Advice for reporting academic dishonesty when falsely accused?

[aellos]

Hello yall!

Odd question and predicament I`m in.
I was accused of cheating on an exam that I didn't cheat on (Yay honorslock) and I`m currently supposed to be at the hearing for the 30th. They said I used my phone to look something up and used video of me looking around and then a screen recording of a phone with test question. However, in my 360 view of my room it is clear that there is no phone and I believe that the question can be due to somebody at my IP looking something up and stumbling upon the fake question link site. I hadn't submitted my VMCAS yet as the original date was before then and was awaiting the verdict, but things happen.....

Should I report this as an academic dishonesty violation? I did not cheat, and still plan to go to the hearing, however, my school is well known for not taking the student's word and I fear that they may not believe me. As you can imagine, it is my word against the professor's essentially and I have nobody to back me up, because I was alone for the test (which is clear from the video footage). I am simply accused right now, waiting for the hearing and verdict but was going to submit the VMCAS as I wont get it until after it`s due.

Any thoughts? Should I say no and hope the hearing goes in my favor? Say yes and try to explain as best I can the situation I`m in? Simply give into the professor and take the grade deduction and say that I was wrongly accused and that I was fearful that if I couldn't properly defend myself the outcome was worse?

Ideas?

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[katashark]

Since nothing has actually been decided/ruled upon yet, and it is just an allegation, I would not put it on your vmcas. You can update schools if you need to later. Good luck in this situation, being falsely accused really sucks.

 

[aellos]

Since nothing has actually been decided/ruled upon yet, and it is just an allegation, I would not put it on your vmcas. You can update schools if you need to later. Good luck in this situation, being falsely accused really sucks.

Hey! Sorry for the late response!


I didn’t put it on my application for the reasoning you stated. I`m just so scared that I won’t win the case because this school is well known for persecuting it`s students no matter what. When I mentioned it to my primary school`s advisor (it was a transfer course smh) they literally just said "good luck, those people do not care at all about what a student says, you should’ve just accepted the accusation" and that just made me horrified.


If I end up failing to prove my innocence, how badly do you think it would affect my application? I`m afraid the professor is going to make the sanction worse because I`m contesting it and it`s damage my grade tremendously. To make it worse it`s at a school I`m literally applying .

 

[battie]

I`m afraid the professor is going to make the sanction worse because I`m contesting it and it`s damage my grade tremendously.

When you go in for the appeal, check that retaliation like this is against school policy. Point blank ask them and don't accept any paperwork that does not state the sanction.

I cannot judge your innocence; definitively don't have enough info. However, you should not be "proving" your innocence; they need to prove your guilt. Absolutely ask for all of the information for your own records, including any pictures or video.

 

[aellos]

When you go in for the appeal, check that retaliation like this is against school policy. Point blank ask them and don't accept any paperwork that does not state the sanction.

I cannot judge your innocence; definitively don't have enough info. However, you should not be "proving" your innocence; they need to prove your guilt. Absolutely ask for all of the information for your own records, including any pictures or video.

Okay, thanks for the advice! My primary university didn’t really know what to do and my advisor wasn’t that much help as it was an extremely odd situation.

I understand about me not having to "prove my innocence" and I wish that were the case because I wouldn’t be worrying. My advisor warned me that the school that is charging me basically convicts everybody during the academic honors code trial, even if the student was innocent. It`s mainly because it came down to word of professor vs word of student, which almost never pans out in the students favor. Everybody who I`ve talked to about the situation agrees that the charge against me is stupid and the "proof" that they showed me earlier literally made no sense, however, since I cant really submit concrete proof besides some documents supporting my explanation (I cant take photos of me not cheating because I had no phones on me as I wasn’t like cheating.... if you get what I mean in that sense) I`m afraid I`ll fail to contest it.

