Academic Integrity

1.0 Purpose

Because of its mission to promote a tradition of excellence, Snow College expects all students to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and to submit work for academic credit that reflects their own learning, skills, and best efforts. A student who cheats, commits fraud, or plagiarizes is in violation of this principle. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated by the College.

2.0 Definitions

• 2.1. Academic Dishonesty is any violation of academic integrity. An attempted act of academic dishonesty (even if unsuccessful) is also a violation of academic integrity. Below are examples of the most common forms of academic dishonesty. This list is instructive rather than exhaustive.
• 2.2. Cheating is the use, gift, or acquisition, of unauthorized assistance, or of other activity that violates stated assignment or testing instructions. The following behaviors are considered cheating:
  • 2.2.1. using unauthorized assistance when taking a quiz, test, or exam, or when completing a graded assignment, whether the work is done in a classroom, a testing facility, or any other location;
  • 2.2.2. giving unauthorized assistance to a student taking a quiz, test, or exam, or completing a graded assignment, whether the work is done in a classroom, a testing facility, or any other location;
  • 2.2.3. substituting for another student, or allowing someone else to substitute for oneself, when taking a quiz, test, or exam, or when completing a graded assignment, whether the work is done in a classroom, a testing facility, or any other location;
  • 2.2.4. acquiring, by any means, a quiz, test, exam, or other course material before the instructor has authorized its use;
  • 2.2.5. continuing to work after time has expired for a quiz, test, exam, or other graded assignment without authorization;
  • 2.2.6. submitting the same work for credit in more than one course. (Exceptions may be possible with prior approval from instructors of all classes involved.)
  • 2.2.7. using generative AI (programs such as ChatGPT) to complete an exam, assignment, essay or other graded work when the use of AI has been prohibited by the instructor.
• 2.3. Fraud is the deliberate misrepresentation of knowledge or the source of that knowledge. The following behaviors are considered fraud:
  • 2.3.1. citing a source (book, article, etc.) that does not exist;
  • 2.3.2. citing a source for information that it does not contain;
  • 2.3.3. citing a source for a proposition that it does not support;
  • 2.3.4. identifying a source in a bibliography when the source is not cited in the text of the accompanying project;
  • 2.3.5. intentionally distorting the meaning or applicability of data beyond a legitimate range of interpretation;
  • 2.3.6. misrepresenting fictitious information as real.
• 2.4. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use (intentional or otherwise) of language or ideas taken from an outside source (web page, book, article, film, television program, student essay, etc.) and presented for credit as one’s own. Submitting plagiarized work in any form is a breach of academic integrity, regardless of how much or little material has been borrowed. The following are common forms of plagiarism:
  • 2.4.1. plagiarism of words: using the exact words of a source (that is, verbatim copying of even as few as three consecutive words) without indicating that the words have been borrowed (usually by placing them within quotation marks and appropriately citing the source):
  • 2.4.2. plagiarism of ideas: presenting the unique ideas of a source without citing the source (at the very least by naming the source; or in a documented paper, by using in-text and bibliographic citation). As deemed appropriate by the instructor, exceptions may be made for encyclopedic or common knowledge information.
  • 2.4.3. patchwriting (combination of 2.4.1 and 2.4.2): copying and only partially changing the language from another source and presenting it as one’s own without attribution and citation.
  • 2.4.4. “whole-cloth” plagiarism: misrepresenting the work of another person (an encyclopedia article, a friend’s essay, an essay purchased from someone, etc.) as one’s original work.
  • 2.4.5. group work on an individual take-home exam or other similar assignment for which group collaboration has not been explicitly permitted by the instructor.

