Academic Honesty Policy and Suspected Dishonesty Process

Integrity of scholarship is to be maintained in an academic community, and academic work is to be completed by the student to whom it is assigned. Professors will exercise care in planning and supervising academic work, so you understand the boundaries of independent academic work. You are expected to complete courses in compliance with all the standards outlined in the Catalog and provided by your professors. No student shall attempt to receive a grade by means other than honest effort including, but not limited to:

  • Procuring, providing, or accepting unauthorized material containing questions/answers for an exam or assignment,

  • Completing an exam or assignment for or by another student,

  • Employing aids which the professor prohibits,

  • Plagiarizing or copying the work of another person,

  • Working with someone else when instructed to work independently,

  • Altering graded assignments or examinations,

  • Submitting substantially the same material in more than one course without permission,

  • Utilizing Generative AI tools in a manner that violates the school’s Policy on Student Use of Generative AI Tools

In no case, should the professor directly charge the student with the offense or impose any penalty. The professor confers with the dean to decide whether to proceed with a formal charge against the student. After reviewing the charge, the professor may decide to drop the charge, but the dean may not dismiss the charge without the professor’s consent.  

If the professor and dean disagree on whether to file a charge, the dean should communicate the disagreement to the President. At the discretion of the President, a meeting between the dean, professor, and student may be called.  

If the decision is to file a formal charge, the dean notifies the student of the charge and proposed penalty in writing (email is acceptable) and advises the student of the right to pursue a formal hearing conducted by the Academic Review Board (ARB).

The student has ten (10) working days following notification of the charge to decide to:

  • Accept the charge of academic dishonesty and the proposed penalty

  • Deny the charge of dishonesty and request a formal hearing

  • Accept the charge of dishonesty but appeal the proposed penalty  

If the student does not respond to the charges, he/she shall be presumed to have accepted the charges and penalty.  A record of the infraction and penalty shall be filed with the Registrar and Office of the President.

If the student denies the charge, a written request for a formal hearing will be made to the dean within ten (10) working days of being notified of the charges.  The case is referred to the ARB, and the ARB appoints a committee consisting of two disinterested professors and one student.  The presiding officer of the case shall be the Chair of the ARB, or his/her designee.  The procedures for the hearing are as follows:  

  • The presiding officer notifies all those involved, including any witnesses, of the hearing date, and procedures.

  • After testimony and evidence has been reviewed, the committee makes a ruling based on a preponderance of the evidence.  

If the student is found guilty, the presiding officer forwards the ruling, along with a recommended penalty to the Dean and the accused student.

If the committee finds the student not guilty, the case is dismissed without further action.  The student is permitted to complete the course without prejudice or withdraw from the course without penalty.  If the student withdraws from the course, it shall not be listed on his/her transcript, and the student shall be able to retake the course at a later date.

The accused student and/or any member of the committee may submit an appeal to the ARB within fifteen (15) working days.  The appeal must meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • The standards of procedural fairness were violated (e.g. the student was not notified of the hearing or was not allowed to defend himself/herself)

  • There was documented bias by the committee

  • There exists newly discovered evidence which has substantial bearing on the findings of the committee and that evidence was unavailable at the time of the hearing

  • The penalty in the case involves suspension or dismissal

The ARB will have five (5) working days to review the appeal.  After review, the ARB may decide to call a new hearing, reduce the penalty or dismiss the appeal.  Except for such appeals, the judgment of the committee is final.

While a case of academic dishonesty is pending, the student may not drop the course in which he/she is accused of dishonesty.  If the case has not been adjudicated before the end of the term, the professor shall withhold the student’s final grade and note what grade the student earned pending the outcome of the case.

In a case where a student is dismissed from the college, the student’s transcript shall bear a notation that readmission is contingent upon the approval of the Office of the President.  Any penalty less severe than dismissal shall be imposed as soon as all appeals have been exhausted.