Ballot seeks student views on cheaters

Students who vote for Undergraduate Assembly representatives today will get the opportunity to do more than choose the next generation of student government leaders. For the first time in recent years, a non-binding public interest question -- which asks student opinion about a change in the judicial process for students who cheat -- appears on the UA ballot along with candidate lists. Students are asked as they vote, "Would you be in favor of a completely student-run judicial system to punish cheating and other transgressions by students of the Code of Academic Integrity?" Nominations and Elections Committee Elections Chairperson Michael Monson said last night that the purpose of the question, which was submitted by UA Chairperson Jeff Lichtman, is simply to find out what undergraduates think. "[The Code of Academic Integrity] is going to become a relevant issue to students in the next few weeks," NEC Chairperson Melanie Brownrout said last night. Students and administrators on the Judicial Inquiry Office Advisory Board have recently been considering ways to change the judicial process for students accused of cheating so that students can be more involved, said Kirsten Bartok, a member of the committee and past member of the JIO Hearing Board. Bartok, a College junior and UA vice chairperson, said she is in favor of including students in the process because "if students have more responsibility for enforcement of the code, they then will be more likely to adhere to it." Acting Judicial Inquiry Officer Catherine Schifter said she is in favor of getting students more involved in decision-making because they can often be better judges of the activities of their peers. "Historically, you will find students are harder on students," Schifter said. "There are a lot of students who would own up to a student before they would own up to an administrator." "Students will tend to take more seriously violations which reflect back on their own degree," she added. Bartok added that she, Lichtman, Schifter and Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta have been encouraged by President Sheldon Hackney, Provost Michael Aiken and the faculty to continue investigating ways to give students more responsibility for academic integrity. Brownrout said the question on the ballot -- which is about a "student life issue and a Penn issue" -- will get student feedback.

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