Academic Honesty Policy

This is Western Connecticut State University’s (WCSU) policy on Academic Honesty:

Policy
1. Principles: Academic Honesty Code: As stated in the university catalogs, “A student has an obligation to demonstrate honesty in carrying out his/her academic assignments” (page 38, 2005-2006 Undergraduate Catalog; 31, 2006-07 Graduate Catalog)
2. Faculty Responsibility: Faculty members are responsible for knowing the principles and procedures of the Academic Honesty Policy, and for enforcing the policy when academic honesty violations Faculty members must also remind students of the Academic Honesty Policy and help them comply with it.
3. Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for maintaining the academic integrity of the University by following the Academic Honesty Students are responsible for doing their own work and avoiding all forms of academic dishonesty.
Academic Honesty Violation
1. The most common academic honesty violations are cheating and plagiarism. Cheating and plagiarism are complex issues, therefore we offer the following definitions.
  1. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
    1. Submitting material that is not one’s own
    2. Using information or devices that are not allowed by the faculty member.
    3. Obtaining and/or using unauthorized material.
    4. Fabricating information.
    5. Violating procedures prescribed to protect the integrity of a test, or other evaluation exercise.
    6. Collaborating with others on assignments without the faculty member’s consent (not to be confused with tutoring in the university learning centers).
    7. Cooperating with or helping another student to cheat.
    8. Having another person take an examination in the student’s place.
    9. Altering exam answers and requesting that the exam be re- graded.
    10. Communicating with any person during an exam, other than the faculty member or exam proctor.
  2. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
    1. Directly quoting others without using quotation marks or indented format to identify them.
    2. Using sources of information (published or unpublished) without identifying them. This can be one’s own past work.
    3. Paraphrasing materials or ideas of others without identifying the sources.
Resolution of Academic Honesty Violations
1. A student involved in an academic honesty proceeding may continue to attend all classes until the matter is resolved
2. Action Initiated by the Faculty member
  1. If a faculty member believes a student has committed an academic honesty violation, the faculty member should complete the Academic Honesty Report (Appendix A). The faculty members will request a meeting with the student within five university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) to attempt to resolve the incident. As a result of this meeting, if the faculty member determines a violation has occurred, he or she should give the student a copy of two things: (a) this policy statement, and (b) the completed Academic Honesty Report (Appendix A).
  2. The faculty member retains a copy of the Academic Honesty Report of this incident, and forwards a copy of the Academic Honesty Report to the faculty member’s department chair, school dean, graduate dean (if applicable), and dean of students. The faculty member may assign a penalty; see section 2.5 below.
  3. If the faculty member is unable to contact the student, or if the student fails to meet with the faculty member, the faculty member may assign the penalty. If a penalty is assigned, the faculty member will send the student a copy of this policy statement and a completed Academic Honesty Report (Appendix A).
  4. The faculty member will send these documents by registered mail to the student’s current mailing address on file with the University, and provide a copy to the faculty member’s department chair, school dean, graduate dean (if applicable), and dean of students. The final grade for the course will not be recorded in the Registrar’s Office until all of the student’s rights to appeal have been exhausted.
3. Appeal Procedures
  1. If the student does not admit responsibility for the incident or does not accept the penalty proposed by the faculty member, the student may appeal first to the faculty member’s department chair, then to the dean of the faculty member’s school, and then to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Grade If the student does not appeal, the decision of the faculty member stands and a copy of the Academic Honesty Report will be forwarded by the faculty member’s department chair, school dean, graduate dean (if applicable), and dean of students, where it will be filed for future reference.
    1. Department Hearing
      Within five university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of the faculty member’s notification to the student that a penalty has been assigned, the student may request a meeting with the faculty member and his/her department chair. This meeting should take place within five university calendar days of the student’s request. As a result of this meeting, the department chair will complete an Academic Honesty Report (Appendix A) and with the consent of the faculty member, affirm, deny, or modify the original penalty assigned by the faculty member. Within five university calendar days of the meeting, the department chair will forward copies of the completed Academic Honesty Report to the student, the faculty member, and the school dean, the graduate dean (if applicable), and the Dean of students. Copies of the report will be sent by registered mail (with return receipt) to his/her current mailing address on file with the University. Within ten university calendar days of the department chair’s decision, the student or the faculty member may appeal the department chair’s decision to the dean of the faculty member’s school. If the decision is not appealed, the department chair will send a copy of the Academic Honesty Report to the faculty member’s school dean, the graduate dean (if applicable), and to the Office of the Dean of Students, where it will be filed for future reference.
