An estimated 125 undergraduate students at Harvard University are being investigated by the university’s administrative board after allegations of cheating on their final take-home exam during a spring semester course last year. Accusations include charges of plagiarizing answers and collaborating in groups in explicit contradiction to a requirement that they work on the exam alone.
The students claim that while some students did act in clear violation of the program requirements, many of the allegations stem from practices previously taken for granted, including the “commonplace” practice of consulting with graduate student teaching fellows. The university has released a statement saying it will not reach any conclusions until the administrative board has met with each individual student.
Students face punishments ranging from from a one-year suspension to the revocation of their diploma if they already graduated. Some students have threatened to sue the school if such disciplinary measures are implemented.
With files from the New York Times and the Harvard Crimson
