What would you do?

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The school I attend has a very strict attendance policy. Last week, one of my classmates was absent. However, I noticed that his girlfriend signed him in. During class the teacher noticed that he was missing, and his girlfriend stated that he was in the restroom. This was not true, as he was gone the entire day, and I know for a fact that she signed him in.

If this were you, would you inform the dean? I mean it is not fair for one student to get credit, while the rest of us walk on pins and needles hoping we don't ever have a legitimate reason to be gone.

Specializes in ER.

Sheesh, he cut a class, nursing will survive. The world is not going to end. Probably 99% of us have done it, and if the instructor was treating me like a child and taking attendance and I'd ask someone to sign my name too. If I could get away with it in staff meetings, heck, I'd do it then too.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Sheesh, he cut a class, nursing will survive. The world is not going to end. Probably 99% of us have done it, and if the instructor was treating me like a child and taking attendance and I'd ask someone to sign my name too. If I could get away with it in staff meetings, heck, I'd do it then too.

Ditto.

Honor codes are for academic dishonesty. I wouldn't call cutting a class the same as cheating.

Now is it enough to get the guy and his gf in serious trouble? Depends on the instructor.

Are they gonna have a witch hunt to see who might have suspected this happened? That is out there. If you are simply weighing risk/benefit ratios, the chances of you getting fragged by your classmates for being a narc is a much more dangerous scenario and places your time/money/effort in much more prolonged jeopardy.

I understand most schools have honor codes. I support them. They are designed to aide in preventing cheating, etc. by promoting a duty to report. But there is reporting major dishonest violations, and then there being a tattle-tale.

There is no honor in being a tattle-tale.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Honor codes are for academic dishonesty. I wouldn't call cutting a class the same as cheating.

From the original post:

However, I noticed that his girlfriend signed him in. During class the teacher noticed that he was missing, and his girlfriend stated that he was in the restroom.

Hmmm... person forges a name on roster... then lies to the teacher's face. Exactly how is this NOT academic dishonesty? And why the fixation on the guy cutting class? The problem isn't with non-attendance. It's the fact that they pulled others into their lie to cover it up.

As for any bad rep you'd get for "being a narc"... couldn't care less about peer pressure.

******************

Regarding the PSU citation, Mercyteapot, you are correct. However, I'd point you to the next sentence in the paragraph you cited: "Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to..." To get a handle on what else might be included, look at their policy for "Academic Integrity" which goes like this: "Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception." [emphasis added]

Let's see... the girlfriend falsified a record, which misrepresented the boyfriend's presence, and then attempted a cover up through direct deception. And knowingly allowing it to occur sure looks like "tolerating acts". I think they've got all the bases covered.

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Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
From the original post:

Hmmm... person forges a name on roster... then lies to the teacher's face. Exactly how is this NOT academic dishonesty? And why the fixation on the guy cutting class? The problem isn't with non-attendance. It's the fact that they pulled others into their lie to cover it up.

As for any bad rep you'd get for "being a narc"... couldn't care less about peer pressure.

******************

Regarding the PSU citation, Mercyteapot, you are correct. However, I'd point you to the next sentence in the paragraph you cited: "Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to..." To get a handle on what else might be included, look at their policy for "Academic Integrity" which goes like this: "Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception." [emphasis added]

Let's see... the girlfriend falsified a record, which misrepresented the boyfriend's presence, and then attempted a cover up through direct deception. And knowingly allowing it to occur sure looks like "tolerating acts". I think they've got all the bases covered.

I remain unconvinced that this is what the universities mean when they refer to academic dishonesty. Yes, it is academically related and it is dishonest. I still think that the code of conduct refers specifically to acts of deception concerning the submission of work that isn't one's own, either in the case of cheating on an exam or plaigarizing an assignment, not skipping a class or lying to an instructor.

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Mercyteapot -

At this point, I guess it's time to respectfully agree to disagree. Thanks for the thoughful responses.:bow:

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WOW! Who knew this would cause such a stir? I am overwhelmed by the responses. I actually had to skip class and have a friend sign me in just so I would have time to read them all!

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Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
WOW! Who knew this would cause such a stir? I am overwhelmed by the responses. I actually had to skip class and have a friend sign me in just so I would have time to read them all!

:rotfl:

(Of course you know, this means I'll just have to report you...)

:rotfl:

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Specializes in NICU.
WOW! Who knew this would cause such a stir? I am overwhelmed by the responses. I actually had to skip class and have a friend sign me in just so I would have time to read them all!

:roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll

Great post!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

I am amazed at how forgiving everyone is of people within their own group. Perhaps this explains why cops who commit crimes in the performance of their duty often get acquitted when put on trial. If I were ever on trial I'd want most all of you on my jury because you'd never vote to convict. The kind of apathy expressed here is an indicator of the unwillingness of people in our society to take the position of responsible citizens, step forward and support the morals and ethics that are supposed to hold us all together. That's not even addressing the law. Instead a lot are passing the buck. And, yes, if you lie about one thing you'll lie about others. Judges and juries routinely disregard someone's testimony based on one lie they catch them at. This is really sad. This, I think, is one reason why so many nurses over on the general nursing discussion forum complain about nurses who eat their young. A lot of nurses are witness to these incidents, but no one wants to get involved in doing something to stop them. If no one steps up to stop the perpetrators when they first do the things they do because they don't want to get involved or they don't want to be looked on as tattletales, it continues to escalate until it is either out of control or takes a lot of work to get it stopped. By the way, if you report someone, you should do it in private. Afterwards, you don't go and tell everyone you run into what you did. How smart is that? That is how everyone finds out who the informer was. Duh!

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Sheesh, he cut a class, nursing will survive. The world is not going to end. Probably 99% of us have done it, and if the instructor was treating me like a child and taking attendance and I'd ask someone to sign my name too. If I could get away with it in staff meetings, heck, I'd do it then too.

It is this type of attitude that gets me. Wonder what else you would do if you could "get away with it".

It is episodes like the one the OP stated happening that has caused the enforcing of our attendance policy. If we miss a day of clinical we MUST make it up and pay a $200.00 Fee PER DAY!! If I have to pay to make up a day that I see as excuseable (I was in the hospital having surgery) then you better believe if I see someone "skipping" class and having someone else sign them in I am going to bring it to someone's attention. Rules and policies are there for a reason. If you can't follow rules and policies while you are in school I find it very unlikely that you will follow them in the workplace, and when you are responsible for the care and well being of patients that becomes very important.

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I am amazed at how forgiving everyone is of people within their own group. Perhaps this explains why cops who commit crimes in the performance of their duty often get acquitted when put on trial. If I were ever on trial I'd want most all of you on my jury because you'd never vote to convict. The kind of apathy expressed here is an indicator of the unwillingness of people in our society to take the position of responsible citizens, step forward and support the morals and ethics that are supposed to hold us all together. That's not even addressing the law. Instead a lot are passing the buck. And, yes, if you lie about one thing you'll lie about others. Judges and juries routinely disregard someone's testimony based on one lie they catch them at. This is really sad. This, I think, is one reason why so many nurses over on the general nursing discussion forum complain about nurses who eat their young. A lot of nurses are witness to these incidents, but no one wants to get involved in doing something to stop them. If no one steps up to stop the perpetrators when they first do the things they do because they don't want to get involved or they don't want to be looked on as tattletales, it continues to escalate until it is either out of control or takes a lot of work to get it stopped. By the way, if you report someone, you should do it in private. Afterwards, you don't go and tell everyone you run into what you did. How smart is that? That is how everyone finds out who the informer was. Duh!

Are you serious? Well, I for one am amazed at how harsh some people can be towards members of their own group.

If you think that because I wouldn't run up to the instructor to say someone skipped a class (when the instructor already noticed they weren't there), that means that I eat my young, approve of criminal behavior, have no ethics, am spineless, lie or would cover up for a nurse who is commiting a crime then you don't know what you're talking about.

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Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.
I am amazed at how forgiving everyone is of people within their own group. Perhaps this explains why cops who commit crimes in the performance of their duty often get acquitted when put on trial. If I were ever on trial I'd want most all of you on my jury because you'd never vote to convict. The kind of apathy expressed here is an indicator of the unwillingness of people in our society to take the position of responsible citizens, step forward and support the morals and ethics that are supposed to hold us all together. That's not even addressing the law. Instead a lot are passing the buck. And, yes, if you lie about one thing you'll lie about others. Judges and juries routinely disregard someone's testimony based on one lie they catch them at. This is really sad. This, I think, is one reason why so many nurses over on the general nursing discussion forum complain about nurses who eat their young. A lot of nurses are witness to these incidents, but no one wants to get involved in doing something to stop them. If no one steps up to stop the perpetrators when they first do the things they do because they don't want to get involved or they don't want to be looked on as tattletales, it continues to escalate until it is either out of control or takes a lot of work to get it stopped. By the way, if you report someone, you should do it in private. Afterwards, you don't go and tell everyone you run into what you did. How smart is that? That is how everyone finds out who the informer was. Duh!

Oh Please! You are have definately gone off the deep end! What you are talking about has nothing to do with a kid skipping class.

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