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Academic Integrity

As an institution committed to the Christian values of honesty and integrity, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor expects all members of the learning community to commit themselves to high standards of academic integrity. Academic integrity is vital not only as we live out our Christian calling but also for our students’ success in their future vocations. To that end, students are expected to take responsibility for all the work they produce at the University and to ensure that it meets the University’s standards for academic integrity.

Section One:  Standards of Academic Integrity

1.            Written work shall reflect the student’s own ideas, and any use of others’ words, ideas, or patterns of thought shall be appropriately quoted and/or cited.

• Plagiarism in any form is expressly prohibited.
• Failure to comply with the university’s copyright policy is expressly prohibited:  http://libguides.umhb.edu/copyright.

2.            Students are responsible for understanding the instructor’s rules governing any particular piece of academic work and abiding by those rules. Any questions about persons or materials not authorized to be used on any particular assignment shall be clarified before accessing those persons or materials.

• Submitting academic work produced with unauthorized assistance or materials is expressly prohibited. This may include assistance from fellow students, other faculty members, textbooks, notes, online resources, or commercial sources such as professional paper writers that are available for hire, or any other material that has not been authorized by the instructor for use.
• Papers (in whole or in part) or other work prepared for one course shall not be submitted to meet the requirements of another course without express permission from the instructor.

3.            Students assigned to collaborate in group projects are expected to contribute their fair share of the work necessary to complete the project or notify the instructor of their failure to contribute.

4.            Academic integrity requires that students be truthful in all their academic work.

• Falsifying research data, lab reports, or other academic work product is expressly prohibited.
• Students must refrain from disclosing the specific contents of any test, exam, or other required assignment to a student who will, or may, later be required to complete that same assignment.

• Students must refrain from soliciting or otherwise acquiring specific information about the contents of any test, exam, or other assignment that will, or may, be administered in the future.

5.            As members of a learning community, we all have a responsibility to assure that all members have equal access to learning materials. Keeping, taking, intentionally misplacing or damaging library books, online files, laboratory equipment, or other academic resources in order to obtain an academic advantage over another student is expressly prohibited.

6.            Students taking online courses shall be diligent to maintain the same standards of academic integrity for work performed off campus as for work performed in the classroom, the library, or other campus facilities. Online students shall maintain strict privacy of their login identity and passwords.

7.            The University’s standards of academic integrity go beyond the classroom to encompass all aspects of a student’s academic life.

• Falsifying an academic record, a degree plan, a prerequisite waiver, or any other official document is expressly prohibited.
• Students must not mislead any official of the University in order to secure a required form or otherwise obtain an academic advantage.

8.            The University is a learning community in which participants are responsible for one another.

• Assisting a student in any violation of the academic integrity standards is expressly prohibited. For example, providing or receiving unauthorized assistance, including (but not limited to) taking another student’s exam, providing answers to another student during a test, or contributing to another student’s written work without permission.

This is not an exhaustive list and the university reserves the right to interpret and reasonably apply academic standards to individual situations.

Section Two:  Violations of Academic Integrity Standards

1.            Students who violate these standards shall be subject to appropriate sanctions as determined by the circumstances of the act of academic dishonesty. 

• Category One violations are defined as incidents of alleged academic dishonesty that occur within a single course.

• Category Two violations are defined as incidents of alleged academic dishonesty that occur in multiple courses and/or multiple incidents within a single course during the student’s enrollment at UMHB.

2.            In furtherance of the mutual responsibility students share for academic integrity, students are expected to respond fully and candidly to any request from a University official for assistance in any investigation of violations of the University’s standards.  Failure to respond candidly and fully to such a request is a violation of the university’s standards of conduct.

 

3.            The university will normally use a progressive system of sanctions for students who violate this policy, but reserves the right to consider the totality of a situation (including mitigating or aggravating factors, previous incidents, current academic performance, etc.) and may impose one or more sanctions for any instance of misconduct. The university may use the following sanctions or another sanction that the university deems appropriate under the circumstances.

• Category One:  Faculty members may impose a verbal warning, a lower or failing grade, additional or repeated assignments and/or suspension from participating in an academic group or event associated with that course  (i.e. speech team, music ensemble, travel to a conference, etc.)
• Category Two: In addition to one or more of the sanctions above, the persons appointed by the Provost * to conduct the review may impose such sanctions as (1) suspending the student from the university for one long semester, (2) removing the student from a course, and/or (3) removing the student from a major, or alternatively (4) recommending to the Provost that the student be expelled from the university.  For sanctions of removal from a course, suspension or expulsion, the university’s grading, tuition, housing and other refund policies will apply.

*Although the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement is typically tasked with review of student appeals, the Provost may designate this review to another administrator.

4.            If the incident of academic dishonesty involves other possible student conduct violations, the faculty member or other reviewing authority shall immediately report the incident to the Dean of Students, who will review the matter as outlined in the university’s Student Handbook.

5.            Review Process for Allegations of Academic Dishonesty:

• Category One:  An incident of alleged academic dishonesty that occurs within a single course:

1)            If a faculty member has reason to suspect academic dishonesty may have occurred within a course he/she is teaching, the faculty member will request a meeting with the student to discuss the issue. This meeting should occur within two (2) business days from the date that the faculty member became aware of the possible student misconduct.  Students are required to meet with the faculty member upon request and to cooperate in the process.

2)            In the course of this meeting, the faculty member and the student may agree on whether academic dishonesty occurred and any appropriate academic penalty. The student may withdraw such an agreement by notice to the faculty member within three (3) days business days after the agreement was made.

