How do you fix a grade you're not happy with? Well, you could always log in to a faculty computer and change it, just like a University of Central Florida student allegedly did, but that may cost you a felony charge.
Police say 22-year-old Sami Adel Ammar was arrested Wednesday on a warrant that links him to grade-changing. He now faces a felony charge of accessing a computer without authorization.
A UCF engineering professor says he received an email from the university’s electronic grade book program thanking him for approving his grade roster May 4th, but the professor said he previously approved the roster and had already received the confirmation email.
The professor checked the roster and says he was surprised to find that the class grade for Sami Ammar was changed from an “F” to a “B,” according to the arrest warrant.
The professor tried to change the grade back, but allegedly received an error message.
Ammar's name reportedly stood out to the professor because the student had only completed one assignment all semester, simply to prove he enrolled in the class for financial aid.
UCF employees called UCF police on May 5 after they saw two unidentified men in the staff rooms 306 and 307. Police were unable to find the two men.
Detectives identified the IP address used to change the grade as a computer located inside the Mathematical Sciences Building room 306. Samuel Williams and Ammar were seen on security footage going into room 306.
Ammar was trespassed from campus and is charged with accessing a computer without authority. Deputies have been unable to contact Williams in an effort to interview him about the incident.