It just annoys me even more considering after every test, if my cat jumped on my lap or something happened, I would immediately email him explaining what happened because I feared being accused of cheating so much. My cat was sleeping this test so no interruptions and I thought that meant nothing to worry about. Guess not :/

 

[EngrSC]

Don’t they have video? That should exonerate you, no?

 

[aellos]

Don’t they have video? That should exonerate you, no?

They do. The video is literally me taking the test, clearly not having a phone. Since I was fidgeting and looking around in my seat the professor is saying I cheated, however, I showed my entire room before I started my test (clearly with no phone or anything on the walls to help me, and I was alone in my room) and have a literal disability that makes me extremely prone to distraction (which I`m submitting as some proof as well, doesn't hurt right?) They`re trying to also say I looked something up and that they linked it back to my location (it like ??pinged??? the proctoring thing we use?? no clue honestly, they didn't really explain it) however, I live with 4 other people and one of them was having friends over, so it literally could've been any one of them. There is nothing in their proof that shows that it was me concretely, just them linking things together. However, since it`s me basically going, "no I wasn't cheating, believe me" I think their proof, even it is circumstantial as best, can still make them see me as guilty.
I kept telling the professor that I was clearly not cheating (literally video evidence of me having no phone in my room and nobody in my room as well) and that the "ping" (??) could've been literally any of the like 10 other people that were in my apartment that day but they keep on saying that I was cheating and that is concrete proof. I don't even know which question they said was being searched, so I can't even ask the people who were in the room that day if they happened to look it up (some of the questions were like general questions that people can just search for there own curiosity if you get what I mean).

I know this sounds so dumb and confusing, and trust me I`m just as confused as everybody else is, but the fact that my career literally hinges on the decision and mercy of complete strangers scares me so much.

 

[katiemcat]

They do. The video is literally me taking the test, clearly not having a phone. Since I was fidgeting and looking around in my seat the professor is saying I cheated, however, I showed my entire room before I started my test (clearly with no phone or anything on the walls to help me, and I was alone in my room) and have a literal disability that makes me extremely prone to distraction (which I`m submitting as some proof as well, doesn't hurt right?) They`re trying to also say I looked something up and that they linked it back to my location (it like ??pinged??? the proctoring thing we use?? no clue honestly, they didn't really explain it) however, I live with 4 other people and one of them was having friends over, so it literally could've been any one of them. There is nothing in their proof that shows that it was me concretely, just them linking things together. However, since it`s me basically going, "no I wasn't cheating, believe me" I think their proof, even it is circumstantial as best, can still make them see me as guilty.
I kept telling the professor that I was clearly not cheating (literally video evidence of me having no phone in my room and nobody in my room as well) and that the "ping" (??) could've been literally any of the like 10 other people that were in my apartment that day but they keep on saying that I was cheating and that is concrete proof. I don't even know which question they said was being searched, so I can't even ask the people who were in the room that day if they happened to look it up (some of the questions were like general questions that people can just search for there own curiosity if you get what I mean).

I know this sounds so dumb and confusing, and trust me I`m just as confused as everybody else is, but the fact that my career literally hinges on the decision and mercy of complete strangers scares me so much.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you! I myself do not have experience with this but one of my close friends does.
He was in a "group me" with many of his classmates, when one of them declared that they were going to cheat on the upcoming (honorlocked) exam. A few people replied. He himself replied "lol." Another student in the group sent screenshots to the professor. The professor decided to penalize and report all students who were active in the group for academic dishonesty and fail them in the class.
It sounds ridiculous really, being reported for a simple "lol." My friend expressed to the professor he was simply expressing disbelief and humor at someone attempting to cheat. He himself had not cheated on the exam with the honor lock system to prove. The professor did not care and sought the full extent of punishment for every person.
He was met with the same response as you were by your advisor, that there is no point in fighting it because the student never wins. They attempted to coerce him into signing a confession for a lesser punishment of just failing the class. He almost signed it due to this. He was afraid the honor code violation flag would ruin his chances at graduate school.
We put together every evidence that he had not violated the honor code. He won the "trial." Do not give up fighting for yourself. Do not give into the people trying to make you submit.
Best of luck!

