Cheated on attendance

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notheory

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I just finished my freshman year at a top 25 undergrad. My class (lecture style, ~350 students) has an attendance system that counts as part of the final grade (about 2% of it). I had someone do it for me while I was in the bathroom because I thought I deserved points for the day. I have no idea why I did it when I SHOULD HAVE JUST HELD IT AND WAITED FOR CLASS TO BE OVER. The professor caught me and didn't believe my bathroom story and accused me of doing it the whole semester and filed for an F in the class. Even though the honor board found evidence that this in fact was a one time thing and I really was in the bathroom, all they could do was advise the professor about what they believe happened and ask to reduce my sentence, but the professor refused.

What they could do was have it not show up on my transcript, but I'm still stuck with that F. I understand that I screwed up on many levels by even bending the rules (it says in the syllabus that not even doctor's notes will excuse absences as everyone is given 'free days'). Should I give up any hope of a career in medicine? To any adcom members, does the (low) severity of an academic dishonesty IA even matter, or is the fact that I was ever dishonest what will matter?

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This doesn't sound like something that would keep you out of med school.. Not sure if I read it wrong, but your story doesn't really make sense to me. Why would going to the bathroom briefly during class preclude you from signing in that day?
 
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Did you take notes for that day? If so, show professor said notes.
 
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Sorry to hear about this OP. Are they giving you an IA? An IA for academic dishonesty is a big deal to adcoms - usually a bigger deal than one F. The thing that you do have going for you is that you are a freshman. They are usually more lenient of mistakes that happen years ago.
 
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So wait, you're getting an IA and an F in a class because you went to the bathroom, essentially? Confused as well.
 
It seems as if it is NOT an IA. The school is not keeping a record of it. OP is stuck with that "F" though. If you do well, it shouldn't have a huge impact on your gpa. Hopefully it will not even come up in an interview

ps: your prof is an a**hole
 
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So wait, you're getting an IA and an F in a class because you went to the bathroom, essentially? Confused as well.

It sounds like he's getting an "F" because he had his friend sign in on attendance for him.

We used "clickers" in a couple of my classes to mark attendance. A kid and his friend in my class got an IA because they would take turns going to class with both clickers (signing e/o in). The prof caught on pretty quickly. Way worse situation than OP's though
 
This will not keep you out of medical school.
 
If your story is true, professor is a dbag.

I used to make my friends do my clicker questions if I ever went to the bathroom or left the class to make a call or something, no one cared.
 
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I just finished my freshman year at a top 25 undergrad. My class (lecture style, ~350 students) has an attendance system that counts as part of the final grade (about 2% of it). I had someone do it for me while I was in the bathroom because I thought I deserved points for the day. I have no idea why I did it when I SHOULD HAVE JUST HELD IT AND WAITED FOR CLASS TO BE OVER. The professor caught me and didn't believe my bathroom story and accused me of doing it the whole semester and filed for an F in the class. Even though the honor board found evidence that this in fact was a one time thing and I really was in the bathroom, all they could do was advise the professor about what they believe happened and ask to reduce my sentence, but the professor refused.

What they could do was have it not show up on my transcript, but I'm still stuck with that F. I understand that I screwed up on many levels by even bending the rules (it says in the syllabus that not even doctor's notes will excuse absences as everyone is given 'free days'). Should I give up any hope of a career in medicine? To any adcom members, does the (low) severity of an academic dishonesty IA even matter, or is the fact that I was ever dishonest what will matter?

If your story indeed is legitimate, can't you kick this up to the Dean?
 
Not sure if I read it wrong, but your story doesn't really make sense to me. Why would going to the bathroom briefly during class preclude you from signing in that day?
+1

No offense to OP, but I'm feel like it wasn't just a bathroom thing. Did you skip a day and have them sign in? That would be more believable with the story I'm seeing.
I apologize if I'm wrong, I just feel people often come on here and tell an edited version of their story.
 
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It really doesn't seem like you are telling the truth here. It makes absolutely no sense. When your friend was caught, why not just talk to the professor immediately after and show him that your stuff was there the whole time?

Isn't it the summer? Did this happen now or a semester ago?

if this happened right now and you are telling the truth, I would fight this. Go to ombudsman, go to the dean, get a lawyer.
 
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If your story is true, professor is a dbag.