    2. Dean’s Review
      Within five university calendar days an academic long semester (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of the department chair’s notification to the student that a penalty has been assigned, the student or the faculty member may submit a written appeal to the dean of the faculty member’s school. This written appeal should ask the dean to review the department chair’s decision and explain why the student or faculty member believes that the department chair’s decision was wrong. Within ten university calendar days from the time the written appeal is received in the dean’s office, the dean will determine if the department chair’s action should be upheld or overturned and will communicate his/her decision in writing to the student by registered mail, and inform the faculty member, the department chair, the graduate dean (if applicable), and the dean of students. Within ten university calendar days of the dean’s decision, the student or the faculty member may appeal the dean’s decision to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Grade Appeals (see page 37 of the 2005-2006 Undergraduate Catalog). If the decision is not appealed, the dean will send a copy of the Academic Honesty Report along with the results of the dean’s review of the report to the student, the faculty member, graduate dean (if applicable), and the office of the dean of students, where it will be filed for future reference. Students may still be subject to further disciplinary action by the university through the student code of conduct, administered by the dean of students (or his/her designee).
    3. Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Grade Appeals
      If the student or faculty member is not satisfied, he/she may ask, within five (5) university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of receiving the school dean’s decision, that the school dean contact the president of the university senate to convene the Ad Hoc Committee on Grade Appeals. The school dean shall forward the request (along with all relevant materials) to the senate president within five (5) university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of receipt. The dean also shall notify the provost/V.P. for Academic Affairs, in writing, that the senate is being asked to convene an ad hoc committee.
    4. The Ad Hoc Committee on Grade Appeals shall be composed of three members of the instructional faculty in the ranks of tenured professors or tenured associate professors presently serving on the senate, selected in alphabetical order each time the committee is appointed.The senate president shall appoint the ad hoc committee within five (5) university calendar days and shall notify the student and the faculty member of that fact. The senate president shall not discuss the details of the case with the ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee will convene within five (5) university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays).The committee shall consider the case and reach a decision within fifteen (15) university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of its convening by the senate president. Following its deliberations, the committee may deny, affirm or modify the appeal. The committee shall then forward its recommendation to the Provost/V.P. for Academic Affairs, who will implement the recommendation of the committee within five (5) university calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). The action of the Provost/V.P. for Academic Affairs shall be final and binding upon all parties, and shall be communicated by the Provost/V.P. for Academic Affairs to the student and the faculty member (with copies to the department chair, school dean, graduate dean (if applicable), and dean of students).
Maintenance of Academic Honesty Reports
1. The Office of the Dean of Students will maintain a copy of each Academic Honesty Report filed on a student until that student’s graduation or permanent suspension of Students will be assumed to have permanently suspended their studies at WCSU if they go five years without enrolling for any coursework. Faculty members or administrators investigating allegations of academic honesty violations may request that the Office of the Dean of Students release them any previous reports that have been filed on the student against whom the current allegations are being made.
Penalties
1. The penalty for an academic honesty violation on a significant course requirement such as a final copy of a term paper/project or final examination shall be an “F” for the The penalty for academic honesty violations in other coursework will be left to the discretion of the faculty member and may be modified upon appeal. When an academic honesty violation includes flagrant behavior, such as having a substitute take an exam or stealing an exam, the faculty member also shall refer the matter to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary action pursuant to the CSU Student Code of Conduct. The Office of the Dean of Students also may initiate disciplinary action against a student with repeated academic honesty violations.
Review And Responsibilities
1. Provost/V.P. for Academic Affairs and P. for Student Affairs
2. University Senate
3. President

Review: Every three years (and as needed)
President
Policy History
Issue #1 2006
Issues #2:

Senate approved as revised: May 6, 2002

Administrative approval: Sept, 6, 2006

Forms related to the Academic Honest Process are included in the appendices to this handbook.