 

[aellos]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you! I myself do not have experience with this but one of my close friends does.
He was in a "group me" with many of his classmates, when one of them declared that they were going to cheat on the upcoming (honorlocked) exam. A few people replied. He himself replied "lol." Another student in the group sent screenshots to the professor. The professor decided to penalize and report all students who were active in the group for academic dishonesty and fail them in the class.
It sounds ridiculous really, being reported for a simple "lol." My friend expressed to the professor he was simply expressing disbelief and humor at someone attempting to cheat. He himself had not cheated on the exam with the honor lock system to prove. The professor did not care and sought the full extent of punishment for every person.
He was met with the same response as you were by your advisor, that there is no point in fighting it because the student never wins. They attempted to coerce him into signing a confession for a lesser punishment of just failing the class. He almost signed it due to this. He was afraid the honor code violation flag would ruin his chances at graduate school.
We put together every evidence that he had not violated the honor code. He won the "trial." Do not give up fighting for yourself. Do not give into the people trying to make you submit.
Best of luck!

Thanks for sharing that story!
I felt like they were twisting me arm into signing like they were with you friend; the fear of having a worse sanction is honestly overwhelming. Hopefully all goes well! My "trial" is soon so it`ll all be over with, but that feeling of dread everytime I think about it is so just so hard to ignore.
Thanks again!

and good luck this round!

 

[battie]

So take the following advice with a grain of salt because i am horribly argumentative. It's to a level where I do it to prove a point. So the following is from that perspective

They`re trying to also say I looked [something up]

Have them tell you how they *exactly* can prove it was you and not a roommate. They need to be explicit.

literally video evidence of me having no phone in my room and nobody in my room as well

Have them show you exactly where they see a phone, and how you got it in your possession.

And again, I cannot stress not accepting sanctions that are *worse* because you appealed.

How are these appeals structured? In my undergrad, we would be going before the honors committee, which had third parties that had nothing to do with the situation, including students elected to that position. Do you have anything like that?

 

[aellos]

So take the following advice with a grain of salt because i am horribly argumentative. It's to a level where I do it to prove a point. So the following is from that perspective

Have them tell you how they *exactly* can prove it was you and not a roommate. They need to be explicit.

Have them show you exactly where they see a phone, and how you got it in your possession.

And again, I cannot stress not accepting sanctions that are *worse* because you appealed.

How are these appeals structured? In my undergrad, we would be going before the honors committee, which had third parties that had nothing to do with the situation, including students elected to that position. Do you have anything like that?

Oh trust me I`m normally the same way, I think the power imbalance (I guess you could say that? I feel so small going against them) just scares me. I would’ve folded at times but I`m so proud to get a B in a course that I should have an A in and have a red flag on my app for a honor code violation (not to mention explaining it and being like "I was to scared to fight the charge" wouldn’t really help me out).

I have no clue how they`re planning on proving it was me, they won’t tell me until the hearing so :/. I`m trying to think of ways to get evidence that it wasn’t me, but the only thing I can think of is have a roommate say they saw my phone in the living room (where it was) or they looked it up. My main problem with that is A) my roommates all will be out of the apartment during the hearing and I don’t think showing a text message will stand up as solid evidence B) I`m not even sure what was looked up, so I cant ask if they looked it up to begin with.

I was wearing scrubs (I just came out of work) and the professor basically said they think I hid it in my pockets to use. But like..... you would still see me taking my phone out and looking down at a screen would be obvious so?? Do they think I like ?? taped it to my computer screen??

I`m going before the honors committee, which was supposed to be the third party hearing like you said, but they couldn’t get students or staff to be that third party so it looks like it`s just gonna be the prof and I and then somebody from the deans office. It is to my understanding that because I`m still contesting it and didn’t accept the original charges I can get a harsher sanction if I fail to successfully contest. The meeting I had prior (which was to see if I was going to contest or not) the person said it was up to the professor if the sanctions would harshen. When I ask my professor what the outcomes were for what could happen (accepting it or failing to contest) they basically just told me to wait until the meeting to find out.

