| (Revised
copy, 2/18/00, to BOT, Item 5a Senate Meeting 2/28/00)
EWU expects the highest standards of
academic integrity of its students. Academic honesty
is the foundation of a fair and supportive learning
environment for all students. Personal responsibility
for academic performance is essential for equitable
assessment of student accomplishments. The university
supports the faculty in setting and maintaining standards
of academic integrity. Charges of academic dishonesty
are reviewed through a process that allows for student
learning and impartial review.
Definitions:
Violations of academic integrity involve the use
or attempted use of any method or technique enabling
a student to misrepresent the quality or integrity
of any of his or her work in the university and the
program of study.
Violations of academic integrity with respect to
examinations include but are not limited to copying
from the work of another, allowing another student
to copy from one’s own work, using crib notes,
arranging for another person to substitute in taking
an examination, or giving or receiving unauthorized
information prior to or during the examination.
Violations of academic integrity with respect to
written or other types of assignments include but
are not limited to: failure to acknowledge the ideas
or words of another that have consciously been taken
from a source, published or unpublished; placing one’s
name on papers, reports, or other documents that are
the work of another individual, whether published
or unpublished; misuse of the assistance provided
by another in the process of completing academic work;
submission of the same paper or project for separate
courses without prior authorization by faculty members;
fabrication or alteration of data; or knowingly facilitating
the violation of academic integrity by another.
Violations of academic integrity with respect to
intellectual property include but are not limited
to theft, alteration, or destruction of the academic
work of other members of the community, or of the
educational resources, materials, or official documents
of the College.
Arbitrator: An individual holding or having
held faculty rank, appointed by the Vice Provost for
Undergraduate Studies (VPUA) or Dean of Graduate Studies
(DGS) for the purpose of reviewing charges of academic
dishonesty against a student within a prescribed time
frame as either a first level reviewer or a second
level reviewer.
Instructor(s): The instructor of record.
Resolution/Appeal Form: A set of forms to
be utilized to document and communicate charges of
violation of academic integrity, instructor recommendations,
student responses, process options, and decisions
reached.
Sanctions: Penalties that may be applied in
the event that a violation of academic integrity is
found to have occurred: Sanctions may be combined
and may include but are not limited to:
- verbal or written reprimand
- educational opportunity, such as an assignment,
research or taking a course or tutorial on academic
integrity
- grade penalty in a specific academic exercise
- course grade penalty
- grade penalty of a failing course grade. A course
grade penalty of a failing course grade is recorded
on the transcript as an XF, and counted as a 0.0
for purposes of grade point average calculation.
In this case the 0.0 would be a permanent part of
the grade point average calculation. A student may
petition to have the XF on the transcript changed
to a 0.0 two years after the date it is entered.
A student may have the XF converted to a 0.0 prior
to the end of this two-year period if the student
successfully completes a course or tutorial on academic
integrity. If, after completing this course, a student
again receives a sanction for a violation of academic
integrity, that sanction shall be a permanent part
of the student’s transcript.
- suspension for a definite period of time
- dismissal from the university
Sanctions involving grades in an academic exercise
or a course final grade may be imposed by the instructor
following the procedures outlined in this policy.
Sanctions of suspension or dismissal from the university
may only be imposed by the President or the President’s
designated disciplinary officer who will review recommendations
for suspension or dismissal prior to imposing such
sanctions.
Privacy: Student privacy rights are to be
strictly observed throughout these procedures. A final
finding that a student has violated the Academic Integrity
Policy is placed in the student’s confidential
academic record. Each step of the process to determine
whether a violation has occurred is to remain confidential.
Only those parties identified in these procedures
are considered to have a "need to know"
information regarding an individual student’s
actions.
Initiation of Violation of Academic Integrity/Misconduct
Hearing Process:
An instructor may initiate the process to review
charges of a violation of academic integrity by notifying
the allegedly offending student of the charges and
of the sanction proposed by the instructor. This notification
shall occur within five (5) university instruction
days of establishing that grounds exist that an infraction
of the academic integrity code exists. Notification
may be oral but must always be supported by written
notification. Notification shall include a description
of the alleged violation of academic integrity including
appropriate dates, specification of assignment/test/exercise,
and any relevant evidence. The notification shall
also include the specific remedy proposed by the faculty
member for the misconduct. The notification shall
also include the specific remedy proposed by the instructor
for the misconduct. The notification shall also indicate
to the student whether the instructor elects to offer
resolution through Direct Faculty-Student Resolution
or through External Resolution. These processes are
described separately below.
