Guilty Case Study

Gravity of the Offense

If Mr. Smith is found Guilty only of II.B.5.a: The gravity of Mr. Smith’s offense is low for this case. Mr. Smith did not intentionally leave his phone during the exam, nor did he use it during the exam. While he did violate the procedures of the exam administration, the Defense wishes to point out that he did not do so intentionally. His intent was not to gain an unfair advantage over the other students in the PYSC 101 taking that exam. The weight of the final exam, 30%, is less than the combined weight of the two prior midterms (45%) that he had done well on before (Evidence B-3). Additionally, Mr. Smith has had no priors with the Honor System.

If Mr. Smith is found Guilty of both II.B.4.a and II.B.5.a: While Mr. Smith’s violation of II.B.4.a and II.B.5.a was intentional, the violation was independent. He did not assist other students in cheating on the examination and he did not threaten the integrity of the overall exam or of the class. Additionally, Mr. Smith has had no priors with the Honor System.

Smith has shown demonstrated remorse for the incident and emailed the professor prior to the investigation apologizing for having his phone out during the exam and understands his error (Evidence A-5). Additionally, Mr. Smith has gained valuable experience through his time in the Honor System and now gained a deeper understanding of University policies and procedures on examinations and now grasps the necessity to follow all of the said procedures.

Equitable