April 16, 2021, 03:06 PM
229DAKWest Point Accuses 70+ Cadets of Cheating
Here is the entire letter from the Supe:
Members of the Long Gray Line,
I want to inform you that we have completed final adjudication of honor code violations that occurred during the plebe MA104 term end exam in May 2020 while cadets were in remote learning away from the Academy.
The cadet honor committee investigated 73 cheating allegations. Of the 73, six cadets resigned during the investigation, four cadets were acquitted by a board of their peers, and two cases were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Of the remaining 61 cases adjudicated, eight were separated, 51 were turned back one full year, and two were turned back six months.
All cadets that were turned back are held under a suspended separation until graduation. The separation takes effect if the cadet violates any of the probationary terms of the suspension. Five of the eight cadets separated from the Academy were offered participation in the Academy Mentorship Program. Under this program, cadets are required to serve for 8-12 months as an enlisted Soldier before they may apply for re-admission. There is no guarantee of re-admission.
As you all know, we consider every violation of the cadet honor code a serious breach of integrity. Improving character development for all cadets remains my top priority and all cadets found guilty are being held accountable. Once found guilty by their peers, the cadets immediately lost privileges, received a course grade of “F,” and lost cadet rank. After adjudication of final punishment, all cadets who remain at the Academy were barred from representing West Point in NCAA competitions, club sport competitions, club trips, semesters abroad, academy exchange programs, brigade open finals, and public relations until the Superintendent approves completion of their Special Leader Development Program for Honor, which normally takes four to six months.
In October 2020, I directed a formal review of the cadet honor system to be completed by October 2021. Two immediate focus areas were the Academy’s representation policy and the willful admission process.
In late October 2020, I elevated the decision for cadets to represent the Academy to my level because of concerns that punishment was being implemented without consideration of chain of command input or matters of mitigation and extenuation. With this change, all cadets continued to conduct public affairs activities, participate in club activities, travel, and compete in their respective sport until final adjudication by the Superintendent. Of the original 73 cadets, 52 were athletes representing 10 different teams. Sixteen cadets, across six athletic teams, competed prior to final adjudication. Now that adjudication is complete, no cadet found guilty is currently representing the Academy.
Of the 73 cadets notified of suspected cheating, 55 immediately admitted to the cheating through a program known as the willful admission process. The willful admissions process has been part of the West Point honor system since 2015 and eliminated separation as a punishment for cadets who meet the criteria for acceptance into the program. Early findings from the honor program review determined that the willful admission process was not meeting the desired intent of increasing self-reporting and decreasing toleration. Therefore, the Academy has decided to end the program, which means, going forward, separation will be a potential punishment for any honor violation.
I assure you that the West Point Honor Code and the values of this institution remain immutable. West Point continues to be the preeminent leader development institution and is committed to educating, training, and inspiring the United States Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of duty, honor, and country.
April 16, 2021, 04:07 PM
Sig209update from the WSJ article from today:
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West Point to End Policy of Leniency for Cadets After Covid-19 Pandemic Cheating Scandal
Dozens at academy were punished in worst honor code breach in at least four decades but avoided expulsion
West Point is the oldest of the U.S. service academies, with a storied history that dates to the Revolutionary War.
WEST POINT, N.Y.—Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy are constantly reminded about the importance of integrity.
The students must memorize an honor code, warning them to “not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” The words are inscribed in marble at the Honor Plaza, in an area of the campus where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of future U.S. Army officers walk by every day.
Now, Covid-19 has put that code to the test.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point this month concluded investigations into its largest cheating scandal in at least four decades. It punished dozens of cadets found to be dishonest on an exam while studying remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, though those avoiding expulsion won’t have a permanent blemish on their records.
A final summary report of their transgressions, including a decision to end a policy that for years has protected wayward cadets from being kicked out, is being reported for the first time by The Wall Street Journal.
The policy, known as the “willful admission process,” can protect a cadet who admits to wrongdoing from being thrown out. It was put in place in 2015 to increase self-reporting without fear of removal and to encourage cadets to confront peers about honor violations without having them kicked out of school.
The policy, however, didn’t achieve the desired intent, said Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, superintendent of the academy, in an interview. “It’s clear to me, it has to go.”
‘It’s clear to me, it has to go,’ said Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, on its policy of leniency.
Like all of the military academies, West Point is competitive, with about 10% of a recent pool of applicants being admitted.
The policy change, which will go into effect soon, will be hailed by some alumni of the elite institution who believe the willful-admission process was too forgiving.
“Back in my day, there was just a zero tolerance,” said Jon Williams, a 1991 graduate of West Point and no relation to the superintendent. “If you were caught cheating there was no question about it, you were going home. You have to have character. That’s one of the things that distinguishes us from other institutions.”
Yet some cadets and even some current academy administrators liked that it gave a second chance to the remorseful and that one mistake didn’t automatically end a military career.
“West Point is a development institution,” said senior Evan Walker, who holds a cadet leadership position. “Some people providing feedback don’t get it.”
Military academies are among the numerous educational entities around the country that have dealt with cheating scandals during the Covid-19 pandemic after millions of students were moved to remote learning, out of the watchful eyes of instructors.
The U.S. Air Force Academy has said it suspects that 249 cadets cheated during last year’s spring semester, with a majority confessing and placed on six-month probation. The U.S. Naval Academy is in the adjudication phase for cases involving cheating on a sophomore-level physics final exam during the fall, an official said, declining to provide more information.
West Point is the oldest of the U.S. military academies, with a storied history that dates to the Revolutionary War. It sits on high ground and above a narrow “S” curve in the Hudson River, which allowed the Continental Army to command river traffic, keeping the British from taking control. Its distinguished alumni include Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant. Lloyd J. Austin III, the current defense secretary, is also a graduate.
