Case Details
DATE:
February 6, 2026
PARTIES:
University of Toronto v. Y.W. (“the Student”)
HEARING DATE:
December 5, 2025, via Zoom
PANEL MEMBERS:
Alexi Wood, Chair
Professor Marvin Zuker, Faculty Panel Member
Maria Dzevitski, Student Panel Member
APPEARANCES:
Lily Harmer, Discipline Counsel, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Hillson Tse, Counsel for the Student, RGZ Law
HEARING SECRETARIES:
Itzel Rendon Jimenez, Office Manager, Office of Appeals, Discipline & Faculty Grievances
The Student was charged with knowingly having someone personate them by signing an attendance sheet for them in a Course, contrary to section B.I.1(c) of the Code. The Student was also charged with plagiarising and concocting sources for a term paper in the same Course, contrary to sections B.I.1(d) and B.I.1(f) of the Code.
The hearing proceeded on the basis of an Agreed Statement of Facts (“ASF”) and Joint Submission on Penalty (“JSP”) entered into by the Student and the University. The ASF detailed that the Student was enrolled in the Course, which had a participation element for its evaluation. The Student was enrolled in another course, which overlapped with the time scheduled for the Course. On numerous dates, when the Student was absent form the Course, they had another student sign the attendance sheet on their behalf to make it appear they were in attendance and earn attendance marks. The Student admitted these allegations at their Dean’s Meeting
With respect to the allegations of plagiarism and concocted sources, the ASF detailed that the Student submitted a term paper that they did not write and which was written at a higher level of English fluency and theoretical sophistication than their other written work for the Course. The Student was required to cite sources from a given list in their paper, but the Student did not include citations in their paper. The Course instructor gave the Student the opportunity to submit a revised paper to address the missing citations. The revised paper included multiple sources that did not contain the words or ideas for which they were cited. The Student denied guilt to these allegations at their Dean’s Meeting but admitted guilt in the ASF.
Based on the evidence, including the Student’s admissions, the Panel concluded that the student was guilty of personation, plagiarism, and concocting sources.
In determining the appropriate sanction, the Panel considered the JSP, submissions from counsel, and considered the relevant sanctioning factors. The Panel noted that the Student admitted the offences and did not have a prior record of offences. While there were three instances of misconduct, they all occurred in the same term and in the same course. The Panel stated that personation is one of the most serious offences, and that while this conduct was not the type that warranted expulsion, it still must attract a serious penalty because it is a calculated attempt to mislead the University. Finally, the Panel agreed to backdate the suspension by 15 months as this request was part of the JSP and the Panel found that the JSP was not “truly unreasonable or unconscionable.”
The Panel imposed the following sanction: a final grade of zero In the Course; a three-year suspension; and a four-year notation on the Student’s academic record and transcript.