College of Community and Public Affairs - Student Affairs Administration

Binghamton University
PO Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902

Academic Policies and Procedures I. Academic Honesty A. Definitions and Scope of Academic Dishonesty 1. Honesty and integrity should be the bedrock of academic and professional life. The CCPA takes violations of the Academic Honesty Code very seriously. The Academic Honesty Code for Binghamton University can be reviewed online at http://bulletin.binghamton.edu/integrity.htm. Instances of academic dishonesty may include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating on examinations, multiple submissions, unauthorized collaboration, fabrication and misrepresentation, forgery, sabotage, or bribery. 2. Violations of the Code vary in severity, so the appropriate punishments vary. Some violations (Category I) may be handled by the instructor and student(s) involved. However, violations requiring more severe penalties (Category II) are appropriately dealt with by the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee. B. Prevention of Academic Dishonesty 1. The faculty understands the pressures of school and urges students to seek consultation if they feel they are unable to complete assignments properly in a timely fashion. Faculty recognize that most students do not intend to plagiarize, but do so because of concerns that their work will not “make the grade” or because they are not aware of the standards governing their conduct. In cases involving minor violations of the Code which the faculty member has reason to believe were unintentional, the faculty member has some discretion to pursue a range of options at mediating an academic honesty case before it is channeled formally. All faculty teaching in the College of Community and Public Affairs are expected to engage in efforts to prevent, educate about, and identify instances of plagiarism or academic honesty. Faculty are encouraged to use Turnitin. C. Responding (9) (c) (e) (f) (g) (h) to Suspected Violations of the Academic Honesty Code 1. In deciding how to respond to an particular violation of the Code, faculty are expected to keep in mind that they have a responsibility to their colleagues, the students, the institution and the profession to treat these matters seriously and to follow University and College policies and procedures. Academic honesty is a college-wide responsibility and, as a general rule, violations of the Code should not be treated as isolated incidents. When a faculty member has a complaint of academic honesty to report, the following procedures are to be followed. D. Initiation of Informal Action 1. Contacting the Student: When academic dishonesty is suspected, a faculty member may confront the student with his/her suspicions, as soon as possible after the dishonesty is discovered. Although confronting the student is generally the first step, it is not required before bringing a case to the Committee. Examples of situations in which it may not be appropriate to confront the student include: when the student has already left on break prior to the discovery of the dishonesty, when the student already has been warned for a prior incident of academic dishonesty, or when the student already has a record with the Committee, the College Dean’s Office, or the Provost’s Office. 2. Informal Sanctions: If, after confronting the student or investigating the matter, the instructor remains convinced by the preponderance of evidence that a violation has occurred, the instructor should then contact both the Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office to see if there is a record of a previous violation by the student. If there is no previous violation and the infraction is minor and deemed by the faculty member to be unintentional, the faculty member may decide that formal action through the Committee is not warranted and he/she may choose to assign a failing grade for the assignment. In rare cases, these informal sanctions may be appropriate, however it is the policy of the CCPA that some formal action is necessary in most cases to preserve the integrity of the academic institution. Documenting even minor violations of the Code through the Category I procedures described below allows the student to continue his/her studies without severe penalty, yet ensures that an accurate record is maintained in case the student commits a subsequent offense. E. Formal Action Regarding Academic Honesty 1. Either faculty members or students may submit charges of academic dishonesty against students. The initiator of the complaint should consult the Binghamton University Student Academic Honesty Code to determine whether the student has committed a Category I or Category II violation. Upon receipt of a signed charge by a student or faculty member, the Chair of the Academic E&I Committee shall convene the whole committee within 10 days. 2. Students who feel they have been unjustly accused of academic dishonesty by a faculty member or a student, or who feel that they have been unjustly penalized for alleged academic dishonesty by a faculty member, may request that the case be heard by the Committee. The Committee shall determine whether there is sufficient merit to warrant an Academic Honesty hearing. F. Category I Violations 1. The Admission of Dishonesty form which can only be used in the case of a Category I violation is like a plea bargain arrangement, whereby the student admits guilt in return for the promise that the case will not be brought before the Committee. Once signed by the student and faculty member, the Admission of Dishonesty form is given to the Chair of the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee, to be maintained in a confidential file in the Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office. 2. Generally, the Admission of Dishonesty form should be used only with first time offenders. It may be appropriate for a freshman or returning graduate student in his/her first semester, but not for a senior or graduate student nearing degree completion. Similarly, it may be appropriate for small amounts of plagiarized material (or when a student cites his/her sources but does not identify information as a direct quote), but not when large quantities or central ideas are presented without giving credit to the authors. 