I used to make my friends do my clicker questions if I ever went to the bathroom or left the class to make a call or something, no one cared.
Been there....lol.
We had those PSR(?) keypads and they didn't even work half the time anyway
 
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But @Goro or @gyngyn would be the best source for determining the severity of this type of IA on admissions. We would all just be truly guessing
 
But @Goro or @gyngyn would be the best source for determining the severity of this type of IA on admissions. We would all just be truly guessing

Does an IA show up as an IA on the transcript in place of the class grade? Or is it a foot note?
 
Some schools show it as and XF- which is indicative of cheating in the class resulting in failure
But if you were charged with an actual IA and it doesn't show up on yours transcript this way it would be on your record as in someway- not sure how exactly listed. That's why I called in big guns
 
+1

No offense to OP, but I'm feel like it wasn't just a bathroom thing. Did you skip a day and have them sign in? That would be more believable with the story I'm seeing.
I apologize if I'm wrong, I just feel people often come on here and tell an edited version of their story.

some classes with clickers, the prof does it randomly during the lecture, could be in the beginning, middle, or end. so im guessing op got unlucky and happened to go to the bathroom right before the prof set up the clickers.
at least thats how most profs do it at my school
 
He didn't get in trouble for going to the bathroom, he got in trouble for having his friend sign his name on the attendance sheet.

Pretty dumb move, but I can't believe you got an F in the entire class over it...
 
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Professor shouldn't even be taking attendance. College students are adults, if no one wants to attend your class get over it
 
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I just finished my freshman year at a top 25 undergrad. My class (lecture style, ~350 students) has an attendance system that counts as part of the final grade (about 2% of it). I had someone do it for me while I was in the bathroom because I thought I deserved points for the day. I have no idea why I did it when I SHOULD HAVE JUST HELD IT AND WAITED FOR CLASS TO BE OVER. The professor caught me and didn't believe my bathroom story and accused me of doing it the whole semester and filed for an F in the class. Even though the honor board found evidence that this in fact was a one time thing and I really was in the bathroom, all they could do was advise the professor about what they believe happened and ask to reduce my sentence, but the professor refused.

What they could do was have it not show up on my transcript, but I'm still stuck with that F. I understand that I screwed up on many levels by even bending the rules (it says in the syllabus that not even doctor's notes will excuse absences as everyone is given 'free days'). Should I give up any hope of a career in medicine? To any adcom members, does the (low) severity of an academic dishonesty IA even matter, or is the fact that I was ever dishonest what will matter?
Wait, did you just receive an F? Or were you given an IA? 2 very different things....
 
I don't buy this.

For one, everyone at my school routinely gives their clickers to other students to check in/answer questions for them. The professors know this goes on but also know that such is life and they can't do anything about it.
For two, going to the bathroom is allowed lol. If the friend was just checking in for you, there should be no issue because you were at class that day. If he was answering questions for you, I could see worst case scenario you getting a 0 for participation that day and the friend getting in trouble too.

I served on my school's academic integrity board (required for another club I was in) and this would never result in an F for the semester. Most likely, you'd receive a 0 for the day and have to write a paper or something to show you've learned from it and won't do it again, basically a warning/equivalent of detention.

Something doesn't add up.
 
I don't buy this.

For one, everyone at my school routinely gives their clickers to other students to check in/answer questions for them. The professors know this goes on but also know that such is life and they can't do anything about it.
For two, going to the bathroom is allowed lol. If the friend was just checking in for you, there should be no issue because you were at class that day. If he was answering questions for you, I could see worst case scenario you getting a 0 for participation that day and the friend getting in trouble too.

I served on my school's academic integrity board (required for another club I was in) and this would never result in an F for the semester. Most likely, you'd receive a 0 for the day and have to write a paper or something to show you've learned from it and won't do it again, basically a warning/equivalent of detention.

Something doesn't add up.
I agree... Your professor, along with the class, gets up to see you use the restroom. Maybe it's during clicker time. Certainly I've missed a few clicks by not getting them in on time, but this accusation is way out there to be more than a one time thing. And yes, the friend would definitely feel the heat too.
(On another note @rachiie01 your drunken, thread disturbing "friend" has been banned it seems lol)
 
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I'm going against the grain here...if there was a requirement to be there hitting the clicker in order to get the points and you had someone else do it for you.....you cheated.

Too bad.

Take your F and don't be a cheater again. You are lucky it's not an IA. And as goro often says, dishonest students become dishonest doctors. Stop being dishonest
 
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I'm going against the grain here...if there was a requirement to be there hitting the clicker in order to get the points and you had someone else do it for you.....you cheated.

Too bad.

