Abstract
Discussion:
Monday,
October 2nd, at 10:15 P.M, in Founders Common Room
Supergirl
Abstract
Released Fall 2000
A Joint Honor Council-Administrative Panel
Cast of Main Characters:
Supergirl, a Haverford
student, is the confronted party.
Ethan, a Counselor in
Psychological Services, is the confronting party.
Selena is a friend of
Supergirl’s.
Some Bryn Mawr Professors
Introduction:
Ethan,
a Counselor in Psychological Services, contacted the Dean of the College
regarding a series of fraudulent e-mails sent by Supergirl from a Yahoo account
that Supergirl, a Haverford student, had created under Ethan’s name. The Dean of the College confronted Supergirl
immediately, who confessed to sending the e-mails. He then contacted Honor Council, which reached consensus that the
matter should be sent to a Joint Panel.
Honor Council felt that there was suspicion of a violation of the Honor
Code, as well as a possible infraction of college policy.
The Panel Convenes:
One of the Honor Council Co-Chairs and one of the Deans led the panel. In accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Honor Code, the panel consisted of four Honor Council representatives and two Deans. Because the panel took place prior to the 2000-2001 academic year, the panel followed the procedural and philosophical guidelines of the previous Honor Code, not of the restructured version that took effect as of the 2000-2001 school year.
First Meeting:
Copies
of the Confronting and Confronted parties’ statements were read aloud. Below they are summarized and
paraphrased:
Ethan’s statement: Ethan was e-mailed one
afternoon by a Haverford student, Selena, who claimed to have received an
e-mail from a Yahoo account in his name.
Selena also explained that she noticed the e-mail had been sent to
another Haverford student’s account, that of Supergirl. Ethan was immediately concerned that someone
had fraudulently set up an account under his name. After contacting Yahoo, from which Ethan received little help, he
e-mailed the Yahoo account. A reply came
from that address, explaining in extensive detail that Ethan and this Yahoo account
holder apparently had the same name, and providing a viable explanation as to
why Selena received an e-mail from the Yahoo account.
Ethan
was somewhat hesitant to accept this explanation, but simply did not want to
believe that someone could “steal” his identity. The idea was so unsettling to him that he was willing to accept
any other credible story. At this
point, Ethan assumed that this confusing matter was resolved.
However,
one month later, Ethan received an e-mail from a Bryn Mawr Professor who wanted
to discuss the e-mail that Ethan had written on behalf of Supergirl. The e-mail, signed “Ethan, Psychological
Counselor,” asked some Bryn Mawr Professors to grant Supergirl extended time on
her exams because Supergirl suffered from a learning disability. Ethan informed the Bryn Mawr Professor that
he had never written such an e-mail.
The Professor suspected that this was the case after she was urged by a
colleague to inquire about the e-mail’s very unprofessional nature. Ethan told the panel that this Professor was
new to Bryn Mawr’s faculty and was unaware that Haverford’s Psychological
Services Center would never act in such a fashion on a student’s behalf. Later that same day, Ethan received a
similar e-mail from another Bryn Mawr Professor, explaining that he had also
received the same e-mail from “Ethan, Psychological Counselor”.
Ethan
obtained from the Bryn Mawr Professors the IP address on the e-mails. With the help of the Director of Academic
Computing, Ethan was able to confirm that the IP address on the e-mails
belonged to Supergirl’s computer.
Finally, Ethan brought the matter to the Dean of the College, who
immediately confronted Supergirl.
After
being confronted, Supergirl paid a visit to Ethan’s office to apologize and
explain her behavior. Ethan expressed
that he was surprised at how much of the blame Supergirl placed on the pressure
from her parents. Supergirl told Ethan
that she had acted impulsively, an explanation that Ethan could not accept due
to the evidently calculated chain of events.
For
Ethan, this was an extremely disturbing matter, one which was obviously a
breach of the Honor Code as well as a personally damaging issue: “This is fraud
for personal gain, an egregious violation of [the] Honor Code and I imagine any
other Haverford policy…I was filled with a sense of personal violation and
chilled to think about how calculating the letters were.” Ethan felt that Supergirl’s behavior was a
breach of trust with the community, one that could not be tolerated. He suggested that separation from the
college would probably enable Supergirl and her parents to deal with their
relationship
Questions for and Additional
Comments from Ethan: Ethan felt that Supergirl’s actions had jeopardized both his
reputation and professional integrity.
He also explained that Psychological Services would never write the type
of e-mail that Supergirl sent to her Professors. Rather, Psychological Services requires an outside evaluation of
the student, which, if the student is found to have a learning disability,
would be reported to the Committee on Student Standing and Progress
(CSSP). In turn, CSSP could choose to
recommend to a professor that a student be granted extended time on an exam.
Ethan
reemphasized the seriousness of this Honor Code infraction and again
recommended separation as the best means for Supergirl to deal with her problems.
Supergirl’s statement: Supergirl corroborated the
chain of events that Ethan described in his statement. Furthermore, she informed the panel that a
physician had previously unofficially diagnosed her as having a learning
disability. She also explained that the
first e-mail sent from the Yahoo account – the one that Selena received – was
meant to test if the account worked and was sent only accidentally to
Selena. Supergirl intended to send the
e-mail only to her own Haverford account, but inadvertently sent it to her
friend, Selena, as well.
