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Academic Disciplinary Procedures

The following procedures are designed to adjudicate situations involving alleged academic misconduct, recognizing the interest of each of the parties involved:

  1. In any situation in which an instructor suspects academic dishonesty, the instructor should initiate a conversation with the student as soon as possible to assess if further investigation is appropriate.

  2. If a student admits responsibility in a case of suspected academic dishonesty which does not involve a grade penalty significant enough to alter the student’s final grade in the course, the faculty member may handle the case on an informal basis by talking with the student and the student acknowledging the penalty to be imposed, if any.

  • The instructor will fill out an Academic Misconduct Report on the website of the Dean of Students or CARE Team. The incident will be documented.

  • Faculty will notify their Department Head or academic Dean about the incident.

  1. In all cases of suspected academic dishonesty in which the student does not admit responsibility or in which the student requests a hearing, the faculty member will contact the Dean of Students. The Office of the Dean of Students will conduct a hearing. The purpose of the proceedings will be to provide a facilitated discussion about what may have occurred. The student(s) believed to have engaged in academic dishonesty and the Dean of Students will be the only participants in the hearing. No audio or video recordings of these proceedings will be permitted. Following the discussion, the designee will submit a form summarizing the results of the proceedings to the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

  • The faculty member and student(s) may reach an agreement about the matter and, if dishonesty is involved, may determine the appropriate consequences.

  • If no resolution is agreed upon, the Dean of Students will make a decision. The alleged dishonesty could lead to suspension or expulsion, and the matter will be resolved according to the process outlined in Section IV above (Investigation and Disciplinary Proceedings).

  • Prior to any finding of responsibility on the part of the student, the faculty member shall permit the student to complete all required academic work and shall evaluate and grade all work except the assignment(s) involved in the accusation of dishonesty. However, the faculty member may take any action reasonably necessary to collect and preserve evidence of the alleged violation and maintain or restore the integrity of exam or laboratory conditions.

  • A student may not withdraw from a course to avoid penalty of plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty.

  • If a student is found not responsible for academic misconduct, the hearing body will refer the paper, assignment, or test to the appropriate department head/school dean, who will facilitate a resolution concerning a fair grade for the work in question.

Upon a finding or acceptance of responsibility, the following sanction will be imposed:

  1. If the instructor has published a minimum academic sanction for academic dishonesty in the course or in a written syllabus or other document distributed to members of the class, this minimum sanction will be followed.

  2. In the absence of a published minimum sanction, the student will receive, at a minimum, a grade of zero for the work involved.

  3. The offense will be documented with the Office of Student Affairs.