I. INTRODUCTION:
Our Judaeo-Christian heritage and our commitment to the intellectual and moral growth of our students are central to the Mission of Providence College. We are committed to developing the habits of living a productive life that includes the conscious and public practice of integrity. Our Mission inspires us to pursue Truth, and to identify God as Truth, and thus we are committed to cultivating the virtue of honesty in all aspects of campus life, especially in our pursuit of Truth in the classroom. We recognize that violations of integrity are harmful not only to our own pursuit of Truth, but are detrimental to the entire learning community of our College in that they dishonor our efforts and compromise our dedication to a spirited pursuit of learning. To such an end, we expect our faculty, students, and administrators to support this culture of honesty, integrity, and respect for the Truth. We believe that the best way to assure that our community embraces a life-long commitment to integrity is through the full participation of students in the process of development and implementation of a policy that allows for practice of integrity among our entire College community.
II. DEFINITIONS and RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Definitions
The principal violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, forgery, lying, and collusion. Types of academic activities governed by this policy include but are not limited to exams, quizzes, papers, graded homework, group assignments, online assignments, lab projects, lab reports, or any other assignments given by an instructor.
1. Plagiarism: copying or stealing the thoughts, ideas, descriptions, or arguments of another person and presenting them as one’s own or attributing them to oneself.
2. Cheating: practicing deception or fraud by obtaining information in ways contrary to rules or instructions.
3. Forgery: creating a false document or altering a real one to be used as if genuine. This practice includes signing another’s name without permission.
4. Lying: knowingly telling an untruth verbally or in writing, including knowingly telling instructors, deans, or other officials untruths.
5. Collusion: assisting or attempting to assist another student in an act of academic misconduct; working together on an assignment meant to be completed independently.
B. Responsibilities
1. Students: Students are expected to understand this policy and to exercise diligence in following it. They are to take credit only for work that they have completed through their own efforts within the guidelines established by the instructor. When aware of an instance of academic misconduct, students are expected to notify the instructor, department chair, or Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, with or without revealing the name of the person committing the violation.
2. Faculty: In each course, the instructor should address students on academic integrity and how it applies to the assignments for that course; the academic integrity policy should be included among the other policies of the course that are articulated in the syllabus. Faculty members are expected to take appropriate measures to prevent the occasion for collusion, such as using different exams for separate testing periods. Instructors are expected to treat students in a fair and uniform fashion and to report each act of academic misconduct in accord with this policy.
III. ADJUDICATION OF ACTS OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Initial Determination of Infraction
The instructor who observes or suspects an act of academic misconduct must first discuss the incident with the student(s). The instructor may request that his or her department chair be present at that discussion. The instructor is expected to treat the student(s) respectfully and fairly, and the student(s) are expected to respond honestly to the questions posed. If the instructor is convinced that an act of academic misconduct has occurred, he or she shall impose an appropriate sanction in the form of compensatory coursework, a grade reduction, or a failing grade, consistent with the academic integrity policy of the course. The sanction should reflect the gravity of the infraction and the instructor’s assessment of the student’s intent.
In all cases where the instructor has determined that there has been a violation of academic integrity, he or she is required to report, in writing, the infraction to the student(s), the chair or program director(s) related to that course, and to the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies within seven days of the determination that an act of academic misconduct has occurred. A form will be provided for this purpose. The Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies shall then verify to the student(s) in writing that such a charge has been made.
B. Review Process
1. Determination of Review
If the Dean, in consultation with the involved parties, determines that the infraction is very grave, or if the student already has a case of academic misconduct reported in his or her file, then he shall require that the case be reviewed by the Academic Integrity Board. In all other cases the student is not obligated to undergo a review if he or she accepts the sanctions imposed by the instructor.
If a student feels that he or she has been wrongly accused of an infraction of academic misconduct or honesty, or believes that he or she has been unjustly penalized for the same, he or she has the right to appeal to the Academic Integrity Board. If two or more students are jointly accused of the same infraction, their cases will normally be considered individually, except in extraordinary cases as determined by the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies.
A student who wishes to appeal a sanction imposed by an instructor must do so in writing to the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies. Except in extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Dean, students should submit their appeal within one month of receiving the instructor’s sanction. An appeal can only be initiated by the accused student.
2. Academic Integrity Board
The Academic Integrity Board shall consist of seven regular members:
- Two faculty members appointed by the President of the College, (one of whom will be designated by the President as the Chair of the Board), and one faculty member appointed by the Faculty Senate;
- Three students selected by the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, from a list of five nominees chosen by Student Congress. To be eligible for nomination by Student Congress, a student must not have been previously cited for an infraction of this Code and must not be currently under any individual disciplinary sanction from Student Services Administration; and
- The Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, ex officio.
The President of the College will also appoint two faculty members as alternates, the Faculty Senate will appoint one faculty member as an alternate, and the Student Congress will nominate three student alternates.
The Dean shall exercise the right to vote only in the case of a tie.
The term of each (non-ex officio) member shall be two years, commencing July 1 and ending June 30. The terms of office shall be staggered to allow for continuity on the Board. The members of the Board shall be appointed or elected in the spring semester for the following academic year.
