2008 Woodie Awards
Fraud in application could lead to expulsion
By: Caitlin M. Foyt
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
CMU students who lie on their admissions applications could be expelled from the university.
"We trust you're telling us the truth," said Associate Dean of Students Mike Owens. "If later we discover you've lied, you're toast."
He said CMU doesn't see
a lot of falsified applications, and background checks on prospective students are limited to criminal history.
"Our whole society, for the most part, operates on faith and trust," Owens said.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, many higher level institutions look for plagiarism in essays, conduct random spot checks by asking 10 percent of applicants to verify their activities, and hire law firms to conduct detailed background checks to ensure the validity of their applicants.
Owens said the most common lie on applications concerns transfer students failing to mention they attended institutions prior to the one they more recently transferred from.
"This is falsifying information and is on the grounds for dismissal," he said.
Most often, this information is revealed by accident by the students on their own.
The Leadership Institute, however, takes a more active approach in verifying applicant information.
Dan Gaken, coordinator of student leadership development, said the Leadership Institute confirms claimed involvements listed on applications of winners of the Leadership Advancement Scholarship, an award given to 40 Michigan high school seniors each year.
"They fill out a profile that indicates all of their community involvement," Gaken said. "For the award winners, we verify that information with their (high school) counselors."
In the event a fabrication is discovered, Gaken said the scholarship may be revoked.
"We would have to handle it case-by-case; if it were serious, we would rescind the award offer," he said.
The Leadership Institute never has had a known case where a student had falsified information on their scholarship application, he said.
CMU Admissions does not require a list of extracurricular activities or an essay, and a student's transcripts and ACT scores usually are sent directly to CMU from the student's previous school.
Extracurricular activity involvement is not a mandatory part of admission, said Marcie Otteman, acting director of Admissions.
"We don't require an essay or a list of extracurricular activities because it's optional," she said.
cfoyt@cm-life.com
"We trust you're telling us the truth," said Associate Dean of Students Mike Owens. "If later we discover you've lied, you're toast."
He said CMU doesn't see
a lot of falsified applications, and background checks on prospective students are limited to criminal history.
"Our whole society, for the most part, operates on faith and trust," Owens said.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, many higher level institutions look for plagiarism in essays, conduct random spot checks by asking 10 percent of applicants to verify their activities, and hire law firms to conduct detailed background checks to ensure the validity of their applicants.
Owens said the most common lie on applications concerns transfer students failing to mention they attended institutions prior to the one they more recently transferred from.
"This is falsifying information and is on the grounds for dismissal," he said.
Most often, this information is revealed by accident by the students on their own.
The Leadership Institute, however, takes a more active approach in verifying applicant information.
Dan Gaken, coordinator of student leadership development, said the Leadership Institute confirms claimed involvements listed on applications of winners of the Leadership Advancement Scholarship, an award given to 40 Michigan high school seniors each year.
"They fill out a profile that indicates all of their community involvement," Gaken said. "For the award winners, we verify that information with their (high school) counselors."
In the event a fabrication is discovered, Gaken said the scholarship may be revoked.
"We would have to handle it case-by-case; if it were serious, we would rescind the award offer," he said.
The Leadership Institute never has had a known case where a student had falsified information on their scholarship application, he said.
CMU Admissions does not require a list of extracurricular activities or an essay, and a student's transcripts and ACT scores usually are sent directly to CMU from the student's previous school.
Extracurricular activity involvement is not a mandatory part of admission, said Marcie Otteman, acting director of Admissions.
"We don't require an essay or a list of extracurricular activities because it's optional," she said.
cfoyt@cm-life.com
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