Direct Instructor-Student Resolution:
If the instructor elects Direct Resolution, the finding
and proposed sanction of the instructor is considered
a first level review that can be appealed to an appointed
Arbitrator as a second level review.
The instructor may elect to attempt resolution through
direct interaction with the student. The student would
so indicate that notification had been received by
signing the appropriate line of the Resolution/Appeal
Form.
Upon notification, the student has five (5) university
instruction days to respond to the instructor.
The student may accept responsibility for the alleged
action and waive the right to appeal by accepting
the charges and the sanction proposed by the faculty
member or a sanction mutually agreed upon. If the
student agrees to Direct Resolution, the student and
faculty member will sign a "Resolution/Appeal
Form" and forward the completed waiver (including
the sanction imposed) to the Student Judicial Officer
for recording in the confidential disciplinary file
of the student. The instructor will then implement
the sanction.
If the student fails to respond within five (5) university
instruction days, the instructor will send another
copy of the written notification to the student by
certified mail, return receipt requested to the most
current address the student has on file with the Registrar’s
Office. Failure of the student to respond within five
(5) days following receipt of the written notification
by certified mail, shall be interpreted as an admission
of responsibility and acceptance of the instructor’s
proposed sanctions. If a student fails to respond
within five (5) university instruction days after
receipt of the written notification by certified mail
the instructor shall impose the sanctions and forward
a copy of the appropriately completed Resolution/Appeal
form to the Student Judicial Officer.
The student may exercise the right to appeal. In
the event of student appeal, the instructor and the
student complete and sign the "Resolution/Appeal
Form" and forward a copy to the VPUA (for undergraduate
students) or to DGS (for graduate students). The VPUA/DGS
or designee then appoints an Arbitrator to review
the charges as in the External Resolution process
and the process will follow the External Resolution
hearing steps.
External Resolution:
The instructor may elect to pursue charges of a violation
of academic integrity against a student through the
External Resolution process. This process provides
an Arbitrator, appointed from the university at-large,
to review the relevant facts and to take statements
from the instructor and the student. By referring
charges for External Resolution, the instructor implicitly
agrees to accept the findings of the Arbitrator and
the sanction determined by the Arbitrator. Where possible
the arbitrator shall be guided by sanctions as detailed
in the instructor’s syllabus.
Initial Notification: The instructor informs
the student in initiating a violation of academic
integrity charge as outlined above that the charge
will be heard through External Resolution process.
This notification is forwarded to the VPUA or DGS
as appropriate within five (5) university instruction
days of establishing that grounds exist that an infraction
of the academic integrity code exists.
Appointment of Arbitrator: Within five (5)
university instruction days of receipt of the notification
from the instructor, the VPUA/DGS appoints an Arbitrator
from among qualified candidates (see definition of
Arbitrator) and notifies the student of an initial
hearing in writing.
Initial Hearing: Within five (5) university
instruction days of receipt of the notification from
the instructor, the VPUA/DGS or designee informs the
student of the process as outlined in this policy,
reviews the charges in the initial notification, informs
the student of the sanction recommended by the instructor
and of the range of sanctions that could be imposed
by the Arbitrator, apprises the student of the right
to appeal and potential consequences of appeal. The
VPUA/DGS or designee ascertains that the student understands
the process and the charges and documents the Initial
Hearing.
Student failure to respond to notice of Initial Hearing:
If the student fails to respond within five (5) university
instruction days, the VPUA/DGS will send another copy
of the written notification to the student by certified
mail, return receipt requested to the most current
address the student has on file with the Registrar’s
Office. Failure of the student to respond within five
(5) days following receipt of the written notification
by certified mail, shall be interpreted as an admission
of responsibility and acceptance of the instructor’s
original proposed sanctions. If a student fails to
respond within five (5) university instruction days
after receipt of the written notification by certified
mail, the VPUA/DGS informs the instructor of this
failure to respond so that the instructor may impose
the sanction proposed initially.
Arbitrator Review: After the appointment of
the arbitrator, the student may respond to the charges
in a written statement submitted to the Arbitrator.
