Policy to Settle a Charge of Academic Dishonesty

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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.