Academic Misconduct Charge?!?!?

[rusty88]

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hi everyone, im a sophomore biochem major at UC riverside, and i was just called in because i am suspected of plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration. I had no idea why, so when i talked to the academic coordinator, he said that someone had the EXACT same lab report as me, and made the same mistake i did! i told him i actually did my lab report in the library like usual, but i may have forgotten to delete it, and thats a possible explanation as to why someone may have copied off me. i am really scared, because he said that i can still be convicted because i dont have evidence, and if the other guy doesnt fess up, we'll both get convicted!

so what do you guys advise i should do??? i already told him i want to go in front of the academic judicial affairs, because i am not guilty.

and one more thing, lets say if somehow i do get convicted, what are my chances getting into dental school??? i have a 3.3 gpa, and im plannin to take the DAT this summer, the practice DAT i took, i averaged like a 22. please, any input would help!!

 

[laundry]

Dude, relax. If it's really how you tell it, then you're fine. Just stick to the truth. Do you know the other guy/gal that had the same report?

I honestly wouldn't think much of it, especially seeing that you have a decent GPA.

 

[rusty88]

thanks man. just curious though, if i DID get convicted, what would my chances be? also, no, i dont know the guy/gal.

 

[predentn]

Word for word the exact same lab report?

 

[rusty88]

my academic coordinator wasnt exact about it, but for the most part yes. he said our "experimental strategy" and "prediction" for the lab report was the same. what made it stick out was that i accidently stated an incorrect solution that wasnt going to be used in that particular lab, and the idiot who stole my work just did some minor changes and left that strange mistake that i made on mine, showed up on his lab report...exactly the same. also, is there a way they can track the computers in the library, or find out if someone used/ deleted the file after i had turned in mine? im just really scared, because the academic judicial review is ruthless overhere. i heard of the past 50 cases that went to them, one 1 or 2 were cleared. they convicted a couple people who were really innocent, but those students didnt have enough evidence to support their theory. all they had was their word..which apparently is not enough in college.

 

[eldirty]

all you can do at this point, like laundry said, is stick with the truth and hope for the best. Are you required to login to use the computers in your library? When files are accessed and/or modified, such information is recorded on the computer. With some computer knowledge it is possible to recover a deleted file, a person with such knowledge should exist at your school and will hopefully help you out. I just searched google to provide some more information and here is an page for you.

 

[btizzels]

Yeah if you actually wrote the lab report you should be more familiar with it and able to explain your conclusions.... He/she will fumble around because they didn't write it...

When i was at UCSD, something similar happened... We took a midterm and the professor came in the next class and was like... I know some of you cheated and i know who it was that cheated. He said if you come clean i will just give you and F for the test and not report you to Academic dishonesty, but if you don't come forward i will fail you for the class and report you. It was funny because I later learned that he only knew about a about a handful of people that had cheated..... but something like 20 students came in and admitted they had cheated..... It was a nervous time for me as well because i did really well on that test and was afraid someone had cheated off me... but i guess in the end the true cheaters got caught even if they weren't caught originally..... Pretty smart on the teachers part if you ask me... I am sure in your case they will be able to tell who the true cheater is.....

 

[rusty88]

thanks everyone for your input. but no one answered my other question yet...IF i do get convicted, what are my chances of getting into dental school??

 

[eldirty]

btizzels, how did you improve your application from the first time you applied? I noticed you message on predents and I will be reapplying in may.

Thats a great question, I cant image that this kind of misconduct on your resume would be a + for you application.

 

[bodiddely]

That's crazy that they noticed this first of all... I'm guessing the two of you have the same lab TA? If something like this happened to me I'm sure my TA would talk to me and only report it if she didn't believe my explanation.

Having said that, all you can do is tell the truth. If you end up getting convicted, you can tell your side of the story on your dental school application.

That really sucks that the burden of proof is on YOU to prove that you didn't cheat. There's a reason our legal system doesn't work this way; cases such as yours.

