Policies and Procedures

When an academic integrity incident occurs

Two actions should be taken:

1. Discuss with the student the allegation

2. Submit the incident report

Instructor Discussion with the student: The instructor and student meet face-to-face as soon as possible to discuss the apparent violation of the AI policy. In this meeting, the instructor presents the student with the allegation of academic dishonesty and any evidence supporting that allegation. The professor informs the student of any intended sanctions consistent with those specified in the course syllabus.

If, after this meeting, the instructor believes that no violation had occurred, the allegation(s) will be dropped. The case ends here.

Student admits the incident and accepts responsibility and the instructor’s sanction, OR if the student does not accept responsibility and the instructor's sanction, the student student can submit an appeal to the Department Head.

If the instructor still believes that the AI policy has been violated by the student, he/she/they must complete the Incident Report. Once the Incident Report is submitted, the student, the professor, and the AI Chair will receive a letter summarizing the incident and the intended sanction(s). Copies are sent to the instructor’s Department Head, the AIC Chair, and the Office of the Academic Affairs to be maintained as part of AIC records.

The student has one week (five academic days) from the receipt of the emailed notification letter to complete the Student Appeal to the Department Head form and schedule a meeting to appeal the sanction to the Department Head.

When a report of academic dishonesty is filed with the AIC, the student will receive another letter, copied to the instructor and the Department Head. This letter will verify that a report has been received from the instructor and indicate how it will be used, affirm the confidentiality of the report, reiterate the student’s right to appeal, and recommend that the student review the university’s academic integrity policy.

If a student chooses not to appeal the instructor’s sanction, the record of the incident is maintained, and the sanction(s) selected by the instructor are recorded.

No appeal to the Department Head: Records are maintained, and the sanction(s) indicated by the instructor is(are) enforced.

Appeal to Department Head: Upon receipt of the student’s written appeal, the Department Head will meet separately with the student and with the instructor. The Department Head must notify the instructor and the student in writing of his/her/their decision, and must inform the instructor and the student that either may appeal the Department Head’s decision (in writing) to the AIC Chair within fifteen (15) academic days (days when classes are in session) from the date of the Department Head’s letter. The Department Head must send a detailed report of his/her/their decision along with pertinent documents to the AIC Chair and the Office of Academic Affairs.

No appeal to the Academic Integrity Council: Records are maintained, and the sanction(s) indicated by the instructor is(are) enforced.

Appeal to the Academic Integrity Council: The Chair of the AIC will assemble a five-member panel of faculty and student members of the Council to hear the appeal, and will notify the student, the instructor, and the Department Head in writing fifteen (15) academic days prior to the proceeding (whenever possible). An Academic Integrity Proceeding is an academic process unique to a community of scholars and is not modeled on criminal or civil legal proceedings; however, a student against whom an allegation has been lodged may be accompanied by an advisor (with prior approval from the AIC Chair). The advisor may be an attorney, but the advisor does not address the panel.

*Special Case: Student Not Associated With Enrollment in a Course: Any incident of alleged academic dishonesty by a student not enrolled in a particular course should be reported directly to the Academic Integrity Council (AIC) Chair.

No grade-related sanction may be imposed until a student admits misconduct and/or forgoes appeal rights or is found in violation after a formal proceeding. The student must be allowed to continue attending the class and completing assignments in which dishonesty has been alleged until the right of appeal has been exhausted. The Office of Academic Affairs will send out correspondence throughout the process.
If an academic integrity matter has occurred at the end of the semester, the professor must assign an Incomplete (I) in the course until the matter is resolved. The Academic Affairs office will send a reminder.
A student cannot avoid a failing grade by dropping the course. The instructor can impose a sanction of F or XF even if the student drops the class, including drops that occur prior to the no-penalty drop deadline. (See below for further information on this process.)

Reporting Academic Dishonesty

Anyone who has witnessed an apparent act of student academic dishonesty or has information that reasonably leads to the conclusion that such an act has occurred or has been attempted is strongly encouraged to report said act. Acts of apparent academic dishonesty that occur in the classroom may be reported directly to the course instructor, the instructor’s Department Head, and/or the instructor’s Associate Dean. Incidences of apparent academic dishonesty may also be reported directly to the Academic Integrity Council by contacting the Chair of the Council at 417-255-7282. Anonymous reports will not be accepted, but the identity of any person reporting a suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be held in strict confidence.

Academic Integrity records

Academic Integrity records are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and our Policy Regarding Personally Identifiable student Records. Academic Integrity records are maintained in the Office of Academic Affairs.

Sanctions

Assigning the XF grade

To assign a grade of XF, the instructor must send a memo stating the intention to assign an XF grade to the AIC Chair, and the Office of Academic Affairs with a copy to the Department Head. A memo must also be sent if the instructor wishes to assign an F grade to a student who dropped the class before the no-penalty deadline. The Office of Academic Affairs will then notify the Records Office. A grade of XF cannot be assigned via the online grade submission process.

XF grades can be appealed after at least 12 months. A student may petition to the AIC to have the XF removed from the transcript and replaced with a grade of F. The decision to remove the grade of XF and replace it with an F shall rest in the discretion and judgment of a majority of the entire AIC, which will undertake a review of the records in the case, and may include additional requirements before granting the petition.

Revoking a Grade

The instructor must send written notification to the AIC and the Office of Academic Affairs with a copy to the instructor’s Department Head and Associate Dean if they discover an incident of academic dishonesty after final grades have been submitted and have been assigned and wishes to retroactively impose an F or XF grade for the course as a sanction. This written notice must be received by the AIC within five (5) calendar years. However, alleged academic dishonesty may be reported to the AIC regardless of how much time has passed since the alleged act.

Revoking a Degree

If retroactively failing a class due to academic dishonesty means that a graduated student no longer has met the requirements of the degree, the university may revoke said degree. Email the Academic Integrity Council for more information or refer to the policy.