If a student member of the Board is accused of a violation of academic honesty, he or she shall not participate in the adjudication of the case. If the Academic Integrity Board issues sanctions against a student member, then that student member shall be removed from the Board. Student members of the board have the responsibility to excuse themselves from deliberations if they have a familiarity with the accused student that creates a conflict of interest in fact or appearance. Faculty members of the Board have the responsibility to excuse themselves if they have been involved with the case prior to its coming to the Board. In such cases, the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies shall select replacements on a case by case basis from the designated lists alternate members.
The Board shall conduct its business following Robert’s Rules of Order. A quorum that includes both faculty and student representation is necessary for the Board to conduct business.
3. Processing of Cases by Review Board
Within ten business days of a written appeal by a student or a referral by the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies (whichever date is the sooner of the two), the Chair of the Academic Integrity Board must convene a Review Board. Time frames may be adjusted for compelling reasons, with notification and an explanation provided to the student and the instructor. The Review Board shall consist of the members of the Academic Integrity Board plus one additional faculty member from the department or program of the instructor who reported the incident. That faculty member will be appointed by the Chair of the Academic Integrity Board.
The Chair of the Academic Integrity Board shall chair the Review Board. During the review, 1) the instructor will have the opportunity to explain why he or she has judged that there has been an infraction of the academic integrity policy and, where the student has appealed the sanction, to explain the rationale, and 2) the student will have the opportunity to defend himself or herself against the charge of academic misconduct and/or to explain why he or she believes the instructor’s sanction is not appropriate.
Both the instructor and the student have the right to have advisors who are members of the College community. The advisor’s role is limited to providing support and consultation; the advisor may not actively participate in the hearing. Instructors and students may call witnesses or submit evidence, and each must submit his or her evidence of written documentation in writing and may appear before the Review Board. The Review Board may, at its discretion, meet separately with the instructor and the student involved. Accused students have the right to review all evidence. The Review will be closed to persons other than those who are directly involved.
When the Review Board is satisfied that all relevant information has been presented, the Chair will excuse the involved persons if they are in attendance. The Review Board will then deliberate on the evidence and make a decision on the case. A simple majority vote is required in all decisions. Within forty-eight hours, the Chair will notify, in writing, both the student and the instructor of the outcome of the review. A copy of all rulings will be filed with the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies. The Dean will implement all decisions.
4. Sanctions Assigned by the Review Board
If a student is found, by simple majority vote of the Review Board, in violation of the College’s policy on academic integrity, then sanctions previously assigned by the instructor will be upheld and the instructor’s initial report will be placed in the student’s file until three years after the conferral of the degree for graduation, at which point it shall be destroyed, unless a subsequent finding of guilt for academic misconduct occurs. The Review Board, after consultation with the instructor, may impose additional sanctions which may include, but are not limited to, suspension and expulsion. The final adjudication will be publicly posted within the College community, with names and specific identifiers excluded from the posting.
If by majority vote the Review Board determines that the charge of academic misconduct is not supported, then the instructor’s initial report will be destroyed, and it will be recommended to the instructor that the assignment(s) in question shall be graded on their merits. If a student wishes to appeal a final course grade, he or she should follow the College’s policy on academic grievances.
C. Subsequent offenses
If a report of academic misconduct submitted to the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies turns out to be a second offense for that student, and it is upheld by a Review Board of the Academic Integrity Board (or not challenged by an appeal to the Academic Integrity Board), then a sanction not limited to, but no less than, a one-semester suspension shall be imposed. Seniors in their final semester will not be allowed to participate in graduation celebrations sponsored by the Division of Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Student Affairs Administration. Both shall be notified of this sanction.
The penalty for a third offense shall be dismissal from Providence College.
According to the determination of the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, suspension and dismissal shall be effective either immediately or at the conclusion of the semester in which the determination of the violation of policy occurred.
D. Final Appeals
A student may appeal a suspension or dismissal from the college for reasons of academic misconduct to the Vice President for Academic Affairs of Providence College. Such an appeal must be submitted in writing within five business days of the Chair of the Review Board’s notification to the student. Possible appellate grounds are: i) alleged procedural errors that could have affected the determination of the Review Board; ii) newly discovered facts not previously available or known that could have had a significant impact on the determination of the Review Board; and/or iii) a request for review of the sanction and the rationale for such a review, including any mitigating circumstances. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will consider the appeal and may, at his or her discretion, meet with the student. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will issue an appellate decision to the student within ten business days of the appeal. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may affirm the decision, remand the matter to the Review Board for further review, or dismiss the charges.
A sanction of suspension or dismissal for academic misconduct that is affirmed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs may be appealed by the student to the Executive Vice President of Providence College. The appeal must be filed in writing by the student within five business days of the Chair of the Review Board’s notification to the student. The Executive Vice President may decide the appeal based on written submissions and/or meeting with any interested party or parties. The Executive Vice President will issue an appellate decision within ten business days of the appeal. Decisions made by the Executive Vice President are final.