Supergirl
emphasized that she acted impulsively and under pressure. She was performing poorly in her Bryn Mawr
classes, which worried Supergirl because her parents had previously threatened
to take her out of college if she did not succeed academically. Therefore, she would not be able to return
to Haverford because of a lack of financial resources from her parents. Supergirl felt that she could do well if she
simply had more time on her exams. On
the Friday evening that she sent the fraudulent e-mails, she was scared and
desperate and thought this was her only solution to performing well on her
exams that upcoming Monday. Supergirl
felt that if she were to fail these classes at Bryn Mawr, her parents would
undoubtedly follow through on their threat.
She
apologized in her statement and said that she wished to take responsibility for
her actions. Supergirl said that she
recognized the seriousness of what she had done—both as an Honor Code violation
and attack on Ethan’s professional reputation.
Supergirl had not intended to harm Ethan in any way.
Questions for and clarifying
comments from Supergirl: The panel asked Supergirl to explain why she didn’t simply explain to
her professors her concerns about the time constraint. Supergirl responded that at Bryn Mawr, the
professors would not grant an extension without any type of professional or
medical note. Because she had never
been officially diagnosed with a learning disability, her receiving such a note
would not be possible. The panel then
questioned why Supergirl had not pursued being medically diagnosed. She answered by explaining that her mother
had told her that a learning disability would mean Supergirl was disabled,
something that would humiliate her parents.
Supergirl
did not agree with Ethan’s suggestion that she be separated from the
community. Such a measure would only
aggravate the situation with her parents, not help resolve it. Her parents might even disown her if she
were to be separated. Instead, she
proposed that she possibly fail the classes, write letters of apology to all of
the parties involved and be placed on strict academic probation for the
following academic year.
Recapitulation of Events:
Due to the intricate and confusing chain of events, printed below is a chronological summary of what transpired:
Supergirl
creates the Yahoo account. She then
tests the account, sending the e-mail to her Haverford account and accidentally
to Selena. Afterwards, she sends the
fraudulent e-mails to her Bryn Mawr Professors.
Ethan
receives an e-mail from Selena questioning why she received an odd e-mail from
Ethan’s Yahoo account, which simply said, “hi.” Ethan, concerned that someone was fraudulently using his name,
e-mails the Yahoo account, from which a detailed reply comes explaining that Ethan
and the Yahoo account holder had the same name. The real Ethan, somewhat satisfied with this explanation, assumes
the confusion is resolved.
Ethan
receives e-mails from Bryn Mawr Professors who want to confirm that he sent
e-mails a month earlier asking for Supergirl to have extended time on
exams. Ethan, finally realizing that
Supergirl was using his name through e-mail, traces the IP address to
Supergirl’s computer. Ethan then
contacts the Dean of the College, who confronts Supergirl.
Deliberations:
The
panel closely considered Supergirl’s behavior.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Honor Council and the Administration agreed that the
Panel should focus solely on her “social” misconduct involving the fraudulent
e-mails, not her “academic” misconduct.
The Bryn Mawr Honor Board was to handle the academic side of this
entanglement.) The panel agreed that
her actions lacked any type of respect or concern for Ethan and his
professional well being. It also was
very concerned with the calculated, pre-meditated and extensive nature of
Supergirl’s e-mails, which the panel read at this time. The e-mails to the Bryn Mawr Professors
contained quotations from professionals on learning disabilities, clearly reflecting
that Supergirl had researched information for her fraudulent e-mails. Finally, the panel was shocked by the two-page e-mail that Supergirl had sent
to Ethan, lying about why there was a Yahoo account in his name.
It also investigated the possibility of
Supergirl’s behavior violating Academic Computing guidelines. After closely examining the guidelines for
computing on Haverford’s website (see “Responsible Use of Computers and the
Network at Haverford,” http://www2.haverford.edu/acc/news/acc/responsible_use.html),
the Panel decided that she had flagrantly disregarded these regulations in
three ways. First, she failed to act
responsibly while using the Internet through the Haverford server:
“Irresponsible use of the Internet may jeopardize Haverford’s Internet
Connection.” Second, she did not act in
accordance with the Honor Code: “[The Code’s] principles govern honesty and
fairness in computer use as well.”
Finally, she sent an e-mail to which she signed someone else’s name,
something that ACC guidelines explicitly prohibit. With all of these considerations in mind, the Panel reached
consensus on the following statement of violation:
Statement of Violation:
The Student Violated the
Honor Code by:
n
Fraudulently misrepresenting
herself as someone else for self gain, thereby jeopardizing the professional
integrity of the violated party.1
n
Engaging in an intricate and
designed cover-up after being confronted by the violated party.
The student compromised the
trust of the entire community by failing to conduct herself in a manner “based
on mutual respect and concern” for the violated party and the community at
large. (Honor Code, III, B)
1She did not “consider how
[her] words and actions may affect the sense of acceptance essential to an
individual’s or group’s participation in the community” (Honor Code, III, B).
