The information below is an excerpt from the 2019-2020 Student Code of Conduct.
12.9. Alleged Violations of Intellectual Responsibility
12.9. Alleged Violations of Intellectual Responsibility
Since grading is the province of the instructor of any course, the possibility of assigning a course penalty necessarily involves the instructor in the process of deciding consequences in cases of demonstrated violations of intellectual responsibility. The code allows for two methods of handling such cases, depending on the circumstances of the case:
12.9.1. Student Accepts Responsibility for Allegation
An instructor who encounters a clearly demonstrated infraction—that is, in which there is unambiguous and conclusive evidence of plagiarism or cheating—will usually speak to the student (if appropriate) and ascertain the circumstances of the incident.
12.9.1.1. If the instructor is able to communicate with the student and the student corroborates the facts and accepts responsibility for violating Section 1.1, Statement of Intellectual Responsibility (see also Section 2.4), the instructor will report the matter to the Director of Community Standards.
12.9.1.2. If the instructor does not communicate with the student, the instructor will refer the matter to the Director of Community Standards for appropriate response.
In either circumstance the student can expect to meet with the Director of Community Standards to discuss the incident, arrive at resolution (if required), and address the incident’s impact on the student’s College tenure and potential impact on future opportunities.
In the case of a first offense, the Director of Community Standards, after consultation with the instructor, will issue an appropriate non-grade sanction (see Section 14, College Sanctions), and will keep a record of the infraction and its resolution in a confidential student file. If the student has a previous infraction, the Director of Community Standards may assign a new, escalated sanction, or will refer the new case to the Community Standards Review Board for resolution, since the offense may warrant a consequence that exceeds a one-semester suspension (see Section 12.8.2.6, Potential for Significant Sanction).
12.9.2. Student Denies Responsibility for Allegation
In cases in which an instructor suspects that a student may have committed a violation of intellectual responsibility, the instructor will discuss the concern with the student if possible. If after the discussion the instructor maintains their suspicion, the instructor will report the case to the Director of Community Standards. In such instances, since the instructor and the student may disagree on the facts of the case—that is, on whether a violation of intellectual responsibility occurred—the Director of Community Standards will send the case to the Community Standards Review Board (CSRB), or, if both parties and the Director of Community Standards agrees, the Director of Community Standards can serve as the administrative adjudicator. In all cases in which the CSRB finds a student responsible for a violation of intellectual responsibility, the CSRB will determine all sanctions except for course consequences, which are assigned at the discretion of the instructor. The recommended sanction for a first-time violation of intellectual responsibility, whether or not it is adjudicated by the CSRB, is failure in the course and some period of disciplinary probation.
All faculty members are strongly encouraged to discuss suspected violations of intellectual responsibility with the Director of Community Standards. Faculty and the Office of Student Affairs partner to address students’ understanding of the consequences of their choices. Faculty members are also encouraged to discuss these procedures with the Director of Community Standards if they have any questions about them.
In cases adjudicated before the CSRB, a faculty member may request the College to serve as the Complainant on the faculty member’s behalf. In such instances, the faculty member must appear as a witness at the hearing.