 

[genny]

Oh trust me I`m normally the same way, I think the power imbalance (I guess you could say that? I feel so small going against them) just scares me. I would’ve folded at times but I`m so proud to get a B in a course that I should have an A in and have a red flag on my app for a honor code violation (not to mention explaining it and being like "I was to scared to fight the charge" wouldn’t really help me out).

I have no clue how they`re planning on proving it was me, they won’t tell me until the hearing so :/. I`m trying to think of ways to get evidence that it wasn’t me, but the only thing I can think of is have a roommate say they saw my phone in the living room (where it was) or they looked it up. My main problem with that is A) my roommates all will be out of the apartment during the hearing and I don’t think showing a text message will stand up as solid evidence B) I`m not even sure what was looked up, so I cant ask if they looked it up to begin with.

I was wearing scrubs (I just came out of work) and the professor basically said they think I hid it in my pockets to use. But like..... you would still see me taking my phone out and looking down at a screen would be obvious so?? Do they think I like ?? taped it to my computer screen??

I`m going before the honors committee, which was supposed to be the third party hearing like you said, but they couldn’t get students or staff to be that third party so it looks like it`s just gonna be the prof and I and then somebody from the deans office. It is to my understanding that because I`m still contesting it and didn’t accept the original charges I can get a harsher sanction if I fail to successfully contest. The meeting I had prior (which was to see if I was going to contest or not) the person said it was up to the professor if the sanctions would harshen. When I ask my professor what the outcomes were for what could happen (accepting it or failing to contest) they basically just told me to wait until the meeting to find out.

I think you should talk to a lawyer.

 

[EngrSC]

I think you should talk to a lawyer.

This.

How can you reasonably be expected to contest if they won’t tell you what evidence they have against you?

 

[katiemcat]

Thanks for sharing that story!
I felt like they were twisting me arm into signing like they were with you friend; the fear of having a worse sanction is honestly overwhelming. Hopefully all goes well! My "trial" is soon so it`ll all be over with, but that feeling of dread everytime I think about it is so just so hard to ignore.
Thanks again!

and good luck this round!

Good luck to you too!

 

[that redhead]

I think you should talk to a lawyer.

Many undergrad programs have some sort of free legal advice for students.

 

[EngrSC]

How'd your hearing go @aellos ?

 

[aellos]

How'd your hearing go @aellos ?

Sorry I kinda ghosted you guys! It was this morning!

I`m waiting to hear back from them. They didn’t really lean more towards one side or not so I couldn’t gage the possible outcome. He didn’t mention any sanctions that he would change but that is the honors council said they would change anything themselves if they saw fit.

The dude also kept laughing when he was stating some of his points and when they were questioning me and spoke out of turn to question me (it was not his allotted time) which was odd. It just really irritated me that he kept scoffing and laughing when I was speaking and when he was speaking to me :/

 

[aellos]

Well they found me guilty.

It`s for three parts that basically just say a person cheated (Cheating, attempting to cheat, and using outside sources).
I`m getting a written reprimand, points off that exam, and a ethics seminar.

I honestly don’t know what to do. There was no evidence that even said it was me, it was literally just in my general location. They didn’t care that I clearly had no phone on me during the entire test and had no way to contact somebody. They just took what my professor said and didn’t care what I said at all. Did not care that I literally had straight As in the entire course until that one exam and I still had straight As on literally every assignment after as well.

I don’t even see the point of appealing again if this is how it will turn out. I just need to try to figure out how to explain this to schools and pray that they don’t immediately disqualify me.

 

[cbucks]

In the wise words stated above....

