What
is academic integrity and why do we have a policy for it?
Hendrix
College is committed to high standards of honesty and fairness in academic
pursuits. Such standards are central to the process of intellectual inquiry,
the development of character, and the preservation of the integrity of the
community.
This
commitment can be understood in the following ways:
- A student should not gain an unfair advantage or
violate other students’ commitment to honest work and genuine
effort. The amount of cooperation undertaken with other students,
the consistency and accuracy of work, and the test-taking procedure should
adhere to the guidelines that the classroom teacher provides.
- Members of the Hendrix community value and uphold
academic integrity because we recognize that scholarly pursuits are aimed
at increasing the shared body of knowledge. The full disclosure of
sources is the most effective way to ensure accountability to both
ourselves and our colleagues.
What
actions by a student are considered violations of these standards?
- Plagiarism, which involves the use of quotations
without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the
source, the use of another’s idea without acknowledging the source, the
submission of a paper or project (or any portion of such) prepared by
anyone else besides other students in group assignments;
- Cheating or colluding on examinations, laboratory
reports, exercises, or projects that are to be done by individual students
or teacher assigned groups of students; giving or receiving answers and/or
materials pertinent to any academic work without permission of the
classroom teacher;
- Stealing, manipulating, or interfering with any
academic work of another student;
- Lying to or deceiving faculty about issues that violate
course expectations; or
- Violating particular standards as determined and
explicitly outlined by individual classroom teachers on a course-by-course
basis. These particular standards should be clearly indicated on the
syllabus for each course.
What
does the Committee on Academic Integrity do and who are its members?
The
committee consist of five members of the student body and five faculty members.
The Student Senate nominates and selects student members. The faculty’s
Committee on Committees selects the faculty members and a designated committee
chair.
Faculty
members report all cases of academic integrity to the committee chair.
The committee keeps records of all academic integrity violations while the
students remain enrolled at Hendrix. Through conference groups, or sub-committees, the committee considers all reports of multiple violations and all cases where
the student and classroom teacher cannot agree on sanctions for the
violations. The committee monitors all sanctions for equity and
consistency across campus. The committee reports all decisions to all
involved parties.
In
order to protect the confidentiality of students, all committee deliberations
are held in confidence, as are all decisions and potential sanctions.
Furthermore, at the beginning of each academic year, and at each conference,
every member of the committee signs a confidentiality statement to protect the
privacy of deliberations.
What
are possible outcomes of an academic integrity violation?
In
most cases, cheating or plagiarism on assignments results in no credit for that
assignment and/or a reduction of one letter grade in the course. In most cases,
cheating or plagiarizing on a cumulative assignment, for example a final exam,
paper or presentation, results in an F for the course.
If
a student is responsible for repeated academic integrity violations, the
committee may consider the recommendation of a more serious sanction such as
suspension or expulsion. The committee would refer such a recommendation
directly to the Provost to make a final decision.
What
happens if a classroom teacher or another student thinks I committed an
academic integrity violation?
The
classroom teacher will discuss an alleged violation with you and suggest
possible sanctions for the alleged violation. The classroom teacher then
completes a violation report with a description of the alleged violation and
proposed sanctions and gives a copy to you. You then have two business
days to decide whether or not to accept the violation report.
- If you agree that the violation
occurred and you agree to the stated sanctions, you sign the violation
report and return it to the faculty member within the two-day time
limit. The faculty member sends the signed violation report to the
chair of the Committee on Academic Integrity. The chair may then
accept the violation and file it without committee involvement unless
further action is warranted because of previous violations by the student
or because of inconsistencies in the sanctions as compared to sanctions
for other students.
- If
you do not agree that the violation occurred, or you do not agree to the
stated sanctions, you return the unsigned violation report to your faculty
member within the two-day time limit. The faculty member sends the
unsigned violation report to the chair of the Committee on Academic
Integrity after the two-day limit ends --even if you did not bring back the unsigned report. The chair then schedules a conference group to make a
final decision. You and your teacher will be part of this conference.
