Appendix A - Academic Integrity Policy

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Cheating—Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in any academic exercise or examination. Using or attempting to use any unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in an examination or academic exercise.

2. Plagiarism—Representing the ideas or language of others as one's own.

3. Falsification—Falsifying or inventing any information, data, or citation in an academic exercise.

4. Multiple Submission—Submitting substantial portions of any academic exercise more than once for credit without the prior authorization and approval of the current instructor.

5. Complicity—Facilitating any of the above actions or performing work that another student then presents as his or her assignment.

6. Interference—Interfering with the ability of a student to perform his or her assignments.

Sanctions: Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will, for the first offense, receive one or a combination of the following penalties:

1. No credit (0) or Failure for the academic exercise

2. Reduced grade for the course

3. A Failure in the Course that is identified on the student's permanent record card as permanent and cannot be removed.

4. Recommendation for Academic Probation to the dean's office.

In cases of interference and complicity, when the student is not registered in the affected course, the incident may be recorded on the student's permanent record card. In any case, the incident and penalty will be recorded in the student's file maintained in the campus office of Enrollment Services. 

For a second offense of academic dishonesty, a student will be subject to any combination of the above sanctions, and, with concurrence of the academic dean, one of the following: 

1. Suspension from the University for one year. Readmission will be contingent upon the approval of the academic dean.

2. Dismissal from the university.

Procedure: When a faculty member believes that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member will discuss the incident with the student as soon as possible. If after the conference, the faculty member has determined that an act of academic dishonesty occurred, the faculty member will impose appropriate sanctions as listed above. The faculty member must notify the student in writing of the imposed sanctions and of the Appeal Procedure for Academic Integrity violations. All letters notifying the student of the sanctions and appeals' outcomes should be sent CERTIFIED MAIL with return receipt. The faculty member will submit copies of notice to his or her department chair, the chair of the department of the student's major, the academic dean, and the campus office for Enrollment Services. The student may submit a written appeal to the department chair within fourteen (14) days of the receipt of the notification of the imposed sanctions. Failure to make an appeal within this 14-day time period shall constitute a waiver of the appeal right. Upon completion of the appeal process, the academic dean will notify the campus director of Enrollment Services of the final disposition of the matter and the sanctions to be imposed, if any.

Appeals Process: Students who are charged with academic dishonesty by an instructor may appeal in writing to the chair of the department in which the alleged incident took place and the chair will act as mediator. The sanction imposed by the faculty member may be dismissed, modified, or upheld through the mediation process. The department chair, within ten (10) working days, will notify the student in writing of the outcome of the mediation process, with copies to the instructor, academic dean, and campus director of Enrollment Services. If it is determined that academic dishonesty did not take place, the student's grade cannot be based on the assumption of such dishonesty. Within ten (10) working days of the department chair's notification, the student may submit a written appeal to the academic dean of the college in which the alleged dishonesty took place. The academic dean shall establish a five-person hearing committee consisting of a faculty member at large from the college, the academic dean, the campus dean of students, a faculty member from the department of the student's major, and a student from the college in which the alleged dishonesty took place selected by the campus dean of students. The hearing will be chaired and convened by the academic dean of the college. The committee can uphold, modify, or dismiss the outcome of the departmental mediation process. The academic dean will notify the student of the committee's decision within five (5) working days of the hearing. For a second offense of academic dishonesty, the academic dean can suspend or dismiss the student.

For a sanction of suspension or dismissal imposed by the academic dean, the student may file a written appeal to the Provost within ten (10) working days of receiving the notification of the dean's decision. The Provost, or his or her designee, shall review the case within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the appeal. The Provost shall make the final decision, using any appropriate resources to assist in deciding the appeal. The Provost shall then notify all parties in writing of his or her final decision within five (5) working days after the review process.

FDU · campuses · faculty · manual · help