I think you should talk to a lawyer.

this is one of the most absurd things i've ever heard. it sounds like they didn't show you any evidence and just went "yup, cheated". i can't even imagine being in your shoes and doing all that you've had to do the past few weeks and i wish there was some easy way to help you

 

[aellos]

I just dont know how to explain this to schools. I feel like going "I know I was accused! Recently to! But trust me! I didnt do it!" wont be of any use and make think schools I`m lying.
I`m also annoyed that they made a hearing for the day after applications were due when I stated multiple times that I would need it in the start of the month due to this. Also annoyed that my meeting was first thing morning and they gave me the response two minutes before their office closed resulting in me being unable to call them which :/.

 

[EngrSC]

I would definitely consult an attorney if they can't provide concrete evidence that it was you that was cheating. It all seems very suspicious. Have you looked into whether or not your school has legal services available to students? I would not report it to VMCAS or vet school adcoms until you've consulted an attorney.

Also, does written reprimand mean that it'll be on your academic record?

 

[battie]

I agree with contacting a lawyer as well. You have nothing to lose except the money, and you could potentially get the IA wiped from your record.

 

[bcf_lasagna]

To OP, just in case the worst-case scenario happens, I just wanted to say that unlike what most might think on here, you can still get into medical school. Of course it’s a red flag to have an academic IA, but you’ll have a space to write about it, and it’s there for a reason. It would be vital for you to write about what you learned from it, how it won’t be an issue moving forward, and not make any excuses.

Of course if you don’t have the IA then you can disregard what I said. Just being genuine will go a long way though.

 

[cbucks]

To OP, just in case the worst-case scenario happens, I just wanted to say that unlike what most might think on here, you can still get into medical school. Of course it’s a red flag to have an academic IA, but you’ll have a space to write about it, and it’s there for a reason. It would be vital for you to write about what you learned from it, how it won’t be an issue moving forward, and not make any excuses.

Of course if you don’t have the IA then you can disregard what I said. Just being genuine will go a long way though.

just letting you know that you've popped onto the vet forum, not the med one
however, i don't see a way for anyone to try and write about it the way you're suggesting? like "I learned that my professor's word was more important than mine and that i could be accused without being shown any true evidence. in the future i will not wear anything with pockets and i will stare my webcam into the eyes for the entire duration of the exam". i agree with the overall sentiment about being genuine, but i'm not sure how what you said applies to this situation

 

[aellos]

That`s the main issue I`m having with this. It sucks that I`m getting a B on a course that should be an A yeah that really stings but I have no idea how to write an explanation that doesnt sound like a lie. My advsior doesnt have an idea either, as they share the idea that it would look like I`m bold face lying to the them.
It`s funny, my casper results said i was ethical (or whatever that test is supposed to show) and I`m gonna have an IA from literally the same time frame. That would most likely raise some eye brows lmao

 

[that redhead]

So have you looked into whether or not your school offers legal counseling? I would absolutely fight this if you didn’t cheat.

 

[JaynaAli]

I echo other people saying you should look into consulting a lawyer. If your school doesn’t have any free options its sometimes offered as a benefit through peoples (usually corporate) jobs? I know my family has used that type of thing to help figure out if we need professional help and who to contact for help locally.

With the caveat that I’m not a lawyer or admissions committee member and regardless if you did or didn’t truly cheat, I think if you’re going to tell veterinary schools it’s false, you absolutely need to appeal it. I totally understand the defeated feeling and feeling like it’s pointless, but if someone saying they’re wrongfully accused doesn’t fight it when given the opportunity to do so, it would make me wonder if it’s actually true. Just giving honest feedback. If you weren’t applying to vet school I’d also maybe just take it and move on (especially if they’re letting you earn a B and not actually fail the course), but while having the accusation is not great, appealing can only potentially help you from where you are now.

 

[aellos]

My school doesn’t offer any legal help (especially as it`s coming from another school and I checked and the cant help either as I`m not "enrolled" in the school, I`m trying to see if there is any way I can petition them or something to let me get help but :/) so I`m waiting to hear back from my advisor on how I would even go about doing the appeals. It`s so exhausting honestly. I really thought the honors committee would be ending of it.

