On Wednesday, February 15th, 2023, the Ashesi Judicial Council (AJC) adjudicated a case of social misconduct. During the hearing, it was discovered that the student involved impersonated another student by creating an email address in their name and sending an email containing abusive language to another member of the community. The device from which the email was sent was traced through a forensic investigation carried out by the IT office. The student denied any wrongdoing until the forensic reports were revealed to the Dean. The student’s initial defense was that it was due to mental health issues, however further review by a mental health practitioner revealed that the actions of the student had no direct connection to the student’s mental state.
The AJC concluded that the student involved was guilty of providing false information, impersonating another student and being abusive towards a member of the community.
As stated in Ashesi’s student handbook:“A student should not knowingly provide false information or make misrepresentation to any University office. Students are obligated to provide University personnel with truthful and accurate identification upon request. Students who are found to have provided false information may be subject to dismissal” (Section 9.2). [...] Students are not to send forged e-mail (mail sent under another user’s name) or to read e-mail addressed to another user, for example, by accessing their electronic mailbox or mail residing in system files. Potentially offensive electronic communication shall be considered as it would be if conveyed by other media” (Section 9.5).
Additionally:
“Students at Ashesi University have the right to respectfully express their views, feelings, and beliefs inside and outside the classroom … These freedoms of expression extend so far as conduct does not impinge on the rights of other members of the community or the orderly and essential operations of the University” (Section 10.1)
After deliberating, the AJC arrived at the following sanction based on the severity of the case and the student’s mental health status.
Student was found guilty and will be suspended for three (3) semesters with immediate effect: (January 2023 – August 2024).
Advice to the Ashesi Community:
- Students should desist from hiding under the guise of mental health while engaging in nefarious activities.
- Ashesi is committed to building a community of trust and considers lying, falsehoods, impersonation and a lack of decorum damaging to this goal. As an Ashesi student, you are expected to always speak and uphold the truth. Where mistakes are made, students are expected to take responsibility for their actions.
- Under no circumstance should students be abusive in their language or actions to or misrepresent/impersonate another community member to conduct any reprehensible acts. This is damaging to the reputation of the individual, the university official or office, or the AJC. The actions of all community members in any situation should be to uplift others not tear them down.
- Students must learn from past infractions regarding peddling false information and misrepresentation at the AJC, to understand the seriousness with which cases are treated.
Section 9.1 in the Student’s Handbook states that “Ashesi University places great emphasis on living our values, and on being a light on the hill. We live these values in everything that we do, in the way we maintain our environment, the way we treat other members of our community.”
We trust that this case will serve as a learning experience for our community. Becoming a person of integrity is very important at Ashesi and 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.