Take your F and don't be a cheater again. You are lucky it's not an IA. And as goro often says, dishonest students become dishonest doctors. Stop being dishonest

We can argue about whether the policy is dumb all day- I happen to think it is. But. If you were notified of the policy ahead of time, and agreed to abide by it (by not dropping the class), then trying to skirt it gets you whatever punishment the professor deems appropriate. His class, his rules. It may be overkill, but this is far from the last time you'll have to deal with other people's dumb policies.

The bathroom thing sounds fishy anyway. If you knew attendance-taking happens at random points during the class, couldn't you just hold it until after that was done?
 
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I'm rather appalled at the Millennial "cheating isn't a big deal" attitude I'm seeing here. So for starters,

1) see 22031's post and pay very careful attention to it.

2) we don't give a rat's ass whether you think rules are stupid. We expect you to follow simple instructions. Is your word good for anything? LECOM and KCUMB have mandatory class attendance rules. If you matriculate there, are you going to just skip class because you don't like the policy?

3) As I understand it, OP will have an F on transcript, but not an IA. Therefore, assuming s/he doesn't do anything like this again, and will become a competitive candidate, at some interviews OP will be asked "so what about this F in [course]? What will you say, OP?????

4) If there is an IA for this, I'd estimate that OP has a 50% chance of getting rejected. We have thousands of applicants who don't' have IAs; my clinical colleagues and I take professionalism very seriously, and I have plenty of colleagues would will think that this wasn't a one-time deal.

I'll be very interested to hear what the learned @gyngyn, @LizzyM and @mimelim have to say!!!
 
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I'm rather appalled at the Millennial "cheating isn't a big deal" attitude I'm seeing here. So for starters,

1) see 22031's post and pay very careful attention to it.

2) we don't give a rat's ass whether you think rules are stupid. We expect you to follow simple instructions. Is your word good for anything? LECOM and KCUMB have mandatory class attendance rules. If you matriculate there, are you going to just skip class because you don't like the policy?

3) As I understand it, OP will have an F on transcript, but not an IA. Therefore, assuming s/he doesn't do anything like this again, and will become a competitive candidate, at some interviews OP will be asked "so what about this F in [course]? What will you say, OP?????

4) If there is an IA for this, I'd estimate that OP has a 50% chance of getting rejected. We have thousands of applicants who don't' have IAs; my clinical colleagues and I take professionalism very seriously, and I have plenty of colleagues would will think that this wasn't a one-time deal.

I'll be very interested to hear what the learned @gyngyn, @LizzyM and @mimelim have to say!!!

That's a very black-and-white attitude. You genuinely feel that getting your friend to hit a clicker button because you have to go to the bathroom is an offence that should hurt your chances of practicing medicine? I don't know anyone who is as honest as you seem to expect. I'm fairly certain I've done several things this morning that were worse than this.
 
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That's a very black-and-white attitude. You genuinely feel that getting your friend to hit a clicker button because you have to go to the bathroom is an offence that should hurt your chances of practicing medicine? I don't know anyone who is as honest as you seem to expect. I'm fairly certain I've done several things this morning that were worse than this.
you need better friends
 
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So the rules don't apply to you when you don't feel like obeying them?

Good luck in med school with that attitude.




That's a very black-and-white attitude. You genuinely feel that getting your friend to hit a clicker button because you have to go to the bathroom is an offence that should hurt your chances of practicing medicine? I don't know anyone who is as honest as you seem to expect. I'm fairly certain I've done several things this morning that were worse than this.
 
So the rules don't apply to you when you don't feel like obeying them?

Good luck in med school with that attitude.

Not a single shade of grey huh? Someone who uses a cheat sheet on a test deserves to fail. Someone who had to pee deserves to be reprimanded and told by the prof that they have to sit front and center for all remaining classes if they want that 2%. That's what a reasonable human being would do.
 
