Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

1. Cheating on an examination or test; for example, by copying from another’s paper or using unauthorized materials before or during the test;
2. Plagiarism, which represents as one’s own the work of another, whether published or not, without acknowledging the precise source;
3. Knowing participation in the academic dishonesty of another student, even though one’s own work is not directly affected;
4. Any conduct which reasonable persons in similar circumstances would recognize as dishonest in an academic setting.

The penalty for an incident of academic dishonesty is, at the discretion of the faculty member, either a mark of zero for the work in question or the grade of “F” for the course.

Procedures for Cases of Academic Dishonesty

Faculty who consider that they have a valid case of academic dishonesty against a student must inform the student of the charge and penalty in writing, using the Report of Academic Dishonesty Form available from the Registrar. The faculty member will inform the student no later than the date when course grades are due for the semester or other academic session.  If necessary, the faculty member will send the student a copy of the report by certified mail. The student has the right to appeal the facts of the charge but not the penalty.

1. The original signed report will be submitted for the record to the Registrar, who will keep it in a locked confidential file until the student graduates.
2. The case will be treated as a matter of deferred adjudication; if and when the student graduates, the record will be expunged.

1. A student whose appeal concerns an undergraduate course must write a letter of appeal to the Registrar within three days of receiving notice of the charge. The Registrar will notify the chair of the Academic Committee.
   1. The chair will schedule a special meeting of the committee in a timely manner, but no later than 30 days after notification by the Registrar, and will notify the student and the faculty member accordingly.
   2. Copies of all pertinent written evidence will be submitted to the members of the committee a minimum of one week prior to the scheduled meeting.
   3. The committee may rule on the appeal immediately or may first schedule a hearing. If the committee chooses to conduct a hearing, it will proceed as follows:
      1. The student may bring a member of the faculty to serve as an advocate during the hearing.
      2. The student and the faculty member may each bring witnesses to speak to the facts of the alleged offense. Ordinarily, the number of witnesses should not be more than two for each party; they must have direct knowledge of the alleged offense.
      3. The student, the faculty advocate (if one is brought) and the faculty member will be present for all aspects of the hearing except the committee’s deliberations.
   4. The chair of the committee will conduct the hearing in the following manner:
      1. The chair will ask the parties present to provide a more detailed statement of the circumstances and evidence than has already been filed in writing. Members of the committee may then ask questions for further information or clarification.
      2. Witnesses to support the allegation will be heard, one at a time. After a witness’ initial presentation, questions may be put in the following order: by members of the committee, by the student and the faculty advocate, by the faculty member and/or by members of the committee.
      3. Witnesses to support the appeal will be heard, one at a time. After a witness’ initial presentation, questions may be put in the following order: by members of the committee, by the faculty member, by the student and the student advisor, and by members of the committee.
      4. The faculty member and then the student will each be given the opportunity to make a final statement to the committee regarding their respective positions in the matter, after which they will withdraw to allow the committee to deliberate.
      5. Should the hearing be lengthy, the chair will have the option of postponing the committee’s deliberations for not more than three working days.
   5. The chair will report the committee’s decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will notify in writing the faculty member and the student.
   6. The report of the decision will be handled in the same way as the report in Procedure When There Is No Appeal, described above.

Procedure in Second Offense Cases:

1. Initially, second offense cases will be treated according to the procedures outlined above.
2. When a second charge of academic dishonesty has been upheld against a student, the student shall be dismissed from the University without the possibility of readmission. The transcript will note “Dismissed for Academic Dishonesty, Not Eligible to Return,” along with the date.