Academic Integrity Policy

Article IX. Academic Integrity Policy 

Section 1. Definition of Academic Dishonesty 

Falsification of data; misrepresentation of another’s work as one’s own (such as cheating on examinations, reports, or quizzes, and purchasing material from the web); misrepresenting the methods used to produce material, including unacknowledged and unauthorized use of technology; plagiarism from the work of others; or the presentation of substantially similar work for different courses (unless authorized to do so), is academic dishonesty and is a serious offense. Unauthorized access, assistance, or collaboration are also forms of academic dishonesty, as is knowingly helping other students cheat or plagiarize.

Section 2. Reporting, Procedures and Penalties  

When a faculty member has enough evidence to report a case of academic dishonesty, the faculty member must follow the steps below:

1. The faculty member will complete and submit this form in order to provide a detailed report of the incident.  
2. After the form has been submitted, the Student Conduct Administrator will appoint one student and one faculty member from the Council on Student Affairs (hereafter the “mini-panel”) to review the submitted form and assess whether there has been a violation of the Academic Integrity policy. 
3. The Student Conduct Administrator will assign the case to a mini-panel of members from the Council on Student Affairs.  A faculty member from the reporting faculty member’s division will serve on the mini-panel whenever possible.
4. If the mini-panel has determined the policy has been violated and this is a first occurrence, the Student Conduct Administrator will relay the decision of the mini-panel to the faculty member and the faculty member will meet with the student as soon as possible. In this meeting the faculty member will explain the nature of the allegation, provide supporting evidence, and give the student an opportunity to respond to the allegations. In this case, the faculty member will have full autonomy in deciding all sanctions for their own class, which usually range from failure on the assignment to failure in the course. After this meeting, the faculty member will submit an update to the Conduct Administrator briefly describing the outcome of the meeting, including the sanction. In first offense cases, the completed form will be included in the student’s conduct file, where it will remain confidential unless and until it needs to be shown to the Council on Student Affairs in the event of a subsequent offense.
5. If the mini-panel has determined the policy has been violated and this is a second or subsequent case, the Student Conduct Administrator will relay the decision of the mini-panel to the faculty member and notify the faculty member that the case will be sent to the full Council of Student Affairs for adjudication. The faculty member will not meet with the student in this situation. The student will also be notified by the Student Conduct Administrator. 
6. In the event of a disagreement between the reporting faculty member and the mini-panel about whether a reported incident constitutes a case of academic dishonesty, the faculty member reserves the right to send the case to the Council on Student Affairs (absent the members of the mini-panel) for a final determination or the matter is considered resolved with no penalties attached.  
7. If the case is referred to the Council on Student Affairs, whether because of a first offense in which the student maintains their innocence, a subsequent offense, a case in which the faculty member disagreed with the mini-panel  or for any other reason, the Council on Student Affairs will determine whether academic dishonesty has occurred and will decide all sanctions, which usually range from failure on the assignment to expulsion from the College.  

Two additional notes relevant to Academic Integrity Cases: 

1. If the student is not able to meet promptly with the faculty member or with the Council on Student Affairs for reasons such as a holiday break or other extenuating circumstances, the student may petition to delay the meeting with the faculty member or with the Council on Student Affairs by writing to the Conduct Administrator within two days of being informed of the allegation. The Conduct Administrator will decide whether or not to grant this request within one day of receiving it and will immediately communicate the decision to the involved parties along with a revised timetable for the meeting. Students who fail to meet during this time period will have a decision made without their input.
2. Withdrawing from a class or dropping without record does not preclude academic dishonesty proceedings from going forward. When the student is notified that the academic integrity policy has been violated, the student will also receive notification that any withdrawal from the course will not be final unless and until the student is shown not to have committed academic dishonesty. A student involved in an academic dishonesty case will not be permitted to withdraw from that class, even during the standard withdrawal period, unless that student is given permission to do so by the faculty member teaching the class, or by the Council on Student Affairs. A student who is shown to have committed academic dishonesty but whose penalty is less severe than an “F” grade in the course may still withdraw from the course.