STANFORD — Stanford University is investigating allegations of academic cheating by students during the winter quarter.
University Provost John Etchemendy on Tuesday sent a letter to faculty and teaching staff that pointed to “an unusually high number of troubling allegations of academic dishonesty” reported to the school’s Office of Community Standards at the end of the quarter.
Among “a smattering of concerns from a number of winter courses,” he said, one faculty member reported allegations that may involve as many as 20 percent of the students enrolled in one of Stanford’s large introductory courses.
The allegations follow incidents of academic cheating at other top-ranked U.S. colleges.
Stanford is in the process of contacting students suspected of cheating, university officials confirmed Friday.
“In violating academic integrity,” Etchemendy wrote, “they are cheating themselves of the very core of our mission — the process of learning and discovery — as well as risking severe consequences.”
The news put a damper on what is normally a celebratory week for Stanford, when it announces its incoming undergraduate class.
On Friday, Stanford admission officials said 2,144 students had been accepted to its Class of 2019 from a record 42,487 applicants.
Etchemendy said that all students entering the university are informed of the school’s honor code and agree to abide by it.
“But with the ease of technology and widespread sharing that is now part of a collaborative culture,” he wrote, “students need to recognize and be reminded that it is dishonest to appropriate the work of others.”
Last fall, a story in the Stanford Daily reported that a professor of statistics conducted an experiment to find out how many of his students had cheated while at Stanford. The result showed that roughly 40 percent of 86 students who responded had done so.
Lisa Lapin, a university spokeswoman, said she didn’t know how many Stanford honor code violations had occurred throughout the years.
But she said it is routine to have “several concerns” about possible cheating raised every quarter.
“We have a lot of classes and a lot of students,” she said. “It’s not unusual to have a handful of concerns raised every term.”
Stanford officials say that 83 students violated the honor code during the 2013-14 academic year.
First-time cheaters are usually suspended for a quarter and have to complete 40 hours of community service. In addition, the students usually don’t get credit for the course. The standard penalty for cheating more than once in the same course is a three-quarter suspension and 40 or more hours of community service.
Etchemendy’s note, Lapin said, was a “precaution to tell the faculty to make sure they are being very clear in class with the students about the honor code and what are the expectations for the students.”
In the latest allegations, Lapin would not identify the course or grade level of the students suspected of cheating, nor would she offer any other details of the allegations against them.
Winter-quarter classes started Jan. 5 and ended March 13; finals were held March 16-20.
Stanford students, who are now on spring break, are expected to return to class on Monday.
If any of those under investigation were not contacted before the break, they will be contacted when they return to campus.
Lapin stressed that every allegation is reviewed and students have an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.
Last fall, up to 64 Dartmouth College students — including some athletes — faced suspension or other disciplinary action for cheating in a sports ethics class.
At the same time, University of North Carolina employees were found to have participated in an 18-year cheating scandal to help 3,100 students make good grades with little work.
In 2012, Harvard University investigated 125 students in what it called “the most widespread cheating scandal” in campus history.
The cheating occurred during a take-home government exam. As a result, dozens of students were forced to withdraw temporarily. Others were put on disciplinary probation.
Stanford also announced on Friday that for the first time since 2008 it has increased its financial aid. Stanford parents with annual family incomes below $125,000 will pay no tuition. Previously, that figure was $100,000.
Parents with annual incomes below $65,000, up from $60,000, will pay no tuition, room or board.
“Our highest priority is that Stanford remain affordable and accessible to the most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances,” Etchemendy said in a statement.
He noted that more than half of Stanford undergraduates receive financial aid from the university.
Contact Tracy Seipel at tseipel@mercurynews.com or 408 920-5343 and follow her at Twitter.com/taseipel.
Stanford University’s Honor Code
Written by Stanford students in 1921, the statement on academic integrity articulates university expectations of students and faculty in establishing and maintaining the highest standards in academic work.
Violations include:
Copying from another’s examination paper or allowing another to copy from one’s own paper
Unpermitted collaboration
Plagiarism
Revising and resubmitting a quiz or exam for regrading, without the instructor’s knowledge and consent
Giving or receiving unpermitted aid on a take-home examination
Representing as one’s own work the work of another
Giving or receiving aid on an academic assignment under circumstances in which a reasonable person should have known that such aid was not permitted
Standard penalties include:
For first offense: a one-quarter suspension from the university and 40 hours of community service.
Most faculty members also issue a “No Pass” or “No Credit” for the course in which the violation occurred.
For multiple offenses: a three-quarter suspension and 40 or more hours of community service.
Source: Stanford University
