Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help another student commit an act of academic dishonesty. The University takes all reported incidences of academic misconduct seriously and seeks to ensure that they are dealt with efficiently and appropriately.

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It consists of knowingly presenting in writing or in speech the intellectual or creative work of others as if it were one’s own. This includes:

• Failing to identify direct or word-for-word quotations by use of appropriate symbols and reference to the source.
• Restating in your own words the work (ideas, conclusions, words) of another without reference to the source.
• Presenting as your own the creative work (for instance, music or photographs) of another without proper acknowledgment.

Besides plagiarism, other forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:

• Submitting the same work in two or more courses without significant modifications or expansion and without the approval of the instructors involved.
• Submitting purchased, borrowed, copied or specially commissioned work as if it were one’s own.
• Presenting as your own the work of any computer system (for instance, Chat-GPT). Systems that use artificial intelligence, language models, etc. to construct answers to a user prompt are essentially the same as submitting work purchased, borrowed, copied, or commissioned. While the act of synthesizing this information from existing sources into a response to the prompt, without citation, would be considered plagiarism, it is the algorithm that is doing the plagiarism. A student using that material as if it were their own has committed willful misconduct.
• Knowingly permitting others to submit your work under their names.
• Copying the work of others during an examination or other academic exercise.
• Knowingly allowing others to copy your work during an examination or other academic exercise.
• Using “cheat sheets” or any other unauthorized form of assistance during an exam, quiz or other academic exercise.
• Manipulating or fabricating data to support erroneous conclusions.
• Allowing the use of another student’s identification or log in credentials to complete an academic requirement, including Arts and Lecture Events.

NOTE: AUTHORIZED HELP is encouraged and includes:

• Attendance at help sessions.
• Tutoring received with your instructor’s knowledge (responsible tutoring does not provide answers to specific assignments but focuses on general principles, concepts, rules and information, as well as on skills development).
• Work with Academic Resource Center and Tutoring Center staff done with the knowledge of your instructor.
• The use of computer software, websites, and algorithms that provide help with grammar, spelling, and other writing basics (i.e. “spellcheckers”), except in cases where an assignment is meant to assess spelling, grammar, etc. without the use of aids. (If you are unsure, ask your instructor).

The effect of cheating within a community is to destroy the environment of honesty and trust on which the community depends. A dishonest performance diminishes the achievement of those who have worked hard and demonstrated real mastery of a subject. For this reason, you are encouraged to confront peers who violate the standard of honesty by any form of cheating or plagiarism and, if necessary, to report their behavior to an appropriate authority (instructor, director or authorized university agency or body). No one but you can know if you should take the kind of action just described.

Sanctions:

• Stage 1 - In a case of unintentional or doubtful plagiarism, the student receives a written warning from the faculty member. Whether the student receives an “F” for the assignment is up to the faculty member. The action is reported to the Admissions and Standards Committee and to the Provost’s office.

• Stage 2 - This stage is for an offense after a Stage 1 violation reported in a different course, or for a first offense in which the student knowingly and willfully engages in academic misconduct, as determined by the faculty member. At a minimum, the student receives an “F” for the assignment; whether the student receives an “F” for the course is up to the faculty member. The student will be required, within a month (not counting academic breaks) of notification from the faculty member or conclusion of an appeal process, to complete an online course on academic misconduct and meet with the faculty member and their advisor following completion of that online course. Failure to complete the course and conference with faculty will result in an automatic escalation of the offense to Stage 3. The action is reported to the Admissions and Standards Committee and to the Provost’s office.

• Stage 3 - Stage 3 is for a second Stage 2 violation in the same or different course or an automatic escalation from Stage 2 as described above. The penalty is an “F” in the course. The student will be required, within a month (not counting academic breaks) of notification from the faculty member or conclusion of an appeal process, to meet with the Provost regarding the violation. Failure to meet with the Provost will result in an automatic escalation of the offense to Stage 4. The action is reported to the Admissions and Standards Committee and to the Provost’s office.

• Stage 4 - Stage 4 is for a knowing and willful academic misconduct violation following a Stage 3 violation in the same or different course or an automatic escalation from Stage 3 as described above. The penalty is an “F” in the course and suspension or dismissal from the University - a matter that is recorded on the student’s transcript. Decisions on suspension or dismissal are made by the Admissions and Standards Committee. A suspension would become effective the semester following the decision from the Admissions and Standards Committee. Students suspended for academic misconduct may not be readmitted until one semester (as appropriate to their program of study) from the date of their suspension.

DUAL ENROLLMENT ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY

Dual enrollment students have a special status. Each is enrolled at both Tusculum University and their home institution, a high school. For that reason, academic misconduct policies for these students must account - in the policies, practices, and sanctions - for the student’s position, split between two educational institutions.

Regardless of these modified sanctions, which reflect an equitable perspective on their unique status, dual-enrollment students should understand and respect the standards set at TU and other colleges and universities for honesty and integrity in their coursework and scholarship.

