The development of intelligence and strengthening of moral responsibility are two of the most important aims of education. Fundamental to the accomplishments of these purposes is the duty of the student to perform all of the required work without illegal help. The following actions constitute major forms of examples of academic dishonesty among students:

Examples of Academic Dishonesty

  1. Submission, to satisfy academic requirements, of material previously submitted in whole or in a substantial part in another course, without prior and expressed consent of the instructor.
  2. The use of material, in whole or in part, from a source or sources and submitting the material as one’s own. This includes undocumented quotations, unacknowledged paraphrases, uncited basic ideas, misappropriated source documentation, or other forms of representing the work of another as one’s own. These acts constitute plagiarism.
  3. The receipt of information from another student or other unauthorized source, as well as the offer of information to another student with intention to deceive while completing an examination or individual assignment, in or outside the classroom. This constitutes cheating. The use of various technological devices such as cell phones, PDAs, programmable calculators, etc., in order to deceive while completing an assignment or examination is also cheating.
  4. Falsification of academic materials; fabrication of laboratory materials, notes, or reports; the forging of an instructor’s name or initials; or submission of a report, paper, or examination (or any considerable part thereof) prepared by any person other than the student responsible for the assignment.
  5. Procurement, distribution, or acceptance of examinations, laboratory results, or confidential academic materials without prior and expressed consent of the instructor.

Penalties for the above violations may vary depending on the intent and knowledge regarding the expectations of performance and at the discretion of the faculty. Possible penalties for violation of academic code of honor are an “F” grade for the assignment or examination, failure of the course, dismissal from the college, or denial or revocation of the degree. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may also choose to sanction via immediate suspension without a hearing. The student has the right to appeal any sanction to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Due Process

Where there is reason to suspect a student has violated the College policy on academic honesty or the instructor’s code as found in the course syllabus, the instructor should discuss the charges and evidence with the student in private. The following should then occur:

  1. The instructor may decide on an assignment or failure of the course. appropriate action including but not limited to failure of
  2. The instructor should write a report of the offense by the student and submit it to the Division Chair. In the report should include such information as the charge against the student, supporting evidence, a summary of the discussion between the student and instructor including any denial or admission of guilt, and the instructor’s choice of penalty.
  3. The student has the right to appeal. The process for appeal is outlined in the college catalog.
  4. The Division Chair will inform the student in writing of the charge against him or her, of the instruction’s sanction, and of the student’s right to appeal. The letter will also include an outline of the appeal process and the date by which the student needs to respond if he or she intends to appeal. If the student chooses to appeal, then the Division Chair will meet with the student. The Division Chair may decide to uphold, modify, or overturn the instructor’s sanction; a letter will be sent to the student notifying him or her of the Division Chair’s decision.
  5. If the student decides to appeal the Division Chair’s decision, then he or she must write a letter of appeal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within five days of the date of the Division Chair’s letter. If the request for appeal is granted, a hearing will be set by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  6. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may elect to hear the appeal alone or appoint an appeals panel of at least three faculty members.
  7. The decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the appeals panel is final.

The above process will be required of all breaches in the academic code. Where grades are not a concern, e.g. falsification, etc. the process will be the same as outlined above.