Code of Academic Integrity | Dean of Students

PDF: Code of Academic Integrity

Principle
Prohibited Conduct
Student Responsibility
Faculty Responsibility
Student Rights
Academic Integrity Procedure:
   I.    Faculty-Student Conference
   II.    Additional Sanctions for Multiple Violations
     III.    Appeal to Dean of the College
     IV. Interim Action
     V.    Appeal to University Hearing Board
General Provisions:
Academic Days
Advisor
Grade before Appeals
Graduate Students
Notice
Record
Rights and Responsibilities of Witness
Student or Faculty Not Available for Conference
Student Not in Class

Principle

Integrity and ethical behavior are expected of every student in all academic work. This Academic Integrity principle stands for honesty in all class work, and ethical conduct in all labs and clinical assignments. This principle is furthered by the student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308 through 5-404, all provisions of which apply to all University of Arizona students. This Code of Academic Integrity (hereinafter "this Code") is intended to fulfill the requirement imposed by ABOR Policy 5-403.A.4 and otherwise to supplement the Student Code of Conduct as permitted by ABOR Policy 5-308.C.1. This Code of Academic Integrity shall not apply to the Colleges of Law or Medicine, which have their own honor codes and procedures.

Prohibited Conduct:

Conduct prohibited by this Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to:

Cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308-E.6, E.10, and F.1
Submitting an item of academic work that has previously been submitted without fair citation of the original work or authorization by the faculty member supervising the work.
Violating required professional ethics rules contained or referenced in the student handbooks (hard copy or online) of undergraduate or graduate programs, or professional colleges.
Violating health, safety or ethical requirements to gain any unfair advantage in lab(s) or clinical assignments.
Failing to observe rules of academic integrity established by a faculty member for a particular course. Attempting to commit an act prohibited by this Code. Any attempt to commit an act prohibited by these rules shall be subject to sanctions to the same extent as completed acts.
Assisting or attempting to assist another to violate this Code.

Student Responsibility:

Students engaging in academic dishonesty diminish their education and bring discredit to the academic community. Students shall not violate the Code of Academic Integrity and shall avoid situations likely to compromise academic integrity. Students shall observe the generally applicable provisions of this Code whether or not faculty members establish special rules of academic integrity for particular classes. Students are not excused from complying with this Code because of faculty members’ failure to prevent cheating.

Faculty Responsibility:

Faculty members shall foster an expectation of academic integrity and shall notify students of their policy for the submission of academic work that has previously been submitted for academic advancement, as well as any special rules of academic integrity or ethics established for a particular class or program (e.g., whether a faculty member permits collaboration on coursework; ethical requirements for lab and clinical assignments; etc.), and make every reasonable effort to avoid situations conducive to infractions of this Code.

Student Rights:

Students have the right to a fair consideration of the charges, to see the evidence, and to confidentiality as allowed by law and fairness to other affected persons. Procedures under this Code shall be conducted in a confidential manner, although a student has the right to an advisor in any appeal to a University Hearing Board under this Code.

Academic Integrity Procedures

I. Faculty-Student Conference

The faculty member of record for the course (i.e., responsible for signing the grade sheet) conducts these procedures. Faculty shall make sure that students receive notice and fair consideration of the charges against them. The faculty member must confer with the student within 15 academic days (hereinafter referred to as "days") of receiving evidence of a suspected violation of this Code, unless good cause is shown for an extension of no more than 30 days. The faculty member shall confer with the student in private, explain the allegations, present any evidence, and hear the student's response. If more than one student is involved in an incident, separate conferences are recommended but not required. When dealing with students who are unavailable for the conference, students not enrolled in the class, or graduate students, refer to the General Provisions.

After the conference the faculty member shall decide, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether or not the student has committed an act prohibited by this Code. "Preponderance of the evidence" means that it is more likely than not that a violation of this Code occurred. If the evidence does not support a finding of a violation, the University will make no record of the incident in any University files. The student may continue in the class without prejudice.

If the evidence supports a finding that the student has engaged in misconduct, the faculty member shall impose sanctions after considering the seriousness of the misconduct, the student's state of mind, and the harm done to the University and to other students. In addition, the faculty member shall consider mitigating and aggravating factors in accordance with the provisions of ABOR Policy 5-308.H. A faculty member may impose any one or a combination of the following sanctions: a written warning, loss of credit for the work involved, reduction in grade, notation of the violation(s) on the student’s transcript (temporary or permanent), or a failing grade in the course. The faculty member may also impose a sanction of suspension or expulsion from the program, department, college, or University. Within 10 days of the conference, the faculty member shall prepare a written decision outlining the charges, evidence, findings, conclusions and sanctions imposed. The faculty member should use the standard form entitled "Record of Faculty-Student Conference," and furnish copies to the student (as provided in the "Notice" section under General Provisions) and to all others as noted on the form, including the Dean of Students Office. See the General Provisions section for Grade Before Appeals.