A
student may report another student's alleged violation by either informing the
classroom teacher, who files a report with the Chair, or by filing a report
directly with the Chair.
What
is an academic integrity conference and what happens in one?
If it is determined a conference is necessary, the conference
group appointed by the committee chair shall convene within two weeks of the
date on the violation report. A minimum of five members of the Committee on
Academic Integrity, including at least two faculty members and two student
members, is required to hold a conference. The chair assembles conference group
members from available committee members. If the academic calendar does not
allow a conference within two weeks, the case will be revisited during the
first two weeks of the next academic semester.
The
classroom teacher and any named students must attend the conference. At this
meeting, all statements and evidence will be presented. All parties have
the right to introduce evidence or witnesses. Witnesses must have firsthand
knowledge of the academic integrity violation and/or evidence related to the
accusation. Note that a student facing an accusation of violating
standards of academic integrity must continue through the conference process
even if the student has withdrawn from the class in which the alleged
violations took place.
A
majority of the conference group may postpone a decision if certain evidence
deemed crucial to the case has not been presented. A decision may be postponed
only twice, and on each occasion the conference group must reconvene within a
week, provided this conforms to the academic calendar.
The
conference group has two options in rendering a decision: In Violation
or Not in Violation.
In
situations where a conference is required, a student is in violation of the
standards of academic integrity once a majority of the conference group concur
that a violation has occurred. If the conference group finds a student to be in
violation of the standards of academic integrity, it also hands down a
particular sanction after consultation with the classroom teacher. A
simple majority of the conference group must agree upon specific sanctions.
When
a decision has been reached that a student is in violation, the involved
parties will receive an official letter of decision from the chair. This letter
includes the decision of the conference group and the prescribed sanction.
This
decision letter is sent to the student and to the classroom teacher. The
violation does not appear on the student’s transcript. In addition, these
records may be divulged to Hendrix faculty and staff requesting information
relevant to awards and honors. Records of single violations shall not be
divulged to outside parties such as employers and graduate schools. In
the case of multiple violations, inquiring parties (e.g., employers or graduate
schools) who directly ask whether, or not, a student has violations of academic
integrity will be informed that a violation exists (although the details of the
violation will not be released).
If
a student is found not in violation, the student and the classroom
teacher will be notified by the Chair.
The
Committee shall retain all records of academic integrity violations for as long
as the student is enrolled at Hendrix, or for a total of five years, whichever
occurs first. At the time limit, the records are purged.
Can
I appeal an ‘in violation’ decision from the Committee on Academic Integrity?
Students
are entitled to appeal an academic integrity decision based on one of the
following reasons:
- new information exists, unavailable during the original
conference, that could affect the outcome
- a material deviation from written procedures could have
impacted the fairness of the conference
- the sanction(s) may be grossly disproportionate to the
severity of the offense.
Unless
there is a recommendation of suspension or dismissal, students who choose to
make an appeal should submit a letter explaining the reasons to the chair of
the Academic Appeals Committee within seven business days of the receipt of the
in violation decision letter. The chair of the committee will determine
whether the appeal has merit based on the three reasons given above. If the
chair determines that the appeal does not have merit, the student is notified
that the appeal is denied. However, if the chair determines it does have merit,
the appeal is sent to the committee. The committee then determines whether to
uphold the in violation decision or to change the decision to not in
violation. This committee is allowed to question all parties who
participated in the conference. This committee may also consult the
Committee on Faculty if this committee believes faculty personnel issues are
raised. Decisions by the Committee on Academic Appeals are final. The
appeals process should be completed within four weeks of filing, exclusive of
breaks in the academic year.
If
there is a recommendation of suspension or dismissal, students who choose to
make an appeal should submit a letter explaining your reasons for the appeal to
the Provost within seven business days of the receipt of the in violation
decision letter. Decisions by the Provost are final. The appeals
process should be completed within four weeks of filing, exclusive of breaks in
the academic year.