thinksdifferently

No one knows why the instructor called campus security. The student posed no threat, verbally or physically. Security was called once because he staff was leaving for the day and he was still on campus talking to his peers about the situation. The second time, they were called to guard the doors of the classroom during the final. Again, totally bizarre.

There was no cheating. Think about it, if the device can record and capture a lecture from 10-20 ft. away from the speaker then why would he need to put the phone out in the open? Having placed it in his pocket or something would have been sufficient enough to get a clear recording. Needless to say, the student was set up. The person who made the report had interpersonal issues with the student. The student is an over achiever. He has an exceptional ability to critically think, which truly reflects his knowledge. it's not about his character. It was a simple mistake with disciplinary actions that were unjust. Imagine if you were this student -- ambitious, ready to tackle nclex, and had a new grad opportunity waiting -- then suddenly you're thrown for a loop over something as a small as answering your phone.

Jimmy, I agree. It was a mistake. Though it is not an excuse, it sounds like his misstep here resulted from a habit and a lack of awareness of holding his phone. He never denied he made a mistake. He apologized. Despite that, he was punished severely and, as you mentioned, to probably be used as an example. If that's the case, sounds like malicious intent on the faculty members behalf. No one could understand why the disciplinary actions were warranted. How many times have you heard a cell phone ring during class? It's a violation of classroom rules according to their handbook yet we give them the benefit of the doubt. A verbal warning or a written reprimand would of been understandable, but to deprive someone of their education and make them retake a course they were already passing doesn't seem to quite make sense. Itsmejuli, There is a grievance, but it's a 2-3 month process but he would prefer to rectify the issue at that level, have the final exam proctored, and graduate this coming December.

To clarify, the cell phone policy is applicable to a theory environment. This was a quiz review -- optional and informal. Guidelines also stated nothing about mobile devices under their quiz review section. Again, the student was "disciplined with guidelines not set forth by the syllabus." In addition, there were other students who mistakenly had their phones out -- students who were actually seen by the Instructor of Records. No disciplinary actions were taken against these individuals, therefore, this could be interpreted as implied consent.

I would like to tell you about a situation that happened to a friend recently. A student was dismissed from taking a final which resulted in an "F" in the course. It was their final course of the entire program. The cause for dismissal, "Violation of Classroom Rules," during an informal, optional quiz review. Initially, there were false allegations made by another student that he had been reading questions to himself and recording it on his mobile device. Upon investigation, there was no probable evidence to prove that this student was cheating. The student was already passing the course and none of the questions reviewed were going to be repeated on the final; therefore, it showed no intent to cheat or gain an academic advantage. After academic dishonesty was ruled out, faculty members decided to switch things around and cite the student for violating classroom rules by having a cell phone out instead. The violation resulted in an inability to take the final, fail the course, and subsequently repeat the class next year. The student is an excellent scholar with a clean record and no previous history of offenses; holds numerous character references, tutors students, teaches children part-time, and has proven clinical competence throughout the program. Upon graduation, the student would of been ACLS, BLS, ECG, and Critical Care certified -- a truly ambitious, self-determined individual. The student was disciplined with guidelines not set forth by the syllabus. He was also denied his first amendment rights. There were repeated attempts to speak with the instructor. Though the student posed no threat, security was notified twice to remove the student from campus. The student does not feel that the totality of the circumstances were considered. These circumstances include the nature of their violation, their true intentions, the degree of premeditation, their acceptance of personal responsibility, the need for any unfair advantage, history of offenses, their academic history/honors, their pro-active approach to correcting their mistakes, and considering if there were any actual or potential harm that have caused to other students or to the school. The penalties they imposed were not fair, humane, and proportionate to the infraction. As a result of the faculty's misapplication of policy and procedure, there will be a direct impact on the livelihood of the student's future which will result in a loss of income from a delay in their RN licensure. What actions could this student take?