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Part 6. Student Affairs
Section IX. Student Conduct
A. Academic Dishonesty
a. Academic integrity is expected of all individuals in academe. Behavior beyond reproach must be the norm. Academic dishonesty in any form is unacceptable.
b. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating and plagiarism.
a. CHEATING is defined as the act of using or attempting to use, in examination(s) or other academic work, material, information, or study aids which are not permitted by the instructor.
Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:
(1) Obtaining, providing or using unauthorized information during an examination, verbally, or visually, or by notes, books, or other materials.
(2) Acquiring, possessing, or providing to others, examinations or other course materials without authorization of the instructor. This is understood to include providing information about an examination in advance of the scheduled administration of that examination.
(3) Taking an examination for another person or arranging for someone else to take an examination for you.
(4) Submitting for course credit; the same work or substantial portions of the same work in two different classes without prior approval of the instructor(s).
(5) Fabricating information without the permission of the instructor for any report or other academic exercise.
b. PLAGIARISM is defined as representing another person’s words, ideas, data or work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the exact duplication of another’s work and the incorporation of a substantial or essential portion thereof without appropriate citation. Other examples of plagiarism are the acts of appropriating the creative works in such fields as art, music and technology, or portions thereof, and presenting them as one’s own.
The guiding principle is that all work submitted must be properly credited to the original source(s) of the information. In written work, direct quotations, statements which are paraphrased, summarizations of the work of another, and other information which is not considered common knowledge must be cited or acknowledged, usually in the form of a footnote. Quotation marks or a proper form of identification shall be used to indicate direct quotations.
As long as a student adequately acknowledges sources of information, plagiarism is not present. However, students should be aware that most professors require certain forms of acknowledgment or references and may evaluate a project on the basis of form and penalize the student in the grade assigned if citation of sources is improper.
c. ACADEMIC as used in this policy is synonymous with “scholastic”, i.e., either term refers to school-related endeavors, regardless of whether the school is vocational or academic.
d. INSTRUCTOR(S)/FACULTY MEMBER(S) as used in this policy is/are defined as the person(s) who is/are responsible for the teaching of class, laboratory, or other instruction. These terms include faculty regardless of rank, instructional staff, graduate assistants, visiting lecturers, and adjunct or visiting faculty.
3. Penalties for Academic Dishonesty
Each penalty is separate. In no way is it intended that these penalties be imposed in a sequential order. Combinations of penalties may be imposed; however, any penalty imposed shall be in proportion to the severity of the offense.
a. Penalties that may be imposed by the instructor are:
(1) Warning–The faculty member indicates to the student that further academic dishonesty will result in other sanctions being imposed.
(2) Resubmission of work–The faculty member may require that the endeavor in question be rewritten in conformance with proper academic standards and requirements or that a new project be developed. The instructor may specify additional requirements.
(3) Grade reduction–The student’s grade for a test, project, or other academic endeavor may be lowered or a grade or “F” may be assigned.
(4) Failing–A grade of “F” is assigned for the course.
(5) Failing–A grade of “F” with notation is assigned for the course.
b. Penalties that may be imposed at the University level are:
(1) Suspension from the University. “Suspension for Academic Dishonesty” is defined as administrative withdrawal of the offending student from the institution for reasons of academic dishonesty. The student is suspended from the entire institution for a length of time to be specified by the University Administration. The length of the suspension may vary, depending upon the circumstances contributing to the imposition of this sanction. The suspension will be recorded on the student’s permanent transcript.
(2) Academic expulsion from the University is the most severe penalty for academic dishonesty and may be imposed by the University Administration for extreme or multiple acts of academic dishonesty. Once expelled, the student will not be eligible for readmission to the University. The academic expulsion will be recorded on the student’s permanent transcript.
4. Procedures for Determination of Academic Dishonesty and Imposition of Penalties
a. The instructor: The instructor of the course is responsible for initiating investigation of each suspected incident of academic dishonesty.
b. When the instructor witnesses an incident of academic dishonesty, has evidence of, or is informed of an incident of academic dishonesty by a student who witnesses the incident, the instructor shall proceed as follows:
c. The instructor may intervene and shall proceed by gathering evidence to see if further action is necessary.
d. If sanctions are deemed necessary, the instructor shall discuss the incident with his/her department head and/or dean. If a decision is reached not to proceed, no further action is necessary.
e. The instructor:
If, after the discussion in d. above, the instructor decides to proceed, the instructor shall notify (verbally or in writing) the student(s) involved of what the instructor and/or others witnessed. The instructor shall meet with the student and receive and consider the student’s response (verbally or in writing). The instructor shall also collect any available evidence and testimony from any witnesses. In cases of suspected plagiarism, the student may be asked to supply the reference(s) used. The student must comply with any such request. If a settlement is reached, no further action is necessary.
The student:
The student shall meet with the instructor to respond to the allegation of academic dishonesty. If a settlement is reached, no further action is necessary.
f. If a settlement cannot be reached in d. above between the student(s) and the instructor, and the instructor concludes that academic dishonesty has occurred, and the imposition of sanctions is warranted, the instructor shall prepare a written incident report.
