Academic Support & Student Responsibilities

Faculty Advisors 

Students are assigned a faculty advisor in their program. Students should consult their advisor about course requirements, selection of electives, and concentration requirements. Students must become familiar with program requirements as well as the licensure requirements, if applicable. Knowledge of and fulfilment of program and licensure requirements, if applicable, are the responsibility of the student, not the advisor.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Assumption University is committed to providing appropriate assistance to students with learning disabilities, ADHD/ADD, chronic medical conditions, physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities who can effectively function in our academic and residential environment. 

For students entering the university environment, an individual with disabilities must:

• Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity
• Have a record of such an impairment or,
• Be regarded as having such impairment

In order to provide accommodations, students must self-identify and provide relevant and comprehensive documentation of disability to the Office of Student Accessibility Services. This office evaluates the clinical documentation and meets with students to discuss appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Due to the length of the eligibility and accommodation process, it is recommended that documentation be submitted well in advance of any accommodation request.

At the outset of the accommodation process, students will need to do the following:

• Fill out and submit the Consent and Information Form
  https://www.assumption.edu/people-and-departments/organization-listing/student-accessibility-services
• Submit relevant and comprehensive documentation
• Make an appointment with the Office of Student Accessibility Services
• Meet or speak to discuss the requested accommodations and the accommodation process

Eligibility for an accommodation is determined through an interactive process between the individual student and Assumption University. If eligibility for an accommodation is denied, the student should contact the Director of the Office of Student Accessibility Services in a timely fashion stating the reason for his/her concern and any specific remedial action being requested.

If the concern is not resolved at this level, the student may choose to pursue a formal appeal by submitting their concern in writing to the Provost. Such an appeal should be made as soon as possible, but must be done within 7 days of the refusal of an accommodation or failure to resolve the concern. Once the formal concern is received, the Provost will review the written appeal and all relevant information. The Provost will either uphold the original decision/accommodation as determined by the Office of Student Accessibility Services or revise the accommodation.

The Provost will notify the student in writing of the University’s final decision. The appeals process will be completed within 30 days from the time the appeal is referred to the Provost. The decision of the Provost is final.

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is a fundamental principle of learning and professional development. The integrity of the University’s graduate programs requires honesty in scholarship, professional activities and relationships, and research. Therefore, academic honesty is required of all students at Assumption University.

Academic dishonesty threatens and undermines the University’s mission to pursue the truth and form graduates for thoughtful citizenship and compassionate service. All members of the University community have a responsibility to uphold and maintain an honest academic environment and to report when dishonesty occurs. Written or other work that students submit must be the product of their own efforts and must be consistent with appropriate standards of professional ethics. Academic dishonesty, which includes cheating, plagiarism and other forms of dishonest or unethical behavior, is prohibited. Where suspected violations of the academic honesty policy occur, appropriate procedures are designed to protect the integrity of the academic process while ensuring due process.

Academic Dishonesty includes any of the following:

Cheating - using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids or other devices in any academic exercise. This definition includes unauthorized communication of information during an academic exercise. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is forbidden unless explicitly allowed by the instructor.

Plagiarism - presenting the work of another as one’s own (i.e., without proper acknowledgment of the source). The sole exception to the requirement of acknowledging sources is when the ideas, information, etc., are common knowledge. The use if AI to create a written or oral product, either in whole or in part, is a form of plagiarism unless the instructor explicitly permits its use for the assigned work and the use of AI is acknowledged in the product.

Complicity in Academic Dishonesty - helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Fabrication and Falsification - alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. Falsification is a matter of altering information, while fabrication is a matter of inventing or counterfeiting information to use in any academic exercise.

Multiple Submissions - the submission of substantial portions of the same academic work (including oral reports) for credit more than once without authorization.

Collaboration on an assignment or project, unless required or explicitly permitted by the professor.

Policy to Settle a Charge of Academic Dishonesty

Procedure:

1. The faculty member will contact the student to determine how the assignment in question was completed and to express concern that an act of academic dishonesty was committed. If the student admits to an act of academic dishonesty, the appropriate penalty, as described in the syllabus for the course or in the program’s policies, is applied.
2. If the faculty member continues to have concerns after the student’s denial of academic dishonesty, the Instructor will contact the Program Director, inform the Director of the concern, and provide the evidence that supports the allegation of dishonesty.
3. Program Director will review information provided by faculty member.
4. The Program Director will inform the student of the allegation and ask for either a written statement of explanation, a face-to-face meeting to discuss the allegation, or both.
5. If the instance of academic dishonesty is unambiguous, the faculty member and Program Director can decide on an appropriate penalty, up to and including the student failing the course.
6. In an instance where there may be reasonable doubt as to whether the student has been dishonest, the Program Director will appoint a Faculty Review Committee consisting of at least three faculty members who teach in the program to review the student’s work.
7. The Program Director will meet with the student to gather information about the work in question and to permit the student to offer exculpatory information.
8. After meeting with the student, the Program Director will convene a meeting of the Faculty Review Committee. The committee will review the evidence regarding the issue of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, the student’s academic work in question and information provided by the student during the meeting with the Program Director.
9. If a majority of members of the Faculty Review Committee conclude that the student is guilty of academic dishonesty, the committee will decide on an appropriate penalty, up to and including failing the course.
10. The Program Director will be responsible for developing a written record of the charges and adjudication of the question of possible academic dishonesty.
11. The student has the right to appeal the decision and the penalty. To do so the student must follow the Formal Process of the Academic Grievance Procedure.