint Joseph's per year, the Board hears about 10 percent. In the 2005-2006 academic year, eight academic dishonesty cases were appealed out of 53 cases reported by faculty members to the University
"The Board gets only the tough cases," McDevitt said. "There's a winner and a loser, and I usually hear from the loser."
After hearing an appeal, the Board can decide either to uphold what the student has been accused of or reverse the decision that the faculty member had made, according to Guers. A student's record can be wiped clean, she said.
According to McDevitt, the cases brought to the Board deal more with plagiarism than cheating.
"The Board was set up to give students a fair trial, if they feel a professor's decision isn't correct," said Erika Guers, '07, a former undergraduate member of the Board.
The Academic Honesty Board functions as an appeals body for Saint Joseph's students. If a faculty member accuses a student of academic dishonesty in any form, that student has the ability to request a hearing with the Board if he or she feels the professor's accusation was unsubstantiated.
The Board was set up in 1982, in conjunction with the establishment of Saint Joseph's Academic Honesty Policy. It consists of 17 members, including one chair, eight faculty members and eight students. Out of the faculty, there must be two members from each of the business, humanities, social science and science or math disciplines. Also, the students portion of the Board must consist of four day students: two from the College of Arts and Sciences and two from the Haub School of Business, in addition to two students from the University College and two from Saint Joseph's graduate programs.
Bill McDevitt, J.D., Associate Professor of Management, has been chair since 1997, and has served on the Board since 1994.
McDevitt estimated that out of the approximately 80 academic dishonesty cases that are reported at Saint Joseph's per year, the Board hears about 10 percent. In the 2005-2006 academic year, eight academic dishonesty cases were appealed out of 53 cases reported by faculty members to the University
"The Board gets only the tough cases," McDevitt said. "There's a winner and a loser, and I usually hear from the loser."
After hearing an appeal, the Board can decide either to uphold what the student has been accused of or reverse the decision that the faculty member had made, according to Guers. A student's record can be wiped clean, she said.
According to McDevitt, the cases brought to the Board deal more with plagiarism than cheating.
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