3. Faculty who are considering using the Academic Dishonesty form should check with the Chair of the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee, who will determine if the Dean’s Office and/or Provost’s Office have a prior record of academic dishonesty by the student. Because an Admission of Dishonesty is kept on file for six years following a student's departure from the university or until a student graduates, this process helps to inform other faculty members and the Committee if another incident occurs involving the same student. A student with an admission form already on file will be charged with a Category II offense and will be brought before Committee at a hearing. 4. If the student declines to sign the Admission of Dishonesty form, the Academic E&I Committee will hold a hearing pursuant to the procedures described below for Category II violations. G. Category II Violations Note: This process also applies for Category I violations where the student declines to sign an Admission of Dishonesty form. 1. If the instructor discovers a Category II violation, the instructor should first communicate with the student regarding the nature of the charge and the evidence on which the instructor has relied in reaching a conclusion that a violation has occurred. If, after communicating with the student, the instructor remains convinced that a violation has occurred, he or she should submit a detailed written charge with support evidence to the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee (the material may be submitted to the CCPA Dean’s Office and will be forwarded to the Chair of the Committee within five (5) business days). The instructor should also contact the Chair of the Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee who will check with the Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office to determine if there is a record of a previous violation by the student. 2. Notification of the Parties (a) The Committee Chair or his/her designee shall notify all parties of the charges under consideration not less than 14 days prior to the scheduled hearing. This notification shall be in writing and shall become a part of the record. The notice should be delivered by certified mail. (b) The Dean’s Secretary shall schedule a hearing at a time and location reasonably convenient to all parties. (c) This notification of hearing shall inform all parties of the following, with sufficient particularity and in sufficient time to ensure opportunity to prepare for the hearing. All parties will be informed of the following: (1) The specific charges brought against him/her (allegation, time, place, and brief circumstances of occurrence and parties involved). (2) The time and place to appear before the Committee for a hearing. (3) His/her right to review documents before a hearing is available or during the hearing. (4) Only the parties involved and their advisors have the right to attend the hearing before the committee. A party may bring an advisor, but that person may not participate directly in the hearing. If a party brings an advisor who is a lawyer or has a legal background, the hearing is suspended and the chair will consult with the university counsel as to how to proceed. If a named party does not appear at the hearing, then the hearing is conducted with the party absent. All persons attending the hearing are governed by confidentiality requirements. (5) His/her right to be present at any portion of the meeting when evidence is heard with respect to the case. His/her right to cross-examine witnesses. (6) His/her right to bring witnesses and/or present evidence in own defense. (7) His/her right to challenge the impartiality of any member of the Committee per Section II.C. (Conflict of Interest) above (8) His/her right, after the Committee has met and made its recommendation to the Assistant Dean to appeal the decision. The student’s right to plead guilty, in a signed statement, and accept the appropriate penalty. (10) The student’s right to waive the hearing, in a signed statement to the Committee Chair, and to accept the decision of the Committee. (11) The procedures and policy of the Academic Honesty Committee as outlined in the present document. 3. The Hearing. (a) The hearing shall be closed and all matters discussed kept confidential by all parties. Ex parte discussions shall be limited to discussions about policies and procedures, and shall not identify any of the parties to the case. (b) Any or all parties to the case may be accompanied by one other person, to act as counsel or advisor, who shall also be limited by confidentiality requirements and who may not participate in the hearing itself. If the named party is not present at the hearing, then the hearing is conducted with the party absent. (d) As soon as the student appears before the Committee, the chairperson shall review the named party’s rights and privileges and acquaint him/her with the purpose of the meeting, namely, to assess the evidence in light of the full context in which the alleged dishonesty occurred, in order to render a fair and equitable recommendation. Each party shall be given a limited time opportunity to present any additional material at the hearing, with the Committee Chair allocating the length of time, save that all parties shall receive the same length of time individually, save that the Committee may elect, at its sole discretion, to have collective presentations made by each side of the dispute, should more than one participant be on any one side. All parties to the academic honesty case shall be present at the hearing to listen to the presentations made, view the documents presented by, and ask questions of all other parties. Members of the Committee shall have the right to question both the documents and the presentations at the hearing, both during and after any presentations, in an order and manner determined solely by the Committee. A full record of the hearing, usually a tape recording, shall be made to allow for review by the Assistant Dean of the CCPA. No other recording of the procedures is permitted. 