Valedictorian caught cheating

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so my graduating class just found out who will be representing our class as valedictorian and it's a student that was caught cheating on an exam. she was caught on camera and later admitted to the cheating. I feel someone like this should not represent our school or class as a valedictorian. It sets a bad example that cheating will be tolerated. there are many students that sacrifice so much for nursing and this bothers me that someone like this would be honored. she was caught once cheating but there could be other times she cheated and didnt get caught. I addressed this issue with administration. Please give me your opinion about this. Am I over thinking this?

Specializes in hospice.
So in other words you guys bullied this girl out of her moment. So sad.

No, they delivered richly deserved disapproval. There is a huge difference.

And yes, it is sad that the school spit on every student who worked hard for what they got instead of cheating. In practically every program in the country, she would have been thrown out, and should have been.

If my school tried this crap I'd be filing formal complaints and refuse to attend graduation. I might even contact the media and see if they want to look into what shady practices are going on at the school.

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No, they delivered richly deserved disapproval. There is a huge difference.

And yes, it is sad that the school spit on every student who worked hard for what they got instead of cheating. In practically every program in the country, she would have been thrown out, and should have been.

If my school tried this crap I'd be filing formal complaints and refuse to attend graduation. I might even contact the media and see if they want to look into what shady practices are going on at the school.

I know the student didn't do the right thing, I just feel empathy and sorry for her. All we know is 1 side of the story. I guess al I'm saying is that I feel sad for her.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I agree with AlphaM, this thread has been a case study in the art of mobbing.

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The end result to this the girls name was listed as valedictorian on the ceremony board but at the last minute she refused to go up there and give her speech because she knew everybody was going to stand up and turn around. she didn't speak to anyone or look at anyone she sat in the seat the whole time and when they called her name for her diploma no one boo'd or made a scene we just didn't clap. glad it's over. I enjoyed my graduation I don't know about her

Appropriate resolution (almost).

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So in other words you guys bullied this girl out of her moment. So sad.

No. She bullied herself out of her moment, with some help from a dishonest school administration.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.
I know the student didn't do the right thing, I just feel empathy and sorry for her. All we know is 1 side of the story. I guess al I'm saying is that I feel sad for her.

You know, there is part of me that agrees with this. We only have one side of the story and really so do her classmates. I don't know of any nursing school that would condone cheating. I wonder if there were extenuating circumstances that others were not privy to which influenced the school's decision. Maybe she DID make a poor decision and learned from it. It took more than that one class to garner her high GPA. Perhaps she really buckled down and did her best to prove that she was worth a second chance. We all need second chances in life. At least I know I do. I do think that if I were in her shoes I would have declined the honor but I'm not her. She's not me. Now if her behavior was indeed hateful as alluded to by the OP I wonder what posessed the school to confer on her the valedictorian position in the first place. I think they bear most of the responsibility. As it stands she did the right thing by declining to make a speech and sitting quietly during the ceremony. I'm not sure the remainder of the class did what was right. A polite round of applause would have been the mature and kind thing to do. Instead they actually did make a scene by tacitly humiliating her. I imagine it was one of the worst days of her life. I hope the OP and her classmates remember this when they are in need of a second chance and they don't get one. Karma is a cruel thing.

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No, they delivered richly deserved disapproval. There is a huge difference.

And yes, it is sad that the school spit on every student who worked hard for what they got instead of cheating. In practically every program in the country, she would have been thrown out, and should have been.

If my school tried this crap I'd be filing formal complaints and refuse to attend graduation. I might even contact the media and see if they want to look into what shady practices are going on at the school.

Would you feel differently if you were to learn that the OP was wrong and exaggerated / misrepresented the facts? I'm not saying the OP did but because all we have is 1 side of the story my prior statement is plausible.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
So in other words you guys bullied this girl out of her moment. So sad.

She didnt deserve a moment she is a cheater who admitted to cheating and call us haters because we didn't cheat and get good grades like she did. who cares if her day was miserable. she took a $1000 scholarship from someone who really earned it.

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She didnt deserve a moment she is a cheater who admitted to cheating and call us haters because we didn't cheat and get good grades like she did. who cares if her day was miserable. she took a $1000 scholarship from someone who really earned it.

Sorry but all I've heard is one side of this story, I suspect her story might be different. I personally do not have all the information I need to join the hate mob here. Until then I reserve judgment and choose to be empathetic to the girl. My opinion only of course.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.
She didnt deserve a moment she is a cheater who admitted to cheating and call us haters because we didn't cheat and get good grades like she did. who cares if her day was miserable. she took a $1000 scholarship from someone who really earned it.

What she did was very, very wrong. Nobody will argue that. But all you told us about was one exam. Do you know, for a fact, that she cheated her way through the entire program? Do you think that there might be a possibility that she worked her butt off to prove that she was worth a second chance and that she actually earned her high GPA? Because I imagine after she cheated once she was pretty closely watched. Can you honestly say you feel good about the fact that you made her miserable on her graduation day? What does that say about you? Do you really know her story? If you ever make a bad decision in your life (trust me...you will) do you think it would be fair for you to be skewered, publicly humiliated by people who may not have all the facts and never forgiven. These are life lessons for you. Oh, and if you guys feel that strongly about the money why don't you pool yours and give the student you feel is more deserving your own "scholarship". I bet he/she will really appreciate it.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
Sorry but all I've heard is one side of this story, I suspect her story might be different. I personally do not have all the information I need to join the hate mob here. Until then I reserve judgment and choose to be empathetic to the girl. My opinion only of course.

Well you're entitled to your opinion

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Specializes in Hospice.
Sorry but all I've heard is one side of this story, I suspect her story might be different. I personally do not have all the information I need to join the hate mob here. Until then I reserve judgment and choose to be empathetic to the girl. My opinion only of course.

It's an opinion with which I agree. I don't believe a word of it, especially given the added nugget about a scholarship. It's embarrassing to see this kind of mobbing on AN.

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