Cheating and Plagiarism

Definitions:
1. Academic cheating includes the accomplishment or attempted accomplishment of the following:
  1. Copying or obtaining information from another student’s test paper.*
  2. Using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test.**
  3. Collaborating, conspiring, or cooperating during a test with any other person by giving or receiving information without authority.
  4. Stealing, buying, or otherwise obtaining all or part of an unadministered test.
  5. Selling or giving away all or part of an unadministered test or any information concerning specific questions and items on an unadministered test.
  6. Requesting, bribing, blackmailing, or in any other way causing any other person to obtain an unadministered test or information about an unadministered test or a test in the process of being administered.
  7. Substituting for another student, or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take a test.
  8. Submitting as one’s own, in fulfillment of academic requirements, any theme, report, term paper, essay, other written work, art work, painting, drawing, sculpture, musical composition or other art work prepared totally or in part by another person.
  9. Any selling, giving, or otherwise supplying to another student for use in fulfilling academic requirement any theme, report, term paper, essay, other written work, painting, drawing, sculpture or other art work.
  10. Submitting artificially produced data or information in the place of descriptive, experimental, or survey results.
  11. Any other devious means of securing an unearned grade in a non-credit course or in a course offered for credit.
    
    *A student looking on another student’s paper is considered cheating.
    
    **The presence on one’s person (or in close proximity thereto) of a condensation of test information which could be regarded as a “cheat sheet” will be considered adequate evidence to establish cheating.
2. Plagiarism is the use of any other person’s work (such work need not be copyrighted) and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one’s own work offered for credit.
Academic Procedures and Censures
1. Procedures
  An alleged instance of academic cheating or plagiarism shall be investigated by the instructor. If he/she feels the student is responsible, the instructor shall call the Office of Student Services (Student Conduct) to determine whether there exists any record of previous such incidents*, or if other violations of student conduct are on record for the student. With this information, the instructor shall report the incident to his/her school director and dean, provide evidence of cheating/ plagiarism, and recommend a sanction within one week following the incident. After considering the nature of the offense, the instructor’s dean shall make the final decision on the appropriate sanction and communicate the decision to the instructor and school director. Immediately after receiving notification from his/her dean, the instructor shall file an Incident Reporting Form online (http://www.ulm.edu/ulmstudents/) and deliver a copy of this report to the student. This shall be considered a formal notification to the student of the charge, sanction, and right to appeal. The instructor shall give a copy of the documented evidence of cheating/ plagiarism and all relevant communication with student to the instructor’s school director and dean. The instructor’s dean shall provide the Office of Student Services (Student Conduct) with documentation of the incident. If deemed appropriate, the instructor’s dean may also provide this information to the student’s academic dean. A penalty of suspension, dismissal, or other penalties as described under “Censures” (below) may be imposed by the student’s academic dean if the student’s record reveals previous offenses or if the nature of the offense would call for a more severe penalty. In these cases, the student’s dean shall notify the student and the Office of Student Services (Student Conduct) of the additional penalty.
2. Censures (Penalties)
  Penalties for cheating and plagiarism will generally be more severe in instances in which the student has had previous violations of University standards of student conduct (academic or non-academic), and can vary with the nature of the offense and the circumstances. At the very least, a student must be assigned a value of zero for the work involved. However, if determined appropriate, a student can be assigned the grade of “F” for the course, or, by action of the student’s academic dean, can be placed on academic suspension or dismissed from a major or professional degree program following a first offense.
  