II. Additional Sanctions for Multiple Violations

Multiple violations of this Code may subject students to additional sanctions, including suspension or expulsion at the discretion of the Dean of the student’s College ("Academic Dean") or his/her designee. Students found responsible by a faculty member for a violation of the Code must immediately contact the Dean of Students Office to determine if they have multiple violations subjecting them to additional sanctions by their Academic Deans.
Upon receiving the Record of Faculty-Student Conference, the Dean of Students Office will notify the student and the Academic Dean of the existence of multiple violations. The Academic Dean will decide if any additional sanctions are to be imposed on the student as a result of multiple violations. The Academic Dean will convey this information to the faculty member, the student and the Dean of the college where the violation occurred ("Dean of the College"), as provided in the "Notice" section under General Provisions. The Academic Dean should use the form entitled "Sanctions for Multiple Violations," and outline the findings and conclusions supporting his/her decision for an additional sanction. If the case is appealed as set forth below, the Academic Dean will present the case for the additional sanction.

III. Appeal to Dean of the College

The student may appeal the faculty member’s decision and sanctions to the Dean of the College or his/her designee. The student shall deliver the written appeal to the Dean of the College within 10 days of the date on which the notice of the decision is received. The Dean of the College may extend this filing period if the student shows good cause for the extension. If a student does not appeal within the time provided, the decision and sanctions of the faculty member will be final.

Within 15 days of receiving the appeal, the Dean of the College shall review the faculty member’s decision, sanctions and supporting evidence, and shall confer with the faculty member and the student. The Dean of the College shall have the authority to uphold, modify, or rescind the faculty member’s decision and sanctions. If the Dean of the College finds:

that the conclusion of a violation is not supported by the evidence, then he/she shall render a finding of no violation and that the sanction(s) imposed be rescinded.
that the conclusion of a violation is supported by the evidence and the sanction imposed is appropriate, then he/she shall uphold the faculty member's decision and sanction(s).
that the conclusion of a violation is supported by the evidence, and the sanction(s) imposed are inadequate or excessive, then he/she shall modify the sanction(s) as appropriate.

The Dean of the College shall notify the student, the faculty member and the Dean of Students in writing of his/her decision as provided in the "Notice" section under General Provisions. The Dean of the College should use the form "Record of Appeal to Dean of the College" for this purpose. If the Dean of the College fails to act within the 15 day period, the student may, within 10 days thereafter, appeal to a University Hearing Board by providing a written notice of appeal to the Dean of Students Office. If the Dean of the College decides no violation occurred, all reference to the charge shall be removed from the student's University records, and the student may continue in the class without prejudice. If the semester has ended, the faculty member shall calculate the grade without the sanction. If work was not completed due to the academic integrity allegation, the faculty member and the student shall confer and a grade of "W" or "I" shall be assigned. If a grade of "I" is assigned, the student shall have the opportunity to complete remaining work without prejudice.

IV. Interim Action

The Dean of the College involved may suspend the student from one or more classes, clinics or labs for an interim period prior to resolution of the academic integrity proceeding if the Dean believes that the information supporting the allegations of academic misconduct is reliable and determines that the continued presence of the student in classes or class-related activities poses a significant threat to any person or property.
The Dean must provide a written notice of the interim suspension to the student, with a copy to the Provost. The interim suspension will become effective immediately as of the date of the written notice.
A student who is suspended for an interim period may request a meeting with the Provost or his/her designee to review the Dean’s decision and to respond to the allegations that he or she poses a threat, by making a written request to the Provost for a meeting, including the student’s dates of availability. The Provost or his/her designee will schedule the meeting no later than five (5) days following receipt of the written request and decide whether the reasons for imposing the interim suspension are supported by the available evidence.
The interim suspension will remain in effect until a final decision has been made on the pending academic misconduct charges or until the Provost, or his/her designee, determines that the reasons for imposing the interim suspension no longer exist or are not supported by the available evidence.