 

[Nannarnaluk]

I'm really caught up on this whole "ping" thing. I haven't used honorlock, only proctorio, but I am lost on how the program can identify anything other than what occurred directly on your computer? @aellos have you contacted honorlock if that type of thing is even possible?

ETA: I found this on the honorlock website:

Online Proctoring that Detects Cell Phones​

As students have access to more and more electronic devices, it becomes harder for instructors to preserve academic integrity—especially in a remote testing context. We’re proud to have the remote proctoring industry’s first and only technology with the capability to detect cell phone, tablet, and laptop use while a student is taking an online proctored exam. Our patented remote proctoring system can detect when these devices are accessing our test bank content during an online exam, and we capture a screen recording of the websites visited to provide evidence in the event of a violation. This remote proctoring function helps deter students from using their phones out of view, and you get to proctor beyond the webcam, protecting the academic integrity of your online exams.

This is so odd. How does it work? Does the IP address match your phone? Screen recording without permission? I am very confused. Do you have to download honorlock on your phone as well?

 

[katashark]

Also annoyed that my meeting was first thing morning and they gave me the response two minutes before their office closed resulting in me being unable to call them which :/.

I'll bet they do this to everyone. Freaking sucks.

 

[katiemcat]

I'm really caught up on this whole "ping" thing. I haven't used honorlock, only proctorio, but I am lost on how the program can identify anything other than what occurred directly on your computer? @aellos have you contacted honorlock if that type of thing is even possible?

ETA: I found this on the honorlock website:

Online Proctoring that Detects Cell Phones​

As students have access to more and more electronic devices, it becomes harder for instructors to preserve academic integrity—especially in a remote testing context. We’re proud to have the remote proctoring industry’s first and only technology with the capability to detect cell phone, tablet, and laptop use while a student is taking an online proctored exam. Our patented remote proctoring system can detect when these devices are accessing our test bank content during an online exam, and we capture a screen recording of the websites visited to provide evidence in the event of a violation. This remote proctoring function helps deter students from using their phones out of view, and you get to proctor beyond the webcam, protecting the academic integrity of your online exams.

This is so odd. How does it work? Does the IP address match your phone? Screen recording without permission? I am very confused. Do you have to download honorlock on your phone as well?

This is so stupid? In undergrad all my roommates were science majors and took the same classes as me. God forbid one of us was using honor lock and another was looking up content to study or for homework. How can they prove the phone used was yours?

 

[aellos]

This is so stupid? In undergrad all my roommates were science majors and took the same classes as me. God forbid one of us was using honor lock and another was looking up content to study or for homework. How can they prove the phone used was yours?

It was a screenrecording ( I think?) of basically the fake website thing that pings to the honorlock system. It showed the browser and location. Nothing else. I kept telling them that I live with multiple other people (who had people over) and in an apartment that literally shares the wifi. Nothing on the recording showed it was me. Literally only the city (which is a major city!! I literally live on campus!!!) and website was shown. They didn’t even care that I didn’t have a phone in the actual video of me taking my test. I pushed them some more and they told me that it was because it was the same subject that question I was near (like a few questions before or after I cant remember) that they marked it as cheating. The thing was it was literally a question about physiology. Also, as I made extremely clear to them- nothing was directly linked to me, that was the sole reason they found me guilty.

I guess next time I take a test I`ll alert my entire apartment building of 400+ students that they cant search up anything.

 

[katashark]

Can you contact honorlock at all? Do they have a support system for students?

 

[Lawpy]

This thread gives me Dartmouth nightmares. OP you got good suggestions and i'm really hoping you get cleared.

 

[aellos]

Can you contact honorlock at all? Do they have a support system for students?

I contacted them and they sent me the message that was posted earlier and then said everything else was school dependent (or something along those lines). The most they said was that is was possible for somebody to be looking something up at the same time I was taking my test and I would be flagged but the school didnt care for that.