Dozens of West Point cadets have been accused of cheating on a math exam in a scandal that officials on Monday said could be the largest violation of the school’s honor system in years.
U.S. Military Academy spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt said that of 73 accused cadets, 55 admitted to cheating on the May exam, which was first reported by USA Today.
The students will be enrolled in a six-month rehabilitation program that includes talking to a mentor about the offense. They will remain on probation for the rest of their time at the academy, Ophardt said.
Another four students resigned from the academy, he said, while in two cases there wasn’t enough evidence to determine if the students had cheated.
Twelve others must go still before an administrative board, he said.
Seventy-two of the cadets were freshmen, and one was a sophomore, Ophardt said.
Instructors were alerted to the issue after they determined that the students, who were studying remotely, made the same error on a calculus exam, USA Today reported.
West Point, which is roughly 60 miles north of New York City, is the oldest of the country’s five military service academies. Cadets, who are trained to become officers in the Army, are instilled with the school’s mission — to be a “commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and of professional excellence.”
Two previous cheating scandals were uncovered at the academy in 1976 and 1951, Ophardt said.
