The number of NIU students caught cheating has increased four times from previous semesters.

The University Judicial Office has handled 20 cases of cheating this semester. “This early in the semester there are usually five to six (cheating) cases,” said Larry Bolles, judicial office director.

Cheating has occurred in many different departments, including biology, geography, computer science, engineering, business management and mathematics, Bolles said.

“The increase in cheating may be because of the increase in professors reporting it. Professors might be finding new ways to catch them at it.

“Most syllabuses have a statement which defines cheating and academic misconduct. We at the University Judicial Office are encouraging faculty to do that,” Bolles said.

The judicial office also has received 10 reports from faculty members who think a student might be cheating.

Forms of cheating include students changing answers after graded exams were handed back, turning in the work of other students, exchanging exams and taking tests for other students, Bolles said.

Another violation involves “‘reckless eyeballing,’ where a student looks at another student’s work,” he said.

Students who cheat have both high and low grade point averages and include freshmen through seniors, Bolles said.

“Some (cheaters) do it because of laziness. Some students think it’s fun to beat the system.

“I think the risk is too large and the penalty is too high. The risk to me is too high for a gambler,” he said. The maximum penalty for cheating is a four-year expulsion.

The Academic Misconduct Judicial Board, composed of three faculty members and two students, hears cases of students who appeal cheating charges. Bolles said, however, “A lot of students plead guilty and take the F in the course.”

If a student pleads not guilty, he or she must go before the judicial board. Bolles said, “The professor places an academic sanction on the student and applies the appropriate resolution.”

The English department handles cases of plagiarism, a form of cheating. Glenn Meeter, English department chairman, said, “This could be from a term paper to a paragraph. There is a handout that is given to freshman English classes about what plagiarism is and what the consequences could be.

“The matter is fairly complicated. There are a number of possibilities of what the consequences could be,” Meeter said.