The definition of academic misconduct does not change, nor does the process for reporting academic misconduct, nor does the appeals process. All offenses (including Stage 1) are still reported to the University. However, dual enrollment students are subject to the following modified sanctions:

• Stage 1 - In a case of unintentional or doubtful plagiarism where the student receives an F for the assignment, the student receives a written warning from the faculty member. The student is also required to meet with the faculty member to discuss the infraction. If feasible, the student is entitled to make up with a proctor (at the student’s home institution or suitable third-party testing center).

• Stage 2 - This stage is for any offense after a Stage 1 offense or for a first offense in which the student knowingly and willfully engages in academic misconduct, as determined by the faculty member. The student receives an F for the assignment. The student is required to meet jointly with their advisor and the appropriate representative from their home institution to discuss the infraction. After this meeting, the student has the option to take an online course about academic misconduct. Choosing not to take this course makes the student ineligible to enroll in dual-enrollment courses at Tusculum, effective the following standard (full Fall/Spring) term or Summer term. Choosing to complete this course gives the student the opportunity to request the faculty member allow the student to make-up the assignment in question with a proctor, at the discretion of the reporting faculty member.

• Stage 3 - Stage 3 is for a second Stage 2 offense. The penalty is an F in the course. The student is ineligible to enroll in dual-enrollment courses at Tusculum, effective the following standard or Summer term.

In all cases, the action is reported to the Admissions and Standards Committee and to the Provost’s office. For Stage 2 and higher, in addition to notification of the student’s academic advisor at Tusculum, the Dual Enrollment Coordinator (who is often already notified, as the student’s advisor) is notified, and the Dual Enrollment Coordinator is required to notify the appropriate party (usually a guidance counselor) at the student’s home institution. For any stage offense, the student’s home institution may apply its own internal sanctions at its own discretion.

For make-up assignments, it is the student’s responsibility, in coordination with the home institution, to make appropriate arrangements for proctoring and to coordinate with TU faculty.

Academic Misconduct Appeals

There are two kinds of appeals of academic misconduct findings: appeals against the finding itself and appeals against the sanction being imposed. Note that any sanction, even after appeal, must match the stage of the offense. This means only Stage 2 and 4 sanctions may be appealed, and only if the sanction assigned is the greater of the two options. A successful appeal would only lower the sanction to the lesser of the two options for that stage.

If a student believes an academic misconduct finding is inaccurate, the student may appeal the misconduct finding. If a student believes the sanction assigned is disproportionate to the severity of the misconduct offense, the student may appeal the misconduct sanction. The student must initiate the appeals process by requesting a conference with the reporting faculty member within 30 days of the date the student was notified of the finding (notified meaning presented with the misconduct reporting form to sign). A final decision in the appeals process must be reached by the end of the normal academic term (Fall or Spring full semester) following the term in which the appeal began.

A student is strongly encouraged to begin the appeal process as quickly as possible and to consult with their advisor(s) when preparing an academic misconduct appeal. If a student’s advisor is the reporting faculty, the student is advised to consult with another trusted member of the faculty, the department chair or college dean, or another TU administrator or academic staff.

Appeals of Misconduct Findings or Stage 2 Sanctions

1. The appeal of an academic misconduct finding begins with a conference with the reporting faculty. If the reporting faculty member’s explanation of the academic misconduct citation is satisfactory to the student, then the matter is resolved.

2. If not resolved in the student-faculty conference, the student must file a formal written appeal (including relevant documentation) to the chair of the department in which the class was offered.

3. If the appeal is not resolved at the department chair level, it moves to the college dean.

4. If the student is not satisfied with the recommendation from the College Dean, then the student may request that the appeal be forwarded, with accompanying documentation and additional commentary, if any, to the Admissions and Standards Committee. The Admissions and Standards Committee will render an opinion on such an appeal at the first meeting following receipt of the appeal. Decisions made by the Admissions and Standards Committee regarding appeals of academic misconduct findings or Stage 2 sanctions are final.

A student is required to use the Misconduct Appeal Form and follow the process therein.

At the first appeal to the reporting faculty, the student should present a complete and factual account of the events related to the incident, and the student should provide any additional evidence, explanation, or material related to the assignment(s) in question, along with the Misonduct Appeal Form.

A subsequent appeal, addressed to the chair and forwarded if necessary to the dean or Committee, should be made in writing on that same complete, factual basis, providing only additional information or evidence if necessary to corroborate or supplement the student’s explanation of events.

At each appeal beyond the first, the updated Misconduct Appeal Form and all attached documentation that the student has included must be provided to the reporting faculty, who will initial the form, attach the full original misconduct report to the person/body hearing the appeal, and forward it to the relevant person/body. At any point in the appeal process, the student may add information to the appeal, but at no time can information be removed from the original appeal. The reporting faculty’s initials and all documentation attached to the original misconduct report should be received and reviewed by the chair, dean, or Committee before the appeal is decided. 

Appeals of Stage 4 Sanctions

Stage 4 sanctions assigned by the Admissions and Standards Committee must include either suspension for at least one semester or dismissal from the University. If the minimum penalty (suspension for one semester) is assessed by the Admissions and Standards Committee, that decision cannot be appealed.

Appeals of Stage 4 sanctions (regarding an extended suspension or dismissal from the university) made by Admissions and Standards must be directed in writing to the Provost. Decisions made by the Provost regarding Stage 4 sanctions are final.