4. The Decision of the Committee. (a) Upon completion of the hearing, determined at the sole discretion of the Committee, the parties to the dispute will retire, tape recording will cease, and the Committee shall assess the evidence and formulate its recommendation to the Assistant Dean. During this part of the hearing, no one other than Committee members shall be present and no new evidence may be introduced. (b) The decision will be based on an open vote by all members hearing the charge. The recommendation shall be based on a vote of the majority of the members. Those members of the Committee who do not concur with the majority decision have the right to append a minority report to the recommendations. (c) The Committee may recommend to the Assistant Dean any of the following: (1) No action be taken against the student or students involved. (2) A letter of reprimand will be sent to the student, a copy of which will be kept in the Committee’s confidential file. (3) The student be placed on disciplinary probation and in the event he/she is found guilty of any other acts of academic dishonesty, a more stringent penalty could result. The record of this would be kept in the Committee’s confidential files and used only in the event other charges are brought against the student. (4) Suspension, with denial of registration at the University at Binghamton for a specified period of time. A record of this shall be kept in the Committee’s confidential file. (5) Expulsion, with no opportunity to return to the CCPA. A record of this shall be kept permanently in the Committee’s confidential file. Additional actions such as follow-up interviews with the Committee. (d) The Committee shall forward its written recommendation to the Assistant Dean of the CCPA designee within five business days of the conclusion of the hearings. 5. The CCPA Assistant Dean’s Review (a) The Assistant Dean carefully reviews the Committee’s recommendations and makes a determination. He/she will notify all parties and the Committee members in writing of the disposition and rationale for each case within 10 working days after receiving the Committee’s written recommendation. The named party is apprised of the appeal process. If the Assistant Dean is a party in the case, the Dean will appoint another individual to decide the case. 6. Appeal Procedure (a) A student may file an appeal of ruling with the Dean within five (5) working days of receipt of hearing outcome from the Assistant Dean. (b) Grounds for appeal may include, but are not limited to, procedural error, new evidence, additional information, action unsupported by evidence, or review of sanction. (c) An appeal review may be conducted on the basis of the hearing record, unless there is substantial new information; in that case, conduct is at the discretion of the Dean. (d)The Dean will notify the student within 10 working days of receipt of the request, whether the appeal is denied or accepted. If the appeal is accepted, the Dean will also notify the student regarding the course of events to follow, whether there will be modification of the original disposition, an appeal hearing, or a new hearing. H. Records of Academic Dishonesty (1) The Academic Ethics and Integrity Committee shall keep a confidential file in the Dean’s office to maintain records of case proceedings. A student’s record in the Committee’s confidential file shall be destroyed upon the student’s graduation or five years after the case is heard, whichever is earlier, except that, in the case of expulsion, no records shall be destroyed. No notation of any disciplinary action of this Committee shall be placed on the student’s transcript unless mandated by University policy. Information concerning disciplinary records shall be released to a third party only if a written release signed by the student is produced. (2) All reports of findings of guilt (either by admission or by adjudication) will be submitted by the Chair of the Academic E&I Committee through the CCPA Dean to the Provost’s Office for archival purposes. Whenever feasible, supporting documentation should be submitted electronically via email. II. Failure to Meet Deadlines (A) Timelines specific in the procedures for Academic Grievances and Academic Honesty cases are designed to ensure that these matters do not get drawn out indefinitely, and to provide the parties to a case with the opportunity to respond while their memories are fresh and materials are still available. (B) In general, failure of any party to meet a specified deadline may result in default and dismissal of the case or a judgment of the merits of the case by the Committee on the basis of information presented. (C) The Committee has the authority/discretion to extend deadlines with documentation of good cause shown. III. Distribution of the Policy (A) A copy of this document will be provided to all incoming students, faculty, staff and administrators. An electronic version will be posted on the CCPA website for access. (B) Full-time and adjunct faculty teaching for the CCPA departments shall include the following statement in their syllabi: “As a professional school within Binghamton University, the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) is committed to upholding the highest professional standards of ethics and integrity. Students are expected to comply with the Academic Honesty Code for Binghamton University (http://bulletin.binghamton.edu/integrity.htm). Violations of the Code will be taken seriously. Students should refer to the CCPA Academic Ethics and Integrity policy [we need to provide the url that would take them to the full text on this policy on the CCPA website]. IV. Severability If any provision of these policies and procedures is held to be illegal, unenforceable, or inconsistent with University rules, that provision shall be automatically severed and removed from these policies, and the remainder of the policies and procedures shall remain in force.