Withdrawal from a course does not exempt a student from academic dishonesty penalties.
g. The written incident report shall include the student’s name, the date of the incident, a description of the incident, description of any available evidence, and the instructor’s decision regarding the imposition of sanction(s). The incident report shall state the specific sanction to be imposed–a warning, resubmission of work, grade reduction within the course, or final course grade of “F” (failure) or “F” with notation.
If the punishment is an “F” with notation, the Registrar’s Office will send a letter appraising the student of his/her rights as outlined in Section 5 below. If the “F with notation” is uncontested or upheld in the appeals process, it will be recorded on the official transcript for a period of two years from the time the grade is officially recorded.
If either sanction 3, 4, or 5 as outlined in Part 3-a is imposed, the faculty member will report the incident to the Registrar’s Office. Any student that receives two “F’s with notation” is subject to academic suspension or expulsion. The University’s Academic Dishonesty Board will be activated when a student has received a second “F with notation.”
The circumstances and the nature of the dishonest act shall determine the severity of the offense. Any sanction applied shall be in proportion to the severity of the offense. (If the academic dishonesty sanction(s) is/are suspension or expulsion from the University, see SECTION IX. STUDENT CONDUCT, A. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY, 3,b. Penalties that may be imposed at the University level and SECTION IX. STUDENT CONDUCT, A. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY, 6. Procedures for Imposition of Penalties at the University level.)
The instructor shall keep a copy of the written incident report and a copy sent to:
(1) the student, and
(2) the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the instructor holds an appointment, and
(3) the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the student is a major, and
(4) the dean (or designee) of the college in which the instructor holds an appointment, and
(5) the dean (or designee) of the college in which the student is a major, and
(6) a copy is placed in the student’s permanent file in the Registrar’s Office. The student’s permanent file is to be maintained in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (i.e., Buckley Amendment).
5. Procedures for Students Appeals of Imposed Penalties
This appeal to the dean of the college (or designee) in which the student is a major is the final level for penalties of warning, resubmission of work, grade reduction within a course and final course grade of an F due to academic dishonesty. If the penalty is an “F” with notation, the final level of appeal is the Academic Vice President.
a. The student may appeal the penalty imposed by the instructor to the dean (or designee) of the college in which the student is a major. This appeal must be filed, in writing, before the end of the semester following the semester in which the alleged academic dishonesty incident occurred. For example, petitions relating to alleged academic dishonesty occurring during the spring semester or summer session must be filed prior to the end of the following fall semester.
b. When the student appeals the penalties imposed by the instructor, the dean (or designee) of the college in which the student is a major shall set a date for a formal hearing. The instructor, the student, the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the instructor holds an appointment, the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the student is a major, the dean (or designee) of the college in which the instructor holds an appointment, and the dean (or designee) of the college in which the student is a major shall meet to discuss the allegations and sanctions. A written record shall be kept of the proceedings.
c. A copy of the written record from the proceedings in b. above shall be kept by the dean of the college in which the student is a major and sent to:
(1) the student, and
(2) the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the instructor holds an appointment, and
(3) the chairperson (or designee) of the department in which the student is a major, and
(4) the dean (or designee) of the college in which the instructor holds an appointment, and
(5) a copy is placed in the student’s permanent file in the Registrar’s Office. The student’s permanent file is to be maintained in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (i.e., Buckley Amendment).
d. If the student is exonerated of all charges of academic dishonesty, then the student’s permanent file shall be expunged of all documents and materials associated with the alleged dishonest conduct.
e. If the student is not exonerated, the academic dishonesty penalty may not be challenged through the scholastic grade appeals process.
6. Procedures for Imposition of Penalties at the University level
a.
(1) The Academic Dishonesty Board will be automatically activated for any student that receives a second “F” with notation. Additionally, the instructor may decide that a single incident of academic dishonesty is so extreme that the penalty of suspension or expulsion should be imposed. In this situation may request that the University Academic Dishonesty Board be formed to consider such action. Multiple academic dishonesty penalties as outlined in Part 3 may also be grounds foe convening the University Academic Dishonesty Board by administrators or instructors.
(2) A recommendation to impose the penalties of suspension or expulsion shall be made by the Academic Dishonesty Board. A written report of the committee’s proceedings, conclusions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The sanction shall be imposed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will notify, in writing, the student, the registrar, the dean (or designee) of the college in which the student is a major, and the Director of Scholarships. A copy of this notification will be placed in the student’s permanent file.
b. Suspension
The registrar will record “Suspension for Academic Dishonesty” on the student’s permanent transcript. After suspension, if the student wishes to be readmitted, the Scholarship Requirements Committee must approve the student’s application.
c. Expulsion
The Registrar will record “Expulsion for Academic Dishonesty” on the student’s permanent transcript. Once expelled for academic dishonesty, the student is not eligible for readmission to the university under any circumstances.