V. Appeal to University Hearing Board

The student may appeal any decision of the Dean of the College or the Academic Dean that imposes suspension or expulsion or provides for a notation on the student’s transcript. The student may also appeal if the Dean of the College failed to act within the 15 day period. The Dean may grant the student the option to appeal if the sanction of a failing grade is imposed and the Dean believes reasonable persons would disagree on whether a violation occurred. The appeal must be filed within 10 days from receipt of the decision or the Dean of the College’s failure to act, by providing written notice of appeal to the Dean of Students Office. If a student does not appeal within the time provided, the decisions of the Academic Dean, and the Dean of the College or the faculty member if the Dean of the College failed to act, will be final. The University Hearing Board shall follow the procedures set forth in the Student Disciplinary Procedures ABOR Policy 5-403.D. with the following modifications:

The Hearing Board shall be composed of three faculty and two students and shall convene within 30 days of the time the student files the appeal.
Wherever the term Vice President of Student Affairs appears, it shall be replaced with Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost. The Provost is empowered to change grades and the Registrar shall accept the Provost's decision. The Provost shall also notify the parties of the final decision.
Wherever the Dean of Students is indicated as presenting evidence or witnesses, it shall be replaced with the faculty member who made the charges or his/her representative. Additionally, the Academic Dean or designee may also present evidence to support sanctions for multiple violations.
The student may be assisted throughout the proceedings by an advisor or may be represented by an attorney. If the student is represented by an attorney, the faculty member may also be represented by an attorney selected by the University Attorneys Office.
The faculty member has the same right as students to challenge the participation of any Board member, as noted in the Student Disciplinary Procedures (5-403.D.3.f.).
The Board may, in its recommendations, address any egregious violations of process.
Sanctions for multiple violations will be recommended and presented to the Board by the Academic Dean or his/ her designee.

General Provisions

Academic Days

"Academic Days" are the days in which school is in session during the regular fall and spring semesters, excluding weekends and holidays. If possible, Faculty-Student Conferences and appeals may be heard during the summer or winter break. The Dean of the College or Dean of Students may extend these time limits when serving the interests of a fair consideration or for good cause shown.

Advisor

An individual selected by the student to advise him/her. The advisor may be a faculty or staff member, student, attorney, or other representative of the student. The student will be responsible for any fees charged by the advisor.

Grade Before Appeals

Students must be allowed to continue in class without prejudice until all un-expired or pending appeals are completed. If the semester ends before all appeals are concluded, a grade of "I" shall be recorded until appeals are completed.

Graduate Students

In cases involving graduate students, faculty shall follow the procedures outlined for undergraduate students except that in all cases where the student is found to have violated this Code, the faculty member (and in the case of appeals, the Dean of the College or Hearing Board) shall notify the Associate Dean of the Graduate College.

Notice

Whenever notice is required in these procedures it shall be written notice delivered by hand or by other means that provides for verification of delivery.

Record

Whenever a sanction is imposed, the sanction and the rationale shall be recorded in the student's academic file. It is recommended that the standard forms "Record of Faculty-Student Conference" and "Record of Appeal to Dean of the College" be used. These forms are available from the Dean of Students Office. Students may petition the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost after five years from the semester of the determination or upon graduation, whichever occurs first, to have the record destroyed.

Rights and Responsibilities of Witness

Witnesses are expected to cooperate in any proceedings under this Code. The privacy of a witness shall be protected to the extent allowed by law and with consideration to fairness to the students charged and other affected persons. Retaliation of any kind against witnesses is prohibited and shall be treated as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct or of other applicable University rules.

Students or Faculty Not Available For Conference

In cases where the student is not available, e.g., out of the area after final exams, the faculty member shall make every reasonable effort to contact the student through personal contact, telephone, University email, or mail to inform the student of the charges. If the faculty member is able to contact the student, the Faculty-Student Conference shall be scheduled as soon as both parties are available, e.g., at the beginning of the next semester. The student shall be given the grade of Incomplete until the conference is held. If either of the parties will not be available for an extended period, the Faculty-Student Conference shall be held via the telephone or by mail. If after several efforts, contact cannot be established, the faculty member may impose sanctions but must send a letter or copy of the "Record of Faculty-Student Conference" form via certified return receipt requested mail to the student's last permanent address outlining the charges, findings, conclusions and sanctions.

Students Not in Class

If students not enrolled in the class are involved in a violation of this Code, faculty shall file a Student Code of Conduct complaint with the Dean of Students Office.