Due Process for Academic Dishonesty Cases

Step 1. When a faculty member suspects that a student has engaged in academic dishonesty, the faculty member will call the student into a private meeting in the faculty member’s office. (The division chair will be notified of and will approve any action.)

Step 2. The faculty member will confront the student with the evidence of dishonesty and/or academic irregularity. The faculty member and the student will discuss the specifics of what occurred. If the student confesses and accepts responsibility for academic dishonesty, then the faculty member will ask the student to sign in his/her own handwriting, a statement which makes clear that the student admits responsibility for the academic dishonesty. The faculty member will then consult with the division chair. The faculty member is then free to reprimand the student, to give a failing grade for the assignment, or to require the student to resubmit the assignment in question. With approval of the division chair, the faculty member can increase the penalty up to and including a “WF” for the course if the incident(s) merit this severe penalty.

Step 3. If the student refuses to sign a statement accepting responsibility for the act(s) of academic dishonesty, then a full hearing on the matter must be held. The faculty member and chair will document this incident and schedule a meeting with the student. This information will be turned over to the Academic Dean, who will make the determination of charges against the student and notify him/her in writing. The charges will be mailed by the Academic Dean to the student along with a notice to appear at a hearing, and, if the student wishes, to bring witnesses. At least three days’ notice is necessary unless the student waives the notice in writing.

Step 4. If the student requests a hearing, the Academic Dean has the option of hearing the case for administrative adjudication, convening a special hearing panel including faculty and students, or of referring it to the Student Life Hearing panel which handles all other disciplinary matters on campus. The committee will provide its recommendation to the Academic Dean. The Student Life Hearing Panel, when hearing cases of academic dishonesty, will include two faculty members, two students (one of whom will be the SGA president and the other an associate justice,) and the Director of Student Life, who oversees campus discipline and the Code of Conduct. The Chief Justice of the SGA chairs the panel. The Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services will serve as advisor to the panel for all academic dishonesty cases. In general, the decision of the Academic Dean or his/her designee will not be appealed to the Student Life Hearing Panel. An appeal of the Dean’s decision will go directly to the President who may choose to use the Student Life Hearing Panel to make a recommendation to him.

Step 5. The student has a right to appeal the decision of the hearing officer or hearing panel within ten calendar days of the decision. The appeal will be to the President or his designee. The President’s decision is final. The President reserves the right to review all disciplinary cases and the judgments made during the process.