 

[Regmata]

The good news is, that if you get convicted you can just go ahead and drop out of school now b/c who wants to accept or hire a cheater? While you think life may be over, it isn't...you just got out while you still could. There are plenty of alternate career options. Now, to pay off your student loans and get a jump start on life, I would file suit against the school and the professor that decided it prudent to ruin your career. The punitive damages that I personally would seek would be the average annual salary of a dentist multiplied by the number of years I planned to work. While it would be unlikely to get this large of a reward, maybe you will get a little something and that professor will get a little letter in his or her file that alludes to how big of a prick they are.

 

[bluejellybelly]

my sister was wrongfully accused of plagiarism once and the dean dismissed the charge after she graduated (because the dean couldn't do anything about it while she was in school; after all, the librarian requested this without any proof or documentation). I'm not sure if that automatically happens with every count but I know that many times, it doesn't always stay on your record forever.

 

[SuperDuper]

my academic coordinator wasnt exact about it, but for the most part yes. he said our "experimental strategy" and "prediction" for the lab report was the same. what made it stick out was that i accidently stated an incorrect solution that wasnt going to be used in that particular lab, and the idiot who stole my work just did some minor changes and left that strange mistake that i made on mine, showed up on his lab report...exactly the same. also, is there a way they can track the computers in the library, or find out if someone used/ deleted the file after i had turned in mine? im just really scared, because the academic judicial review is ruthless overhere. i heard of the past 50 cases that went to them, one 1 or 2 were cleared. they convicted a couple people who were really innocent, but those students didnt have enough evidence to support their theory. all they had was their word..which apparently is not enough in college.

You should talk to your school's IT Desk.
My school has this tracking software installed on all school computers, so an IT person can retrieve which user opened what files (only the ones that are saved on school server drive). Your school might have this implemented, and this can serve as a conclusive evidence against that person. Good luck. 🙂😀😉🙂

 

[kleenex101]

I believe you are sincere in being innocent of all wrong doing but you keep on asking about the consequences of being convicted - this is slightly odd. You can ask a computer tech to find out when that particular file (lab) was deleted. If you left the library they should have you on camera leaving - by comparing the time stamps you will be easily dismissed of the charges brought against you.

Also your school doesn't have log-ins to your user name with student id? Did you just forget to log out?

 

[boston23]

I think you still have a chance in getting into dental school since the application will allow you to explain the charge. So I would get to writing a good essay as to what happened and what your side of the story is so if you do get convicted then you'll have that all set already. You need to make sure that your essay comes across well though, you don't want it to come across as whiny. Just state the facts. Have people read it (maybe even friends of friends since the admissions people aren't going to know you either). Ask if they think it sounds believable.

Also you seem to have pretty good scores and grades so I don't think that this charge will necessary kill your application. It sucks what happened but you seem to have already proven that you've done well enough on your own.

If you're really nervous about getting into dental school, think about applying to Master's Programs as well (lots of good ones out there). I think that time will make a conviction (if that's what happens) less important to admissions committees. But you have to make sure that you use your time off well.

There are plenty of people who DO cheat, get caught and are still very successful. You didn't cheat, so you don't even need to explain why you cheated and what you learned.

Just persevere. This isn't going to hold you back unless you let it. That being said, I would think about at least getting a consultation with a lawyer. Because the fact that your skill would convict you when you're actually the victim here (apparently) is stupid.

 

[boston23]

oh, and i just saw you're a sophomore. Don't stress on this too much then. You have 2 years to prove that you're not a cheater. Do well. And yes, if you really do get caught cheating after this, I think it would be really bad for your application.

Relax though. You have time.

Good luck with it all! Hope they do catch the bastard who did it. The person needs to fess up!!

 

[blankguy]

This sounds like a freaky incident. If it is a freak accident that you got caught up in this the rest of your undergrad years will show that you are not a cheat by staying clean.

 

[Bizznet]

I wish the best for you. I hope everything happens in your favor. To me.. the odds are really against you that the person who used the computer after you would actually be in your lab and then decide to use your work.

 

[pharoh]

find that other guy and give him a good beating and have him fess up. but the same thing happed to a friend of mine but nothing happened to him because the prof knew him and knew that he was good student and backed him up.
good luck man...everything should be alright just hang in there.