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Three Observations

1) This is an incredibly stupid/childish enforcement of a policy and the type of thing a professor who has issues with insecurity, arrogance and takes pride in making things difficult and being a "superficial" tough guy does. Guess what? There are people later on in life be it rotations, medical school professors, residents, attending physicians, and most importantly future patients who could easily be just like this(and there's a not so insignificant chance you'll run into at least one of them on your way to being a doctor). If they find you "cheating" on their rules the consequences are far greater than failing a class freshmen year. There are people like this. You learned that the hard way. Use it as a learning experience and move on.
2) This is an F not an IA. An F freshmen year if it is coupled with a solid GPA/MCAT that is otherwise competitive and you'll survive this just fine. Like I said use this as a learning experience and move on. If you want to do less damage to your GPA re-take it next semester. An F and A counts as a C for MD purposes. One C is hardly a dent in 4 years of coursework and like I said above freshmen mistakes that happen when your 18 years old can be forgiven.
3) Reasons are largely irrelevant. If you fail you fail. Being asked about this and saying "oh it was just one stupid policy the teacher felt like enforcing" IS something that will sink any chances at any medical school. In your case the teacher was entirely unreasonable. Guess what? Most ADCOMs won't give you the benefit of the doubt like Goro alluded to. They'll assume you've done other things like this or worse that there's no record of.

Long story short, you'll be fine. Use this as a learning experience, move on and realize the real world can suck.
 
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There's plenty of evidence that dishonest doctors start out as dishonest students.

And there are always two sides to every story.

I think that OP will be fine if they do well academically and don't get into any more hot water.


Not a single shade of grey huh? Someone who uses a cheat sheet on a test deserves to fail. Someone who had to pee deserves to be reprimanded and told by the prof that they have to sit front and center for all remaining classes if they want that 2%. That's what a reasonable human being would do.
 
There's plenty of evidence that dishonest doctors start out as dishonest students.

And there are always two sides to every story.

I think that OP will be fine if they do well academically and don't get into any more hot water.

I understand where you're coming from, but this situation sounds like a regrettable bending of the rules that most people can sympathize with. It doesn't strike me as the kind of deceit that snowballs into compromising clinical trials in a Meredith Grey-esque fashion.
 
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I hold myself to a pretty high moral standard, but by the logical reasoning here I am at great risk for becoming a dishonest doctor!

I can remember a few times in college when I asked a friend to answer questions for me while I stepped out to use the restroom or take a call from work. My professors didn't notice or didn't care, and that's the only difference between me and the OP (assuming he's telling the truth).

While I understand the adcom perspective, these situations are not black and white. My sympathies for the OP if this really happened.

Edit: I'll confess though that our clickers were used solely for attendance purposes, not for checking understanding or a quiz or anything. We received credit for submitting any answer, which is much different than if OP was asking a friend to answer a quiz question for him. Again, not all situations are all black or all white.
 
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I hold myself to a pretty high moral standard, but by the logical reasoning here I am at great risk for becoming a dishonest doctor!

I can remember a few times in college when I asked a friend to answer questions for me while I stepped out to use the restroom or take a call from work. My professors didn't notice or didn't care, and that's the only difference between me and the OP (assuming he's telling the truth).

While I understand the adcom perspective, these situations are not black and white. My sympathies for the OP if this really happened.

Edit: I'll confess though that our clickers were used solely for attendance purposes, not for checking understanding or a quiz or anything. We received credit for submitting any answer, which is much different than if OP was asking a friend to answer a quiz question for him. Again, not all situations are all black or all white.

Yea, I actually see no harm in giving your friend the clicker if its a participation based credit since you are in class anyways. Going to the restroom or taking an important call for a few moments in a lecture room shouldnt be a crucifying action.
 
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@Gandy741 right, and after rereading the OP's post it also says that his clicker was used for attendance purposes.

In a professional setting, I believe the professor is more of a liability than OP lol
 
So the rules don't apply to you when you don't feel like obeying them?

Good luck in med school with that attitude.

It works if you're a high volume surgeon
 
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I don't buy it. OP, you couldn't just show the professor your notes for the day to demonstrate that you had just stepped out to use the bathroom? You had to leave right as they were taking attendance?
 
Bending rules indicates an increased risk of a "special snowflake" mentality.
We are on the alert for more than the average amount of this belief system.
If the other 350 students made their peace with this rule and this one did not, they are an outlier by definition.
 
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Bending rules indicates an increased risk of a "special snowflake" mentality.
We are on the alert for more than the average amount of this belief system.
If the other 350 students made their peace with this rule and this one this not, they are an outlier by definition.

I don't think for a second that the 350 people if that room would be aghast at the prospect of getting their buddy to click a button. I think it's a room of 350 people who managed their bladders better and/or didn't get caught doing something that you'd be hard pressed to find an average member of the public having a problem with.
Telling someone not to do this because they're in a hyper-competitive field where someone is sifting through hundreds of applications and will toss any for the slightest mistake, is decent advice. Genuinely defending the position that someone who would get their friend to click a button while they pee has questionable morals is just lunacy. You're making it sound like you're only looking for the type of rod-in-unmentionable-areas people that seldom exist, and if they do I don't think I'd want medicine to be comprised solely of these human-adjacent robots.
I'd go on but I ran out of colourful ways of describing people, and my thesaurus is tired.
 
