Academic Honesty

Delta State University expects all students to adhere to the highest moral academic standards.

Cheating: taking credit for work which has been completed by another person, or assisting others in the misrepresentation of their academic work.

Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• taking answers from another student’s paper or allowing answers to be taken from one’s own paper during an examination or quiz;
• the use of notes or any other aid not specifically allowed or approved by the instructor;
• unauthorized access to an un-administered examination or quiz and dissemination of the same;
• collaboration on take-home examinations unless specifically approved by the instructor;
• receiving editorial assistance on a course assignment beyond that expressly allowed by the instructor;
• collaborating with another person in the preparation of any assignment offered for credit when such collaboration is prohibited by the instructor; and
• submitting the same work for credit in more than one course, regardless of whether or not such submission occurs within the same term. An exception may be granted if the student receives written permission in advance from his/her instructor(s).

Plagiarism: the appropriation of ideas, facts, phrases, or additional materials from any source without giving proper credit or offering appropriate documentation.   Any material in a paper, report, artwork, or computer program which is not acknowledged is understood to be the original work of the author, unless the material is considered general knowledge. Students who are unsure whether they have used and documented source material correctly should consult with their instructor prior to submission of the assignment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Delta State University expects all students to adhere to the highest moral academic standards. Unethical and dishonest behavior will not be tolerated and could invoke severe penalties. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, forgery, and/or any misuse of university documents whether academic or administrative, tampering with any admission requirement documents to gain entrance into the university under a false pretense, selling or distributing written or oral information, and stealing, buying, or selling any administrative or academic document.

PROCEDURES AND PENALTIES FOR SUSPECTED DISHONESTY:

If it is believed that an academic honesty violation has occurred, the instructor should schedule a conference with the student to present the violation and evidence. The faculty member must notify the student of the academic honesty policy violation within 15 business days of discovering evidence of a suspected violation.

• If the student provides new evidence that leads the faculty member to withdraw the claim of academic dishonesty, no further action is required.
• If, following the consultation, the faculty member still believes the student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member will determine an appropriate sanction, such as a grade of zero on the test, examination, or paper in question, retake of a test or examination, extra work, failure in the course, or a combination of these sanctions. The faculty member shall inform the student in writing of the determined sanction.
• If the student admits to academic dishonesty and accepts responsibility for the violation, the faculty member must complete the Cheating/Plagiarism Report and forward it to the Office of Academic Affairs for filing. This confidential file will be kept and accessed in the event of another academic honesty violation of the student.
• In cases in which the student does not admit guilt, nor provides satisfactory evidence to change the faculty member’s assessment of evidence, the faculty member imposes the sanction that s/he finds appropriate and informs the student that the case will be referred to the Office of Academic Affairs. The faculty member informs the student in writing of the right to appeal through the Academic Grievances Policy.  The faculty member then shall submit a completed Cheating/Plagiarism Report to the Office of Academic Affairs. This notification will remain confidential in compliance with policies protecting student privacy.

The Office of Academic Affairs will send a letter to inform the student that a disciplinary file has been created, along with a copyof the Cheating/Plagiarism Report. The letter will be copied to the department chair, dean of the school/college of the course, the student’s academic dean, and the student’s advisor. A copy of the letter from the Provost, the Cheating/Plagiarism Report, and proof of the violation is kept on file in the Office of Academic Affairs.

A second violation will be the purview of the Academic Honesty Committee. The Office of Academic Affairs will notify the dean of the student’s major of a second violation and that dean will bring the two violations to the Academic Honesty Committee for review. This committee may determine additional and/or combined sanctions, up to and including suspension or dismissal from the university. The Academic Honesty Committee shall report to the Provost/VPAA.  If the determined sanction is dismissal, the Provost shall inform the President, and the President shall direct the Registrar to inform the student of the dismissal. In each case, copies of the notification of a dismissal from the university shall be sent by the Registrar to the faculty member, the department/division chair, the student’s advisor, the dean of the school or college in which the course was offered, and if different, the student’s academic dean.

STUDENT APPEAL OF RECOMMENDED SANCTION:

The student may appeal the sanction(s) determined by a faculty member and/or the Academic Honesty Committee by following the appeal process established in the Academic Grievance Policy already in place, available in the Delta State University Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletins (archived on the Academic Affairs web page) and in the Policies Manual (archived at /pages/2457.asp).  The student must  initiate the appeal process within 15 business days of receiving the written notification of the sanction(s).

The student may appeal the sanction(s) recommended by the Academic Honesty Committee to the Provost/VPAA.

Responsible Office and/or Policy Owner: Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

• None

Active

Change/Review/Approval Date:

• Policy Effective Date: 11/30/2015
• Revised/Approved by Academic Council:  02/24/2009, 07/13/2010; 05/24/2018
• Revised/Approved by Cabinet: 03/28/2016; 06/18/2018