Facing academic and financial deadlines, some of the Harvard students suspected in a cheating scandal have decided to take a leave of absence rather than face possible suspension for a year, according to people briefed on the matter.

据知情人士透露，在学校校务和财务的截止日即将到来之际，哈佛大学一些身陷作弊丑闻的学生为了避免可能受到的停学一年处分，而决定主动选择休学。

Harvard officials declined to confirm or deny a report on Tuesday by Sports Illustrated that one of the university's star basketball players, Kyle Casey, was among the students withdrawing, and he could not be reached for comment. The university also would not say how many of the students have so far taken a voluntary leave, or how many of those are varsity athletes.

哈佛大学的管理人员拒绝证实或否认《体育画报》在周二的一篇报道。该报道称，该大学的篮球明星凯尔·凯西(Kyle Casey)也是休学学生里的一员。目前无法联系采访到他本人。哈佛大学不愿透露已经自愿离校学生的人数，也不愿透露其中有多少是学校校队运动员。

Tuesday was officially the last day that undergraduate students could withdraw without being responsible for any tuition payment, though several hundred dollars in fees, room and board could still be assessed. But an academic calendar published by Harvard incorrectly listed the deadline as Wednesday, so university officials said tuition-free withdrawals would be accepted on that day as well.

对本科生来说，周二本是他们可以在不需支付任何学费的情况下，选择休学的最后一天，不过他们仍需承担几百美元的杂费、住宿费、伙食费。但是哈佛大学公布的校历却错误地标明星期三才是截止日期，所以哈佛大学的官员们表示，也接受在那天提出的免学费休学申请。

Tuesday was also the last day to register for classes for the semester that began a week earlier.

另外，周二还是学生注册这学期课程的最后一天。这学期的课程已于一周前已经开始。

The university revealed on Aug. 30 that it was investigating the possibility that almost half of the students in one undergraduate course had committed “academic dishonesty” on a take-home final exam last spring, either collaborating on answers or plagiarizing them outright. Harvard would not name the course, but several of the students who were accused identified it as a government course, Introduction to Congress, with 279 students, meaning that well over 100 were under suspicion, making this the university's largest case of cheating in memory.

8月30日，哈佛大学宣布正在就一起作弊案进行调查，该案涉及了某门本科课程中将近一半的学生，他们在该课程春季学期可在家完成的期末考试中，涉嫌协作答卷或抄袭，因而被指“学术欺诈”。哈佛大学不愿意透露这门课程的具体信息，但是几名被指控的学生表示这是一门叫做“国会概论”的政府研究课程，共有279名学生修读。这意味着有远超过100名学生存在作弊嫌疑，是该校历史上最严重的作弊事件。

The course had a reputation for easy grading and little required effort, and had a large contingent of student-athletes looking to make room for their time commitment to sports, according to the students. But for reasons that remain unclear, Matthew B. Platt, the assistant professor who taught the class, made it much harder last year, they said.

学生们表示，这门课因为学习轻松又容易得高分而颇受好评，并且有相当数量的学生运动员为了给运动腾出时间而修这门课。但出于不明原因，他们说教授这门课的助理教授马修·B·普拉特(Matthew B. Platt)去年把这门课的难度提高了不少。

It falls to the Harvard College Administrative Board to look into each student's case and pass judgment, which is expected to take months.

如此，检查每一个学生的考试并做出判断的重任就落到了哈佛大学管理委员会(Harvard College Administrative Board)的肩上，这项工作预计会耗时数月。

Some of the students said in interviews last week that they had produced nearly identical answers on the exam because they had shared class notes or sought help with the test from graduate students who were their teaching fellows, which they understood to be allowed. Others acknowledged collaborating with fellow students, despite explicit instructions on the test not to do so, but said that behavior was widely accepted.

一些学生在上周接受采访时说，他们能够写出近乎一致的答案是因为他们互相之间共享了课堂笔记，或者是得到了研究生助教的帮助，而他们以为，这是被允许的。其他人则将其归因于与其他同学的合作，虽然考试须知中明确规定此类行为违规，但据说这样的做法得到广泛接受。

Harvard's rules provide a range of potential punishments for cheating, the most severe being forced withdrawal for a year, but for varsity athletes, there is an added risk. An athlete has a maximum of four years of eligibility to play for the school, and one who took part in even a single game, and then was suspended for the year, would have used up one of those years. But withdrawing before playing could preserve that eligibility for a future year.

哈佛大学校规对作弊行为一系列的惩罚措施，其中最严重的是勒令停学一年。然而对于学校校队的运动员们来说，他们还需承担额外的风险。因为一名运动员为学校比赛的资格最多只有四年。如果一名运动员参加了比赛，接着就被停学一年的话，那就会用掉其中的一年，哪怕只进行了一场比赛。但是如果在为学校参加比赛之前被停学的话，他的资格则可以往后顺延一年。

At least a few of the students under investigation have withdrawn, or plan to do so, according to a Harvard official and an athlete who has conferred with some of the departing students. The student said that some of those who are leaving are athletes.

据哈佛大学的一名管理人员和一名曾和部分离校学生进行沟通运动员称，截止目前，不少处于被调查状态的学生已经选择了休学或有此计划。这名学生透露，离校的学生中有一些是运动员。

Both people were granted anonymity to discuss a topic that the university considers confidential.

由于上述二人提及的情况被哈佛大学认定为机密内容，在这里对他们进行匿名处理。

From 2005 to 2010, on average, 17 students per year were required to leave for academic dishonesty. More than 200 per year took voluntary leaves for a variety of reasons.

在2005年到2010年间，平均每年有17名学生由于学术欺诈行为被勒令离校。而每年因为各种原因选择自愿离校的学生人数则超过200人。