Dishonesty may be larger problem than school knows

By Jany Kim
Daily Bruin Contributor

Despite UCLA’s reputation for academic excellence, the
university has its share of problems when it comes to cheating.

Hundreds of students are referred to the dean’s office for
acts of misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism, each year,
according to Cary Porter, senior associate dean of students.

This number is small relative to the size of the UCLA student
body, but the problem of cheating may be greater because many
instructors fail to refer suspected students ““ though they
are required to do so, said Corey Hollis, a former teaching
assistant in the history department.

“My personal perspective is that it is a big problem, but
what we see is the tip of the iceberg,” Hollis said.

The UCLA Student Conduct Code states that “all forms of
academic misconduct, including but not limited to, cheating,
fabrication, plagiarism, multiple submissions, or facilitating
academic dishonesty” are subject to disciplinary action such
as suspension or dismissal.

Many instructors refrain from reporting students either because
they believe it is a hassle or that they will have to become
involved in a complicated “trial” process, which is
untrue, Hollis said.

Few professors report cheating because “documenting is
laborious with relatively little prospect of proving the
case,” said political science professor Richard Anderson.

Anderson recalls an incident when a student approached him after
an exam to report that another student had been cheating. He
expressed frustration because had she reported it earlier, it would
have been easier to prove and document as evidence.

He also described an incident where 57 of 150 take-home
assignments contained plagiarism because students were unaware of
what constitutes plagiarism ““ a problem Hollis attributes to
the “high school culture “¦ of book reports.”

According to the Student Guide to Academic Integrity, plagiarism
is “the presentation of another’s words or ideas as if
they were one’s own” without the proper citation.

Proof is sometimes inadequate and instructors tend to confront
students to settle the matter informally or refer students to the
dean in cases of uncertainty, said professor Ronald Miech, the
undergraduate vice chair of the mathematics department.

“There are a number of faculty that would fail students
because it’s easier,” Hollis said of such informal
resolution.

Dealing with academic dishonesty begins with a report to the
dean of students, followed by a university investigation. More than
90 percent of suspected students usually admit to cheating, Porter
said.

Penalties for cheating are then enforced on a
“case-by-case basis” with some discretion, Porter
said.

A denial of the charge requires the case to proceed to the
Student Conduct Committee for a formal hearing if there is enough
evidence implicating conduct. According to Porter, one or two dozen
cases go to the committee for review annually.