Brig. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, commandant of cadets, interviewed those accused of cheating and found enough evidence to move cases forward. Brig. Gen. Cindy Jebb, dean of the academic board, was among officials who reported suspicions of cheating to the superintendent.
Like all of the military academies, West Point is competitive, with about 10% of a recent pool of applicants being admitted. Students wanting admission are encouraged to not only be the absolute best in their classes and on standardized tests, but to compete in athletics and seek leadership opportunities. The students must be nominated, which can come from the U.S. president, vice president or members of Congress, or be service-connected.
It is considered the Army’s premier officer training ground.
In March 2020, for the first time in known memory, the West Point students didn’t return to campus after spring break. Instead, like most of the country, they moved to remote learning.
“We sent a video out to the entire corps, saying, `Don’t cheat. We know you’re home.’ And they still did,” said Gen. Williams, a 38-year Army veteran, in an interview last week from his office.
The first sign that something was afoul came in May, after cadets taking a freshman-level calculus course took their final exam online.
Before the exam, the cadets were asked to acknowledge on two separate occasions the resources that could and couldn’t be used in taking it, according to Col. Tina Hartley, director of the mathematics department. Collaborating with classmates or others and not doing the work alone were forbidden.
Nonetheless, professors grading the calculus exams began seeing suspicious patterns: multiple students with similarly worked step-by-step solutions, enough to raise a red flag.
On a late afternoon after a full day of work, the superintendent was surprised to see his senior staff members in his office, unannounced, in a building nearly empty because of the pandemic.
“Sir, we think we have a major honor breach,” he recalled their saying.
The superintendent said his senior staff showed him a detailed analysis of how cadets were linked to each other, and how they potentially cheated. The investigation, which included interviews with the cadets, found that small groups had collaborated openly with each other, including by talking by phone as well as by text-messaging and communicating through FaceTime and Zoom.
The academy hadn’t faced an honor breach like this since 1976, when dozens of cadets cheated on an electrical-engineering exam.
The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., is considered the Army’s premier officer training ground.
Students seeking admission to West Point are encouraged to compete in athletics and seek leadership opportunities.
The U.S. Military Academy cadet honor code: ‘A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.’
“I listened, and was thoughtful, thinking about the next steps. I knew that it was going to be a long road ahead,” said Gen. Williams, who took command of the academy in 2018 and is the first Black superintendent.
The math department sent an email to suspected cadets with the evidence. It also included information on the willful-admission process, which gives 24 hours to self-admit after being approached for clarification or notification of a possible honor code violation.
Most of the cadets, 59 of 73, suspected of cheating on the exam admitted right off, officials said. All but one of the cadets were in the second semester of their freshman year, called “plebes,” with the remaining one a sophomore, called a “yearling.”
About a month into the investigation, which began in earnest in September because of delays partly associated with the pandemic, the superintendent suspended a “representation policy,” and elevated to his level the decision for cadets to continue participating in club activities and NCAA-level sports. In all, 52 of the suspected cheaters were athletes representing 10 teams.
He said it was done out of concern that the punishment was being implemented without consideration of his input as the senior commander with extensive knowledge of facts. Under the change, 16 of the suspected cheaters participated in competitions. But when the cases were adjudicated, the cadets weren’t able to represent the academy in competitions.
Of the 73 cadets identified as possibly having cheated, six resigned and left school and two had their cases dropped because of insufficient evidence, the report said. A board of their peers acquitted four cadets and sent eight others packing.
Most of the cadets, however, applied and were accepted into the willful-admission process and were now protected from dismissal. A one-year graduation delay is the maximum punishment they could receive.
Gen. Williams met in person with nearly all the cadets in a formal disciplinary process before deciding their fates. He had reviewed each case and recommendations from others in the investigative process, but the final decision rested with him.
The superintendent said he asked each cadet a series of questions to understand their circumstances during remote learning. He said some cadets were in tears, with some citing the stress of the pandemic, such as needing to get a job to help the family or the loss of a loved one.
“I agonized over every single one of these cadets,” the superintendent said.
Retired Col. Jeffrey Peterson, director of the character integration advisory group, said West Point exists to develop leaders. Students applying to West Point must obtain nominations, which can come from the U.S. president, vice president or members of Congress, or be service-connected.
Gen. Williams said that while he does believe that the pandemic played a role in the cheating as students learned from home, he doesn’t excuse it.
The cadets were informed that they would receive an F in the calculus course, lose rank and some privileges and would be delayed in graduating—nearly all by one year. The superintendent said they could take more courses to fill in the time.
They also must complete a leader development program that takes four to six months and includes a self-assessment and writing a journal on character. The superintendent must approve completion of the program for the cadet to be in good standing, or if disapproved the cadet is separated from the academy.
The cadets in good standing will still be in a status of suspended separation. “If they slip, they’re gone,” Gen. Williams said.
Those who graduate will still be eligible to be commissioned officers with no permanent notation about the event on their records.
The superintendent said the decision to end the willful-admission process came after a review of the cadet honor system in October. He said it hasn’t worked and is viewed by cadets as a plea-bargaining tool, while limiting his disciplinary options.
“I would have evaluated things differently,” he said.
Despite that, some administrators spoke in support of giving the cadets the second chance that the willful-admission policy afforded, especially given the conditions of the pandemic.
“I’m a little disappointed in some of the alumni that have been critical,” said Col. Brian Reed, deputy of the academy’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. “I’m not making excuses for it, but the environment they lived in, none of us has ever dealt with that.”
West Point is among numerous educational entities around the country that have dealt with cheating scandals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Write to Tawnell D. Hobbs at Tawnell.Hobbs@wsj.com
https://www.wsj.com/articles/w...02?mod=hp_lead_pos13------------------------------------------------
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