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I don't think for a second that the 350 people if that room would be aghast at the prospect of getting their buddy to click a button. I think it's a room of 350 people who managed their bladders better and/or didn't get caught doing something that you'd be hard pressed to find an average member of the public having a problem with.
Telling someone not to do this because they're in a hyper-competitive field where someone is sifting through hundreds of applications and will toss any for the slightest mistake, is decent advice. Genuinely defending the position that someone who would get their friend to click a button while they pee has questionable morals is just lunacy. You're making it sound like you're only looking for the type of rod-in-unmentionable-areas people that seldom exist, and if they do I don't think I'd want medicine to be comprised solely of these human-adjacent robots.
I'd go on but I ran out of colourful ways of describing people, and my thesaurus is tired.
I am reporting how this will be interpreted.
I am aware of how students feel about this interpretation.
My role here is to report how this is seen, not to give my opinion on the behavior.
 
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Fair enough, I mistakenly thought you were saying how it should be interpreted.

To me this is a tragic story and the OP deserves all the sympathy in the world.
 
This thread is exasperating to me.

If OP went to the bathroom and had a friend click to ensure that he or she would receive attendance points, for a class attended, i don't see a moral gray area at all. This is black and white, not a big deal in the slightest, overdone by a jerk of a professor.

If this story is true OP, then I'm genuinely sorry for you. I've had friends click for each other for non-participation points, which is absolutely morally dubious. Or click for each for participation points when they're absent all together. Again, morally not so good.

What you did? I don't understand how you received an F for that. It really boggles my mind how jaded a professor must be to be so inflexible.
 
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This doesn't sound like something that would keep you out of med school.. Not sure if I read it wrong, but your story doesn't really make sense to me. Why would going to the bathroom briefly during class preclude you from signing in that day?
A lot of classes use electronic sign-in systems that are only briefly activated during the class period, usually for between 60 and 90 seconds. That's shorter than even the fastest of bathroom trips.
 
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That's a very black-and-white attitude. You genuinely feel that getting your friend to hit a clicker button because you have to go to the bathroom is an offence that should hurt your chances of practicing medicine? I don't know anyone who is as honest as you seem to expect. I'm fairly certain I've done several things this morning that were worse than this.

I don't think for a second that the 350 people if that room would be aghast at the prospect of getting their buddy to click a button. I think it's a room of 350 people who managed their bladders better and/or didn't get caught doing something that you'd be hard pressed to find an average member of the public having a problem with.
Telling someone not to do this because they're in a hyper-competitive field where someone is sifting through hundreds of applications and will toss any for the slightest mistake, is decent advice. Genuinely defending the position that someone who would get their friend to click a button while they pee has questionable morals is just lunacy. You're making it sound like you're only looking for the type of rod-in-unmentionable-areas people that seldom exist, and if they do I don't think I'd want medicine to be comprised solely of these human-adjacent robots.
I'd go on but I ran out of colourful ways of describing people, and my thesaurus is tired.

It is reasonable to assume that more likely than not something like this is not a global reflection of this student as an individual. However, is it possible? Yes. Is it an elevated risk in this person? Yes. Are they more likely than the average to have those negative qualities that @Goro and @gyngyn are talking about? Yes. Is it questionable to have someone else sign in for you? Yes. It is dishonest. Yes, it happens all the time. But, that doesn't make it not dishonest. And, you are at the discretion of the people running the school and/or class. That is how school and work functions and that is simply life. And, frankly there is a reason for it. No, we don't dishonest people.

It works if you're a high volume surgeon

Not anymore. Yes, valuable people, regardless of field are somewhat protected because losing them costs people money, but things are rapidly changing and people are becoming more and more accountable.
 
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Fair enough, I mistakenly thought you were saying how it should be interpreted.

To me this is a tragic story and the OP deserves all the sympathy in the world.

This thread is exasperating to me.

If OP went to the bathroom and had a friend click to ensure that he or she would receive attendance points, for a class attended, i don't see a moral gray area at all. This is black and white, not a big deal in the slightest, overdone by a jerk of a professor.

If this story is true OP, then I'm genuinely sorry for you. I've had friends click for each other for non-participation points, which is absolutely morally dubious. Or click for each for participation points when they're absent all together. Again, morally not so good.

