ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

If a faculty member believes that a student has committed an academic integrity violation, the faculty member shall notify the student and, under normal circumstances, allow the student an opportunity to respond. Following this initial communication with the student, all subsequent communications by the student go to the student’s dean. (Deans may appoint designees to carry out the decanal functions outlined in this policy.) Faculty members who have questions about whether an incident constitutes an academic integrity violation are urged to consult with their chair, dean, or the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity. 

If the faculty member continues to believe that a violation has occurred, the faculty member, at their sole discretion, may either

a) offer the student an opportunity to redo the work or complete an alternate or additional assignment; or

b) assign an appropriate grade penalty and formally report the violation. The instructor may impose a grade penalty up to and including failure in the course. The School of Business has specific penalties.

If the faculty member assigns a grade penalty, they must report an academic integrity violation via the online Report a Violation of the Academic Integrity Code form, found in MyNova and, if they have not already, inform their chair or program director that a violation has occurred. The report should give a full account of the matter and, where appropriate, should include copies of the assignment, course syllabus, and other relevant documentary evidence.

Class I vs. Class II Designation: The faculty member must also make a recommendation as to whether the violation should be treated as a Class I violation or as a Class II violation. Typically, violations of the Code of Academic Integrity are treated as Class I violations, but in cases that are less serious or where there are mitigating circumstances, the violation may be treated as a Class II violation.

Reporting: The report goes to the student’s dean and, if different, the faculty member’s dean. When the student’s dean receives the report, they review the case. If the student’s dean has questions about the case, they may request further consultation with the student, the faculty member, the faculty member’s dean (if different than the student’s dean), or the faculty member’s chair. Unless the faculty member wishes to withdraw the case at this point, the student’s and faculty member’s dean (if different) decide the level of the violation (whether Class I or Class II), giving serious weight to the recommendation made by the faculty member in the report. In those cases where the dean(s) believe the violation should be downgraded from a Class I to a Class II, they must explicitly consult with the faculty member on this question. If a student has previously received a violation (either Class I or Class II), then all subsequent violations will normally be held to be Class I violations.   

Student Notification: The student’s dean sends an e-mail letter (using the official University e-mail system) to the student informing the student that they are being charged with having committed an academic integrity violation and indicating the level of the violation. The letter to the student should include links to the Code of Academic Integrity and this Academic Integrity Policy. Copies should also be sent to all parties (defined as follows): 

• the faculty member;
• the faculty member’s dean (if different);
• the faculty member’s chair or program director;
• the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity. 

Student Response Requirements: The student shall respond in writing to their dean within five business days of receipt of the notice of complaint (excluding public and University holidays), either admitting the violation or submitting an appeal letter and requesting an appeal. Failure to respond will be construed as an admission that a violation has occurred. The student’s dean will share the student's letter to all parties indicated above. If the student admits that a violation has occurred but asserts that there are extenuating circumstances, the student should explain this in the letter to the dean. The student’s dean may, at any point in the proceedings, change the level of the violation from Class I to Class II but only in consultation with the faculty member and faculty member’s dean (if different).

Student Appeal Process: If the student denies that an academic integrity violation has occurred and requests an appeal, the dean will refer the matter to the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity, with notification of this to the other parties.     

Upon receiving notice from the dean, the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity will assemble a panel consisting of three faculty and two student members of the Board of Academic Integrity. The panel will decide (based on a preponderance of the evidence) whether an academic integrity violation has occurred.

The chair of the Board of Academic Integrity will convey the panel’s findings to the student’s dean, the student, the faculty member, and the faculty member’s department chair and dean (if different). The Board chair will advise the student and faculty member of their rights of appeal. If several students are involved in one case, the students’ dean(s) may request that the panel consider the situation of all involved students, even if one or more do not deny having committed an academic integrity violation. If the panel finds that no violation has occurred, the student’s dean, in collaboration with the faculty member’s dean (if different) or the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity, will advise the faculty member to re-grade the assignment in question (on the premise that no violation has occurred), and notification will be sent to all parties. The chair of the Board of Academic Integrity may make informal recommendations to the dean on issues relating to the level of the violation, but the purpose of the panel is to consider whether an academic integrity violation has occurred. The panel does not make recommendations on issues such as mitigating circumstances or the severity of the punishment.

If the panel determines that a violation has occurred, the original grade assigned by the faculty member will stand. If a student believes that the grade assigned is inappropriate, the student may appeal the grade through the normal procedure for handling complaints concerning grades. In such cases, the instructor’s stated policy regarding grading and academic integrity will be taken into account and given great weight. The grade complaint process will only consider the grade and will not review the panel's decision that an academic integrity violation has occurred.  

CATS Participation: Unless the violation occurs during the period when CATS are being completed, a student who either accepts responsibility for a violation or is found responsible by an appeal hearing panel will not be eligible to complete CATS for the course in which the violation occurred.

Notification of Responsibility: If the student accepts responsibility, the student’s dean sends a notification to all parties. If the student is found responsible by the panel hearing the appeal, then the chair of the Board of Academic Integrity sends a notification to all parties.

Program for Students Found Responsible:  Once it has been determined that a violation has occurred, the case is turned over to the student’s dean. The student’s dean will supervise a program of education and reflection on the meaning and importance of academic integrity. This may include any or all of the following: written exercises; participation in an academic integrity educational program supervised by the college; or community service. If this program is not carried out within the timelines specified by the student’s dean and to the dean’s satisfaction, the dean will impose a judicial hold on the student’s records (and inform the student that such a hold has been placed). This will prevent the student from registering for courses or graduating until the conditions imposed by the dean have been satisfied. The student's dean may also impose or recommend additional disciplinary penalties.

Multiple Academic Integrity Violations: A student who has two Class I violations of the Code of Academic Integrity will be reviewed by their dean. The dean will review the student’s file and also consult with other academic deans if one or more of the cases occurred in another college. Absent extenuating or mitigating circumstances, the student will be dismissed from the University and a record of the reason for the dismissal will be retained in the student’s permanent file and will appear on the student’s official transcript. At the sole discretion of the dean, the student may be suspended or put on probation instead of dismissed, with or without a permanent indication on the transcript.

Maintenance of Student Records: Materials on academic integrity violations will be retained in the files until the student graduates or otherwise severs all relationship with the University. If there is no indication of an academic integrity violation on the student’s transcript, the files will be removed and destroyed. If there is an indication on the student’s transcript, the files will be retained.

Students Reporting Academic Integrity Violations: Students who believe that an integrity violation has occurred should report the suspected violation to the faculty member. If the faculty member does not act on the report, the student may also report the matter, in writing, directly to the faculty member's chair or dean, who will then make a judgment as to whether an academic integrity violation has occurred, and, if so, will follow the process described above.