3.0 Policy

• 3.1. Instructors should investigate any suspicion of academic dishonesty in their students’ work. This expectation not only reflects the College’s high standards of academic integrity but should also be recognized as being in the best interests of student learning and development. An instructor who has reason to believe that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred, or who has been notified of a report of academic dishonesty in their class, should gather the needed information to form a reasonable inference of the nature of the act. As circumstances permit, and as the instructor determines appropriate to the situation, this should include conferring directly with the student(s) involved. In every case, the instructor should respect the privacy and dignity of any student(s) involved.
• 3.2. An instructor who is certain that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred has two options.
  • 3.2.1. In minor cases resulting from mistakes and/or a lack of understanding on the part of the student and when the academic consequence will not have a substantial effect on a student’s grade, an instructor may opt for addressing the infraction with the student within the purview of the class, with or without academic consequences, and without filing a Record of Academic Dishonesty. This decision is entrusted to the instructor on the basis of two criteria:
    • pedagogical value and effectiveness toward student learning; and
    • the College’s high standards of academic integrity.
  • 3.2.2. In cases where the act of dishonesty is serious, premeditated, or deceptive; needs to be documented to prevent further acts of dishonesty; and/or warrants a substantial academic consequence up to and including failure in the class, an instructor should submit a formal Record of Academic Dishonesty within two weeks of the instructor’s discovery of the act in question. When possible, a timelier filing is preferable, but it is also critical that instructors be allotted the time necessary to thoroughly investigate and properly confirm the details of the infraction before filing.
• 3.3. The most severe sanction that an instructor may carry out is failure in a course, a sanction that must be documented with a Record of Academic Dishonesty. Repeated cases of academic dishonesty and/or other violations of the student code of ethics may warrant additional sanctions through the Office of the Dean of Students.
• 3.4. When a Record of Academic Dishonesty is submitted, the Dean of Students receives the record. Additionally, the student receives a notice explaining the significance and consequences of the infraction as it applies to the particular class. This communication also alerts the student to their right to appeal.
• 3.5. A student receiving academic consequences for academic dishonesty may appeal the instructor’s decision. The first step is to discuss the issue with the faculty member, chair, and/or dean in an attempt to resolve the issue. If this process fails to resolve the issue, the student should give written notification of intent to appeal to the Academic Standards Committee, organized under the authority of the Faculty Senate. Appeals of decisions made by the Office of the Dean of Students must be directed to that office.
• 3.6. Students may appeal to the Academic Standards Committee on two general grounds: questions of fact and questions of consequence.
  • 3.6.1. Students who wish to appeal the finding that they committed an act of academic dishonesty may argue that the facts of the case are in error or incomplete or that the academic dishonesty policy has been misinterpreted or not followed. The instructor has the burden to prove that the preponderance of the evidence supports the determination that an act of academic dishonesty occurred.
  • 3.6.2. Students who wish to appeal the academic consequences imposed by an instructor may argue that the consequence was unfair or has been applied inconsistently. The student has the burden to prove that the preponderance of the evidence calls into question the academic consequences.
• 3.7. Upon receiving a notice of appeal, the Academic Standards Committee will invite the student to provide a written statement outlining the reasons they are pursuing an appeal and to provide any additional information to support their stance. That written statement is shared with the instructor, who can provide a response and any additional information to the committee. The committee may meet with the student and/or instructor at their discretion, but will not meet both parties in the process at once.
  • 3.7.1. The student must be given at least five business days to write the statement, and the instructor must be given the same amount of time to respond. The Academic Standards Committee must then consider the case no later than thirty days from the date on which the student’s written statement is received, or by the fifth day of the following regular semester, whichever comes first.
  • 3.7.2. The student may be supported by an advisor of their choice, including legal counsel. However, legal counsel or other advisors may only advise the student and may not speak on their behalf. A student who chooses to be supported by legal counsel shall notify the chair of the Academic Standards Committee at least three business days before providing the written statement.
  • 3.7.3. Only factual evidence having an immediate bearing on the case at hand shall be considered.
  • 3.7.4. The Academic Standards Committee will conclude whether or not the preponderance of evidence supports the decision made by the instructor.
• 3.8. Appeals of the decision of the Academic Standards Committee can be made to the Provost. However, the Provost will not consider matters of fact or consequences. Instead, appeals to the Provost can only object that this policy or other applicable policies have not been followed.