Standards of Academic Honesty

To promote the free exchange of ideas, the Stevenson University community depends upon the academic honesty of all its members. While acknowledging that the vast majority of students conduct themselves with a fundamental honestly, the University seeks to set the highest ethical standards. For students, academic honesty is merely a prelude to the personal integrity and professional ethics that will govern their careers. In all cases, intellectual honesty provides the clearest path to knowledge, understanding, and truth -- the highest goals of an academic institution. Therefore, the University expects honesty from all of its members in every academic setting. Academic honesty applies to all situations, including but not limited to documenting all sources used in assignments, completing all test without unauthorized assistance, and providing accurate information on college documents.

Violations of Academic Honesty and Ethics

Any attempt to commit the following offenses constitutes academic dishonesty:

Cheating
Using unauthorized material to complete a test, quiz, examination, or assignment. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying from other students, relying upon aids or notes during a test, or consulting outside sources without the instructor's permission. Giving unauthorized assistance to other students also constitutes cheating.

Plagiarism
Representing the words, ideas, research, or works of another as one's own. Plagiarism can involve submitting work prepared entirely or in part of another person or commercial service or borrowing or unpublished resources without proper acknowledgement. Students must document all print, online, and oral sources they use to complete assignments.

Unauthorized Assistance
Preparing an assignment with the help of another student or allowing another person, such as a tutor, to alter or revise an assignment beyond the scope of collaboration the instructor has defined.

Fabrication
Presenting false data, sources, or research results for academic credit.

Multiple Submission
Presenting the same work, in whole or in part, for credit in more than one course without the explicit permission of all interested instructors.

Other Violations
Including, but not limited to, lying, forgery, bribery, damaging or stealing college or another's property, physically abusing another person, or verbally threatening another.

Sanctions for Violating Standards of Academic Honesty and Ethics

Should a student violate the University's standards of academic honesty and ethics, he or she will be liable to sanctions according the following procedure:

  1. When a faculty member has reason to believe that a student has violated the standards of academic honesty and ethics as described above, he or she will take the following steps:
     
    • Make a sincere effort to meet with the student to discuss the violation, counsel the student on the importance of academic honesty and ethical responsibility, and communicate the penalty.
       
    • Inform his or her Division Director of designee (Department Chair or Program Coordinator) of the infraction and the course of action the instructor has determined. The penalty may include loss of credit for the assignment or failure of the course.
       
    • Submit an Academic Honesty Violation Report or similar document to the Division Director and to Jeff Kelly, Associate Dean, Academic Support Services, and seek to have the student read and sign the report. The student's signature will indicate only that the student has read the report and discussed it with the faculty member. The student may also write comments in the space provided on the form, and he or she will receive a copy of the report.
       
  2. When the Associate Dean has reason to believe that a student has committed a second infraction while enrolled in the University, he or she will meet with the student to discuss the importance of the University's ethical standards and to outline any additional sanctions. These sanctions may include placing the student on academic probation, revoking the student's right to participate in extra-curricular activities including athletics, dismissing the student from the major, or suspending or expelling the student from the University.
     
  3. In the case of a third infraction, sanctions will include probation, suspension, or expulsion of the student from the University.

Responsibilities to Maintain Academic Honesty

All members of the Stevenson community have a responsibility to maintain academic honesty. Below are some of those responsibilities as they pertain to specific groups.

Students must conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner at all times. To do so requires more than simply avoiding any of the infractions listed above. Students must consider the significance of academic honesty and commit themselves to intellectual integrity in college and beyond in order to facilitate the free exchange of ideas. Students must also be sure they understand the significance of academic honesty and must consult with instructors to clarify any questions or problems that may arise.

Faculty must define academic honesty carefully and fully, particularly plagiarism and cheating, at the start of all their courses. Instructors must also clearly outline their policies and penalties for academic dishonesty on their syllabi and review them in class. Penalties for all violations are the decision of the faculty member and may include failure of the course. In addition, faculty members must expeditiously and confidentially pursue suspicious work, intervene where necessary as outlined above, and report all infractions to the Division Director and to Jeff Kelly, Associate Dean, Academic Support Services, even when they have imposed no penalty. Faculty members must give a completed form to the Division Director and to the Associate Dean and must give a notice to the student that this infraction has been reported to the Division Director and to the Associate Dean.

Academic Administration will maintain a system for tracking reports of student academic ethics violations and will promote the University's standards of academic ethics by counseling students and by imposing sanctions on students who commit multiple infractions. The administration will also implement a system for confronting and penalizing repeat offenders. In appropriate cases of academic dishonesty, the administration should be ready to intervene positively where possible.