3)            If the student fails to meet with the faculty member, or in the absence of an agreement between the faculty member and the student suspected of academic dishonesty, the faculty member may interview other persons who may have pertinent information about the allegations, including any person identified by the student who may provide information on the student's behalf. The faculty member may also request information or counsel from other persons whom the faculty member may consider appropriate and conduct additional interviews with the accused student.

4)            The preceding steps may occur in an order different from that listed above.  In particular, faculty members may decide to interview other persons before meeting with the student, if the faculty member deems it appropriate.

5)            Sanctions and Reporting to the Provost’s Office

• The faculty member will make a decision regarding the allegations against the student and any sanction imposed within a reasonable time, normally within two weeks after the initial meeting, although the school schedule may require a longer period of time. If sanctions are imposed, the faculty member will notify the student of the decision in writing (See Appendix A).
• The faculty member will also inform the student in writing that he/she will report the violation to the Provost’s Office, and if there are other instances of academic dishonesty on record, the student will be contacted by the Provost’s Office and may be subject to additional sanctions.
• The faculty member will contact the Provost’s office via the Academic Dishonesty Incident Report portal (found on the Faculty Tab of MyCampus) so that the Provost’s Office can determine whether the student has had previous incidents of academic dishonesty. 

6)            Under normal circumstances, sanctions imposed by the faculty member are not effective until the time for appeal has expired or a student has exhausted the appeal process. However, the Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the College) may direct that any sanction imposed will take effect immediately if it is determined that immediate sanctions are reasonably necessary, given the circumstances of the incident. 

7)            The student has the right to appeal the faculty member’s decision by delivering a letter of appeal to the Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) within seven (7) calendar days after notification of the decision by the faculty member. The letter of appeal shall state the portions of the faculty member's decision which the student wishes to appeal, the reasons why the student disagrees with the faculty member's decision, and the relief requested by the student.

8)            The Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) shall review the faculty member's decision in light of the letter of appeal. The Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) may interview anyone who may have pertinent information about the issue and request information or counsel from other persons.

9)            The Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) will provide a written decision on the appeal to the student and the faculty member within a reasonable time, normally within ten (10) days after receiving the appeal, although the school schedule may require a longer period of time. The Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) may affirm the decision of the faculty member, make a different determination of the facts, or change any academic penalties imposed on the student. The decision of the Associate Dean or Dean (as applicable to the School or College) is final.

• Category Two:  For incidents of alleged academic dishonesty that occur in multiple courses and/or for multiple incidents within a single course during the student’s enrollment at UMHB:

1)            After the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement is notified of an act of dishonesty and has verified that it is not the first incident, and after the appeal process regarding the faculty’s sanctions for the latest incident is completed or expired, s/he will begin a review of the incidents. 

2)            The Associate Provost for Academic Engagement will arrange a meeting with the student to discuss the issue.

• Students are required to attend this meeting and to cooperate in the process. 
• It is important to note that at this point in the process, a student has been found responsible for academic dishonestly on at least two occasions, and the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement role is to determine whether additional sanctions should be imposed after a review of the circumstances and sanctions already imposed. 
• The Associate Provost may interview other persons who may have pertinent information about the incidents, including any person identified by the student who may provide information on the student's behalf.

3)            The Associate Provost for Academic Engagement will make a decision regarding any additional sanction imposed (up to and including suspension) within a reasonable time, normally within two weeks after the initial meeting*, although the school schedule may require a longer period of time. If sanctions (up to and including suspension) are imposed, the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement will notify the student of the decision in writing. See section below for sanctions regarding expulsion.

*If the student fails to meet with the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement for two consecutive scheduled appointments, the Associate Provost will continue the review with the available information.

4)            The Associate Provost for Academic Engagement shall report the decision to the Provost, typically within five (5) business days of the decision. Upon receipt, the Provost will update the student’s record and notify any other university offices necessary to process a sanction, if one is given.

5)            The student has the right to appeal the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement decision by delivering a letter of appeal to the Provost within seven (7) calendar days after the decision by the Associate Provost. The letter of appeal shall state the portions of the Associate Provost's decision which the student wishes to appeal, the reasons why the student disagrees with the decision, and the relief requested by the student.

6)            The Provost shall review the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement's decision in light of the letter of appeal. The Provost may interview anyone who may have pertinent information about the issue and request information or counsel from other persons.

7)            The Provost will provide a written decision on the appeal to the student and the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement within a reasonable time, normally within ten days after receiving the appeal, although the school schedule may require a longer period of time. The Provost may affirm the decision of the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement, make a different determination of the facts, or change any academic penalties imposed on the student. The decision of the Provost is final.

Expulsion:  In the event that the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement recommends a student be expelled from the university, the following steps will apply:

1)            The Provost will review the matter, request information or counsel from other persons as he may consider appropriate, including at a minimum the Dean of Students, and may elect to conduct additional interviews with the student or others.  The Provost may affirm the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement's recommendation, impose one or more different sanctions, or refer the matter back to the Associate Provost for Academic Engagement for consideration of different sanctions.  If the student is expelled, the Provost will notify the student in writing and will also notify any university office necessary to process expulsion.

2)            If the student is expelled, the student may appeal the expulsion to the President.  The procedure for an appeal to the President shall be the same as set out in steps 8, 9 and 10 above for an appeal to the Provost.  The President's decision shall be final.

Under normal circumstances, sanctions imposed are not effective until the time for appeal has expired or a student has exhausted the appeal process. However, sanctions imposed will take effect immediately if reasonably necessary, given the circumstances of the incident. 

The application of the University's Academic Dishonesty policy is strictly a matter between the student and the University. A faculty member or administrator has no obligation to permit a student to be accompanied by a parent or other advisor during any part of the process