Case Western Reserve University 
Institutional Demographics
- origins date to 1826; the university in its present form emerged from the 1967 federation of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University
- private, Doctoral/Research - Extensive (Carnegie classification), co-educational institution
- 3500 undergraduates and 5500 graduate and professional students
Ethics and Academic Integrity at CWRU
While the CWRU Statement of Ethics reminds all members of the University community that "the University's mission rests on the premise of intellectual honesty" (full text in The Handbook for Undergraduate Students, p. ii, and available at: http://www.cwru.edu/provost/ugstudies/handbook2003.pdf), an ad hoc committee of 20 - 24 students, faculty and administrators was formed in 1997 to review specifically the undergraduate policy on academic infractions. After two years of meetings, the committee proposed a modified ethics code. In the spring of 2000, the Office of Undergraduate Studies conducted an anonymous, on-line survey of student and faculty behavior and attitudes about academic integrity to assist the faculty and the Undergraduate Student Government in their review and debate of the proposal. In the spring of 2002, both the Undergraduate Student Government and the University Undergraduate Faculty passed the legislation that established the CWRU Policy on Academic Integrity (full text in The Handbook for Undergraduate Students, p. 65, and available at: http://www.cwru.edu/provost/ugstudies/handbook2003.pdf).
Key Elements of the CWRU Policy on Academic Integrity
- a call to community: faculty, students and administrators share responsibility for education and adjudication
- reasonable precaution: faculty and students should exercise common sense in protecting tests and assignments from opportunities for academic misconduct
- do something: all members of the community have a responsibility to confront instances of suspected wrongdoing; students are not obligated to report suspected violations but can report, directly or anonymously, or can confront suspected wrongdoers
- definitions: violations not only include cheating and plagiarism but also include misrepresentation (lying and forgery) and obstruction (interfering with another person's ability to conduct scholarly activity)
- faculty: permitted to investigate and adjudicate first violations but must consult about and report their adjudications
- academic integrity board: creation of a 20 member student board who educate, develop programs and publications, meet with faculty and academic departments to discuss policy and preventative approaches, and sit on hearing boards
- student ownership: in addition to their work on the academic integrity board, students hold the majority vote on hearing boards which have three students, two faculty, and two (non-voting) administrators
- ethics tutorial: all students found responsible for a first violation must participate in an individual ethics tutorial (which may include readings, assignments, referral to a writing or time management tutor, and/or an on-line ethics education program)
- second violations: must be heard by a hearing board
- sanctioning guidelines: minimum and maximum penalties established
- voluntary pledge: students may sign a pledge card that affirms their commitment to community values, including academic integrity
Programs Offered By Students on the Academic Integrity Board in Support of Academic Integrity
- screening of a powerful May, 2002 episode of 48 Hours entitled "Truth and Consequence" and the facilitation of small group discussion during new student orientation
- residence hall programming
- presentations at individual department faculty meetings
- organizing an open forum on academic integrity for faculty and students during "Greek Week" and presenting discussions on academic integrity to student organizations
- development of a web site - http://www.cwru.edu/stuaff/ai/ - to highlight practical advice and important resource links