The student violated Haverford College Policy outlined in Academic Computing Center regulations through:
n
An irresponsible use of the
Haverford College server, thus jeopardizing the college’s Internet connection.
n
A failure to act in
accordance with the Honor Code while using the Haverford College server.
n
The sending of several
e-mails, via the Haverford College server, to which she signed someone else’s
name.
Both parties accepted the statement of violation.
Deliberations:
As the Panel worked to construct a set of resolutions, it was concerned with a number of issues. First, it felt that the seriousness of the infraction warranted holding Supergirl to the highest level of accountability. A few members of the panel were concerned with the extensive cover-up story she told—a two page detail-by-detail lie explaining how Ethan and the Yahoo account owner had the same name, and how Selena received an e-mail from the Yahoo account only accidentally. While the panel recognized the familial and financial problems that separation might cause, it agreed that separation was the only means of holding her sufficiently accountable and felt that she needed to take more responsibility for her behavior rather than placing the blame on her parents. The jury viewed two semesters of separation as adequate, though there were some sentiments expressed that felt one year was too lenient. Regardless of the length of the separation, the Panel hoped that such a period would be used as time for Supergirl to work out her problems. The panel also wanted to make sure that Supergirl would use the time to contemplate the potential implications of her actions on Ethan and Haverford’s Internet access, as well as the severe breach of trust that her behavior had caused with the community. These were the key points that the panel considered as it drafted and reached consensus on the following preliminary set of resolutions:
1) The student will be separated for the next two consecutive semesters.
2) The joint-panel recommends that the student participate in a counseling process to help her resolve her personal and family concerns.
3) Prior to her return, the student must present to the Dean of the College a letter from a professional counselor verifying the students’ readiness to return, and will re-sign her Honor Code pledge card.
4) Upon her return, the student will compose an in-depth paper addressing Academic Computing guidelines and Internet safety to be submitted to the Dean of the College and the Honor Council Chair(s). This essay will ultimately be available to the community.
5) The student will write a letter, to be published and sent to the entire community with a brief summary of the abstract upon her return, explaining the severity of her actions and their implications on the community, what she learned during her separation, and her relationship with the Honor Code.
6) A copy of these resolutions will be kept in the student’s file until she graduates. In the event of any future violations of the Honor Code, or of College Policy, these resolutions may be taken into consideration.
Presentation of the Resolutions:
Ethan was not present for this final meeting. However, he notified the panel through e-mail that he approved of the resolutions.
Supergirl agreed with all of the resolutions, with the exception of the first one. She said that she thought that the resolution would be strictly punitive, as it would only worsen her relationship with her parents and create financial difficulties for her. She suggested that the first resolution be replaced with one that would place her for a year on strict academic probation. She reiterated that she understood how her actions affected all the parties involved, and even the community. Therefore, she did not need time away to reach that understanding. She said separation raised the issue of her welfare—was holding her accountable a valid reason to jeopardize her well being? Although she didn’t think so, she said that she would understand the panel’s decision if it did decide to separate her.
She also explained that she did not intend to violate the Honor Code or college policy; she acted only out of desperation. Supergirl told the panel that she has a lot of respect for the code and would never do anything like this again. During this time of despair and frenzy, it simply didn’t occur to her that she had other options, as her parents had made her feel like a failure for having a learning disability.
Deliberations:
The jury sympathized with Supergirl’s circumstances, but felt they did not warrant a change in the resolutions. After a moment of silence, the panel reached final consensus on the aforementioned set of resolutions.
Supergirl appealed the decision to the President of the College, who upheld the Panel’s decision.
Juror Statements
Juror #1:
I
feel that Supergirl never quite understood what she had done. One of the things I said again and again
during the trial is that this is a real crime, and she could be doing
time. What I meant by that is that
Supergirl had not just committed a “havercrime,” she didn’t just break the
honor code or something. She committed
computer fraud. I mean that is a real
crime, so since Ethan was not going to press charges in the real courts, any
resolutions we came up with would let off Supergirl with much less than she
could have. I felt that she didn’t
really want to understand either, she just wanted to blame everyone else, and
tell those of us on the panel that we were destroying her chances of a
relationship with her parents and making it impossible for her to come back to
Haverford. I felt that a two semester
separation was too lenient. It is now [much
later] and I’m still trying to figure this whole situation out. I felt sorry for Supergirl, very sorry, but
I did not understand how she could not realize the true implications of what
she did.
Juror #2:
Questions:
1. To what extent does the pressure from Supergirl’s parents excuse her misconduct?
2. Should separation be considered even if it might jeopardize the confronted parties’ personal welfare?
3. Should Honor Council have limited its scope to her “social misconduct?” Should Supergirl’s academic misconduct have been considered here at Haverford?
4. What do you think of the Panel’s interpretation of the social section of the Honor Code? Was it pertinent in this case? Or did the Panel stretch its interpretation of the Code too far?
Honor Council would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this Joint Panel. Please consider answering the above questions and sending your response to code@haverford.edu. Also, if you have any other thoughts to share or questions that you would like clarified, please attend the abstract discussion or e-mail Honor Council.