Most students understand that brandishing weapons or selling marijuana on campus could lead to expulsion, but some are unaware that dishonesty can produce the same result.

Assistant Provost Gregory Heiser said he sees around 200 cases per year involving academic misconduct, from which a very small percentage get expelled.

“But it does happen,” he said.

Heiser said plagiarism is the most common offense, representing more than 50 percent of the cases submitted for review.

Many students plagiarize from Internet sources, he said.

“Although there was one quaint example last year of someone plagiarizing out of a book,” he said. “Very old-fashioned.”

Freshmen and transfer students make up a large majority of the cases, Heiser said.

“Unfortunately, some of these people think writing a research paper means copying paragraphs of material and simply sticking it in an attractive format,” he said.

The second most common example of academic misconduct is improper collaboration, Heiser said.

“Friends help friends, girlfriends help boyfriends and vice versa,” he said.

Loyalty to friends is one of biggest reasons people cheat, Heiser said. Some people think their specific loyalty to an individual or group of friends outweighs an abstract obligation to follow the rules.

In addition to plagiarism and improper collaboration, dishonesty can take other forms.

“The fastest way to get expelled around here is to lie on your application,” Heiser said.

If students lie about their GPA or ACT scores to gain acceptance, it would be grounds for expulsion, he said.

“Somebody who is not admissible in the first place obviously shouldn’t be on campus,” he said.

Heiser said the best source for better understanding of academic integrity is the Honor Council Web site.

The Honor Council is a student organization, established three years ago by the University of Oklahoma Student Association and the Provost office, whose mission is to promote academic integrity among students, according to the council’s Web site.

Heiser said the council advises the provost office with respect to charges of academic misconduct and with respect to the system as a whole.

“I think if we let this turn into professors versus students, it all just gets sad and very depressing very quickly,” he said.

Heiser said he serves as adviser to the council, which is composed of six officers and 40 students.

“This year we had more applicants than we’ve ever had, so I’m very encouraged by that,” he said. “There’s every reason to believe that most folks around here do care about integrity.”

For more information about academic misconduct visit www.ou.edu/honorcouncil or see the current Student Code of Responsibilities and Conduct at judicial.ou.edu.