On Thursday, March 28^th, 2024, the Ashesi Judicial Committee (AJC) heard and deliberated on Honour Code violation allegations that occurred during the Anti-Money Laundering mid-semester exam in the 2023/24 Spring Semester. The two (2) students – A and B – involved were members of the Class of 2024.

 

Background to the case:

During the exam, Student A stepped out and asked to use the washroom. Upon returning to the exam hall, the Faculty Intern noticed that the student had a phone on their person and took it away. It was later discovered that while in the washroom, the student had searched for answers to parts of the exam using ChatGPT on their phone.

Student A subsequently stepped out of the exam hall again to engage in cheating. This time, he invited a colleague he met in the hallway – Student B – to join him in the washroom, where he used this colleague’s phone to search for answers to additional parts of the exam. After receiving a tip from colleagues about potential cheating, the supervising FI confronted the two students and later made a report to the faculty and then to the Dean of Students. After this incident, Student A sought to drop the class.

 

At the hearing:

The Committee was concerned about Student A’s posture on cheating during the exam, especially as a member of the final-year class. It was particularly striking that in response to a question about their state of mind when exiting the exam hall the second time, Student A mentioned that they didn’t know how they were going to cheat but they believed that they could find a way to do so.

Additionally, the committee concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that Student B had been aware of the exam when he initially went into the bathroom with Student A. However, after subsequently learning of the cheating issue, Student B decided to shield his friend and mitigate any sanctions by making a false statement to the faculty intern.

The Committee considered this as an effort to help a colleague avoid consequences for Honour Code violations, which is in itself a violation of the Code. The committee also identified inconsistencies in reports made to it and the faculty intern by the student.

 

The AJC deliberated on the following infractions of policies in the Student Handbook:

• “Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, unauthorized exchange of information or use of material during an examination, unauthorized transfer of information or completed work among students, use of the same paper in more than one course, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, and other unethical behaviour.” (Section 7.4).
• The following instances constitute violations of the Examination Honour Code and can lead to serious sanctions including suspension or expulsion from the University community… (b) Attempting to prevent the discovery of prohibited conduct, or attempting to obstruct access, to alter, to destroy, or to conceal potential evidence connected with an Exam Honour Code investigation. (Section 8.3)
• A student should not knowingly provide false information or make misrepresentation to any University office… Students who are found to have provided false information may be subject to dismissal. (Section 9.2)
• Ashesi University, its students, and its professional associations will not in any way condone cheating, lying, or any other misrepresentations. Moreover, anyone who willingly conceals these activities will be considered accomplices and equally culpable. (Section 7.5)

 

Verdict & Recommendations

After carefully reviewing all the case facts, the AJC concluded that the actions of the two students – especially as a final year student – severely undermine academic and social integrity at Ashesi. Student A was found guilty of violating the examination Honour Code, and since this was a repeat offence, is  expelled from the university with immediate effect. Student B is guilty of obstructing the exam honour code process and lying to a university official and is suspended for one semester (January-May 2024).

 

Advice to the Ashesi Community:

The Committee would like to advise that:

• The Exam Honour Code is to be treated as sacrosanct, and all members of the Ashesi community must work to ensure that it is not undermined.
• Lying to a university official or office is not tolerated and will always have consequences.
• There seems to be a pattern of students bringing unauthorised devices and materials into the exam hall, even though they are aware of exam rules. Exam supervisors should strictly enforce rules, and immediately restrict devices or report students who flout the examination code of conduct.
• A thorough audit should be carried out on students who intend dropping a course.
• Students must learn from past infractions regarding academic integrity, to understand the seriousness with which cases are treated.

 

This case provides a lot of learning for the entire community, and the hope is that it is reflected on as such. Our code of ethics is central to our mission: to train a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within our students the critical thinking skills, concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform a continent. This code applies to all, no matter the circumstance.