With regard to a matter of academic dishonesty in taking a college course, the respective faculty members of the College are authorized to administer certain appropriate disciplinary action. If a given faculty member has substantial evidence of a student’s having committed, attempted to commit, or solicited an act of cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall have the authority to…
- impose a grade of F for the respective assignment or test;
- impose an F for the respective course;
- require that an assignment be redone or a test be retaken; or
- impose other similar sanctions designed to preserve academic integrity.
The faculty member shall not have the right to suspend or expel a student. That authority is reserved for the Director, Student and Campus Services and the College Judiciary Committee. If the faculty member believes that the improper conduct should be subject to greater punishment, or additional punishment, then the case should be referred to the Director, Student and Campus Services for disciplinary review.
In any situation where a student is alleged to have committed academic dishonesty of any nature, the faculty member making the allegation shall, within three (3) working days after the alleged wrongful act or the faculty member’s first knowledge of the act, give the student written notice of the allegation and give the student the opportunity to respond to each allegation made (Appendix A – Academic Dishonesty).
The student shall have a maximum of three (3) working days to respond to any allegation made. No disciplinary grade imposed by a faculty member shall be considered final unless and until the student has been given written notice of the alleged wrongdoing and the opportunity to respond. It is not necessary that the student give a response for a grade to be finalized, only that the student has been given an opportunity to respond and that the instructor gives due consideration to any response that is made.
Each instructor shall keep a confidential file of any and all written allegations of academic dishonesty and all actions taken with regard to such allegations.
Any student against whom a sanction is imposed by a faculty member as a result of an allegation of academic dishonesty shall have the right to appeal the sanction to the Director, Student and Campus Services by completing the Appeals Request form on the College’s website page titled Complaint & Disciplinary Procedures. The appeal must be filed electronically with the Director within five (5) working days after the student is first made aware of the date that the decision has been made to impose a sanction, and must include:
- a copy of the faculty member’s written allegations of academic dishonesty;
- a statement of the sanction imposed;
- the dates on which the student received the written allegation and on which the student responded to the allegation;
- the nature of the student’s response to the faculty member concerning the allegation; and
- the rationale for the appeal of the sanction.
The student shall have the option of admitting to the Director, Student and Campus Services the act of academic dishonesty and proposing an alternative sanction or denying that academic dishonesty has been committed.
The Director, Student and Campus Services shall, within 15 working days after receipt of the appeal, issue a report by which the Director will:
- affirm the sanction;
- overrule the sanction; or
- modify the sanction.
The Director shall not overrule or modify any sanction imposed by a faculty member except where a compelling and substantial academic or legal reason exists for doing so.
If the Director determines that the student is not guilty, the student will be cleared of all charges. If the student is found guilty, the Director will delineate appropriate sanctions on a Sanction Agreement form (see Appendix B– Sanction Agreement). When administering the Sanction Agreement, the student will select one of the following options:
- Sign the Sanction Agreement, indicating acceptance of the sanctions imposed and waiving all rights to appeal; OR
- Sign the Sanction Agreement, declining the opportunity to accept the sanctions imposed and request to appeal the decision before the Judiciary Committee by completing the Appeals Request form on the College’s website page titled Complaint & Disciplinary Procedures.
- Any student who fails to select ‘Accept’ or ‘Do Not Accept’ and fails to sign the Sanction Agreement shall be deemed to have waived all rights to further appeal, and the sanctions imposed will be final.