Had a shitty day, went to sleep. Woke up, had more shitty problems. I check my email, I find a shitty email.

So I am now convinced, there must be a God, and he must hate me.

My professor thinks I cheated. At least it was an interesting email.

I'm taking 1 class this semester, its the final one I need to graduate and it's on mySQL for the most part.

Clearly, the final semester could not go smoothly, even with only ONE class. No. That would be too easy. A class I should not be taking now anyway, but university screwed me over so I have an entire semester for just one class which I had no choice but to pay out of pocket for. This is the ONLY class I've had to pay for myself and the cost is stunningly stupid.

So this trash professor says, not one, but THREE homework assignments looked "identical" to two other students. I asked him which and he tells me. Two of them were coding assignments, the 3rd was drawing out a B-Tree.

Frankly, I think it would be pretty impossible for all three to be "identical" to anyone else's. Especially the B-Tree one which you have to draw and I literally pulled it out of my ass while on an airplane and knew I was doing it completely wrong.

Now, these assignments were coded/drawn on my computer, run on my computer, and then either emailed to the TA or uploaded on the class website. I know how my code got out on the previous cheating incident (I ran the code on the university server and it was saved there) which does not apply now.


There is basically no way two other students that I don't even know got their hands on my assignments. Logically, however, the mySQL problems were very.. specific. There aren't many ways to code what was asked of us and I wouldn't be surprised if similar approaches would lead to very similar code.

As someone who didn't go to this class at all (so likely didn't code anything the way he would have showed), any mySQL problem I needed help with, I Googled. I saw how it was done and did it. My Googling was no different than simple things like, "how to merge two columns from different tables".



So this idiot professor says he's reporting me and giving me an F in the course - which I highly doubt is something he can just do without going through the university system. Maybe it's his poor English skills, but he wrote clearly, "Your grade will be F in this course".

I was so boggled by this I wrote him an email basically telling him he's out of his mind. I emailed the TA who has graded all of these assignments to see what he knows, then I emailed the dean to see if he can be any help - which I doubt he cares.


These idiotic professors just can't fucking relax - especially the ones who suck at English. Those are always the most annoying and stuck up professors. Their lectures suck as bad as their personalities.

"This isn't The Good Place, this is The Bad Place!"

this is usually fixable.
have him ask a different question to you with the professor, a neutral party (eg the discipline board rep), and you in the room. You solve it, with whatever resources you are allowed, eg web or not, book or not, but no other people and the web activity monitored to see you are not talking to other students or anyone else live, just archives/resources.
Code it, run it, show that you can do it easily. Its not proof, but its usually enough to show there was no reason to cheat, and everything to lose, a powerful argument.

you can also force him to show the other work beside yours. Its unlikely that variable names (if used, unfortunately sql isnt heavy on variables (alias etc)), indentation, basic style things should not have a few minor differences. The bigger the problem, the better, though -- there are only so many ways to do a simple query that make sense (you can do exotic crap that isnt needed to show off, but if just getting it done, everyone gonna write select things from things joined on things.

Its unlikely that variable names (if used, unfortunately sql isnt heavy on variables (alias etc)), indentation, basic style things should not have a few minor differences

Variable names for the things in the tables were decided by the book. The only difference would be that I changed one variable name since it would turn blue (which I didn't like) because it was also a keyword.

You solve it, with whatever resources you are allowed... Code it, run it, show that you can do it easily.

He said to setup a meeting with him, so I recommended this in the email I just sent, thanks for the idea.

you can also force him to show the other work beside yours

At this point, I need to. He sent another email. The graders apparently are the ones who reported the supposed cheating and thought it was "exact" and "apparent".

The only thing that makes sense to me if our work looks alike is.. great minds think alike? Likely used the same resources when doing the assignments. I don't even know anyone else in the class.

However, some of these it is absolutely insane to me that our assignments can be so similar. I mean, like I said, one of them I literally had no idea what I was doing and just wanted to have something to turn in so I did it while on an airplane with no internet access. We had to insert into a B-Tree, I just said fuck it and filled up the whole tree on one side. Yet somehow, both graders have specifically pointed out that assignment as one with clear cheating.



It's hilarious how his email today said, "I rather not request harsh punishment" followed by he'll give me an F in the course unless told otherwise by the university or proven wrong.

I swear, if THIS is the class that keeps me from gradating, they can keep their stupid degree. I'm not paying out of pocket again because of the university's lack of available classes and nonexistent help followed by whatever this nonsense is.



Just a couple semesters ago, one class had an UNPAID teacher assistant who blatantly ripped assignments off other universities, changed them to be so difficult that no one could do them, then held discord meetings where he just GAVE the class the answers. The whole class would be in those meetings and there is no way we didn't all turn in the same exact answers for 90% of the assignments.

But no, that's not cheating at all. But doing my own work, how dare I!

I'll be seeing the professor tomorrow. He hasn't commented on anything else or my offer to code in front of him. We'll have to see how this idiocy plays out.

Well, it seems that I have been pranked.

The professor emailed me and let me know that the TAs mixed up my email with someone else's so it was not actually me who was suspected of cheating.

He apologized and bumped by grade from a B to an A- to make up for it.



I guess that ends that..

The professor emailed me and let me know that the TAs mixed up my email with someone else's so it was not actually me who was suspected of cheating.

Remarkable, at least you found god.

at least you found god

😂

So are you now a confirmed bachelor?

So are you now a confirmed bachelor?

He hasn't submitted the final grade yet. And then after that should have it! I hope LOL

So I am now convinced, there must be a God, and he must hate me.

Religions spawn to give "explanation" for events that are beyond comprehension.

Religions spawn to give "explanation" for events that are beyond comprehension.

Indeed. I of course was being satirical.

"It is [at times like these] that we must understand God's sense of humor is very different from our own. He does not laugh at the simple "man walks into a bar" joke. No, God needs complex irony and subtle farcical twists that seem macabre to you and me. All that we can hope for is that God got his good laugh, and a tragedy such as this will never happen again."

Amen

I got back to read this and went from “Oh no!” to “phew”.

Glad it got sorted. Sorry your prof+TAs were so careless about how they handled this. At least they got themselves sorted before it became a problem for you.

Welcome to the world of BS in CS. :O)

I would suggest you make sure, zap, every hint of your alleged involvement is purged from the record. A prospective employer probably won't see the follow-up ending, only the initial "you cheated" fabrication if they check with the uni.

I got back to read this and went from “Oh no!” to “phew”.

Same LMAO

Welcome to the world of BS in CS. :O)

All the BS is in CS 0-0

every hint of your alleged involvement is purged from the record

I believe he had not reported it by the time he found out :) Don't know any employer that would check anyway xD

best to check. The government and similar entities are excellent at keeping bad information forever and put the burden on the victim to get it fixed, often a very difficult thing to do as it propagates downward and spreads out but never back up the chain (eg if you fix your name on your driver's license it will still be wrong over at the social security office since the fix isn't pushed back the other way).

Its not worth the risk ... probably, your own record is available for you to review, so I would find out how and review it to be sure. If the issue shows up, get it removed before it spreads. And yes, some companies pay for background checks where this would appear.

True. I might check later I suppose 0-0

The longer you delay the wider the potential spread of disinformation is likely to happen.

Personally I am not someone who would be going to Uni to get employment skilled. So any erroneous defect such as being accused of cheating wouldn't effect me much. Any classes I attend would be for self-improvement.

Of which a lot is needed. :Þ