Academic Honesty Code

Honesty Code Violations Violations: Any conduct or activity by a student intended to earn or improve a grade or receive any form of credit by fraudulent or dishonest means is considered an Honesty Code violation. In addition, engaging in any conduct including the following examples which a reasonable person in the same or similar circumstances would recognize as academic dishonesty is considered a violation. Examples of violations of the Honesty Code include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Acquiring information:
   1. Acquiring information for any assigned work or examination from any source not authorized by the instructor.
   2. Working with another person or persons on any assignment or examination when not specifically permitted by the instructor.
   3. Observing the work of other students during any examination.
   4. Using, buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or part, the contents of an unadministered examination.
   5. Purchasing or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other writing assignment prepared by others.
2. Providing information:
   1. Providing answers for any assigned work or examination when not specifically authorized by the instructor to do so.
   2. Informing any person or persons of the contents of any examination prior to the time the examination is given.
3. Plagiarism:
   1. Incorporating the work or idea of another person into one’s own work, whether paraphrased or quoted, without acknowledging the source of that work or idea.
   2. Attempting to receive credit for work performed by another person, including papers obtained in whole or part from individuals or other sources.
   3. Copying computer programs or data files belonging to someone else.
4. Conspiracy:
   1. Agreeing with one or more persons to commit any act of academic dishonesty.
5. Fabrication of information:
   1. Falsifying the results obtained from research or a laboratory experiment.
   2. Presenting results of research or laboratory experiments without the research or laboratory experiments having been performed.
   3. Substituting for another student to take an examination or to do any academic work for which academic credit will be received.
   4. Changing answers or grades after an academic work has been returned to the student and claiming instructor error.
   5. Submitting work for credit or taking an examination and employing a technique specifically prohibited by the instructor in that course, even if such technique would be acceptable in other courses.
6. Abuse of resource materials:
   1. Mutilating, destroying, concealing, stealing, or altering any materials provided to assist students in the completion of academic work, including library books, journals, computer files, microfilm and microfiche files, materials placed on reserve by the instructor, or any such materials as the instructor may provide or assign.
   2. Copying without permission of the owner, or mutilating or destroying any media, printed or electronic (for example, film, video, music, graphics, art, photography, manuscript, internet or World Wide Web sources, CDROM, or electronic databases).

PROCEDURES

Students who witness a violation of the Academic Honesty Code should report such violations to the instructor of the course in which the violation occurred.

Faculty members who suspect that a student may have violated a provision of the Academic Honesty Code are obligated to investigate the incident and discuss their findings with the student or students involved. Faculty members who conduct such investigations are encouraged to confer with their division chairs, their instructional dean, and/or the Dean of Student Development regarding procedures, valid proof, and due process.

Faculty members who determine that a student violated the Academic Honesty Code must take action, both to prevent future violations and to preserve the academic integrity of their courses and the College community. All cases of academic dishonesty must be reported to the Dean of Student Development and the appropriate instructional Dean. The Dean of Student Development will note all cases in an information record system as defined in the final section of this policy statement. The Dean of Student Development will treat violations of the Academic Honesty Code in the manner prescribed below.

Penalties for violations of the Academic Honesty Code during a student’s academic career are as follows:

First Offense: The student will receive a failing grade on the assignment in question.

Second Offense: Student will receive a failing grade for the course.

In addition to the penalties laid out above, violations of the Academic Honesty Code that threaten the College’s learning environment may merit further penalties up to and including expulsion. Any additional penalties will be determined by the faculty member in conjunction with the Dean of Student Development.

Students may appeal any decision by following the procedures outlined in the next section.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND STUDENT APPEALS

A student who wishes to appeal an instructor’s determination that he or she violated the Academic Honesty Code or the sanctions levied by the College, may do so by notifying the Dean of Student Development, within ten working days of the decision of his or her desire to appeal that decision to the Academic Appeals Committee. The Academic Appeals Committee shall consist of two faculty members and two students. The Dean of Student Development shall preside over the meeting but have no vote except in the case of a tie. The Academic Appeals Committee will meet to consider the case within thirty (30) days of the appeal.

The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee is final. It cannot be appealed within the College. However, a student who is not satisfied with the outcome of this procedure may write a letter explaining his or her position and have it appended to his or her academic record.

RECORDS

The Dean of Student Development shall maintain a file which contains a record of each Academic Honesty Code violation reported to that office. These records will not, however, be attached to or become a part of the students’ permanent records or transcript unless repeated violations result in the students’ expulsion from the College.

In the event that a student is expelled from the College for an Academic Honesty Code violation, his or her transcript will show that the student was administratively withdrawn from the College for disciplinary reasons.