The College of St. Scholastica
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY

These policies and procedures apply across the College, at the undergraduate and graduate levels and on all campuses.

Statement of Policy
Academic honesty and integrity are highly valued in our campus community. Academic honesty directly concerns ethical behaviors which affect both the academic environment and the civic community. Academic dishonestly seriously violates the integrity of the academic enterprise and will not be tolerated at St. Scholastica.

Definition
Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: Misrepresentation of the work of others as one's own; dishonesty in testing; violating authorized guidelines established by instructors for individual assignments; sabotaging or damaging the work of others; or engaging in dishonesty in other academic work.

Implementation
To minimize student misunderstanding, faculty shall state in writing what degree of cooperation or help is authorized and what behaviors constitute academic dishonesty on collaborative efforts by students (team projects, group work, etc.). Students shall be responsible for asking faculty for clarification in any unclear situation.

Enforcement
Since academic dishonesty is a transgression against the entire college community, the entire community should be involved in handling the problem. Students and faculty are encouraged to contact instructors with reports of, or concerns about, academic dishonesty. If a faculty member has determined that a student has been academically dishonest, the violation must be reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Duties of these offices include referral of students for counseling if needed, handling of repeat offenders, and administering of penalties.

Penalties
In cases of academic dishonesty, the minimum penalty to be applied by the faculty member shall be failure of the assignment or test, and the maximum penalty shall be failure of the course. In addition, a department may deny admission to or dismiss from a program a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs or Vice President for Student Affairs may exclude such a student from extracurricular activities or expel him or her from the College, even on the first instance of academic dishonesty.

Appeals
An aggrieved student may appeal any adverse decision regarding academic dishonesty by following the procedure outlined in the academic appeal procedure. In an appeal concerning academic dishonesty, the decision of the appeal panel shall be final.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY PROCEDURES

These procedures should be implemented when a faculty member suspects a violation of the College's Academic Honesty Policy

When a student is suspected or alleged to have committed an act of academic dishonesty, the instructor who teaches the course, or, when the academic dishonesty is unrelated to a particular course, the department chair or director of the student's program (collectively, the "College representative"), shall have authority to initiate academic dishonesty proceedings against the student.

A. The College representative who has information that a student committed an act of academic dishonesty shall hold a conference with the student to discuss the matter. The College representative shall advise the student of the alleged act of dishonesty and the information upon which the allegation is based. The student shall be given an opportunity to respond to the allegation of dishonesty.

B. If, following the conference, the College representative concludes that the student was academically dishonest, the minimum penalty to be applied by the faculty member shall be failure of the assignment or test, and the maximum penalty shall be failure of the course. In addition, a department may deny admission to or dismiss from a program a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) or Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) may exclude such a student from extracurricular activities or expel him or her from the College, even on the first instance of academic dishonesty.

C. After imposing an academic sanction, the College representative should report the decision promptly to the individuals indicated in Item 4, below. This report should be in writing with e-mail considered to be an appropriate written form. The report should include the following (a sample letter follows):

1. A statement concerning the nature of the offense;

2. The terms of the academic sanction being imposed;

3. A statement that the student may submit an appeal of the academic sanction by following the College's academic appeal process

4. A statement that the report is being distributed to

· the student

· the department or program chair of the course

· the dean of the school in which the course is located

· the department or programs chair for the student's major/program (if different from the course department or program and if the student has a declared major or program)

· the dean of the school in which the department or program is located (if different from the course department or program and if the student has a declared major or program)

· the VPAA and

· the VPSA;

5. A statement that the chair of the student's major/program and/or the VPAA has the authority to impose an additional academic sanction, within 15 working days of the date on the letter, if that person believes that such a sanction is warranted when the student's academic dishonesty is considered in the context of the student's prior academic record at the College;

6. A statement that the VPSA may commence disciplinary proceedings, within 15 working days of the date on the letter, if the VPSA believes that such a sanction is warranted based on the student's prior social behavior record at the College.