The student may also include any relevant written
documentation, third party statements, or evidence
deemed relevant to the student’s interests. The
Arbitrator primarily reviews written evidence. The
Arbitrator may consult with the instructor, the student
or others as the Arbitrator deems appropriate to discovering
the facts of the matter or to determining the nature
of the alleged violation of academic integrity. The
Arbitrator shall conclude the review and issue a decision
within ten (10) university instruction days after
his/her appointment unless the faculty member and
student both agree to extend the timeline. All evidence
collected in this process must be made available to
the student and/or faculty member upon request.
Arbitrator Decision: After completing a review
of the charges and relevant evidence, the Arbitrator
notifies VPUA/DGS or designee who in turn notifies
the instructor, student and Student Judicial Officer
of the Arbitrator’s decision and of the sanctions,
if any, to be imposed.
Appeal Rights
If the Arbitrator hears the case after the student
declined Direct Resolution, the Arbitrator’s
decision constitutes an appeal of the instructor’s
initial sanction. This appeal is unqualifiedly available
to any student dissatisfied with the instructor’s
proposed sanction under Direct Resolution. In this
situation the first level Arbitrator’s decision
is final and no further appeal is available. The first-level
Arbitrator’s decision is communicated to the
Student Judicial Officer for implementation and recording
in the student’s confidential disciplinary record.
If the first-level Arbitrator hears the case as the
result of the instructor’s selection of External
Resolution, the first level Arbitrator’s decision
is considered an initial decision and may be appealed.
An appeal of that decision will be head only if at
least one of the following criteria is met: (1) evidence
is provided that the penalty imposed by the first
level Arbitrator is disproportionate to the offense;
(2) evidence is provided that the first level Arbitrator’s
decision was arrived at through a violation or misapplication
of specified procedures; (3) substantial evidence
is provided that the first level Arbitrator’s
decision was unreasonable or arbitrary; and/or (4)
new evidence has emerged that, had it been available
at the time of the first level Arbitrator’s decision,
might reasonably be expected to have affected that
decision.
The student may request an appeal of the decision
of the first level Arbitrator by submitting a request
for an appeal to the VPUA/DGS or designee within three
(3) university instruction days of receipt of the
notification of the Arbitrator’s decision. Upon
receipt of the student’s request for an appeal,
the VPUA/DGS or designee makes an initial determination
whether at least one of the four (4) criteria listed
in the paragraph above may have been met. If the VPUA/DGS
or designee determines that an appeal is justified,
he or she appoints a second level Arbitrator within
five (5) university instruction days of the receipt
of the request for an appeal. The second level Arbitrator
reviews the written record and any additional or new
documentation submitted by the student in requesting
the appeal. The decision of the second level Arbitrator
is to be made within ten (10) university instruction
days of his/her appointment and is a final ruling.
It is transmitted to the VPUA/DGS who then forwards
the decision to the instructor, the student, and the
Student Judicial Officer for implementation and recording.
All evidence collected in this process must be made
available to the student and/or instructor upon request.
Repeat Violations
The purpose of recording charges and sanctions in
the student’s disciplinary record is to determine
patterns of behavior. Repeat violations of Academic
Integrity may result in more severe sanctions imposed
by the instructor or Arbitrator. The VPUA/DGS or designee
is considered to have a need to know of prior academic
integrity violations and may request such information
from the Student Judicial Officer prior to making
or transmitting a decision on a pending charge.
Three sanctioned instances of a violation of academic
integrity during a student’s enrollment at Eastern
Washington University will constitute grounds for
an immediate sanction of dismissal from the university.
Such action will be taken by the President or the
President’s designated disciplinary officer upon
notification of three sanctions by the Student Judicial
Officer.
Course Withdrawal Suspended During Hearings
A student officially notified of charges of a violation
of academic integrity may not withdraw from the course
until the determination of responsibility is made
and any sanctions are imposed. A sanction for a violation
of academic integrity that affects the course grade
will be applied. The student may not avoid the imposition
of a sanction by withdrawing from a course. If the
student is found not responsible for actions violating
the Academic Integrity Policy, the student will be
permitted to withdraw from the course with a grade
of "W" and with no financial penalty, regardless
of the deadline for official withdrawal.
Continuation in Course Pending Final Decision
A student may continue to attend and perform all
expected functions within a course (take tests, submit
papers, participate in discussions and labs, etc.)
while a charge of a violation of academic integrity
is under review, even if the instructor recommendation
is a failing grade in the course, suspension or dismissal.
Full status as an enrollee in a course may continue
until a sanction is imposed. Final imposition of a
sanction of a failing grade in a course will result
in the immediate suspension of attendance in that
class by the student.
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