GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING ACADEMIC OFFENSES
1.Confront the student within ten working days of knowledge of the incident when the college is in session, or within the ten days of the start of the next semester.
2.Determine if the offense is substantiated. Also, determine if the offense falls under the “plagiarism” category (defined under B.2 above) or not.
3.Document incident and consequence in writing (letter or email) and send to student. Ideally, the course syllabus should provide a statement related to academic misconduct and its consequences.
4.Submit a copy of the letter or email sent to student to Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (AVPAA) . If the offense is deemed to fall under the “plagiarism” category, then explicitly indicate this in the letter/email. The faculty member may email the student or send a letter to the student’s campus or home address. The Office of Academic Affairs will maintain a copy of this letter in the student’s file for reference should additional incidents of academic misconduct occur.
If the offense is deemed to fall under the “plagiarism” category (defined under B.2 above), then proceed to steps 8-10 below. If it is not deemed “plagiarism”, then proceed with steps 5-7 below.
5.The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs will meet with the student and review the Academic Misconduct Policy. If the student has no prior incidence of academic misconduct, no further action will be taken.
6.If the student has committed a prior offense, the student must appear before the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee (ASA). The student may also be required to appear before the committee if the faculty member and the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs determine the offense is serious enough to warrant additional review.
7. Any additional consequences will be determined by the ASA. Consequences could include academic probation, ineligibility for academic honors, or suspension.
8. For a first violation of the “plagiarism” type, the instructor will decide if this violation is of a minor or major type. This determination is up to the instructor’s discretion. If the plagiarism violation is “minor”, then the instructor will abstain from grading the assignment and ask the student to redo and resubmit it in their own words/work. Once resubmitted, the assignment will be graded. If a student refuses to redo the assignment or does not complete it in the allowed time, then the instructor is free to give the student a zero for the work.
If the plagiarism violation is deemed “major”, then the violation will be treated per the instructions in step 9 below.
9. For a second infraction of plagiarism, or for a “major” plagiarism violation, the student must take and pass the Plagiarism Workshop, which is an approximately 4-hour, non-credit-bearing course. For a second infraction or a major infraction , the grade for the assignment will be at the instructor’s discretion.
10. If a student does not pass the Plagiarism Workshop course within the designated time period, or has additional infractions of Academic Misconduct, then those offenses would be directed to the process outlined in steps 6 and 7 above (referral to the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee).
STUDENT APPEAL PROCESS
If a student wishes to appeal the charge of academic misconduct and/or the sanctions for the offense, he/she may do so in writing within five (5) school days of receipt of the letter or email from the faculty member. Students should send their appeal in writing (letter or email) to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. A hearing will be set in front of the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee in as timely a manner as possible.
Students who appear before the committee on appeal may be assisted by a support person, who may be any member of the college community or a parent. Students are responsible for presenting their own case; however, the support person is permitted to speak and should assist the student in understanding the academic appeals process. Hearings will be confidential. Admission of any person to the hearing who is not a support person, or a witness shall be at the discretion of the Committee. The Committee may restrict testimony that is irrelevant or redundant.
Pertinent records, exhibits, and written statements may be accepted as evidence at the discretion of the Committee. There shall be a single verbatim record, such as an audio recording of all hearings before the Committee. The appealing student shall have access to a record of the hearing. All recordings are destroyed either after appeals are completed or after the time allotted for appeals has passed.
After the hearing, the Committee shall determine (by consensus) whether the level of academic offense and/or the sanctions should be decreased. Review of the level of academic offense and/or sanctions may not result in a more severe level of offense or sanction. The Committee may render its decision without deference to the faculty member’s initial determination.
Students who are required to appear before the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee due to a second offense (or a serious first offense) may also appeal the committee’s decision to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA)/Dean of the Faculty under the circumstances outlined below.
FINAL REVIEW
Final appeals may be made to the Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of the Faculty within five (5) school days of the decision of the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee. An appeal to the VPAA/Dean of the Faculty is only appropriate under at least one of the following conditions:
- The original hearing was not conducted fairly in light of the charges and evidence presented, and in conformity with prescribed procedures.
- The decision was not based on substantial evidence.
- The sanction imposed was not appropriate for the violation.
- There is new evidence that was not presented at the original hearing.