  *A file of such incidents will be maintained in the Office of Student Services (Student Conduct).
Appeal Procedure for Ruling on Cheating or Plagiarism
1. Timelines
  An appeal, if one is made, must begin within three working days of notification of the decision. Each subsequent step in the appeal process must begin within five working days of the decision rendered in the preceding step.
2. Criteria
  A student may appeal a decision rendered by the process described under “II. Academic Procedures and Censures” if:
  1. A procedural error has occurred.
  2. New evidence has been secured. This evidence must be supported by affidavits or other supporting documentation which will be reasonably reviewed by the appropriate University Administrator.
  3. The penalty is disproportionate to the violation. Clear and convincing reasons must be given to show that the penalty does not meet the test of reasonableness and fairness.
  4. The decision is unsupported.
3. Process
  1. It is the student’s responsibility to carry the appeal to each succeeding level. Each written appeal shall include:
    1. Date of letter
    2. Student name and identification number
    3. Course name, number, and section
    4. Name of faculty member
    5. Dates of student/faculty communication
    6. Statement concerning basis for appeal, with any supporting documentation
    7. Student’s legal signature.
  2. Appeals at different levels (general conditions for appeals apply at all levels).
    1. Faculty member—The student must first attempt to resolve the matter with the faculty member.
    2. Director—

i. Classes offered in the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences or in the College of Business and Social Sciences

If the matter is not resolved with the faculty member, the student shall send a written appeal to the faculty member’s school director. The school director shall provide the faculty member with a copy of the appeal. The faculty member shall provide the school director with a statement concerning the basis for the penalty with any supporting documentation. The school director shall discuss the appeal with the student and faculty member as needed and, after review, notify each of them of the decision.

ii. Classes offered in the College of Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences

School of Health Professions-The student may appeal the decision of the faculty member to the Program Director by sending a written letter of appeal/explanation and pertinent documents. The Program Director will inform the student in writing of the decision. The student may appeal the decision of the Program Director by sending a written letter of appeal/explanation and pertinent documents to the Director of the School of Health Professions. The School Director will review the written documents and may contact the Program Director for additional information. The School Director will inform the student in writing of the decision.

School of Nursing-The student may appeal the decision of the faculty member to the School Director by sending a written letter of appeal/explanation and pertinent documents. The School Director will review the written documents and may contact the faculty member for additional information. The School Director will inform the student in writing of the decision.

School of Pharmacy-The student may appeal the decision of the faculty member to the Department Head by sending a written letter of appeal/explanation and pertinent documents. The Department Head will inform the student in writing of the decision. If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the Department Head, a written request for a meeting shall be sent to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of the School of Pharmacy. The Department Head shall provide the Associate Dean with a statement concerning the basis for the penalty with any supporting documentation. The Associate Dean shall meet with the Department Head, faculty member, and student to discuss the appeal and shall notify them of the decision.

Dean- A student may appeal the decision rendered in Section b by sending a written appeal to the faculty member’s dean*. The last reviewer identified in Section b shall provide the dean with a statement concerning the basis for the penalty with any supporting documentation. The dean shall discuss the appeal with the previous reviewers and the student as needed. After review, the dean shall notify each of them of the decision.
Vice President for Academic Affairs- If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the dean, a written appeal shall be sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The dean shall provide the Vice President with a statement concerning the basis for the penalty with any supporting documentation. The Vice President shall meet with the previous reviewers and the student as needed. After review, the Vice President shall notify each of them of the decision.
Academic Appeals Committee- If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a written request for a meeting shall be sent to the Academic Appeals Committee through the Vice President for Academic Affairs who shall provide the Academic Appeals Committee with a statement concerning the basis for the penalty with any supporting documentation. The Academic Appeals Committee shall review the appeal and render a final decision and shall notify the previous reviewers and the student of the decision.

* In the event that the incident occurred in a course not in the student’s academic college, but a penalty of suspension or dismissal has been imposed by the student’s academic dean (as described under II. B Censures - above), an appeal concerning the matter or responsibility (or not) would involve the faculty member’s dean; an appeal concerning the severity of the penalty would involve the student’s dean. In either case, the appeal would be made to the Vice President for Academic Affairs as in “d.” above.

Related Sections - 3.02:05, 7.01:03, 7.02:03

SPECIAL NOTE: In regard to the role of the dean, school director or supervisor, he/she may appoint a designee, when appropriate, to serve in their capacity on academic or disciplinary hearings.

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