2018-2019 Graduate Catalog

Sanctions for Violations of Academic Integrity


Sanctions for Violations of Academic Integrity

When a faculty member encounters a possible violation of academic integrity, he or she should address the matter with the student within ten working days, after collecting whatever evidence may be available. The faculty member has the right to ask the student to provide evidence about sources or make other reasonable requests related to the work.


Cases of improper citation are a matter of faculty discretion. If the faculty member concludes that a student has violated the academic integrity policy, he or she may immediately assign a sanction of a failing grade for the assignment. He or she may also assign the student a grade of F for the course, which may not be forgiven. This determination must be sent in writing by the faculty member to the student within ten working days after initially addressing the matter with the student.


The faculty member will report the incident and the sanction imposed to his or her chair or program director, the dean of the college in which the course was taken, and the dean of the student’s college (if different) within ten working days. This written account will include a complete documentation of the violation to all relevant parties.


The dean of the student’s college will inform the student and his or her academic advisor in writing of the infraction, the sanction, and the appeals process available to him or her within ten working days of receiving notification from the faculty member.


The deans will maintain centralized files on all reported cases of academic dishonesty in their colleges. Should a student transfer his or her major to another college, the dean will transfer files pertaining to that student to the dean of the other college as soon as possible.


In the instance of a second confirmed violation, the letter from the dean to the student should also inform the student that a letter will be forthcoming from the Office of the Provost, detailing the process in which any additional sanctions might be imposed. This letter will be mailed from the provost within ten working days of him or her being notified by the dean of the student’s college.


The timeline outlined herein applies under normal circumstances and barring institutional exigencies.