What you did? I don't understand how you received an F for that. It really boggles my mind how jaded a professor must be to be so inflexible.

The system that the professor setup is very simple.

#1 A very small part of your grade is based on participation.
#2 To get those participation points, you have to sign in when the professor asks you to sign in during class.
#3 Life gets in the way sometimes, so you get free passes that you can use at any time without any explanation whatso ever.
#4 There is a well documented zero tolerance policy because you have the safety net of the free passes.

Is it a perfect system? No. Is it a reasonable system for a class of 350+ people? Absolutely. Are there probably people that get screwed over on 2% of their grade because of it? Ya. (People in the hospital for a week, missing more classes than they have free passes). Is that unfortunate? Yes.

If you want the participation points, be in class when it is being checked. Go to the bathroom before class, or simply take the penalty if you miss it one day. Missing a single attendance is not going to significantly impact your grade unless you have a bunch of other issues in the class.
 
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Here's my take on this story: the faculty member accused the student of cheating. The student had the choice of going before the honor board and taking the chance of ending up with an institutional action (IA) or taking the F for the course but not getting an IA. I see this all the time as a way the school "plea bargains" a charge of academic misconduct so that the student isn't harmed by a IA while at the same time knowing that the school is aware of the accusation and another accusation will not be treated leniently.

If you were so sure of your innocence @notheory maybe you should have gone before the honor board and been exonerated. If you were exonerated, then the faculty member should not have docked you more than 2% of your grade in keeping with the value of attendance according to the syllabus. You might have a case with the department leadership regarding the grading for the course if you earned a grade higher than F and you had not made a gentleman's agreement with the faculty member to take the F in exchange for not going before the honor board.
 
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Mimelim what I'm saying is that if this story is true as the OP stated (with the honour board confirming that he was just in the bathroom), this is something that the vast majority of people would do without a second thought. It is an unreasonable standard that no one should ever do anything the tiniest bit dishonest ever. Also, if you ARE caught, the punishment should fit the crime. Getting and F after an honor board decreed that you were indeed attending the class that you were flagged for cheating attendance marks in, is just crazy.
 
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Mimelim what I'm saying is that if this story is true as the OP stated (with the honour board confirming that he was just in the bathroom), this is something that the vast majority of people would do without a second thought. It is an unreasonable standard that no one should ever do anything the tiniest bit dishonest ever. Also, if you ARE caught, the punishment should fit the crime. Getting and F after an honor board decreed that you were indeed attending the class that you were flagged for cheating attendance marks in, is just crazy.

The honor board did not confirm that he was in the bathroom. OP said that they "found evidence", whatever that means. I don't know how someone can definitively prove attendance practices for the rest of the semester either way.

Just because the vast majority of 18 year olds would do it doesn't mean that it is right or that the policy is bad. Is it severe? Yes. But, it is a reasonable system with ample warnings about what happens if you get caught? Yes.

And no, it is not an unreasonable standard to expect people to be honest. We have a serious problem with people fabricating things or telling 'small lies' in medicine. See any of the media hoopla about medicare billing for the big fish, but far more prevalent are the number of MS3s or interns that make stuff up on their physical exams or saying that they did things that they clearly didn't do. Is there a gap between being dishonest in a classroom and those things? Of course there is. But, this is someone at elevated risk of those other things and someone we'd rather not have compared to someone slightly worse in other areas, but without this history.

The punishment for cheating in a class is generally at a minimum failure of that class. There was a well established protocol for what to do if you are unable to log your participation in a class for any reason, use a free pass. Fudging it is cheating. I know you want to say, "But others are doing it and it is relatively minor." Actions have consequences and ultimately you are responsible for your actions. Is this harsh? Yes. Is it unfair, kinda hard to say given that this is the expected outcome given everything that happened and how explicit the policy is.
 
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The bathroom thing sounds fishy anyway. If you knew attendance-taking happens at random points during the class, couldn't you just hold it until after that was done?

Because when nature calls, nature waits for no one.

Personally though, I think that there is a lot more to this story than the OP has mentioned. Even in large classes of 200+ people, it's surprising how well professors can notice which faces are consistently showing up and which ones aren't. This leads me to believe that if the OP had been showing up consistently to class, his professor would have believed his bathroom story.

Him not escalating this situation to the Dean supports my belief that there's more to this story than we think.

My takeaway: The OP posted this story on SDN to see if anyone would buy it. Which no one did.
 
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