University of Virginia: Lack of Due Process During Honor Code Investigations
Case Materials
- "FIRE Intern Fights Diversity Training at Virginia," October 1, 2003: Anthony Dick, a courageous University of Virginia (UVA) undergraduate and a FIRE summer intern, is taking his fight for freedom of thought directly to campus. This fall, along with other concerned students, he formed the Individual Rights Coalition (IRC) at UVA in order to oppose Orwellian thought reform on his campus.
- "Cheating Scandal at UVA Highlights the Need for Fairness and Due Process," FIRE Press Release, June 12, 2001: More than 120 students at the University of Virginia (UVA) face expulsion for plagiarism in the largest cheating scandal in the University's history. The affair reveals sharply the importance of both the substance and appearance of due process within UVA's embattled judicial system, and it underscores the significance of FIRE's recent involvement in protecting what remained of such fairness there.
- "Focus on Campus Kangaroo Courts Intensifies; The Washington Post Publishes FIRE Exposé of UVA's Honor System," January 2, 2001: The University of Virginia's honor system was severely criticized in The Washington Post by FIRE program officer Erich Wasserman, a UVA graduate. Wasserman, after intensive investigation, exposed the secrecy, inconsistent procedures, and lack of accountability in an honor system that has lost its honor. Lawsuits against UVA have led to a lengthy set of proposals for change. The changes, however, would make matters even worse, denying students the right to confront witnesses, the right to refuse to testify against themselves, and the right to trained student counsel.
Media Coverage