<p>This isn't about me - it's about my boyfriend who is the most honest and hard working person I know. </p>
<p>He recently took his midterm and now is being accused, wrongfully, of cheating. It wasn't anyone's fault really, except perhaps the TA's and the other students who actually DID cheat. All of the information isn't known yet on how he got a photocopied test from the TA... Yeah it's bad. I won't go into the details though, unless necessary for help.</p>
<p>ANY ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO would be soooo helpful. He's already in the process of contacting as many people as he can to get to the bottom of this. </p>
<p>The dean told him that he could get two semesters of suspension if found guilty. How badly could this affect his chances at a good grad school/jobs? </p>
<p>Any insight will be tremendously appreciated.</p>
<p>Sorry. I know. I just want to be a little cautious because I’m posting about someone else’s life without their permission (I should probably get that). I’m especially cautious because I can’t delete this post either…</p>
<p>For now, let me just emphasize that he is completely innocent. But, as you’ve noticed the situation sounds really bad.</p>
<p>Can I get any advice on the best course of action with the details given? Also, advice on grad schools/jobs?</p>
<p>Well, first of all, that’s a serious accusation. How are they going to prove he’s guilty if he’s completely innocent? If he has the document, then doesn’t that mean he’s guilty?</p>
<p>Right. The test magically appeared in his backpack.</p>
<p>When you post stuff like that, we need the stuff you’re not telling us otherwise we can’t help you because any reasonable person with the information you gave us would not conclude that he is “completely innocent.”</p>
<p>First, I don’t believe that he’s innocent. From the details given, he looks 100% guilty, and I’m almost certain your school’s Honor Council will agree with me.</p>
<p>Even if he is innocent, he will be found guilty, unless he was the one to report that a copy of the test was in circulation. In their honor code, most schools have clauses about how students have an obligation to report cheating if they see it, or they too will be found guilty. Basically, this clause means that the innocent bystander isn’t innocent unless s/he was the one to tip off law enforcement officials.</p>
<p>Ignore the advice about a lawyer. I was on an Honor Council, and all of us on the council cringed whenever we saw a lawyer, as it was a sure sign of forthcoming annoyance–and a guilty defendant. The lawyer can’t do a thing for your BF in this case because the school has substantial evidence that your BF is guilty. A lawyer would only be helpful if your BF was being taken to trial without reasonable proof of guilt. You might think that the lawyer could argue that the Honor Code is unjust, but your BF signed off on the school’s Honor Code somewhere in the school’s registration forms, so there’s no hope in winning on that front.</p>
<p>As for top tier grad schools and jobs, he’s probably in deep *<strong><em>. Deep, deep *</em></strong>. Cheating isn’t tolerated in college or the workplace. There are simply way too many qualified applicants for those slots, so employers and admissions offices won’t take chances on someone with a marred record, unless s/he is truly exceptional.</p>
<p>Tl;dr: Your BF is very likely going to be suspended. This suspension will taint his transcript, and almost definitely ruin his chances at top jobs and top grad schools.</p>
<p>That basically sums it up. Most schools have a clause in their code saying that cheating includes not speaking up when something has happened, which it did.</p>