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 Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Anxiety can cause anything they should gave her a chance,second time be with punishment .

I think you may be speaking with tounge in cheek

If you are serious. BOLLICKS!!!!!

In my program if you got caught cheating you failed the paper which meant you would have to wait another year to take the paper again

If you tried it more than once you got kicked out

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I think I've read through all the replies so if I'm missing something I apologize in advance.

Has anyone tried to talk to this girl one on one? Perhaps you could approach her with a petition signed by all the students in your class letting her know that you all expect her to forfeit her position as Valedictorian or you will all boycott. Unless she is completely un-self aware, I think she would be horrified to know that you all are contemplating this and she would no longer wish to be Valedictorian. Does she even know that you are all aware of her cheating?

Perhaps she got away with cheating b/c the professors were surprised that she did not lie about the cheating when confronted with it? I am NOT saying that is o.k. Not at all. But maybe that was their rationale. I think if we are honest with ourselves, we have probably all been tempted to cheat at one time or another if there is enough pressure on us to do well. Granted, it's usually in middle school when one's moral compass is not yet fully calibrated. By the time we are adults we should surely be able to overcome these impulses.

I think that, while the desire to do so is understandable, boycotting graduation or turning your backs on her during her speech would not provide much satisfaction in the long run.

I am appalled that the administration would allow this. If I were you all, I would go up the chain of command. Start by talking to her and if she won't forfeit then talk to admin. If

they won't budge then boycott away.

(Edited b/c I hit "save" too soon).

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

we told the girl she did not deserve valedictorian because she had cheated. don't get me wrong she was a smart student but cheating is unacceptable. when asked to step down from representing our class as valedictorian she told us we were haters lol smh.

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we told the girl she did not deserve valedictorian because she had cheated. don't get me wrong she was a smart student but cheating is unacceptable. when asked to step down from representing our class as valedictorian she told us we were haters lol smh.

Oh, wow! Never mind what I said, then.

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Specializes in Neuro/ ENT.
Well here it goes....Flame away folks.

My disclaimer is I graduated with a 3.94 GPA and was valedictorian of my class.

I have read through all of the posts and the first thing that strikes me is her GPA...a 3.92. Someone does not end up with that high of a GPA by cheating you...just... don't. To get that high of a GPA she had to be running straight A's in almost all her courses, and maybe one B+. It is impossible to cheat in every class to get that kind of GPA.....

If I was a prof and suspected someone with that high of a GPA was cheating, my first question would be why? If someone can get A's in all their classes and has that kind of a GPA...something must be going on...or there must be a story involved. [i had one B+, and the profs pulled me aside and asked what was wrong...the answer my father passed.] The profs did the caring and right thing by going and asking her what the crud was going on. They gave her the benefit of the doubt.

That said, no matter the GPA of the student the profs would take that student aside and talk to them...to find out what is happening. She deserves that just as much as a C student does.

What was the story when they went and talked to her? What happened? What was the agreement made with the profs? This is not as cut and dry as it seems. There was something in her that they seen...and said, yes she would still make a good nurse.

I guarantee you she did not take the same test the second time around, she probably had some monstrous ugly test she needed to do to prove her worth.

As to boycotting the ceremony....please do not do this, OP. You worked hard to get your degree. Go enjoy the day!!! Why miss your ONE graduation.

Interesting... as I understand your comment... just because she made such good grades, then it is impossible that she was cheating regularly? That isn't a logical argument. You claim that it is "impossible" for the student to be cheating on everything. I don't think she cheated on everything, but it sure is likely she has cheated more than once. And whether she did it once or five or fifteen times, she not only violated nursing ethics, but she also failed to prepare for at least one exam just to hang on to her precious GPA. Then she was awarded a whole extra week to study.

IF the student was having some sort of extreme issue or drama, she should have approached the professors for advice or guidance. The answer should NEVER be cheat. If she had chosen an ethical path, I would say, sure, help her out. Give her some assistance. But she didn't. She chose to CHEAT. She should have gotten a zero on at least that test which would have lowered her GPA significantly.

