Only four of the roughly 360 students who participated in the Accepting Responsibility program pilot have had a second violation.
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Starting this week, Cornell University students caught committing minor academic integrity violations will have the opportunity to avoid formal sanctions—and ideally learn from their transgressions.
The Accepting Responsibility program, which is now a part of the university’s official academic integrity code, offers students an alternative to the primary hearing and appeals process and won’t result in a finding of guilt.
Rather, it’s “akin to a warning,” the policy says. Students who choose to go through the program—they or the faculty member accusing them can opt to pursue the hearing and appeals process—receive a limited penalty decided by their professor and waive their right to appeal. They’re also required to attend an in-person workshop to discuss the implications of their actions and complete related assignments within two weeks.
