Koyote

The one that really stands out was about twenty years ago. It was one of those rare clear-cut cases, no question, documented with 100% certainty. We (my GTA and I) gave the young scholar every opportunity to admit his mistake, to take ownership of it, but he stuck to his story. So, I had to drop the hammer on him...Since he was going to flunk the course either way, I felt it had to be referred up the University's administrative hierarchy for institutional sanction.

The very next day I got a letter from his father, who was a local attorney, on his law firm stationary. (Still don't know how he got the letter to my office within 24 hours!) It was quasi-legalistic, quasi-threatening, very long, and copied to my department chair. "My son is honest, he would never lie," etc etc. From the letter, it was clear that the student had not been completely forthcoming with his father -- not surprising.

Of course, with one phone call to the father, I could've explained exactly what his son had done, and that the evidence was incontrovertible. But FERPA prevented that, of course.


The other one that really sticks out: very large lecture hall, couple hundred students in an intro to Econ course. No real chance of knowing each individual. A young woman takes test, turns it in with one of my students' names on it (let's call it "Susan Jones"), and I just KNOW that this woman is not in the class -- I recognized her from being around our building, and knew she wasn't one of my students. Obviously a ringer, taking the exam for a friend. Asked for her ID, and she hurriedly said, "I don't have it with me." I responded that she would need to stop by my office with an ID before I would grade the exam.

Week later, I return the exams - but not hers. Susan Jones emails me about it, and I remind her to stop by my office with her ID. Hesitated, then said she would do that. The next day, a completely different woman (not the one who turned in the exam) walks in my office, pulls an ID out of her pocket, and hands it to me -- it's Susan Jones, of course. "Don't bother," I said. "I'm not blind." Flunked her, and sent a letter to the campus office that handled academic dishonesty.

Spotted the other student - the ringer - a couple weeks later, walking into a colleague's classroom. THAT'S why I recognized her - she was majoring in Agricultural Econ, which was right next door to our dept. I went in the room, asked my colleague to tell me the name of the female student in the last row on the right -- I pointed her out. He told me her name. All this happens while she is watching, looking like she's s****ing her pants. I walked out and wrote another letter.