What if she had been a C student? You say because she is an A student she should get the benefit of the doubt. So what if she wasn't? Then she shouldn't get the benefit of the doubt? No. Some programs kick you completely out for cheating (as they should).

Also, what about that person with the second highest GPA who didn't cheat? What if they had chosen to? Maybe their GPA would have been the highest... and seeing how a cheater was treated... maybe they should have... see the issues raised by making a cheater valedictorian?

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

This is not a "flame," which is slang for an internet ad hominem attack. ;) I am debating your argument, however.

Part of my point above was that if she still came out with a 3.92, it doesn't look like they DID give her a zero for cheating on this test, which is generally considered the appropriate action in the academic world. (Again, my zero on a 20 point paper in a class I'd had an "A" going in--paper was late, I didn't get caught cheating--brought my cumulative GPA from a 3.96 to a 3.84.) If my hunch is correct, she didn't earn a 3.92; she stole it. As an academically honest classmate, I would find that absolutely appalling, like my hard work had been spit on.

And really, does it matter why? If someone is issued a DUI, does anyone care why? What brought them to that place, what was going on in their life that made them "feel" they needed to get drunk and then not ask anyone for a ride? Of course not. They broke the law and will reap the consequences. Yes, some things are black and white, right or wrong. Stealing grades while your classmates work for them is wrong.

Heck, in my first college experience before nursing, cheating was grounds for expulsion.

Well here it goes....Flame away folks.

My disclaimer is I graduated with a 3.94 GPA and was valedictorian of my class.

I have read through all of the posts and the first thing that strikes me is her GPA...a 3.92. Someone does not end up with that high of a GPA by cheating you...just... don't. To get that high of a GPA she had to be running straight A's in almost all her courses, and maybe one B+. It is impossible to cheat in every class to get that kind of GPA.....

If I was a prof and suspected someone with that high of a GPA was cheating, my first question would be why? If someone can get A's in all their classes and has that kind of a GPA...something must be going on...or there must be a story involved. [i had one B+, and the profs pulled me aside and asked what was wrong...the answer my father passed.] The profs did the caring and right thing by going and asking her what the crud was going on. They gave her the benefit of the doubt.

That said, no matter the GPA of the student the profs would take that student aside and talk to them...to find out what is happening. She deserves that just as much as a C student does.

What was the story when they went and talked to her? What happened? What was the agreement made with the profs? This is not as cut and dry as it seems. There was something in her that they seen...and said, yes she would still make a good nurse.

I guarantee you she did not take the same test the second time around, she probably had some monstrous ugly test she needed to do to prove her worth.

As to boycotting the ceremony....please do not do this, OP. You worked hard to get your degree. Go enjoy the day!!! Why miss your ONE graduation.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Lol. I know its crazy @annie.rn

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
(Again, my zero on a 20 point paper in a class I'd had an "A" going in--paper was late, I didn't get caught cheating--brought my cumulative GPA from a 3.96 to a 3.84.)

Another quick detail--this happened very late in my program. It wasn't one final grade of a C+ with a handful of A's, and thus quickly brought my GPA down. I had at least 35 credits' worth of A's, and one B+ in a 2-credit class when this happened.

That's why I don't believe that if she emerged with a 3.92, she was given a zero on an exam.

Oh wait...the OP said she was given a 2nd chance with an extra week to study...not a zero. Silly me.

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Her cover letter for her first job will likely include how she 'overcame adversity' (cheating and getting caught) and still managed to graduate class valedictorian.

OP, agree that this is wrong on so many levels.

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Totally, completely unacceptable! I agree with Red, I hope she fails NCLEX.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Overthinking this? No, not at all. I haven't read any responses yet so forgive me if this has been asked a bunch of times already but if this student was caught cheating why are they still in the program much less graduating valedictorian??

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Have you spoken to administration about this?? I would for sure, also I would tell them (and follow thru) that I planned on alerting local media if they choose to allow a cheater to represent the class

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