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 (1) impose a grade of F for the respective assignment or test; (2) impose an F for the respective course; (3) require that an assignment be redone or a test be retaken; or (4) 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 Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus 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 Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus 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 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. The student shall have a maximum of 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 give 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 Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus. The appeal must be filed with the Dean within 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: (1) a copy of the faculty member’s written allegations of academic dishonesty; (2) a statement of the sanction imposed; (3) the dates on which the student received the written allegation and on which the student responded to the allegation; (4) the nature of the student’s response to the faculty member concerning the allegation; and (5) the rationale for the appeal of the sanction. The student shall have the option of admitting to the Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus the act of academic dishonesty and proposing an alternative sanction or denying that academic dishonesty has been committed.
The Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus shall, within 15 working days after receipt of the appeal, issue a report by which the Dean will (1) affirm the sanction; (2) overrule the sanction; or (3) modify the sanction. The Dean 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 Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus determines that the student or organization is not guilty, the student or group will be cleared of all charges. If the student or organization is found guilty, the Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus will delineate appropriate sanctions on a Wallace Community College Sanction Agreement. Upon administration of the Sanction Agreement, the student or organization will be offered the opportunity to 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. Appeal requests must be made in writing within 5 working days to the Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus. Students who desire to request that academic integrity issues be heard by the Judiciary Committee must follow steps 7-11 of the next section (Disciplinary Procedures Staff and Judiciary Committee). See the College Catalog for Disciplinary Procedures by Staff and Judiciary Committee.
Any student or organization who fails to sign the Sanction Agreement as stated herein shall be deemed to have waived all rights to further appeal, and the sanctions imposed by the Dean, Student Affairs and Sparks Campus will be final.